One has a strange control panel, the other only has the controls installed for a single player.

A room with the Taito Egret and Egret II. Picture courtesy of ArcadeStuff.

The cabinet was placed upon an oversized pallet, and wrapped with cardboard and plastic wrap. The wheels were sticking down through the pallet -- the driver thought it was very lucky that they did not get snapped off by a fork lift. We removed the 280 pound cabinet from the pallet and slid it down its back, off of the truck and onto the ground. From there, it was an easy matter of rolling the four-wheeled cabinet to its final destination (well, aside from the steps).

A number of features stand out about this cabinet for those who have never seen a Japanese cabinet like this before. First, this cabinet is designed to be sat at, and not stood in front of. The control panel is a mere two feet about the ground. The Egret has a unique shape which is pleasing to the eye. Second, you notice the very large screen --- this alone would sell most people on the cabinet. A 29" rotatable screen which has almost double the area of a standard 19" monitor. Impressive, to say the least. Next, you see that the marquee hovers above the screen area (also reducing glare), and reaches a height of 5 feet. A very unique design.... but there's more.

A few more unusual features are quickly noticed. There are speakers above and to the sides of the screen. The coin slot is mounted on the control panel between the start buttons. And get this... amazingly enough, drink holders are actually built into the control panel! Can you believe it? Finally, an arcade cabinet made which encourages the use of beverages while playing! Lastly, the base widens out at the bottom, with four wheels supporting it from below, making it very easy to roll around. This is one cool cab, as it makes itself very welcome in a collector's home.

When I first got the cabinet, I found the most simplest of tasks to be quite difficult -- powering it on. I plugged it in, and nothing happened. I searched all around the cabinet for a power switch... it was not to be found! It was only when I opened up the coin door did I find it. Along with a 110vac outlet, a monitor degauss button, two volume knobs (which both seem to control all the speakers), and a credit switch. An additional button doesn't seem to work on most of my PCBs, but is for test mode. I'm told that some games may require you to hold it in, while others are fine with it just being pressed once. Matt Osburn (mentioned again below) says the 3-pin connector labeled "T" is a switched AC outlet that turns on with the monitor and power supply, unlike the 110vac outlet which is always on. There is a standard arcade power supply is mounted to the left of the operator controls. Also worth noting, there is a power switch located below the cabinet, towards the very back. Just under where the power cord goes into the back panel.

The task of rotating the screen isn't difficult. You unlock the screen's cover with two keys in the front. You lift the screen cover up like the trunk of a car, and the left hinge locks into place. Remove the four mounting screws, rotate, and put the screws back. Turn the bezel around, close (with the handles on the side) and lock the monitor cover. Degauss the screen and you're done. But for the lazy, you can make the job even easier.

Remove the inside of the locks to the monitor's hood, which allows you to open the cover at any time. Remove the four screws which lock the monitor into place (it seems quite sturdy without them, but it may be prone to rotation while in motion). Remove the bezel. Next time you want to rotate the monitor, all you'll need to do is lift open the cover, turn the monitor, close it up, and degauss the monitor. Simple as that!

Worth mentioning, under the hood, on the front side of the monitor and to the left are the video controls. A pretty complete set of the things you expect are there. Also present is a two position switch. Does this switch between medium and standard resolution? I'll have to find out.

From David DoBell (drdobell@usa.net): You mentioned the standard / medium res setting. To switch from standard to medium res, you need to move a connector from one block to another. It has about 6-8 colored wires and it is behind the controls on the left hand side. It is VERY difficult to get to. You move it to the other one in front of where is is plugged in.

The PCB is mounted (or simply placed on top of) on an easy access wooden tray at the bottom. The JAMMA harness is plenty long enough to do the job. Just about any PCB will fit in there. I did find one exception -- the huge Primal Rage PCB set was just too wide.

I have yet to figure out how to open up the control panel. But one thing I did see is that it has six pre-drilled holes (with a plastic cover) for easy conversion to six buttons. No drilling required. Oh. And did I mention the drink holders? :)

The Control panel is VERY easy to remove. Open the monitor cover. Along the front at the bottom (behind the control panel) there is a spring loaded lever that you slide to the right (I think). Then the back of the control panel lifts right up and pivots towards the front.

The marquee holder on top is unusual. It has two speakers pointed down towards the player. Inside is a flourscent bulb which lights up the words "Egret 29" and the Taito logo below. Also, and somewhat optionally, is a large green plastic which can stick out and towards the player at a 45 degree angle. It has an interesting neon-like green glow around the edges. Evidently, you would mount a paper marquee, and maybe some instructions, inside of it. It also further reduces any overhead glare you might have. But to be honest, it kind of looks strange to me in the daylight (but attractive at night). If you have PCBs without the marquees, it looks perfectly normal to exclude this piece. If you *really* wanted to, you could probably remove the whole marquee assembly altogether.

Problems encountered so far: The player two start button seems to go off sometime when you are playing a game. Probably a loose connection near the switch. The flourescent bulb in the marquee burnt out. Looks like I'll be hunting down a replacement.

Frequently asked question #1: Some PCBs only play music out of the left side, or they don't play any music at all. But they work fine on my other cabinets. Help!

At the very bottom of the cabinet (PCB area), you will find two individual wires with a special connector on the end. When these two wires are connected into each other, it combines the left and the right channel. This is needed for games which do not output stereo sound. Also, double check the wires that go to the back of the volume pot. They may have broken loose.

Frequently asked question #2: No matter what I do, I can't get stereo sound to work. Only mono! Yes, the special wire in the bottom of the cabinet IS disconnected.

My Egret falls into this category. The JAMMA adaptor is wired into a custom gang plug that is specific to the Egret. (It appears as though that plugs may exist to connect to some non-JAMMA games.) However, my JAMMA adaptor is completely missing the pins for the second stereo speaker. The only way around this is some hacking. The cabinet is still stereo capable, but the JAMMA connector prevents it.

Frequently asked question #3: From the horizontal position, can the monitor be rotated clockwise, and counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise), in order to play those PCBs which expect a vertical monitor to be rotated the other direction?

From a horizontal position, the monitor will only turn counter-clockwise. This means that if you've got a vertical PCB that plays upside down, you're going to have to find the dip switch (available on most PCBs) that'll flip the image. But there are a small number of games, such as Frogger, which are vertical, oriented the opposite way, and do not have a screen flip option. Frogger, Last Mission, and Namco Classics are three examples.

UPDATE! (unverified) From Arttu Ylärakkola (arttu@solvalou.com): I took the monitor apart today and found pretty interesting stuff. Luckily there's a plug (similar to the resolution plug) that says 'normal' and 'reversed' - so if you want to flip the screen, just move your (I think it's deflection coil) cable from 'normal' to 'reversed'.

NOTE: I believe the cable he is describing is visible from inside the cabinet, but not accessable without removing the monitor chassis (which is connected to the monitor controls). So it isn't a quick and easy thing, but certainly easier than rewiring the yoke. Since he has a real desire to do this with some regularity, he's looking at extending the connectors out towards the front of the control panel so he can switch them easier.

Frequently asked question #4: Where can I get replacement joysticks for the control panel?

Good question. I don't know. Anyone out there know anything?

Frequently asked question #5: What kind of flourescent bulb to I need to replace the one in the marquee?

Another good question! I don't know. It has some strange Japanese writing on it, and I didn't have any luck when I took it to a number of stores and specialty shops. Can anyone help? BTW, be sure to replace the starter (shaped like a small cylinder) at the same time you replace the bulb. A bad starter can ruin a new bulb.

UPDATE! From Matt Osborn (ozborn@ix.netcom.com): It is an F10T8, which is a 10 watt, 1" diameter, 12" long tube (total length including ends is ~13.5"), with a G13 base (medium bi-pin). Nearly impossible to find in any store, but can be ordered online from http://www.bulbman.com. Current prices are $3.16 for F10T8/CW (Cool White) and $17.37 for F10T8/BLB (Black Light Blue).

http://www.topbulb.com also has a F10T8/CW for $2.25. The black light is kinda cool, but not really worth the money. It looks nice on the "Egret 29" sign but doesn't really illuminate the "Taito" logo. It might look cool with the plastic marquee that goes into the top slot (I don't have one).

The ballast in mine has a setting for 50 and 60Hz. It's set for 50Hz for Japan. You need to move one wire to the 60Hz setting (soldering required). There's a label on the ballast that shows the settings.

And don't forget to pick up a new starter (FG-7P).

Frequently asked question #6: What is the difference between the Egret and the Egret II?

I haven't played with the Egret II in person, so I can only say what I see based on the pictures. The drink holders are gone. The side mounted speakers are gone. The unusual overhead hanging marquee has been integrated into the cabinet. The overall styling has been changed to look more like other Japanese cabinets. Here is a decent close up picture, courtesy of ArcadeStuff.

Frequently asked question #7: This cabinet was made to run at 100vac. Is there any short term danger or potential long term danger to the monitor in running it on US current (110-120vac)?

It seems like a fair question. The practical experience of the collectors I have talked to has not suggested this as an issue. That isn't to say that the possibility isn't there, but if it is, it isn't a known issue. Someone with a good electronics background may be able to put this concern to rest. You probably should follow Matt's advice about changing the frequency on the light's ballast to 60hz, but I haven't heard of this being a problem either. (Perhaps because replacement tubes are generally hard to find.)

Overall, this is one incredible cabinet. Before it arrived, I had thoughts of converting it into a cool Sun workstation with the addition of a keyboard, mouse, and a high resolution Sun monitor with a wide screen aspect ratio. I could have sold off the monitor to offset the cost. But that would have been quite a waste. I don't see myself selling this cabinet anytime in the future. If I had room for only one cabinet, this would be it.

I am considering a few modifications to the cabinet. First would be an NTSC adaptor which would allow me to watch normal television on it when I'm not playing games. Heck, its as big as a regular TV. Why not use it to watch cable? I might also add a few extra controls like a spinner or a trakball, but I really don't want to mess up the control panel.

Before my purchase, I asked other Japanese collectors in the #RGVAC channel on IRC about purchasing a cabinet. They highly recommended Jeff, the arcade seller on eBay known as arcadestuff. He seems to sell this and other types of cabinets on a regular basis. He certainly made the transaction easy, and he shipped freight collect, so I didn't have to have all the money up front. (Also worth noting, he offered to delay shipping, in case I needed time to gather more funds.) After he applied his 55% shipping discount, it cost $186 to deliver from California to Oklahoma, plus his low cost $25 palleting and packaging fee.

I really have to stretch to complain about the cabinet, but here goes. An integrated seat would have really been nice. As well, a multi-JAMMA adaptor built in (with extra PCB space) would have been a big plus. For the CAPCOM fanatic, this doesn't have native support for Q-Sound. It is also possible that the white plastic would yellow with age.

Summary: 29" rotatable screen. Drink holders. Unique styling. Four wheels. A very worthwhile JAMMA cabinet.

Known rivals: SNK Neo Geo 29" (4 game selection), Sega Astro City 29", Namco Cyber Lead 29" (non-JAMMA), Capcom Impress 29" (Q sound), Jaleco Pony 28", Sega Aero City 26", Jaleco Pony 25" (light weight), Irem Madona 25", Neo Geo MVS 25" (4 game selection), Sega Swing 25" (4-player control panel), Sega Versus City (two screen, back to back).

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