Jargon
boardset
The set of printed circuit boards that comprise the game’s logic, graphics, sounds and controls. Generally this excludes power filter boards, monitor chassis, amplifier boards (AR-II) and control interface boards (opto-boards).
Note: The license, or legal right, to the game is generally considered to move with the boardset. This allow for all manner of repairs to the game. Some collectors only collect boards. As boardsets became more complex by splitting audio and video or utilizing ubiquitous hardware (VGA card, windows computers, etc.) the license issue also became complicated.
Also: PCB, boards
cabinet
The wood and plastic frame that supports the components, controls and artwork that comprise a video game. Several types of cabinets may be created for each game.
cap kit
A collection of capacitors used to repair a monitor chassis. Capacitor of the era were manufactured with oily paper inside. After 20 or more years of use or storage the oil evaporates and changes the electrical properties of the capacitor. These changes causes the circuits to fail or behave outside the designed specification. The low cost of the components and low skill level needed make this a popular fix for a wide range of issues.
See: new monitor option
Also: capacitor kit
chassis
The printed circuit board used to convert the video signal into control signals for the monitor tube.
Note: This is the board that receives a cap kit
See: cap kit
Also: Cathode Control circuit
coin door
The door or doors on the front of the cabinet that accept, count, reject and protect the money or tokens collected by the game. Most often black in color, powder coated and bear a lock. The coin door often supports the coin mechanism (mech) which accepts coins or tokens, identifies them and either adds a credit (coins up) the game or rejects the coin or token. A second (usually lower) door is the coin vault door and provides locked access to the coin bucket. Sometime a single door provides access to both the mechs and bucket. Some games feature two doors in one door frame (over / under). Other games have two doors and frames. The two door do not need to be on the same side of the cabinet moving the vault door to a less accessible side. Coin mechs are gravity based devices therefore the vault door will normally be located below the acceptor. Coin doors would later include bill acceptors.
conversion kit
A combination of a boardset, controls, harness and artwork to convert an older, lower earning game into a new title without investing in a new cabinet, power supply and monitor.
harness
A bundle of wires and connectors used to connect components in a cabinet. All the wires in a cabinet may be considered a harness or smaller bundles connecting specific components can be called a harness. These component-specific harnesses are often modified by the component name (power harness, video harness, etc.). Attempts to standardize harnesses were made within companies and across the industry (JAMMA).
Also: wire harness
JAMMA (Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturer’s Association)
Industry trade group that attempted to set standards for wire harnesses, connectors and prize guidelines. To the extent they succeeded, many games are available that are JAMMA or JAMMA+ compatible. This standard enabled operators to easily convert classics into worthless junk by poorly hacking control panels, slapping latex paint over artwork, cutting wire harnesses without logic or reason and mashing together several power supplies to meet the needs of the new conversion kit.
See: harness
neck board
The printed circuit board attached directly to the tube’s anode. May contain fine adjustment controls (potentiometers) for brightness, contrast and Red, Green and Blue drivers on color monitors. Very minimal circuits are attached to vector monitors.
new monitor option
Monitors work well for 15-20 years. After that time the capacitor begin to dry out and the monitor’s phosphors begin to fade or burn-in. These problems can be fixed by replacing the capacitors with new ones (see: cap kit), attempting to rejuvenate the tube or swapping the tube out with a new one. Often collectors will choose to buy a new, compatible monitor so they can enjoy the game for another 20 years. When selling to a retail customer this option avoid support call and complaints while improving the look of the game. Tube swaps, cap kits and rejuvenation are cheaper fixes and may not deliver the radical improvement seen with a new monitor.
tube
The glass on which the video is projected. Most likely the only vacuum tube in the entire game.
Note: Tubes suffer burn-in which makes them worthless for transferring to other games and eventually worthless in the original game as the picture becomes faded or fuzzy.