| Bezel: |
A cardboard or plastic "frame" that surrounds a monitor. Also sometimes
used to describe the glass or plastic item that covers a monitor. May or may
not have artwork on it. - "I need a bezel for an Asteroids upright." |
| Burn: |
Slang/short for phosphor burn on a CRT (see def). Oftentimes, it is not
severe enough to warrant replacing a CRT. Comes from a game being left on for
prolonged periods "back in the day." - "That monitor has horrible Mat Mania
burn." |
| Cab: |
Slang/short for cabinet - the wooden structure that houses a game. "I
need a Battlezone cab." |
| Cap kit: |
Slang for capacitor kit. - "Do a monitor cap kit." |
| Cap: |
Short for capacitor. Capacitors are an important component on monitor
chassis (see def) and some PCBs (see def). - "I think that cap is no good." |
| Chassis: |
PCB (boardset) for a monitor - "I need a new chassis for my Quantum
monitor." |
| Cockpit: |
Sit-in version of an arcade game. Most driving games and some others
had cockpit versions. - "That's a nice Pole Position cockpit." |
| Cocktail: |
Sit-at version of an arcade game. Many games had a cocktail version
in addition to an upright version. "My first game was a Space Invaders
cocktail." *** Don't confuse sit-IN with sit-AT. *** Popular back in the day
at bars since you could put food and drinks on the top. |
| Conversion: |
A game that was originally a game other than what it currently is.
"That Trivia Whiz is a Dragon's Lair conversion." |
| CPO: |
Acronym for Control Panel Overlay. Artwork, instructions, etc. that
appear on the section that contains the controls for a game. "I need a new
Star Trek CPO." |
| CRT: |
Acronym for Cathode Ray Tube - commonly called a picture tube. "I'd like
a new CRT for my Pong." |
| Dedicated: |
A game that was produced as that game originally. "That is a
dedicated Asteroids Deluxe." |
| Discharge: |
To remove residual charge from a monitor prior to servicing. -
"I've got to discharge my Berzerk monitor. ***Please search for help on this
topic before attempting for the first time!!! |
| Harness: |
Complete wiring setup for a particular item - "I need a harness for a
Dig Dug upright." |
| Leaf-switch: |
Button or joystick that is smooth and silent in its operation.
Comprised of two thin "leaves" of resilient metal which connect to complete a
circuit then pushed/pressed. "Cosmic Avenger uses a leaf-switch joystick."
***Most classics used these types of sticks/buttons. ***See microswitch
definition. |
| Marquee: |
Backlighted plastic or glass portion at the top of a game which has
the game name and artwork on it. - "The Centipede marquee is in great shape." |
| Microswitch: |
Button or joystick that "clicks" when pushed/pressed. "My Karate
Champ has a pair of microswitch joysticks on it." ***Most classics did not use
this type of stick/button. *** See leaf-switch definition. |
| Mini/Cabaret: |
Smaller version of an arcade game. Some games had mini version
in addition to upright versions. - "I have a Missile Command mini." *** I
like cabarets as they seem to take up just about no space and are easy to
transport. |
| Monitor: |
Combination of the CRT (picture tube) and chassis (see def) upon
which a game's picture is produced. "I need a monitor for my Xevious." |
| Neck: |
Long, slender part at the rear of a CRT (see def) which contains
components that project the image onto the front of the CRT. |
| Neckboard: |
Small PCB (see def) at the base of a CRT's (see def) neck. |
| NOS: |
Acronym for "New Old Stock." Refers to an item that is an original part
but was never used. "I have a NOS Stargate overlay for trade." |
| PCB: |
Acronym for Printed Circuit Board. The primary component in any classic
arcade game. Contains computer chips, capacitors and other components. "Who
repairs PCBs?" |
| Raster: |
Monitor which renders a game in filled in images. Monitors may
produce black and white or color images. "That's a common raster monitor."
***Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Robotron are examples of classic raster games. |
| Repro: |
Slang for reproduction. May be a part, artwork, etc. "I like the
repro Tron sideart." |
| Sideart: |
Artwork that is on the sides and or front of a game. May be a large
sticker or painted directly on the cabinet. - "The Tempest sideart is a
sticker." |
| Sync: |
Sync is when the PCB and monitor communicate with each other on how to
display the video. Without sync, the monitor would look like a scrambled
cable TV channel you don't pay for.
Vertical and Horizontal sync is when the guns are retraced vertically and
horizontally. Some boards use composite sync which is both signals are
combined into one. Your game may or may not support comp sync, it depends
on the game board.
Pos and Neg sync are when the sync goes from +5V down to zero and back
(Pos). Or starts at zero and goes to +5V and back to zero (Neg). This
feature is built into the monitor whether it will accept Pos or Neg. |
| Upright: |
Full-size arcade game. Most every classic game came in upright form.-
"I have a Spy Hunter upright." |
| Vector: |
Monitor which renders the game in solid beams of light rather than
filled in images. Less common than raster monitors and considered more
difficult to repair.
Monitors may produce black and white or colored lines .- "I need a vector
monitor." ***Tempest, Asteroids and Battlezone are examples of classic vector
games. |
| WTB/FS/FT/FA/WTT: |
Wanted To Buy; For Sale; For Trade; For Auction (typically
on eBay); Wanted To Trade (respectively). Mostly seen leading off subject
headers. - "FA: Karate Champ upright." |
