Can I play games that aren’t JAMMA?
Building a loom is pretty basic to be fair, but it is time-consuming! The good news is that there are relatively few games that have unique looms and most games are easily converted to JAMMA. Here’s a quick table with a guide to pinouts: (NOTE! This is by no means a FULL list! And some games have mild differences such as Tehkan - Bomb Jack and Star Force; The coin up and start button are swapped)
- Bally SAC 1
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- Chicken Shift
- Goalie Ghost
- Gimme a Break
- Hat Trick
- Sente Mini Golf
- Snake Pit
- Stocker
- Bally SAC 2
-
- Shrike Avenger
- Capcom Classic
-
- 1943
- Black Tiger
- Commando
- Side Arms
- Capcom Section Z
-
- Legendary Wings
- Section Z
- Data East Classic
-
- Fire Trap
- Karate Champ
- Ring King
- Data East DECO Cassette
-
- Bump 'n Jump
- Burgertime
- Lock 'n Chase
- Exidy Crossbow
-
- Cheyenne
- Crossbow
- Chiller
- Top Secret
- Exidy MAX-A-FLEX
-
- Astro Chase
- Boulder Dash
- Bristles
- Flip Flop
- Exidy Targ
-
- Fax
- Spectar
- Targ
- Venture
- Falcon
-
- Crazy Kong
- Crazy Kong Jr.
- Ms. Pac-Man [bootleg]
- Pirhana
- Gottlieb
-
- Krull
- Mad Planets
- Q*bert
- Reactor
- Irem
-
- 10-Yard Fight
- Kung-Fu Master
- Moon Patrol
- Motorace USA
- Konami Classic
-
- Amidar
- Gyruss
- Scramble
- Super Cobra
- Time Pilot
- Midway 8080
-
- Sea Wolf
- Space Encouters
- Space Invaders
- Midway Flicky
-
- Flicky
- Mr. Viking
- SWAT
- Up 'n Down
- Midway MCR II
-
- Domino Man
- Satan's Hollow
- Tron
- Two Tigers
- Midway MCRIII
-
- Discs of Tron
- Journey
- Spy Hunter
- Tapper
- Midway Mono Board
-
- Blasted
- Power Drive
- Rampage
- Xenophobe
- Namco Galaga
-
- Galaga
- Gaplus
- Mappy
- Metro Cross 1
- Sky Kid
- Namco Galaxian
-
- Galaxian
- Ms. Pac-Man
- Pac-Man
- Tank Battalion
- Namco System 246
-
- Bloody Roar 3
- map[Ridge Racer V:Arcade Battle]
- Nichibutsu
-
- Mag Max
- Terra Cresta
- UFO Robo Dangar
- Nintendo Classic
-
- Donkey Kong
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Mario Bros.
- Popeye
- Sega After Burner
-
- After Burner
- GP Rider
- Super Monaco GP
- Thunder Blade
- Sega G80 System - Raster
-
- 5
- Astro Blaster
- Monster Bash
- Space Odyssey
- Sega Galaxy Force
-
- G-LOC
- Galaxy Force
- Power Drift
- Rail Chase
- Sega Model 1
-
- Star Wars Arcade
- Sega Model 2
-
- Daytona USA
- Desert Tank
- Fighting Vipers
- Gunblade NY
- Sega Model 3
-
- Dirt Devils
- Magical Truck Adventure
- Sega Bass Fishing
- Sega System 16
-
- Altered Beast
- ESWAT
- Golden Axe
- Shinobi
- Sega System 24
-
- Bonanza Bros.
- Crack Down
- Gain Ground
- Hot Rod
- Sega System 32
-
- Arabian Fight
- Exhaust Note
- Rad Mobile
- Sega System 8
-
- Choplifter
- My Hero
- Ninja
- Pitfall II
- Wonderboy
- Sega Zaxxon
-
- Congo Bongo
- Future Spy
- Super Zaxxon
- Zaxxon
- SNK
-
- ASO
- Alpha Mission
- Ikari Warriors
- TNK III
- Taito Classic
-
- Arkanoid
- Bubble Bobble
- Elevator Action
- Jungle King
- Tehkan
-
- Bomb Jack
- Mega Force
- Rygar
- Star Force
- Universal
-
- Do! Run Run
- Ladybug
- Mr. Do!
- Mr. Do!'s Castle
- Williams
-
- Bubbles
- Defender
- Joust
- Robotron
- Stargate
If the game you are looking for is not listed try doing a search in KLOV and note the conversion class. If the class is not listed try looking on SPIES in the board pinouts section (also, try looking in the manuals section). If there’s no luck there, do a search in Google or finally just ask on one of the lists (UKVAC OR the RGVAC newsgroup). Someone is bound to know!
Making The Loom
Making the loom itself is easy! Here is a short guide, else Click Here for a more detailed pictorial guide.
You will need: (For more on these tools see Basic Tools)
- A soldering iron
- Solder
- Wire
- The appropriate edge connector (and/or whatever the game needs for connections)
- A JAMMA fingerboard
- (Optional) Shrink wrap tubing or insulation tape (and a steady hand!)
I find it easier to cut and strip all the wire first, so its ready to used. But its entirely up to you, this section is pretty short for a reason… Here’s the guide:
Using the pinouts for the game in question, make a connection from the edge connector to the matching connection on the JAMMA fingerboard. Add shrink wrap tubing or wrap insulation tape (carefully!) around the connections on the edge connector to prevent accidental short circuits (should metal things fall onto the loom! Or to cover up/separate messy soldering which may cause a connection)
That’s it!!! I can be of more help by saying that the edge connector will be lettered and numbered usually on the front where it plugs onto the board and these ‘should’ match up to the pinouts. It is always an idea though to ensure the pinouts aren’t upside-down to your board, the last thing you want is to send +12Volts up where it shouldn’t go… I say this not because someone may have made a mistake with the pinouts (although that is always possible too) but because who’s to say what’s the correct way round for the board?? Looking towards the board the edge connector would be completely the opposite way round from having the board on your lap with the edge connector facing away from you! Indeed some people also mark their pinouts with the solder side on top! Just be careful and sensible, its not difficult to make a mistake but then its not difficult to prevent one either. As I’ve discussed before, check the (wider) power rails on the PCB line up with your pinouts and for a foolproof way, find the pinouts of one of the IC’s on the board (use The Chip Directory) and check where the GND and VCC (+5V) go to on the edge connector using a multimeter on the continuity setting.
