Response from Jonathan: Dan,

If you want to use your CRT for your MAME setup then you have several options. Our favorite option is to use the ArcadeVGA video card along with a Arcade Monitor Video Amplifier. The amplifier will allow you to hook up the output from the ArcadeVGA to your arcade monitor. You will need some wiring skills in order to accomplish this but the process is not that difficult overall. You can purchase both the ArcadeVGA video card and the amplifier from Ultimarc. Unfortunately Ultimarc is currently sold out of the ArcadeVGA so you might try looking for one on eBay or another seller if you need it immediately.

It should be noted that there are software programs (such as Soft15khz) that can force almost any video card to output the correct signal to your arcade monitor which eliminates the need for the ArcadeVGA. With that said, we prefer the ArcadeVGA because it makes the setup much simpler. Also, sending the wrong signal to your arcade monitor for a period of time can cause damage if you are not careful. Using software to force the frequency could possibly result in a bad signal being sent to your monitor if it isn’t setup correctly. Setting up these software programs is usually not difficult but we just want you to understand that there is some risk involved if it is not done properly.

Another option is to use a VGA to CGA video converter. Here’s a link to one on eBay that’s sold by Classic Game Rooms. Basically you hook your PC up to the VGA input on this board and then hook the arcade monitor to the RGB output and it converts the signal from your PC to one your arcade monitor can use to display the picture. We like this option but we have noticed just a very slight delay between the screen and the controls when using adapters such as this. It’s not too noticeably and you may not even experience it depending on the arcade monitor that’s in your cabinet. We just want you to be aware of it in case you decide to go this route.

Now, there are several other ways to accomplish this but these are the two that we recommend. Please feel free to contact us again if you have any additional questions. Hope that helps. Thank you for your question and good luck with your project.