Author Topic: turning a working NBA JAM cabinet into MAME (Read 4055 times)

alfredbot9000 · « **on:** March 20, 2008, 05:09:17 pm »

I found a working NBA JAM cabinet with a 25" monitor for a reasonable price. I can get it for around $350, which seems like a fair price. It is in working condition so I can play it until I gut it.

I am a total newbie to building a mame, but I just bough the Project Arcade book and and ready to take the plunge.

Plan:

To repaint it and put new graphics and marquees on it.

To gut the machine and replace the control panel with my own design. 4 player (2 - 6 button and 2 - 4 button) with trackball and spinner...pretty standard 4 player MAME setup

Questions:
1. Is $350 a fair price for a working NBA JAM (4 player) 25" monitor cabinet? Or would I be better off getting a trashed game with a good cabinet?
2. Would I be able to connect this arcade monitor to a PC? Can this be done easily?
3. Would it be easier to put a television in it?

TelcoLou · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:12:05 pm »

*Offers alfredbot9000 an asbestos jump-suit*

alfredbot9000 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:14:07 pm »

now I'm gonna feel really dumb by asking what an asbestos jump-suit.

Ginsu Victim · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:14:45 pm »

STEPS:

1. Buy the machine and keep it.

2. Buy a $50 empty cabinet and mod that.

RetroACTIVE · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:15:12 pm »

Quote from: alfredbot9000 on March 20, 2008, 05:14:07 pm

now I'm gonna feel really dumb by asking what an asbestos jump-suit.

Something to prevent you from getting burned.

alfredbot9000 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:19:31 pm »

Is that meaning that I am going to get hurt doing this? Or a joke.

Bleagh · « **Reply #6 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:22:25 pm »

You can get a cab to gut for next to nothing. If the NBA jam is in REALLY nice shape with no burn in and you like that game, then I suppose $350 isn't bad. You could always put a 4 player tmnt board in there too.

Lutus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:22:41 pm »

Why take a machine that has graphics, marquee, control panel, working monitor, and gameboard and gut the thing.

Keep it NBA jam. There are plenty of other machines that are on the brink of being trashed that can be used for MAME. Or better yet...

Build Your Own Arcade Cabinet

TelcoLou · « **Reply #8 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:23:00 pm »

... to be serious; MAME-ing a fully-working arcade machine is generally frowned upon here.

Also, $350 is a lot of money to spend on something you'll wind up gutting and re-building with your own new parts anyway.

Here's what I (and many others) did; found an old cab (used to be a Centipede, then was converted to Neo-Geo, then gutted .. had no monitor or PCB) for $50, and went to town MAMEing it

RetroACTIVE · « **Reply #9 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:23:08 pm »

Quote from: alfredbot9000 on March 20, 2008, 05:19:31 pm

Is that meaning that I am going to get hurt doing this? Or a joke.

Most folks tend to frown upon taking a working arcade machine and converting it to mame... some are a little more passionate about it... hence the heat. The reactions are highly dependent upon the classic nature of the arcade machine and the individual.

General rule of thumb is really to keep working machines in tact and mame something that is either an empty hulk or build a new.

Ginsu Victim · « **Reply #10 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:24:20 pm »

Basic rule number one:
If it's a working cabinet, keep it that way. If it's close to it, make it work. If there's nothing really left of the original, go ahead and MAME it.

An NBA Jam is a great cabinet for modding, but that's actually a fairly old game now. We have to preserve these games of the past, or else MAME will be the only existence of them.

alfredbot9000 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:27:12 pm »

Thanks for the tips. I think I may pass on this and look for something a little more thrashed.

I was just thinking about keeping a budget and if i can get a cab with a working monitor for 350 that seems reasonable.

Ginsu Victim · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:28:27 pm »

Do what you want. Just don't mention that it's working

TelcoLou · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:34:29 pm »

Quote from: alfredbot9000 on March 20, 2008, 05:27:12 pm

Thanks for the tips. I think I may pass on this and look for something a little more thrashed.

I was just thinking about keeping a budget and if i can get a cab with a working monitor for 350 that seems reasonable.

Search Ebay for used monitors; I got a great 19" CRT for only $20!

alfredbot9000 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:39:25 pm »

The whole point of this thread was mainly to ask if the monitor (since it is working and has no burn in) could be used in a MAME system.

The main point with me buying it with a working monitor was to be able to play it and enjoy it as an NBA JAM cabinet until I save up a little more dough and get through "Project Arcade" to finish the project. This was just something that would drop me right into actually doing this versus putting it off.

I didn't mean to start a war or anything like that.

Ginsu Victim · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:42:01 pm »

www.ultimarc.com
Check out the ArcadeVGA.

RetroACTIVE · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2008, 05:43:15 pm »

Quote from: alfredbot9000 on March 20, 2008, 05:39:25 pm

The whole point of this thread was mainly to ask if the monitor (since it is working and has no burn in) could be used in a MAME system.

The main point with me buying it with a working monitor was to be able to play it and enjoy it as an NBA JAM cabinet until I save up a little more dough and get through "Project Arcade" to finish the project. This was just something that would drop me right into actually doing this versus putting it off.

I didn't mean to start a war or anything like that.

You're not starting a war... don't worry... you did the right thing for asking... yes you can use the monitor you will just need to configure your pc (usually using arcade vga card... or soft15khz) to output the appropriate resolution and frequency for an arcade monitor.

Malenko · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2008, 10:03:16 pm »

well wheres this NBA jam? I'll take it (and convert it to NBA Jam TE V1.0)

phishpac · « **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2008, 11:36:17 pm »

I suggest you keep the NBA jam. It's a great game, I spent countless quarters on it. I am using the same book that you have and I am finding it INCREDIBLY satisfying to build my own mame cabinet from the ground up. Yeah it'll cost you a few extra bucks, but it's great fun. I definitely consider it my new favorite hobby. check it: http://phishpac.blogspot.com/

zelony · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2008, 10:26:50 pm »

I converted a mint condition NFL Blitz 99 Showcase cab to MAME. I did that, becuase I wanted a highend, high quality cabinet. I think of it like hot rodding a classic car, the better the starting point the better the end product.

That being said, I understand why people do not like to see original cabinets modified.

Good luck.

Kevin Mullins · « **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2008, 11:53:31 pm »

Quote from: zelony on March 21, 2008, 10:26:50 pm

I converted a mint condition NFL Blitz 99 Showcase cab to MAME.

Like a 33"-39" Showcase cabinet ? (Dynamo)

If so, then that wasn't an original cab anyways...... those were generic and were intended to be converted to lots of things. And no harm done by MAMEing it.

The originals were like the one pictured......


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