Minimum parts needed to build a working version of MsPacman original

Hi Fellow gamers

I want to build a Mspacman machine from scratch, bit by bit. I have to build from an original MsPacman board otherwise if I play for a top 3 record to submit it towards Twingalaxies it will not be recognize as authentic. So I definitely want to have the original PCB with the daughter board. So with this in mind what must I add as a minimum to let it work/playable on my workbench not necessarily in a cabinet.



Can I link LCD to that board and DC instead of AC? Those two are my greatest concerns? If so what are the components I need for that?

What are the minimum components that one must order to let a MSPacman PCB original work on a

Monitor?


Anything else I need:
1) MsPAc PCB
2) This connect to a Monitor (CRT or LCD?)
3) PCB and Monitor needs a transformer - power (DC or AC?)
4) Controls - Joystick
5) Wires to connect each of the above


For each above points 1 - 4 what do I need to complete each step?


Does a MSPAcman PCB that is sold on the internet or from your site allready have a Z80 CPU or
must I buy that as well?


Also do I need a Vram Address and a Sync bus controller boards? Can one setup the PCb to work
without this? Does these come with the mspacman PCB or not?


Regards
Francois

I suggest that you join a forum called KLOV, Killer List of Video Games. The expertise you seek is there.
Some various comments.

When you buy a PCB online, it is wise to make sure it says "tested and working."
Although higher priced than ebay, QuarterArcade in the US has delivered a couple of nice PCBs in the past, they seem reputable.

KLOV members may be able to make or provide a wiring harness.

For the power source of the PCB, you will want to research online for manuals or schematics. Typically, PCBs take 12v dc for sound and 5v dc chips and if Ms pac takes that then you can buy a "switching power supply." should be around $20 US.

arcade games from the old days are CGA output like would go to an arcade monitor. SOME old pcbs can have that CGA output pumped through a chinese pcb called a CGA-VGA converter. the output from the converter is VGA so it can be pumped into an LCD monitor. Some old pcbs don't have a standard sync so there is NO guarantee a converter card will be able to process the CGA signal successfully. (ie missile command and nibbler do not work properly)

if you use a CGA arcade monitor, you will have to get an "isolation transformer" to separate the AC power from the source and create all of the AC voltages needed by the particular monitor. then depending on the arcade monitor you use, it MAY have some sync issues with your ms pacman pcb.

joystick is purely your choice and lots on the market, but nothing beats a real midway pacman joystick (huge metal base) if you can find one.

someone with some technical prowess and arcade parts can easily get a ms pacman running on a bench setup, but if you are new to this you are looking at quite a project ahead of you. Do you have any resources where you live? also, the AC power is different than the US, so you'll have to consult a UK arcade expert to understand the details.

What country are you in? using facebook you can probably find a hobby level expert classic arcade tech.

And looking in the crystal ball.....eventually the TGIS will have to face the fact that the arcade tracks will become extinct dinosaurs as the 30 year old equipment continues to fail and stock of parts is diminished or gone. your dilemma is commonly shared across the planet, except for the lucky folks near hotbeds of arcade sales, typically US based.

PS- I am in the midwest part of the US (less than a day's drive from the coin-op mecca, Chicago, IL).
Even with that proximity it is very hard to find and buy real arcade machines, so a hobby the past couple of years is to make homemade cabinets.
Multiple times a month questions come in from the internet, so here is a recent video explaining the process to someone.
Maybe it'll give you some ideas-

https://youtu.be/337ltaYuuC4

Hi Mark

Thanks very much for your reply and suggestions. Hopefully I will get more replies from forum on this about this as there should have been some members that also are busy or have done it in the past. I will also consult Klov. I am from South Africa where there is no original mspacman near my home in vicinity of a few hundred kilometers. So the only way for me to play an authentic game would be to build some configuration using an original PCB which I will buy from a reputable seller.

I would like to only buy the essentials from USA as import cost, taxes, currency rate and postage make it very difficult. That is why I need to know what I need to buy to start with then add the main building blocks bit by bit. I do not want to buy the wrong parts and only to find it do not work. For example here in South Africa we do have 220/240 volt power lines and not 120 like in the USA so how does this effect my power/transformer parts and setup?

Francois du Toit

Example, here is a $65 working Ms Pac PCB- http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=342362