Just like most console video games, arcade games have different options that you can adjust in order to change the gameplay experience. Options such as difficulty, number of lives and number of plays per coin are just some of the options that can be changed on your arcade game. While newer arcade games usually use service menus for these adjustments, classic arcade games typically use a set of switches on the board known as DIP switches. In this post, we will discuss how to adjust these DIP switches so that you can customize the gameplay experience to your liking.

Adjusting Dip Switch Settings On A Board

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0evRVo8WM4

Before we can adjust our DIP (or Dual In-line Package) switches, we must first locate them on our board. Take a look at your board and see if you can find a set of switches all in a row. The DIP switches themselves should be one of two styles: slide or rocker. Slide style DIP switches have a small plastic square that “slides” to indicate the on or off position. Rocker style DIP switches “rock” down or up to indicate the on or off positions respectively. In our video for this post, we demonstrate how to adjust slide style DIP switches but the process is very similar for rocker style DIP switches as well.

Once we have located our DIP switches, we can begin adjusting them. Please note that DIP switch settings are typically only read when the game boots up. As such, make sure your game is turned off when adjusting the DIP switches then turn the game back on for the settings to take effect. Please do not blindly try and adjust these DIP switches as doing so could lead to undesired results. The manual for your game should contain all of the information you need to know about which DIP switches control what settings. If you do not have a manual, please check out the sites below for help locating one.

Arcade Manual Sites:

• The ARCade ARChive -- http://arcarc.xmission.com/
• Crazy Kong Manuals -- http://www.crazykong.com/manuals/
• Textfiles Arcade Manuals -- http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/ARCADE/
• MikesArcade.com -- http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/manuals.html

Depending on the setting you are trying to change, you might have to adjust multiple DIP switches. For example, the first four switches on your DIP switch might control the amount of coins per play. Your manual should indicate how to set each of these in order to achieve the desired setting. If you are trying to set your game on free play, the setting might be related to the coins per play switches or it could be on a separate switch altogether. Also, some of the games that you encounter might not have a setting for free play in which case it might just be easier to install a credit button which we will discuss in a future post.

Whether you are an arcade operator that needs adjust the coins per credit settings or a collector that likes all of their games on free play, adjusting DIP switches is a valuable skill. Just remember to always consult your manual before adjusting them to make sure you achieve the desired effects. Please leave any questions or suggestions in the comments section below.

Those of you who are just now getting into the electronics part of arcade repair might wonder about where to start. This post contains some recommended books that will help you understand the basic electronics principles that are applied in arcade games.

The Book: A Guide To Electronic Game Operation And Servicing (Atari, 1980): This book was written by Atari in 1980 specifically to teach people who had bought their arcade games how to repair them. As you might expect, The Book assumes that you have little to no knowledge about electronics so it’s great for beginners. While finding an original copy of The Book is near impossible, you can buy photocopies of it from eBay or you can download the PDF file at http://pdf.textfiles.com/technical/atari_thebook.pdf or at http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Arcade_Atari_Kee/Atari_TM-129_The_Book.pdf.

Getting Started In Electronics (Forrest M. Mims III, 2003): Many people consider this one of the best books for electronics novices. Forrest Mims uses simple explanations to help you understand even the most complex electonics ideas. This book includes some great examples and sample schematics that will have you well on your way to becoming an electronics expert. Highly recommended.

Buy Getting Started In Electronics from Amazon.com now!

Electronics For Dummies (Gordon McComb & Earl Boysen, 2005): Much like Getting Started In Electronics, Electronics For Dummies is a book for novices that explains electronics in a simple way. Gordon McComb & Earl Boysen lay the groundwork for your electronics knowledge so that you don’t get completely lost when you move to more advanced electronics books. There is a 2009 edition of this book coming out soon but the 2005 edition should work fine for most of you.

Buy Electronics For Dummies (2005) from Amazon.com now!

Buy Electronics For Dummies (2009) from Amazon.com now!

There Are No Electrons: Electronics For Earthlings (Kenn Amdahl, 1991): Besides having an interesting title, There Are No Electrons: Electronics For Earthlings has a very unique approach to teaching basic electronics principles. One review I read compared this to a Mr. Wizard like approach and I would tend to agree. Comparing electrons to little green men (greenies) on their way to a killer party and capacitors to parking lot sized traffic jams is unorthodox but actually helps in comprehension. This book is a great complement to the more conventional books we’ve talked about here.

Buy There Are No Electrons: Electronics For Earthlings from Amazon.com now!

The Art Of Electronics (Paul Horowitz & Winfield Hill, 1989): So you’ve gone through the rest of these books and now you’re ready to move on to something a bit more advanced. Well, you’ve found it! The Art Of Electronics, written in 1989, changed the way that electronics was taught. One of the great things about the book is that you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to understand it. It’s a great book for someone who feels that they are past the beginner phase but not quite yet a pro. Definitely worth checking out.

Buy The Art Of Electronics from Amazon.com now!

Well, those are some of our recommended books on electronics repair. Now that you know ours, what are yours? Do you have a book you would like to recommend to beginners in electronics? Please leave some comments below and let us know.