Converting Taito Zoo keeper to jamma - Possible with adapter?

barakawins

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Converting Taito Zoo keeper to jamma - Possible with adapter?

Is there an adapter which is plug play so my tailto zoo keeper can play a jamma board?
In other words, I don't want to hack up my zoo keeper. Just want a plug/play adapter that
would allow me to play a jamma board on it.
 
I don't think there is an adapter that is available to buy. You'd have to have one made.
 
John - whats up.

I recall Spaeth having one on his spreadsheet - he had Taito to Jamma adapters. This was about a year ago. I was thinking of getting one from him when i had the Elevator Action and JK machines, but passed.
 
Someone told me that the "standard" monitor which came in ZK may not sync without a little tweaking if you put a JAMMA board in there.

Not sure if that's always the case, but just something to keep in mind.
 
..

That would be a ton of work. I would just recommend that you buy the Taito multiboard (jamma) with Zookeeper already on it.

jon
 
Just get a 44 pin female connector, a 56 pin female connector and a 44 pin (cut down a 56 pin) fingerboard and some short wires, Can easily do this for under $10 and an hour or two of work soldering.


(Existing Taito 44 pin female connector harness)
v
44 pin fingerboard
v
44 pin solder eylet connector
v
lots of short wires
v
56 pin (jamma) solder eylet connector
v
(your jamma board)


Making adaptors is really easy.. SEC's run about $2-$3 each, fingerboards about the same, 20 gauge wire scraps are cheap if not free if you dont care about the wild multi-color matching (or just trim 4" off a spare jamma harness, you'll never miss it)
 
Just get a 44 pin female connector, a 56 pin female connector and a 44 pin (cut down a 56 pin) fingerboard and some short wires, Can easily do this for under $10 and an hour or two of work soldering.


(Existing Taito 44 pin female connector harness)
v
44 pin fingerboard
v
44 pin solder eylet connector
v
lots of short wires
v
56 pin (jamma) solder eylet connector
v
(your jamma board)


Making adaptors is really easy.. SEC's run about $2-$3 each, fingerboards about the same, 20 gauge wire scraps are cheap if not free if you dont care about the wild multi-color matching (or just trim 4" off a spare jamma harness, you'll never miss it)

where do I find more detailed instructions to build this! just wanna know where all the wires go, like a schematic, maybe..
 
Connectors:
http://therealbobroberts.net/conectas.html

Solder Eyelet Edge Connectors
22/44 SE EC USA $4.50
28/56 SE EC Jamma $3.50


Fingerboards
Fingerboard Precuts State Size Needed 10/20 12/24 22/44 $4.00
(have Bob cut it for you to 44 pins)

28/56 Jamma Fingerboards Type 3 $3.50
(you trim it yourself)

28/56 Jamma Fingerboards Type 2 $4.00
(just get a type 2 and cut it in half and trim down, you get 2x the yield)


Molex in-line .156 center
.156 Straight headers various pos & type to select from $0.75
.156 Straight headers 24 position $1.00

22-44usa.jpg
solder_eyelets.jpg
precuts.jpg
headers.jpg

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/spies.cgi?action=url&type=pinout&page=Taito_Classic.txt
Code:
Pinout: Taito Classic

Games: Alpine Ski, Bubble Bobble, Elevator Action, Fairyland Story,
       Front Line, Jungle Hunt, Jungle King, Kram, Legend of Kage,
       LSA Squad, Return of the Invaders, Wild Western.


PCB Pinout          Parts Side/Solder Side
-------------------------------------------------------------
Ground                  |  1  |  A  | Ground
TV Red                  |  2  |  B  | Video Ground
TV Green                |  3  |  C  | Video Blue
TV Sync                 |  4  |  D  | 
Speaker +               |  5  |  E  | Speaker -
                        |  6  |  F  | 
                        |  7  |  H  | 
Coin 1                  |  8  |  J  | Coin 2
Coin meter 1            |  9  |  K  | Coin meter 2
Coin lockout 1          |  10 |  L  | Coin lockout2
Service                 |  11 |  M  | Slam Switch
1P Start                |  12 |  N  | 2P Start
1P Up                   |  13 |  P  | 2P Up
1P Down                 |  14 |  R  | 2P Down
1P Right                |  15 |  S  | 2P Right
1P Left                 |  16 |  T  | 2P Left
                        |  17 |  U  |
                        |  18 |  V  | 
                        |  19 |  W  | 
                        |  20 |  X  |
1P Button A             |  21 |  Y  | 2P Button A
1P Button B             |  22 |  Z  | 2P Button B

Power connector "H"
1  Ground
2  Ground
3  Ground
4  Ground
5  +5 volts
6  +5 volts
7  +5 volts
8  -5 volts
9  +12 volts
10 key
11 +12 volts
12 +12 volts

- or -

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/spies.cgi?action=url&type=pinout&page=Arkanoid.txt
Code:
                        Romstar Arkanoid                             
        
	Arkanoid wire harness (G)        Arkanoid wire harness(H)         
    parts side      |    solder side         connection         | 
---------------------------------------  ----------------------------
 ground          1  | A  ground                         ground  | 1           
 video red       2  | B  video ground                   ground  | 2
 video green     3  | C  video blue                     ground  | 3
 video sync(neg) 4  | D  N/A                            ground  | 4
 speaker (+)     5  | E  speaker (-)                    +5 VDC  | 5
 post            6  | F  post                           +5 VDC  | 6
 N/A             7  | H  N/A                            +5 VDC  | 7
 coin switch     8  | J  N/A                              N/A   | 8
 coin meter      9  | K  N/A                            +12 VDC | 9
 N/A             10 | L  N/A                              post  | 10
 serv switch     11 | M  tilt switch                      N/A   | 11
 1p select       12 | N  2p select                        N/A   | 12
 N/A             13 | P  N/A             
 N/A             14 | R  N/A             
 1p right        15 | S  2p left         
 1p left         16 | T  2p right        
 N/A             17 | U  N/A             
 N/A             18 | V  N/A             
 N/A             19 | W  N/A             
 N/A             20 | X  N/A             
 1p fire         21 | Y  2p fire         
 N/A             22 | Z  N/A


http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/spies.cgi?action=url&type=pinout&page=Jamma.html

Code:
       ---------------------------------------------------------            :
              Solder Side          |          Parts Side                    :
       ----------------------------+----------------------------            :
                      GND      | A | 1 |      GND                           :
                      GND      | B | 2 |      GND                           :
                      +5V      | C | 3 |      +5V                           :
                      +5V      | D | 4 |      +5V                           :
                      -5V      | E | 5 |      -5V                           :
                     +12V      | F | 6 |      +12V                          :
                  - KEY -      | H | 7 |      - KEY -                       :
          Coin Counter #2      | J | 8 |      Coin Counter #1               :
         Lock Out Coil #2      | K | 9 |      Lock Out Coil #1              :
              Speaker (-)      | L | 10|      Speaker (+)                   :
                               | M | 11|                                    :
              Video Green      | N | 12|      Video Red                     :
               Video Sync      | P | 13|      Video Blue                    :
           Service Switch      | R | 14|      Video GND                     :
              Tilt Switch      | S | 15|      Test Switch                   :
           Coin Switch #2      | T | 16|      Coin Switch #1                :
                2P  Start      | U | 17|      1P  Start                     :
                   2P  Up      | V | 18|      1P  Up                        :
                 2P  Down      | W | 19|      1P  Down                      :
                 2P  Left      | X | 20|      1P  Left                      :
                2P  Right      | Y | 21|      1P  Right                     :
             2P  Button 1      | Z | 22|      1P  Button 1                  :
             2P  Button 2      | a | 23|      1P  Button 2                  :
             2P  Button 3      | b | 24|      1P  Button 3                  :
                               | c | 25|                                    :
                               | d | 26|                                    :
                      GND      | e | 27|      GND                           :
                      GND      | f | 28|      GND                           :
      ----------------------------------------------------------


Wiring help describing using 2 SEC's and a fingerboard:
http://www.jammaboards.com/guides/pinout_help.txt

Code:
       2) Instead of soldering the wires to the finger board, solder        :
          the wires from the XX-pin connector to a 56-pin connector.        :
          Plug one end of the finger board into the 56-pin connector,       :
          and the other end into your JAMMA harness.                        :
                                                                            :
          Rather than using a finger board for each adaptor, you're         :
          using one 56-pin connector per adaptor, as the finger board       :
          can be used between different adaptors.                           :
                                                                            :
          The end result is reproduced here for quick reference.            :
                                                                            :
               -------< <----------> >---------~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~------<      :
       TO      -------< <----------> >---------~~~~~'\/~~~~~~~~------< DIG  :
       JAMMA   -------< <----------> >---------~~~~~~'\/~~~~~~~------< DUG  :
       WIRING  -------< <----------> >---------~~~~~~~'`~~~~~~~------< PCB  :
       HARNESS -------< <----------> >---------       /~~~~~~~~------<      :
               -------< <----------> >---------~~~~~~'                      :
                56-pin    male-male   56-pin    Wires that map  44-pin      :
                female    PCB with    female    JAMMA pinouts   female      :
                edge      straight    edge      to 44-pin Dig   edge        :
                connector traces      connector Dug pinout.     connector   :

In the end you will end up with something that looks the inverse of this: (this adaptor pictured lets you plug an Arkanoid (Taito) board into a Jamma vs a Jamma into an Arkanoid (Taito))
Ark2JAMMA.jpg


Arkanoid and Taito are the same other than the spinner only uses 2 of the 4 joystick direction pins, and only has 1 button.
 
Last edited:
Sorry, didn't read original request correctly...

So you'd need to make an adapter that consisted of a bunch of .156 header pins (Zookeeper does not use an edge connector internally) that the existing Zookeeper connectors could plug into and run those all to a Jamma (56 pin) edge connector.

I suppose it could be done, but you'd be limited to just single joystick single button horizontal games.
 
Last edited:
Sorry, didn't read original request correctly...

So you'd need to make an adapter that consisted of a bunch of .156 header pins (Zookeeper does not use an edge connector internally) that the existing Zookeeper connectors could plug into and run those all to a Jamma (56 pin) edge connector.

I suppose it could be done, but you'd be limited to just single joystick single button horizontal games.

I did not realize ZK wasn't classic Taito :(

If it connects via .156 headers then you do the same thing just with inline headers.

Use female ends connected to a jamma (like the white thing in the adapator pictured above). Then buy the header pins from Bob as I showed in the picture higher up and just link them together directly. That way you dont have to solder to the header pins, just use them to interconnect two female connectors.

As for losing a button, just cross wire BTN 2 to P2 start on the control panel to get you an extra button. Since an upright and no need for P2 joystick/buttons, that will save you 5 wires to the Jamma harness
 
As for losing a button, just cross wire BTN 2 to P2 start on the control panel to get you an extra button. Since an upright and no need for P2 joystick/buttons, that will save you 5 wires to the Jamma harness

If you never played any 2player games, sure.

Another thing to consider; I think it has a 4-way joystick, so games requiring 8-way movement might prove difficult to play.

Long story short, probably less hassle to just get a true JAMMA cabinet :)
 
Long story short, probably less hassle to just get a true JAMMA cabinet :)

And I wouldn't want to swap JAMMA with a Zoo Keeper boardset; those things are damn tempermental as it is.

Every time I plug mine in, I do the "Is it gonna work?" hesitation thing.
 
I agree with just getting a JAMMA cab for playing JAMMA games. Every collector should have at least one.
 
And I wouldn't want to swap JAMMA with a Zoo Keeper boardset; those things are damn tempermental as it is.

Every time I plug mine in, I do the "Is it gonna work?" hesitation thing.

That sounds familiar, mine quit on me again this past week after getting it working finally.
 
Apologies for digging up a 9 month old post, but my question is related to a lot of what is already written here.

I have an Arkanoid cocktail with Arkanoid 1, and Tournament Arkanoid in it (i just swap the harnesses between the PCBs). I got an Arkanoid 2: Revenge of Doh PCB, which is JAMMA.

So this is basically the same issue that Pac-Fan has answered. I need to make a Taito harness to JAMMA PCB adapter.

I looked over Bob Roberts site for more info, but he recommends against wiring a JAMMA PCB into a classic cabinet, and says it should just be rewired for JAMMA. I see others have posted similar thoughts in this thread. How is this better? If I wire my Arkanoid cab for JAMMA, isn't it still the same wires either way? Does a JAMMA board have different power or monitor requirements than my Taito cab?

I'm not understanding why this is important, and it seems like a lot more work than just making a simple JAMMA-to-Arkanoid adapter. Can anyone explain?
 
Classic cabinets sometime have strange wiring, multiple connectors and oddball audio/amp setups.

When doing up my City Connection machine I purposely chose to wire the machine Jamma and then build a City Connection adapter. Rather than just wiring it up as City Connection in the first place.
 
Last edited:
I'm not understanding why this is important, and it seems like a lot more work than just making a simple JAMMA-to-Arkanoid adapter. Can anyone explain?

It's not important at all, particularly for the case you've mentioned. Unless the existing harness is a hacked mess, I'd leave it alone and just make the adapter.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. Making a single Taito-to-JAMMA adapter will be a lot easier than rewiring the whole cab for JAMMA and making 2 adapters going the other way.

Matt, I hope you still have some Arkanoid 2 high score save kits, that's on my to do list once I can get the board up and running to verify it works.
 
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