Generic JAMMA cabinet by Sega - converted for use with MAME emulator

This is a generic Aero City cabinet, produced by Sega. This style of cabinet isn't seen much in the U.S., but is apparently popular in Japan. The cabinet is compatible with the JAMMA standard, which allows new games to be swapped in and out easily. This standard interface between the cabinet and controls also makes these cabinets prime suspects to be converted for use with a PC emulator such as M.A.M.E.

The game is powered by a Via EPIA motherboard, which houses a C3 processor running at 800MHz, Trident Blade3D video, and AC97 sound. It has 64MB of memory, and all the software fits on an old 1.2GB hard drive. The motherboard is attached to a piece of plywood which fits into two metal rails which would normally hold a JAMMA video game mainboard.

The PC is interfaced to the cabinet through the JAMMA harness and a J-Pac interface from Ultimarc. The J-Pac performs two main functions - it converts joystick movements and button presses into keystrokes, and connects the VGA port to the arcade monitor. Advance MAME software reprograms the VGA signals to work with the low-resolution arcade monitor.

Currently this setup limits the options to games which can be played with joysticks and buttons only, but there are still hundreds of classic games to choose from.