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YaYaLanD

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hello !

i was looking for a small form factor arcade cabinet that would not hurt my wife's eyes in the middle of the living room :whistling:
And i stumbled on a PhotoPlay Spirit 2.1 cabinet.
It was used for tactile games and had no controls.

The idea was to turn it into a working MVS cabinet with the following features:
- stereo sound
- one player full sanwa control panel (due to lack of space for a decent two player configuration)
- memory card support
- headphone support
- CRT screen
- Japanese NeoGeo candy cabs theme
- coin mechanism
- bill validator
- credit display board
- hidden db15 ports to be able to vs play with external controllers
- credit board

obviously, i went to an SNK MVS MV1 motherboard as it has built in memory card support, stereo sound support, dual db15 input, credit display support and removable bios to swap for a unibios.

here is the full log of the restoration.

i hope you’ll enjoy the result.

Here is how i'll show this WIP
1) Let's meet the lady
2) restoration of the MVS
3) testing all the new electronics
4) restoration and painting
5) real DIY for the restoration
6) Reassembly
7) fitting the new vga screen
8 ) adding stickers
9) some optional fancy and useless stuffs
10) almost finished (aka 90%)


Chapter 1 - Let's meet the lady ! :thumbup:

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Front View

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Left View

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Right View

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Marquee

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Screen Bezel

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Bill validator, cash box, panel lock

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Con rejector

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Model and serial number

bcUNkMG.jpg


Venting holes

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Rear fan + handle

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Rear fan

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Rear fan + marquee light + marquee

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Front door opened, the hydraulic hinges are broken, so i need a tool to maintain it opened



2ezQocN.jpg


The whole front door is secured by a single lock



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Hydraulic hinges (both dead, no more pressure inside)

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Electrical components with the coin mechanism (front tube is for rejected coins, rear tube is for accepted coins)

lvAdeKD.jpg


Opening the bottom door

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Here, it should be normally a pc under windows xp with the linux software to drive the whole cabinet, i bought it empty



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Closer look to the ach box and bill validator

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VGA 19" screen with tactile

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The screen can flip to the front for easier access to the rear of the screen <3

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Tube model (after testing, was totally burnt even if it was still working)

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The hinge system for the screen, really clever



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Back of the screen

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The yoke assembly



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Screen pcb



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Tactile driver PCB

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Inside the cashbox, i found two bill validators 8o



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The coin mechanism for euro

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Cash related gears



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Front panel hinge assembly screw (outside)



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Front panel hinge assembly screw (inside)


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Hinge

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Ground wire

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Control panel ground wire

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Marquee (made of lexan with some kind of uv printing on the back)

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Front Webacm PCB



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Hinge hole

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Beginning of the dissasembly (removed top hinged door)

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AC power input with EMI filter and switch



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The wood has suffered here and there

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The plastics have suffered too



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Under the control panel, the result of years of moisture

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Side plastics



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Front bottom plastic part



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Screen bezel and bezel side plastic parts



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Front plastic door

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Coin mechanism support



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Coin rejection box



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The hinges are screwed directly into the plastic parts
 
Chapter 2 : restoration of the MVS

The board was working perfectly but was really dirty, the battery leaked but with no visible damages. I wanted to clean the board, removes all the scratches from the metal part, recreate stickers, change the battery but with cables so it won't sit on top of the PCB.

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Model number

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The board

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The connection board

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The serial number

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Sticker #1

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Sticker #2

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The metal has been cleaned

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The board has been cleaned too, you can notice that previously, someone did some dirty soldering, i didn't wan to touch this just in case it would break something

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The audio part after cleaning, i needed to really insist on the pots as both of them where creating a lot of noise when moving, fortunately, i saved both of them and they are now working like a charm

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Universal bios 4.0 aka UNIBIOS4

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DB 15 and all the pullup resistors (i guess ?)

JSzNEww.jpg

The board reassembled with the metal part painted in white, new distant battery

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d5mBHAe.jpg


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The mono / stereo switch wans't working due to dust, i had to thoroughly clean it in order to be able to switch from mono to stereo (stereo was acting like mono before cleaning)

aMd8lFe.jpg


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The ugly banana 161 in 1 painted in red because the yellow color is just sooooo <X

CgHelA0.jpg

Job done for this part...

Now after a long time, i will switch back from my idea of keeping the battery rechargeable because i don't play for hours and hours with the cabinet so i thing i'm going to kill the battery quickly... i will mod the backup battery to switch to a basic CR2032 one later.
 
Thank you for sharing! It looks like you know what you are doing. I'm looking forward to new updates!

Good luck and have fun :)
 
Chapter 3 : Testing the electronic gears



kr5uMv0.jpg

PSU, GBS82000, Credit Display Board

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Coin mechanism (was bought with the cabinet)

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Credit Board Excel rev 2.2 bought on a forum (from a NUC)

wUdy76W.jpg

Reproduction MV-IC board to handle memory card

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Coin counter, was in the cabinet, it will be replaced by a new one.

wUfv9aW.jpg

I've set a SGL3000 between the GBS82000 output and the monitor VGA input to generate some cool scanlines


pGUjkH3.jpg

The ugly banana i'm using until i order a Multi Darksoft MVS


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It's alive :thumbsup:

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Arcade PSU. I've setup the +5V to 5.05V read between VCC and GND pins on the CPU.

lk3XRNF.jpg
Ready to use JAMMA harness for testing purposes. When reassembling the cabinet, i will build a custom cable to have the desired length and only the needed pins wired


inis5BE.jpg
This is a real mess but for the final assembly, i will be building 100% custom cables to adapt them to the needed length


9oPBGKi.jpg
Finally i can play some arcade games with original hardware !


cFcxlEH.jpg
All the gears wired together for a live test


MfHfacJ.jpg


GBS8200 to convert ARcade RGB signal to VGA
 
Chapter 4 : Restoration and painting

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To have a clean inside, i decided to paint in white all the internal woods... it took 4 layer to have a bright white.


Then i started to repair all the scratches and chips on the plastics and the woods with polyester resin. To have a nice an smooth result, i then sanded multiple times all the repairs i've made.

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Then i reworked the feet and the metal bottom of control panel

QkbuXNA.jpg


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I bought new wheels and restored the mounting plates

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To have a really nice finish, i then sanded all the parts with different grains until they were really smooth.

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Not smooth enough (some remaining orange peel effect)

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It's better but can be improved

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Now that's perfect

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Original plastic

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After first pass sanding

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After second pass sanding

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After third pass, it's really smooth !


Now it's time for painting !

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Here is the result after complete drying

WZI51G5.jpg
 
Chapter 5 : Real DIY :saint:

I need to make a bezel for the credit display LED and i needed a door for the coin rejection box because it was lacking.
I took some platic parts that i had laying in my garage and with the help of glue, baking soda, dremel, sanding paper and a lot of elbow grease, i managed to have the desired result.

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8)
 
Chapter 6 : Reassembly

i redid all the wires on demand, to the right length for a better cable management. Whenever possible, i used crimps or JST connectors so i can quick disconnect for maintenance
i changed the speakers for new ones.
I de-soldered the led display from the credit display board so i can integrate it into my DIY bezel.
I added a big 12v between the slot and the PSU so i can cool both of them by creating a constant airflow.
The slot is mounted on a sheet of mdf for easier access, after unplugging everything, i just have to remove 2 screws and the whole assembly comes to me.
Behind the screen and under the marquee led, i added a decent 220V AC fan for proper cooling of the screen
All the metallic parts are properly grounded to earth ground with the star grounding principle. (even the slot's metal part is grounded)
I also added LED strips on the upper and bottom part of the cabinet so i can see what i'm doing.
I've changed the hrydraulic hinges for new part so the front panel can stay opened and safe for me when maintaining the system.


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Chapter 7 : fitting the new VGA screen

I use a 19" DIAMONTRON CRT VGA screen as a replacement to the burnt but still working VGA 19" tactile original screen.
The picture is ready sharp and the colors vivid.
I first dismantled the screen and did a deep check and cleaning of all the components.
Then i mounted the tube back onto the original hinged frame and it did match almost perfectly (i had to play a little bit with the dremel to widen the holes on the screen.
After wiring everything back together, i was able to play with a beautiful scanlined picture.

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before cleaning

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before cleaning

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before cleaning

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after cleaning

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after cleaning

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after cleaning

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it fits !

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it fits (with the help of a dremel to enlarge the mounting holes)

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I can lay down the screen to close the front door, wooohoo !

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The geometry is perfect after some adjustments.

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The colors are perfect too !

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I found a good place for the control panel of the screen, under the cabinet control panel (need to open the front door to access screen controls)

trEOum2.jpg

The screen is perfectly aligned with the help of the dremel, my best friend.

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Tada !!!!

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The result is really nice so far.

dqH2QPW.jpg
 
Chapter 8 : adding stickers

all stickers are home made and printed on UV, oil, water and scratch proof heavy density vinyl paper.
I applied them with soap and water so i can adjust them easily because they bond really strong !

I also used a Dymo labeller to create some labels for the internals parts for future ease of maintenance

I wanted to recreate the side warning stickers of the slot but i didn't really wanted to have something really close to the original, i wanted just to look like the original.

oAmrOHk.jpg


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Chapter 9 : some useless stuff but still fancy

I made a custom cardboard box with a crystal PVC protection sleeve and a plastic insert to keep the now red "banana" 161 in 1 ugly cartridge.
I also bought an original MV1 manual and the original manual for the Spirit 2.1 PhotoPLay manual to put it into the cabinet just for the memory like it was done in the arcade cabinets.

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To be done :

- manage to drive the bill validator, so far, i had no luck at all, so for now, the cabinet only accepts coins
- dismantle everything and put some clear and ultra shiny coat over the whole parts. i will then compound and polish the varnish to make it look like glass
- add the MV-ic (memory card reader) i need to find a way to fix it with the help of spacers. I need to wire it also with custom IDC cables
- sand the marquee and then polish the plastic to make it transparent again so i can apply a custom transparent vinyl from inside to have a custom marquee with the SNK MVS logo
- before varnishing, i need to repair some scratches and damages that i made during tests and reassembly. Like the DIY credit led bezel that cracked during assembly. Like the front door that cracked when screwing with a too big screw during assembly (can be seen on the left of my front logo), some tiny chips here and there. the process is to apply polyester compound, then sand, then paint over the repair.
- reassemble after varnishing the front coin rejection assembly
- add 2 switches to the internal leds so i can switch them off when not maintaining the unit (one for the upper leds and one for the lower leds)
- repair the led credit display, i may have a cold join on 2 legs as two segments does not light up.
- drill 2 holes on the metallic bottom part of the control panel to add 2 DB15 ports so i can play with a friend of my kids with the help of original SNK joypads. make custom db15 cable to wire the external DB15 ports directly to the DB15 ports on the MV1.
- find a suitable lock for the front door, i bought 2 different models but none of them fits so i can close/open the front door.

I may finally add a volume pot in parallel of the one on the motherboard so i can have an external control on the volume level but i'm not decided where to put and to not decided to modify the board (i really want it to be as original as possible)
 
Wow... that's quite a facelift!
Was a little worried when the face plate got painted red, but the final result is fantastic!
I've been on the lookout for a Photoplay 2000/Master unit for a while for a dedicated cab project... no luck so far!
 
That’s an incredible job..why didn’t you hunt down a 19” 15khz arcade monitor instead of VGA? Would not fit? How is the joystick mounted? And what did you used to drill the holes? I am assuming that the panel is metal?
 
That’s an incredible job..why didn’t you hunt down a 19” 15khz arcade monitor instead of VGA? Would not fit? How is the joystick mounted? And what did you used to drill the holes? I am assuming that the panel is metal?
thank you for your kind message.

i didn’t use an arcade monitor because I couldn’t find one. I’m still lurking just in case but i had no luck so far. I know for sure that it will fit :)

The joystick is mounted from behind with wood screws through the panel itself.
The panel is a really thick plastic, i’d say something like 6mm thick so i screw in it directly.
 
Wow... that's quite a facelift!
Was a little worried when the face plate got painted red, but the final result is fantastic!
I've been on the lookout for a Photoplay 2000/Master unit for a while for a dedicated cab project... no luck so far!
thank you :)

a touch cabinet would be nice to own for me too but the one being sold around me are the new generation LCD and bartop style... i want a heavy duty cabinet with an old CRT screen inside ;)
 
That’s an incredible job..why didn’t you hunt down a 19” 15khz arcade monitor instead of VGA? Would not fit? How is the joystick mounted? And what did you used to drill the holes? I am assuming that the panel is metal?
thank you for your kind message.
i didn’t use an arcade monitor because I couldn’t find one. I’m still lurking just in case but i had no luck so far. I know for sure that it will fit :)

The joystick is mounted from behind with wood screws through the panel itself.
The panel is a really thick plastic, i’d say something like 6mm thick so i screw in it directly.
cool..make sense now..yeah 19” monitors are hard to find in my area as well and I have given up. Over a year ago I was quoted $500 for a burn free 19” and I have seen two in the $350-400 range with burn in, however I have not seen TVs that can be used for tube swap 19” for many moons now..good luck on finding one because a 15ksz will look super in that cab:)
 
I had my doubts, but wow, it looks really nice! Congrats! I could see your hands getting tired because there doesn't seem to be any space for your palms. Do you notice that? Also, for the buttons I would have gone for an arc that's more curved outwards to the right.

But I'm nitpicking, super Impressive effort.
 
That’s an incredible job..why didn’t you hunt down a 19” 15khz arcade monitor instead of VGA? Would not fit? How is the joystick mounted? And what did you used to drill the holes? I am assuming that the panel is metal?
thank you for your kind message.i didn’t use an arcade monitor because I couldn’t find one. I’m still lurking just in case but i had no luck so far. I know for sure that it will fit :)

The joystick is mounted from behind with wood screws through the panel itself.
The panel is a really thick plastic, i’d say something like 6mm thick so i screw in it directly.
cool..make sense now..yeah 19” monitors are hard to find in my area as well and I have given up. Over a year ago I was quoted $500 for a burn free 19” and I have seen two in the $350-400 range with burn in, however I have not seen TVs that can be used for tube swap 19” for many moons now..good luck on finding one because a 15ksz will look super in that cab:)
To tell you the truth, i’m exiting a long period of emulation on LCD screens so whatever CRT i fit, it makes my heart beat faster lol.
i guess the 15kHz screen would be better, but i can swear that the Diamontron with the RGB output from the MVS through the scanlines generator is already gorgeous!
 
I had my doubts, but wow, it looks really nice! Congrats! I could see your hands getting tired because there doesn't seem to be any space for your palms. Do you notice that? Also, for the buttons I would have gone for an arc that's more curved outwards to the right.

But I'm nitpicking, super Impressive effort.
thanks for your input !
Well, i had an accident back in 2001 and i almost completely lost my right forearm. I had 6 surgeries to repair what was reparable but i kept some handicap so whatever i play (joystick, pad, snes, md and so) my right arm is hurting me anyway.
But i must confess that the panel’s angle is slightly too hard to play for hours and hours and hours.
It’s still comfortable but i know one can’t play for let’s say a continuous 5 hours.

It’s more a question of angle than space to me.

as for the curves for the buttons, i took the one from slagcoin being used with the Astro City, i find it confortable too for MVS only gaming.
 
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