PARTS DRAWER GLOSSARY
Know the cabinet part before you buy the cabinet story.
Use this as a repair-bench translation layer: what the part does, what failure looks like, what photos to request, and what not to assume from a seller listing.
BENCH LANES
Eight parts that decide most cabinet conversations.
VIDEO / DISPLAY
CRT monitor and chassis
The tube and monitor electronics create the original arcade picture. They are a major value, safety, and repair-risk point on classic cabinets.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Plays blind
- • Vertical or horizontal collapse
- • Rolling picture
- • Color purity problems
- • Arcing, snapping, smoke, or heavy burn-in
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Front-screen photo while running
- □ Monitor/chassis label photo if visible
- □ Burn-in photo with the game off if safe
- □ Whether the cabinet uses an isolation transformer where expected
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not assume a blank screen means the game board is dead. Do not open, discharge, or adjust CRT high-voltage sections without qualified experience.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Include game-running video, screen-defect photos, chassis label photos, and whether sound/controls still work.
POWER / BOOT
Power supply
Converts cabinet power into the voltages needed by the PCB, lighting, audio, and sometimes add-on boards.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Cabinet dead
- • Game resets
- • Audio hum
- • Dim or flickering lights
- • Repeated fuse failure after power-up
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Power supply photo
- □ Voltage label and wiring condition
- □ Fuse value photo
- □ Scorched connector or hacked AC wiring signs
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not keep replacing fuses to “test it.” Repeated fuse failure is a stop sign, not a parts-shopping strategy.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Send rear-door, fuse, power supply, AC inlet, and power-switch photos before asking for an electronics quote.
GAME LOGIC
Game PCB / board set
The original board set runs the game program and is often central to originality, collector value, and repair complexity.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • No boot
- • Graphic corruption
- • Sound missing
- • Game freezes
- • Controls register wrong even after switch checks
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Board photo with labels visible
- □ ROM/security-chip labels if visible
- □ Boot-screen video
- □ Connector/harness photo
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not call a cabinet original just because the marquee matches. Board swaps and adapter harnesses are common.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Include board photos, edge connector/JAMMA adapter photos, boot behavior, and any diagnostic LEDs or error screens.
PLAYER INPUT
Control panel assembly
The panel, overlay, joysticks, buttons, wiring, and mounting hardware define how the game feels and whether the cabinet was cut or converted.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Dead buttons
- • Stuck direction
- • Wrong input mapping
- • Loose panel
- • Extra holes or hacked multicade layout
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Top and underside photos
- □ Button/joystick closeups
- □ Harness and ground-chain photo
- □ Overlay condition
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not treat every replacement panel as harmless. A cut original panel can change restoration cost and collector appeal.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Send exact failing inputs, top/underside panel photos, switch type, wiring photos, and whether it was converted.
CABINET COMPLETENESS
Coin door and coin mech
The coin door carries locks, mechs, service switches, wiring, and a lot of originality cues for collectors.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Missing lock
- • Rust
- • Coin-up not working
- • Cut wires
- • Door from a different cabinet era
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Inside and outside coin-door photos
- □ Lock/key status
- □ Coin mech presence
- □ Service switch wiring
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not promise revenue operation from an old coin door. Treat it as completeness and restoration evidence unless tested.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Include outer door, inside door, mech, lock/key, and wiring photos plus whether credits register.
ARTWORK / IDENTITY
Marquee, bezel, side art, and labels
Artwork proves identity, tells the cabinet story, and can be expensive or impossible to replace cleanly.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Sun fade
- • Peeling side art
- • Wrong marquee
- • Missing serial/operator labels
- • Cracked bezel glass
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Straight-on art photos
- □ Closeups of scratches/fade
- □ Serial/manufacturer tags
- □ Signs of repaint or vinyl overlay
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not sand, repaint, vinyl-wrap, or strip original art before documenting it. Original damaged art may still matter.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Send front, side, marquee, bezel, control overlay, serial-tag, and damage-closeup photos before restoration advice.
SIGNAL / SAFETY
Wiring harness and connectors
The harness connects power, PCB, controls, coin door, speaker, monitor, and service switches. It reveals clean originality or ugly conversion work.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Intermittent controls
- • Random resets
- • Cut/spliced wires
- • Burned edge connector
- • Unlabeled adapter stack
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Back-door interior photo
- □ Board connector closeup
- □ Control-panel underside
- □ Power and monitor wiring paths
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not call wiring “easy” from one front photo. Harness cleanup can be the hidden labor in a cheap cabinet.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Include broad interior photos plus closeups of the PCB edge connector, adapters, grounds, control harness, and power wiring.
STRUCTURE / MOVING
Cabinet body, base, levelers, and casters
The wooden shell carries the CRT, panel, coin door, and artwork. Base swelling or weak corners can turn pickup into damage.
FAILURE SIGNALS
- • Swollen particleboard
- • Soft base
- • Broken corners
- • Missing levelers
- • Water line or mold smell
BUYER CHECKS
- □ Base and bottom photos
- □ Side/back corner photos
- □ Leveler/caster status
- □ Doorway/stair measurements before pickup
DO NOT ASSUME
Do not schedule a hard move from seller photos alone. Measure the path and document body damage first.
QUOTE PACKET LINE
Send cabinet dimensions, base photos, stair/doorway path photos, leveler/caster condition, and water-damage closeups.
PARTS QUOTE PACKET
Send evidence, not vibes.
- □ Cabinet title, cabinet type, and whether it is dedicated, converted, kit, or unknown.
- □ Photos: front, sides, rear, inside back door, power area, PCB, monitor/chassis, controls, coin door, art, and damage closeups.
- □ Running video showing boot, sound, controls, screen behavior, and the exact symptom if safe.
- □ Pickup facts: dimensions, weight estimate if known, stairs, turns, doorway width, truck/liftgate plan, and who carries risk.
- □ Known work already done, parts already swapped, prior owner claims, and what has not been tested.
SAFETY BOUNDARY
A glossary is not a license to poke old voltage.
CRT, AC power, and hacked wiring guidance stays conservative and buyer-facing. The page organizes evidence; it does not teach dangerous repairs.
If the listing shows smoke, arcing, bare AC wiring, a cracked CRT neck, repeated fuse failure, water damage, or a cabinet that cannot be moved safely, gather photos and call qualified help before chasing parts.
Turn the parts list into a cabinet brief.
Use the Cabinet Command Center to combine the parts glossary with buy, sell, restore, move, or route-operator context.
BUILD CABINET BRIEF