ms pacman noob question

brinbane

New member
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Been looking for a sticky and tried some searches but can't find any discussion on how to identify what is original equipment on a ms pacman (cocktail).

I assume hacks are implemented through a different or extra chip (ROM?)

I have a line on one for sale locally but don't know what to look for in terms of what's original and what isn't. Owner doesn't know anything about it.

It supposedly works. What should I be looking for? The cabinet appears to matchup with pictures I've seen of original cocktail tables.

I'm sure this must be addressed somewhere but I haven't stumbled across it.

Thanks.
 
I usually restore cars and in that case being able to identify what's original and what isn't is extremely important regardless of whether you actually want original or modded. So I guess I just expected it would be for this as well.

The fact that it's playable seems to be a real good start and from what I can tell of the pictures, the cabinet/glass is in decent condition. Haven't inspected it in person yet.
 
This is a personal preference. I have a switcher power supply in my Ms. Pac-Man cocktail. The original power supply uses some unique voltages. Using a switcher and soldering to certain points on the PCB allowed me to use a more modern and reliable type power supply.

Part of the fun of restoring these games is rebuilding and making every thing look new. Sanding and painting rusted metal, doing body work (bondo it works great), painting cabs, new side art, etc.

So, it is really up to you how far you wish to go. Just like cars, you can put more money and time in to these things then they can be sold for (on average). My preference is to rebuild the game to be reliable and make the outside look like it came out of the factory. What's yours?
 
I usually restore cars and in that case being able to identify what's original and what isn't is extremely important regardless of whether you actually want original or modded. So I guess I just expected it would be for this as well.

The fact that it's playable seems to be a real good start and from what I can tell of the pictures, the cabinet/glass is in decent condition. Haven't inspected it in person yet.

In regards to videogames....only a few things apply. Is the cabinet original...as opposed to a conversion? Is the motherboard a Midway board.....as opposed to a bootleg board?

And obviously, nice cosmetics are a good thing :)

Edward
 
This is a personal preference. I have a switcher power supply in my Ms. Pac-Man cocktail. The original power supply uses some unique voltages. Using a switcher and soldering to certain points on the PCB allowed me to use a more modern and reliable type power supply.

Part of the fun of restoring these games is rebuilding and making every thing look new. Sanding and painting rusted metal, doing body work (bondo it works great), painting cabs, new side art, etc.

So, it is really up to you how far you wish to go. Just like cars, you can put more money and time in to these things then they can be sold for (on average). My preference is to rebuild the game to be reliable and make the outside look like it came out of the factory. What's yours?

Good post. I'll just elaborate a little bit on what you said about the power supply.

The original power supply in a Pac-Man machine is actually on the game board. That's somewhat unique as arcade games go because most games have a separate power supply. Older machines will have linear power supplies just like the one on the Pac-Man board, they're just a separate board (or boards). Switching power supplies are a more modern style of power supply. Reliability from one to the next is debatable given the same relative age of the components but switching power supplies have benefits beyond reliability that make them an obvious choice in many cases.

There are a couple of approaches to using a switching power supply with a Pac-Man board. The first approach is to apply power to the edge connector. This is typically done in cases where you're using an adapter to use the board with a different pinout (like JAMMA). The down side is that you're still using the original power supply on the board, you're just applying power from the switching power supply rather than the 7VAC tap on the transformer in the machine. This is a good thing if you're testing the board on a bench but not such a good thing if you're installing the board into a machine permanently. The other approach is to bypass the existing power supply and apply power directly to the +5VDC, 12VDC and Ground traces on the board. This is what I would do if I were installing a power supply into a machine permanently, though there are obviously cases where the latter approach is best.
 
The original cabinet, artwork and game boards are the most important things to look for in a game. Also, the original controls are important in some cases (or, at least, the original type of control, leaf vs. microswitch, etc). Electrical parts, fuse blocks, monitors, power supplies, coin mechs, etc all get changed over the years, and really don't matter, so long as they work. For the most part, all color raster game monitors are compatible, so they got swapped a lot when these machines were in service. Moreover, manufacturers frequently used a couple different brands of monitor throughout the production run of a game.

So, ensure that it's the original Midway cabinet, and that it has the proper artwork. Look for obviously hacked wiring, obvious repairs, etc. You want to look at the board, see if it's an original Midway board and not a bootleg (bootleg Pac boards are common, but look very different from the real thing). Make sure the joysticks are leaf sticks, not microswitch (no clicking when you move it). If it works, then you're good to go!

Then, when you get it home, you'll probably have to replace the fuse block...

-Ian
 
Ok... this has been helpful, going to look at it this afternoon.
 
Last edited:
Had to chime in...

Original is better. I have found that the original parts hold up better than the aftermarket parts. NOS is best. Remember, back in the day, these machines were on 24 7 in many cases and were as reliable as morning wood on a teenager. There are so many out there that it is easy to find two to make one (and throw in a BR capkit). I just love the "Feel" of the original equipment. Playing the little hand held units is not the same as standing in front of a cherry cabinet.

Generation Xer here,

R
 
Back
Top Bottom