One of the more frequent questions we get asked is can I play “Board X” in my arcade game cabinet? Swapping game circuit boards is one of the easiest ways to play a variety of games in one cabinet. Its ideal for collectors who might not have enough space to fit another arcade game and want to try something different.

Board swapping typically does not require any modification to your existing game and is usually most feasible on games made after 1986, which include games that use the JAMMA wiring standard (we’ll discuss this in detail later in the article).

There are number of things one must consider when determining if another arcade game board will work in their cabinet. This article is intended to cover the basics of changing the game board in your cabinet to play a different game. Note: while we try to cover all relevant issues in this article, all games vary in some regards. If you’re not comfortable working on your game, board swapping may not be for you. Readers agree not to hold us responsible for any possible damage from swapping boards, etc.

Note that the disclaimer is done with, if you want to skip some of the technical jargon and background, just go to bottom of this article: “A Quick and Dirty Board Swapping Checklist”.

Let me start off with a quick arcade game refresher. Arcade games are relatively simple machines: they typically consist of a game circuit board, power supply, monitor, input controls (joysticks, buttons, trackball, etc) and a wiring harness that connects everything together. There are other parts to each game, but with these five major components you could play most arcade games.

Board swapping is simply a means of changing games by installing a different game circuit board in a cabinet and using its existing power supply, monitor and controls to play the game. The key to determining if a board is compatible with your game is to confirm that the board you want to install uses the same components of your game. Let’s examine these components one by one:

Power Supply

In most games made before 1984, power supplies can differ substantially. Some games require unique power requirements. With that being said, all game circuit boards require +5 Volts DC to power the circuit boards, and nearly all use +12 Volts DC to power the sound amplifier and in certain cases -5 Volts DC in the sound generation section of the board as well. In addition certain games require additional voltages such as –12 VDC to power certain chips.

Games made after 1985, generally have the necessary power requirements (+5 VDC, +12 VDC and –5VDC) to play any game board, making this step a breeze. If you’re still interested in what kind of power your game uses you can look up its pinout. The game’s pinout shows you the wiring of your game board, including the power it uses. Links to most game manuals and pinouts can be found at www.GreatGameDatabase.com. As we’ll discuss later, this is usually not an issue with games made after 1985, since they all share a common pinout.

Monitors

Monitor Type - For the most part, arcade monitors are relatively uniform. Most arcade games use 19” or 25” raster scan color monitors (much like TVs) to display the game. As a result most game boards use the same type of monitor to display a game. Nearly all games made after 1984 use raster color monitors, making most boards made after 1984 compatible with other monitors.

The one exception is the resolution of the monitor, the vast majority of game boards from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s use “standard resolution”. However, some games (such as Atari’s Toobin) use a medium resolution monitor. Medium resolution monitors are not compatible with standard resolution monitors.

There are other exceptions that apply to a handful of classic games are those that use vector monitors to display games. Examples of such games include Asteroids, Battlezone, Star Castle, Space Duel and Tempest, among others. In addition, most arcade games made in the 1970s use black and white monitors. It is impossible swap a game board that uses a vector display with one that uses a raster display, or vice versa. The same goes for black and white games.

Monitor Orientation – One must also consider how the monitor is oriented. In some arcade games (such as Pac-Man), the monitor is oriented vertically (the longest side of the picture tube is up and down). In other cases (such as Street Fighter), the monitor is oriented horizontally (similar to a TV).

Games that use vertical monitors will play in games with horizontal monitors, HOWEVER the display will be turned sideways and vice versa, making the game virtually impossible play, that is without causing neck injury or soreness :)

Input Controls

Input controls refer to items such as a joystick, button, trackball or other means used to play a game. If the game board you want to swap uses a trackball and your game has a joystick, then you won’t be able to play it. Similarly, if your game has two buttons and you want to play Street Fighter (which uses six buttons), then you’ll have a hard time playing it.

Most games made from 1985 through the mid 1990s use two joysticks and two or three buttons, making most games compatible with each other. There are exceptions, as some games use more than three buttons, some use different main controls (such as a trackball or spinner). You just want to double check on this before buying a board to swap.

Wiring Harness (Pinout)
The wiring harness, or board pinout is probably the single most important factor to consider when changing boards. The pinout of a board is used to map all of the wiring of the components of a game to the circuit board. Most boards have an edge connector pinout, which consists of a series of flat metal pins. This is best understood by looking at a picture:

JAMMA Pinout

     PARTS          SOLDER
---------------|---------------
         GRD  1|1 GRD
         GRD  2|2 GRD
         +5V  3|3 +5V
         +5V  4|4 +5V
         -5V  5|5 -5V
        +12V  6|6 +12V
         KEY  7|7 KEY
   COUNTER 1  8|8 COUNTER 2
 C LOCKOUT 1  9|9  C LOCKOUT 2
     SPEAKER 10|10 SPEAKER
             11|11
         RED 12|12 GREEN
        BLUE 13|13 SYNC
   VIDEO GRD 14|14 SERVICE SW
     TEST SW 15|15 SLAM SW
      COIN 1 16|16 COIN 2
    1P START 17|17 2P START
       1P UP 18|18 2P UP
     1P DOWN 19|19 2P DOWN
     1P LEFT 20|20 2P LEFT
    1P RIGHT 21|21 2P RIGHT
   1P FIRE 1 22|22 2P FIRE 1
   1P FIRE 2 23|23 2P FIRE 2
   1P FIRE 3 24|24 2P FIRE 3
             25|25
             26|26
         GRD 27|27 GRD
         GRD 28|28 GRD

1. Board Pinout (Wiring) – Most important factor. The game board must use the same “pinout” as the game your installing it into. Most games after 1986 use a common pinout referred to as “JAMMA”.
2. Monitor Type – The game must use the same type of monitor (most are color raster monitors, so this is usually not an issue).
3. Monitor Orientation – The game’s monitor display must correspond to your game (horizontal or vertical). This is very important otherwise your game may come up sideways.
4. Controls (joysticks and buttons) – The game must be compatible with your game’s controls. If your game has one button and the game board uses three, then you won’t be able to play it properly.
5. Power Supply – Usually not an issue with most games made after 1985.