Video Game Arcade Cabinet - Parts of An Arcade Cabinet

Parts of An Arcade Cabinet

Note: Because arcade cabinets vary according to the games they were built for or contain, they may well not possess all of the parts listed below:

• A monitor, on which the game is displayed. They may display either raster or vector graphics, raster being most common. Standard resolution is between 262.5 and 315 vertical lines, depending on the refresh rate (usually between 50 and 60 Hz). Slower refresh rates allow for better vertical resolution. Monitors may be oriented horizontally or vertically, depending on the game. Some games use more than one monitor. Some newer cabinets have monitors that can display high-definition video.
• Printed circuit boards (PCB) or arcade system boards, the actual hardware upon which the game runs. Hidden within the cabinet. Some systems, such as the SNK Neo-Geo MVS, use a main board with game carts. Some main boards may hold multiple game carts as well.
• A power supply to provide DC power to the arcade system boards and low voltage lighting for the coin slots and lighted buttons.
• A marquee, a sign above the monitor displaying the game's title. They are often brightly colored and backlit.
• A bezel, which is the border around the monitor. It may contain instructions or artwork.
• A control panel, a level surface near the monitor, upon which the game's controls are arranged. Control panels sometimes have playing instructions. Players often pile their coins or tokens on the control panels of upright and cocktail cabinets.
• Coin slots, coin returns and the coin box, which allow for the exchange of money or tokens. They are usually below the control panel. Very often, translucent red plastic buttons are placed in between the coin return and the coin slot. When they are pressed, a coin or token that has become jammed in the coin mechanism is returned to the player. See coin acceptor. Early coin slots could be defeated using a piezo-electric gas fire or gas oven igniter held against the steel bodywork of the cabinet, thus enabling free credits to be obtained. In some arcades, the coin slot is replaced with a card reader that reads data from a game card bought from the arcade operator.

The sides of the arcade cabinet are usually decorated with brightly coloured stickers or paint, representing the gameplay of their particular game.