JAMMA boards.. or other arcade

[phreak97]

im interested in getting into the arcade side of video games.. and i would like a bit of info to get me started..

what are the different basic kinds of arcade boards?
what kind of stuff will i need to get them going? (i know ill need an rgb monitor, ill do my best on that one..)
and what do people recommend for someone starting out with this stuff?
oh, and what prices should i expect to be looking at?

im interested in a neo geo system, but i dont know enough to be sure.

any info much appreciated.
thanks!

[NFG]

Did your keyboard break?  No capitals at all?  Check that shift-key, son.

1. JAMMA and everything else
2. Already answered
3. A big fat wallet.  Arcade gaming is NOT cheap.
4. For what?

5. Neos are cheap but it's where everyone starts, so demand is higher than most.

[phreak97]

umm.. thanks.. i think. that didnt help me a great deal, but thanks anyway.
not using the shift key is a habbit of mine.. im sorry.. its really difficult for my to get the capitols to go where theyre meant to when typing regularly..
im suprised you didnt notice sooner, you seem quite picky about stuff like that..

[NFG]

It SHOULD help you a great deal, it answers all your questions with, if not detail, enough detail to give you clues on more accurate answers.  Your question is too wide open, you might well ask a mechanic "what are the different kinds of cars?"  

My primers are everything you need to know about starting off with arcade gaming at home.  The only stuff not covered are individual needs, pinouts etc.

[phreak97]

ok, thanks, i found the page in the wiki after that post, but mostly what was in the primer, i already knew.. the wiki page was helpful however.

[Adeptus]

On a related topic... I have an old A500 TV modulator. What it does is convert the Amiga's RGB to RF (and can be modded to produce S-video). I thought it could be a good component for a cheap "supergun" setup.
Thoughts, comments?

[NFG]

The A500 modulator requires a clock signal from the video port, so if you intend to use it (I tried back when I was young and stupid) you'll have to recreate this clock or the device won't function.  

If you can do that, I suggest you can probably also make your own encoder out of a better quality part.

[brianleb]

while it's not exactly what you asked for, www.arcadecontrols.com is a vastly useful resource, especially the forums.  there is tons of useful information for just about everything you can think of, and if they don't have it, I'm sure they've got a link to someplace that does.  

[Dr.Wily]

One question. In a jamma standard plug, is there a composite out ?

[Mr-Megalo]

One question. In a jamma standard plug, is there a composite out ?

No

[atom]

My local arcade was selling a lot of their machines for 200 bucks or so. I didnt think i had any room for one here though!

[D-Lite]

Being a techie, I'm sure you'll want to build one yourself, so look into superguns.  Like this one I just made for someone:
http://www.multimods.com/images/Superguns/KGun.jpg
http://www.multimods.com/images/Superguns/KGunSide.jpg
http://www.multimods.com/images/Superguns/KGunBack.jpg

You need an RGB->S-Video/Composite/(component) encoder to get it to work on your TV, a power supply with +5V and +12V, and some DB-15 male connectors for the joysticks.  The rest is window dressing.