Sega Mega-Tech Arcade Machine

[ItsAnArse]

Hi,

Got the machine that is in the title, and i want to convert it into a mame cabinet. I havent actually got the cabinet yet. Very soon though..(saturday 20th)

I have been reading up on the controls, how to wire them up and that. But im confused when it comes to connect the arcade monitor to my pc.

At the moment (i havent tested this) i want to run MAME on a DELL Optiplex GX520 SFF

Specs:
Pentium 4 HT 2.8Ghz
2GB ddr2 ram
80GB hdd
Intel GMA 950 onboard graphics.


Firstly, will most games run fine? I have a few other pc's that i could use but the dell is pretty small and would fit nicely in the cabinet, without getting rid of the case.

So, secondly, i have read you have to splice the rgb, h sync, v sync and ground into a vga cable. Then that goes into a converter that converts the signal from the pc to 15KHz refresh rate.

Am i right in saying that? I also read you may need a vga signal booster?


It would be great if you people could help.


Thanks

[Jamtex]

Dont convert what is basically a hard to find cabinet to a crappy mame cabinet. Sell or exchange the cabinet to someone who would keep it as it is for somethig a bit more generic...

[la-li-lu-le-lo]

Dont convert what is basically a hard to find cabinet to a crappy mame cabinet. Sell or exchange the cabinet to someone who would keep it as it is for somethig a bit more generic...

My thoughts exactly.

[subbie]

GTFO of here. I hate people who ruin cabs for mame. =|
(Note personal opinion, not a mod enforced opinion)

[ItsAnArse]

Is it a rare cabinet?

Because i bought it off ebay really cheap. I want to convert it to mame as there are no games with it.

The top screen doesnt work,
there are no games,
it needs cleaning up

And if i sell it, i would only get the price i paid for it on eBay.

[windjammer]

Can you show some photos? Perhaps someone will be able to fix her up....

[Jamtex]

Just because you bought it for 40 or so pounds, does not mean it is not a rare machine. There were not too many Mega Tech machines released in the the UK and I only know of one person that has a full working set up. I rescued an Arcadia machine before someone was going to turn it into a MAME machine, it was the first time I saw one since it was debuted at the 1987 personal computer show and now it has a home being loved in a museum based gaming exhibition where people can play it.

It was horriblely listed, but I am sure a good clean up would make it better. Does it have the main PCB? The top monitor wont display anything unless there are games in the machine, although even if it is faulty it is likely that it can be repaired easily. I would think you would get more then you got it for, send me some photos of the machine and Ill make you an offer for it as I would rather see it in a museum rather then being hacked up to be a MAME cabinet.

[ItsAnArse]

Just because you bought it for 40 or so pounds, does not mean it is not a rare machine. There were not too many Mega Tech machines released in the the UK and I only know of one person that has a full working set up. I rescued an Arcadia machine before someone was going to turn it into a MAME machine, it was the first time I saw one since it was debuted at the 1987 personal computer show and now it has a home being loved in a museum based gaming exhibition where people can play it.

It was horriblely listed, but I am sure a good clean up would make it better. Does it have the main PCB? The top monitor wont display anything unless there are games in the machine, although even if it is faulty it is likely that it can be repaired easily. I would think you would get more then you got it for, send me some photos of the machine and Ill make you an offer for it as I would rather see it in a museum rather then being hacked up to be a MAME cabinet.

I will upload a video showing the grubbiness of it.

[retro]

Absolutely - sell it to someone who will appreciate it and hack up a generic cabinet instead. If I wasn't so pushed for space, I might have been interested. You'd find someone interested on JAMMA+, no doubt. And yes, you'll have to convert the VGA signal to 15kHz via whatever means you're going to use, be it a special graphics card or a downscaler.

[Flash]

+1 here. Don't trash really rare cabinet. For MAME best will be DIY cabinet designed with easier access to pc components in mind, instructions on how to build it are easy to find.

[ItsAnArse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9a2iReOjr8&feature=plcp

It is inhospitable. Chicken shit, straw, soil and feathers everywhere.

And is still being MAME'd. Unless someone is gonna come down here and swap a cabinet for this one.

[HEX1GON]

It seems a likely restoration actually, to the right person... You can custom make a cab for MAME... there are so so many MAME machines out there I wouldn't go cutting or stabbing at this one, even though she seems like a tired old hen.

[Hamster]

if i was in the UK i would snag this up in a heart beat, and give you a nice Gauntlet Dark Legacy Cabinet with a D9200 Tri Res Monitor for it.. Since that machine is about 95% complete, i would not convert to "MAME".

[ItsAnArse]

I havent got money to spend on restoring this cabinet.

I have got a few more videos to go up now that its almost clean.

What makes you guys think i'm gonna be cutting this cabinet up???

I don't need to.

[la-li-lu-le-lo]

I havent got money to spend on restoring this cabinet.

Won't you need to restore it if you're going to use it as a MAME cab too? If it looks bad as a Mega Tech cab it's going to look bad as a MAME cab too. Sorry to be so critical, but I just hate seeing people tear apart classic gaming items just so they can cram standard PC hardware into it.

[Hamster]

i took a sega thunderblade that looked like arse, converted it to a mame only to make it look more of an arse, ended up firebombing it, so, dont be like me, save the sega :)

look around, post on klov, sega-naomi, im sure someone will be happy to work a deal for a mame cabinet canidate in trade..

[Jamtex]

Do remember to wear a face mask when cleaning it up, as if ther is mice dropping or chicken mess in it then you can get some nasty lung diseases by breathing it in (even if you are working outside). The machine is in a much better state then I thought it would be, a few hours cleaning would make the machine look much better.

I do think you did spend a week posting it on sites like arcade otaku, sega-naomi or jamma plus you would get someone who would be willing to trade a generic 6 button cabinet for it. I can not offer you a cabinet as I do not have any spare, just can offer some cash.

Most people that do build mame cabinets tend to snip wires like they were going out of fashion, as you may have noticed the Mega Tech PCB is not Jamma so there are lots of molex connectors in there and I doubt you are going to buy molex pin headers so the machine can remain in it's original state.

[ItsAnArse]

Lets get this straight, as you are making me feel guilty:

I have stripped the cabinet of all the original hardware.

I have not cut any wires.

I have not cut the cabinet.

I have not damaged any of the parts in any way.

All the parts are in the same condition as they were BEFORE i took them out.

Here's the things i will be doing:

The cabinet will/should look like the original when it is finished.

I need to make a front panel, back panel and top panel for it as they are missing.

I have got a few videos to upload showing my progress.

I also have to get a new control panel overlay (would be great if someone could help with that.)


I am a big Sega fan, even though my small collection doesn't show it. (MegaDrive, MasterSystem Boxed. Not many games for either.)


My aim with this cabinet is to keep it looking like it would have done. Then having my mame kit inside. So you shouldn't even be able to tell.



ALL PARTS THAT I HAVE TAKEN OUT OF THE MACHINE WILL BE GOING ON EBAY IN THE CONDITION I GOT THEM.

[Jamtex]

Although you have not cut any wires, if is likely that you will do so as you convert the poor cabinet to MAME. Unless you are converting it so it will just play Sega Megatech games. As then it will be obvious that it is a MAME cabinet.

What parts in the machine could you sell? Selling the PCB would be the same as cutting the cabinet, it should be kept as when you do sell the machine then at least someone could make it original.

[retro]

That's certainly a doable restoration. Where abouts is 'down here', incidentally?