The main uses of a Supergun is that it allows you to test out your arcade boards before you lock them away at the back of your arcade cabinet, but as it's on average only the same size as your standard run-of-the-mill games console it takes up a darn sight less room than a full-size cabinet!

Examples of JAMMA boards include Rastan, Newzealand Story and Street Fighter 2. Boards that can be easily converted to the JAMMA standard include Galaga, Phoenix and Bombjack.

Of course, there are some boards that cannot be converted to JAMMA easily. Games like Defender and Pacman require extra circuitry to perform sync, video conversion, or modification to the PCB (Pacman needs this for power supply). It's not impossible, but this is definitely NOT recommended for beginners.

Lastly, there are VECTOR games that run on a different type of monitor to the normal games you're used to. These include Battlezone, Asteroids and Tempest. It is impossible to convert these to JAMMA due to the monitor requirements.

As JAMMA is pretty much the defacto standard nowadays, you can be sure that any decent PCB stockist will have an excellent selection of JAMMA board's for sale. Many collectors (and some dealers) offer a JAMMA adaptor-building service to enable boards like Galaga and Phoenix to be run on a JAMMA rig.

One of the most used resources for building a Supergun was the now sadly closed web site by Chad Gray. However, I have managed to track down the pages via a number of internet archives, and have put it together in one easy to read Word document. The instructions include not only details of how to build the Supergun, but include diagrams and photos to make the task as easy as possible. If you've got even a basic knowlege of electronics and soldering then you'll be able to do this with ease.

building_a_jamma_test_rig.doc [434k]

A site well worth a visit is the "CPS2 Shock" website, home of Capcom's Play System 2 Decryption Team at http://cps2shock.retrogames.com/ which again features step-by-step instructions to building your own Supergun, but also has the design plans for building the case and joysticks for your own Supergun System

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! In fact, I'm brave to admit that's exactly what I've done. Maybe I was a little lazy, but I wanted to start putting together a collection of JAMMA boards and be able to play them with the minimum amount of fuss. I'm certainly not new to gaming, but I was a novice when it came to arcade board collecting.

If you're in the same position, you'll have enough on your hands trying to track down dipswitch settings and manuals for your new game as well as building some type of casing to house each of your boards as you don't really want your pride and joy killed by some stray foot within the first ten minutes of you getting it home!

My first stumbling block after deciding I was going to take the easier route by buying a Supergun was where on earth could I get hold of one? I must have scoured the net for at least a week in the hope of finding a UK-based company willing to sell me a ready-made unit, and provide me with some retrogaming nirvana, but alas, no. Finding a company based in the UK with Superguns advertised for sale on the internet was as rare as your local branch of Tesco having a batch of mint-condition Pong units in a "buy-one-get-one-free" sale.

In the end I plucked up the courage and asked on the UKVAC Mailing List for any recommended retailers who would be willing to sell me a ready made unit. A few companies were mentioned but only one actually answered the phone, Raven Games in Kent. They were willing to sell me a Supergun with one 3-button joypad for £175.00. Whilst this may seem a little steep (you can get your hands on a complete JAMMA cabinet for under £100) I was willing to part with my readies as it was a darn sight smaller than an arcade unit and it gave me the opportunity to ease myself into PCB collecting. Next day delivery was an extra £10.00, which I went for as I was keen to start playing.

Above: My Supergun showing the JAMMA connector loom, the main unit,
and an adapted Megadrive pad for player 1. To the right of the first pad
connector is the connector for the second player. The pads connect to
the main system via a 15 pin female connector and can be removed with
ease. The small red button adds credits to a game with a simple click,
whilst the two-way switch is apparently a sound-toggle. The instructions
supplied mention that some boards produce a better sound output depending
if the switch is up or down. I have tried numerous boards and have yet to
see any difference between the two settings. Finally, to the right is a large
power switch which glows red if the machine is switched on.

Raven also stock a wide selection of PCB's for your Supergun, but unless they stock something you've not been able to find elsewhere, be careful as their prices seem almost random!

If you want to get hold of the latest Raven PCB catalogue or you'd like to buy a Supergun, you can contact Raven at the following:

Raven Games London,
74 Bromley Road,
Beckenham,
Kent,
BR3 5NP

Open Mon/Sat 10:00am to 5:30am, Wed close 1:00pm
Tel: 0181 663 6810 / 6822 Fax: 0181 663 0046

One word of warning; arcade game collecting is extremely addictive. It's easy to spend a small fortune getting hold of those games of yesteryear, and they take up a fair amount of room as on average they're at least A3 in size! But, that's pretty much the only negative things I could think of. Once you've got something to play the boards on and you have a small collection of games, get subscribed to the UKVAC Mailing List and join in this exclusive underground movement.

Your home-gaming will never be the same again!

Many thanks to Zeprom for providing some help and assistance with this article.

---

The information and contents of this site are copyright Robert Hazelby
E-mail: robert@spamnomorejabba.demon.co.uk
(remove `spamnomore` from above address to email me)