Collecting arcade boards

[Samurai Ghost]

Do any of you guys collect/purchase arcade boards?
I see a lot of boards for some of my favorite arcade games on sale out here for reasonable prices, but it's something I'm completely inexperienced with. I realize there are a lot of dedicated forums for this kind of thing but I figured I'd ask you guys.

Eventually I'd like to set up a few arcade cabinets in my house, but at first I'd probably be playing them on my TV with a supergun or similar device. Is there any advice you have as what to look out for when buying arcade boards? Any types/systems that are easy to deal with or a pain in the ass?

[SuperPlay]

I don't collect but I have had a few boards in the past. 

One thing to watch our for is some older games such as Ghost n Goblins are wired in a non standard configuration. So you need to buy an JAMMA adapter for these.

You can either make these yourself or you can pick these up per-made.  Here is a link that shows you some examples, this is a US site that i have not used myself.

http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/adaptors.html

[Tatsujin]

Me too, had 3 cabs and 30+ PCBs back in the 90s. Was a great time

[SuperDeadite]

I have about 30 real pcbs (not counting stuff like MVS carts).
Great hobby, but takes up a lot of space, it does free up a lot of wallet space though. XD

Don't worry about getting conversion harnesses, the good stores here in Japan usually include them. 
Being in Japan, hit up your local recycle shop an pickup a Sony Wega CRT.  Then get a RGB21 to Sony
AV Multi adapter.  Then you'll have a great first setup for a supergun.  The Sigma AV7000 is still the best
deal.  If you insist on using a shitty HD TV, then you're gonna want an XRGB2.

The big thing to remember with arcade boards, is that you need a good setup to truly experience them. 
If you are gonna use an HD LCD with Composite video, you are way better off emulating.

If you have the space, get a cab.  Here in Japan, cabs can be had for almost nothing.   I've seen Jaleco Pony IVs
go for 2,000yen on Yahoo.

[Samurai Ghost]

Thanks for the informative responses! You guys never disappoint.

Yeah, I noticed some of the boards on Yahoo Auctions come with JAMMA adapters and custom harnesses, while others don't. It's hard for me to know which ones need them and which don't.

And right now I definitely don't have the space for a cab in my apartment and I'm planning to move to the US in a few months anyway. So I was thinking of picking up a few boards while I'm here and working on getting a cab or two once I settle down somewhere around LA. And yes, I'll definitely be using a proper monitor for these. No flatscreens for me; totally defeats the purpose otherwise.

Assuming you have a cab set up properly with the adapters, is it a pretty simple process of unplugging the boards and slapping another one in there to play a different game, or is setting up each game a pain? My ideal set up is having two cabs (possibly Astro City cabs), one with a vertically oriented monitor and one with a horizontal monitor. Then I would have a bunch of different boards I could connect to them, and have a Saturn and a PC with MAME hooked up to them as well. I'd like to be able to use the monitors to play a variety of games on them. The Saturn/MAME set up would probably be the easiest but I'd like to grab a few real boards as well just to play on the actual hardware as emulation just isn't the same.

[SuperDeadite]

They are pretty much plug and play with JAMMA.  For games that only use 3 buttons.  For games that require more, a kick harness is needed, and this varies for every game.  Everytime you switch boards you will have to adjust the monitor, so get a cab with easy to reach controls.   Only other thing to think about is the monitors.  Arcade games typically come in 15khz, 24khz, or 31khz.  Most old stuff is 15khz, while new stuff is 31khz (VGA).  24khz isn't used by much other then Sega System 24 (Gain Ground, Crackdown), Model 2 Model 3, and Konami's Gradius IV.   So if you want a Naomi for example, you'll need a 31khz, and you'd want a tri-sync cab.

[Samurai Ghost]

Ah, I figured there would be complications with the monitors. How about with the Saturn setup. If I had a scart or rgb cable for my saturn would it be pretty straightforward to run it to an arcade monitor?

[SuperDeadite]

Saturn is 15khz so it would work on most standard monitors.  Video just needs an adapter.  Hooking up the controls will require a pad hack though.

[Samurai Ghost]

I've hacked a PS2 pad to a custom arcade stick I made before so it shouldn't be too tough. Real arcade boards, wiring, monitors, etc., always seemed to complicated, expensive, and space-invading to me, but it's something I've always wanted to get into. Still considering just sticking with consoles and emulating arcade games but I'm definitely planning to set up a cab or two at some point. I guess a dedicated MAME cab would be better than nothing.

[SuperDeadite]

Well I personally stick to boards that are not emulated properly (Gunnail), don't have any console ports (Thunder Cross II), or are just personal favorites (Splatterhouse). 

[majors]

I've seen Jaleco Pony IVs go for 2,000yen on Yahoo.

I wish I did not see that.

It's a hobby of love. Sort of like collecting cars...always working on some problem or repair. I like to lend mine out to cons, I like to share plus I get mad props.

[Samurai Ghost]

Well I personally stick to boards that are not emulated properly (Gunnail), don't have any console ports (Thunder Cross II), or are just personal favorites (Splatterhouse). 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking about doing. A lot of my favorite arcade games have already been ported to Saturn/Dreamcast/PS2, but there are few out there that aren't and few I'm just crazy about to the point of wanting every version.

[SuperDeadite]

Personally I find most of the DC arcade ports of the 2D games to be rather terrible honestly.  Most have frigged up video.

[Samurai Ghost]

Personally I find most of the DC arcade ports of the 2D games to be rather terrible honestly.  Most have frigged up video.

Yeah, I don't play many on the DC actually. The Saturn is my main system for 2D arcade games and I'm pretty happy with most of the ports. There are a few exceptions but generally it's the programmers that screw it up rather than the system.

[Chuplayer]

Personally I find most of the DC arcade ports of the 2D games to be rather terrible honestly.  Most have frigged up video.

This is the first time I've ever heard this.