“Non-JAMMA” refers to the games that do not follow the JAMMA pinout standard. All games designed before 1986 are included in this classification and several games produced after this date, especially games that had specialized controls are also classified as Non-JAMMA games. A Non-JAMMA game can be played in a JAMMA cabinet but requires the use of an adaptor. Thankfully most companies used a consistent standard of their own so each Non-JAMMA game will not necessarily require its own special adaptor.

There are four Non-JAMMA cabinets in my collection and several Non-JAMMA game boards. My first was RoadBlasters, an “Atari System One” game which uses a unique control panel and daughterboard and can share its motherboard, audio amplifier, and power supply with the other System One games. The input and output signals are connected to the board through a number of Molex connectors. My second cabinet was Mario Bros. which uses the “Nintendo Classic” pinout and its signals are connected through a 42-pin harness. ESWAT Cyber Police follows the “Sega System 16” pinout which it shares with M.V.P. and Altered Beast. System 16 uses a 56-pin harness but it is not JAMMA compatible. Sega often supplied the System 16 to JAMMA adaptors and these are somewhat common, in fact I have two of them and because of the adaptor my ESWAT game was installed in a cabinet that was wired as a JAMMA cabinet. My PitBoss SuperStar countertop cabinet uses a Merritt Industries harness that is a line of Molex connectors which was also used for trivia games. My other countertop cabinet is wired with the standard “Cherry Master” or “8-liner” pinout which uses a 56-pin harness and a 10-pin power harness. My Amidar game uses the “Stern/Konami Classic” pinout which is composed of a 36-pin harness. There is no dedicated video ground connection so be sure to wire in a jumper on your adaptor or else the video signal will have interference. The Great Swordsman game uses one of several variants of the “Tatio Classic” pinouts and unlike most manufactures Tatio does not seen to have stuck with a standard for any length of time. The Neo Geo MVS and Nintendo VS. games are also Non-JAMMA games.

The KLOV and System 16 are two great sites to find information about Non-JAMMA games.