Description
Namco, arguably the most successful arcade game manufacturer, created 2 pinout classes for their games in the 1980s. One of these conversion classes was used in Galaxian, Pacman and its sequels , and the other was used in Galaga and the Namco games that followed.
Even though Galaxian and Pacman pinouts are similar and they are often referred to as being in the same conversion class, they are not exactly the same. Connecting either game to the other’s cabinet, breaks the controls and may result in damage to the game board and the speaker due to changes in how the sound is wired between these two games.
While it’s possible to produce an adapter that could support both genuine Namco Galaxian and Pacman games, it has the potential to be unsafe. It would also be impractical to support the numerous bootleg variants on one adapter only.
There are therefore two separate adapters for the first conversion class, one for Galaxian and one for Pacman. Both of these adapters support the original and bootleg versions of the game.
Also, please keep in mind that there are many, many clones of Galaxian games. There are also many unrelated games that were ported to run on Galaxian hardware, and may or may not work perfectly. This adapter was designed to support only the genuine Namco versions of these this game, and their most popular bootleg variants.
It will be up to you to ensure you have to correct board for this adapter. Please verify your game’s pinout against the pinout listed on this page. If unsure whether the game you have is compatible, do not connect your board or you run the risk of damaging it, the adapter, or your cabinet.
Images
Pinout
This adapter follows the following pinout scheme:
| SOLDER SIDE | PARTS SIDE |
|---|---|
| GND | GND |
| GND | GND |
| +12V | +12V |
| +12V | +12V |
| SPK+ | SPK- |
| VSYNC * | VBLUE * |
| VGREEN * | VRED * |
| GND | VGND |
| NC | TABLE |
| P2RIGHT | P2LEFT |
| P2B1 | P1B1 |
| P1RIGHT | P1LEFT |
| P2START | P1START |
| SVC | TEST |
| COIN2 | COIN1 |
| COUNT1 | NC |
| NC | NC |
| COINRET | NC |
| +5V | +5V |
| +5V | +5V |
| GND | GND |
| GND | GND |
(PCB edge connector facing away, list is ordered right to left)
* Galaxian bootleg boards may sometimes swap the video pins from parts side to solder side and vice-versa (VRED = VGREEN). The jumpers on this adapter support these bootlegs.
Important: You should convert the game to run on DC voltages before using this adapter. Using these adapters with the original games that run on AC, may not work. Please check my guide on how to convert an original AC board to DC.
Compatible Games
This is the list of compatible games that can be used with this adapter:
- Space Invaders Galactica
- Galaxian
- Galaxian Part 4
- Galaxian Part X
- Galaxian Turbo
- Super Galaxians
- Swarm
- Zero Time
- Black Hole
- Fire Bird *
- Future Flash *
- Star Fighter *
- War Of The Bugs *
- Azurian Attack *
- Red Clash *
- Zigzag *
- Space Warp
- Driving Force *
- Rambler *
- Namco’s Classic Gaming *
- Multi Galaxian
- Eagle (Centuri)
- Moon Cresta (Sega / Gremlin version only)
The adapter has been tested with genuine Galaxian and several different bootleg boards for compatibility.
* These games may not compatible due to changes in how the controls are wired. For example Zigzug / Rambler has a 4-way joystick plus a fire button, but runs on modified Galaxian hardware that only supports a 2-way joystick.
Revision History:
Rev 1.0: Initial version of the combined Galaxian / Pacman adapter.
Rev 1.1: Created 2 separate adapters for this conversion class. Added support for bootleg games.
Rev 1.2: Added sound support for bootleg games. This is the currently available version.
Specifications
Board Size: 49mm x 112mm
Current Carrying Capacity: 5V – 12A, 12V-3A