Cabinetts

Some things u should consider before buying a cabinet...

1) Use: Know what games u want to play on the cab. If u want to play shooters , a 3 or 4-button cab will do the job, but u will want to have a turnable screen to be able to play vertical and horizontal games. If u want to play fighters, ull probably want a 6-button cab, but u wont need a turnable screen, as all fighters are horizontal. If u want to play all kind of games u probably want 6 buttons AND a turnable screen...

2) Size: Take some time to think about the size of the thing. Especially about screensize. A big screen is nice, but the bigger the screen the bigger each and every pixel. So on a giant screen u can call every pixel by name...a 25-29" should do the trick.

3) Games: Newer games like eg Naomi, or Model 3 games use medium (25mHz) or high resolution (31mHz). Older ones use low res (16mHz). Be sure to know what ur screen can do. Usual cabs support low res (good enough for 90% of all games).

4) Power Supply: Cabs come usually with 250W or 300W power supply (Superguns or MAKS mostly feature  lower W). If u use multi-game systems or u have a multi-game cab be sure to have a 300W p.s. on board! Otherwise a 250W is enough. IMPORTANT: P.s. should feature a small adjuster for "+5V" (see Finally below)!!!

5) Game Connector: Be sure to have a 28-pin Jamma connector in the cab. In some countries (eg Austria) Jamma standards look a bit different (22 pins). Very old cabs may come with non Jamma standard. Ull need an adapter.

6) Screen: As mentioned make sure what resolutions the screen supports. Also its nice to have a turnable screen or even flippable.
Make sure turning of the screen is easy to do. Some cabs have motorized support, some come with mechanical aid, and some are pure sweat to turn. U dont want the last one.
In some cabs u can adjust the screen diagonally, meaning u can tilt the screen in depth to match ur height. Nice feature but only useful for small cabs.
Watch the screen "in-game". Many used cabs have fucked up screens. "Burn-Ins" or defective color adjustments are just some of many problems. Mechanical work on the tubes or connectors are not what u want. Believe me.
Also be sure the cab has a "remote control" for screen adjustments at an easy to reach location. This is a small pcb that features adjustors for vertical, and horizontal adjustment of the picture, size, sync a.s.o.

7) Handling: Some cabs r easier to handle than others. Some cabs have frontloaders, meaning u pull out a board and switch pcbs easily, in others games are more difficult to change. In some cabs u can reach power supply and everything u need in a sec, in others u have to gain  access from the rear of the cab to get to the vital points.

8) Weight: Its no use to buy a Virtua Fighter 3 cab weighing about 1100 lbs (500kg) and then think about getting it up to 3rd floor without a lift (happened to me...we managed but dont ask how...well it looked totally harmless).

9) Buttons: Micro-switches are best. Unkillable and very precise. Mechanical contacts are slave to wear and tear.

10) Sticks: Again be sure to get micro-switches. Usually the more expensive sticks are also the more durable ones. Make sure what stick ur game needs! Some games use special sticks (eg. Time Soldiers, Ikari Warriors or Midnight Resistance use "LS-30" sticks...hard to find in good condition! Rampart or Outriggers  need a trackball, Gauntlet Legends uses Optical Sticks and so on).

11) Coin Slots: If u want to insert coins be sure u have the right currency. If the cab comes from Uganda and u live in the UK then be sure to have some...erm...whatever coins handy. Or change the country version of coin-mechanism. Otherwise make sure the cab features a coin-button for adding credits. Also u can insert coins by closing the coin-contact...

Finally: BEFORE u insert ur most precious board and switch the power on 1st time BE SURE +5V PINS (3,4, C, D) REALLY SHOW +5V!!! (if one shows +5V the others also do) Thats why the adjuster i mentioned under 4) Power Supply is important. Adjust the +5V to exactly +5V or a little below. If the p.s. sends more than 5V ur board could be dead sooner or later (depending how much power is supplied). Its not good to overflow the board for a long time.
If its too low then the game may show some graphical errors...not dangerous. Just adjust power accordingly.
Problem is u need to insert a board to show real 5V power supply so be sure to try with a inexpensive/commonboard. You need to check +5V on the pcb pins themselves.
To check the +5V power supply use a simple "Multi-meter". Some (very old) games need more than 5V (more so if an adapter sits between the board and the cab). Be sure to check this out in the manual.