Pacman Free Play and High Score Save Kit

HighScoreSaves Pac-Man Free Play and High Score Save Kit

Upgrade a compatible original Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man arcade PCB with selectable original-speed and fast Pac-Man, Free Play, permanent Top 10 score and initials saving, extended scoring, attract sounds, menu-driven settings, kill-screen practice, and optional Wi-Fi leaderboard support.

This HighScoreSaves daughterboard operates on the original arcade PCB without emulation. Original-speed Pac-Man remains available with its standard gameplay behavior, while the fast version can be selected when accelerated play is desired.

A Pac-Man-Only Upgrade for Original Arcade Hardware

This is the standard HighScoreSaves Pac-Man kit. It provides original-speed and fast Pac-Man but does not add Ms. Pac-Man as a selectable game.

Choose the separate Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man multigame kit when both games are wanted. Choose Pac-Man Rearranged for the larger expanded game collection and Rearranged content.

The kit can be installed on documented compatible Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man PCBs. When installed on a Ms. Pac-Man board, the original Ms. Pac-Man daughterboard and ribbon cable are not used.

Open the HighScoreSaves Pac-Man Menu

During attract mode, hold Player 1 Start for approximately four seconds to open the supported game-selection and settings menu.

Free Play and Permanent Score Saving

• Permanent Top 10 scores: Retains the ten highest qualifying scores after cabinet power is removed.
• Player initials: Saves initials with each qualifying high score.
• Free Play: Start games without inserting coins.
• Coin operation: Continue accepting quarters or tokens when Free Play is disabled.
• Separate score tables: Original-speed and fast Pac-Man maintain independent high-score tables.
• High-score backup and restore: Manage supported saved score data through the kit menu.
• High-score reset: Clear supported score tables through the settings menu.
• Battery-free storage: Saved scores and settings use serial EEPROM storage.

Pac-Man Gameplay and Scoring Features

• Original/Slow Pac-Man: Play Pac-Man at its standard arcade speed.
• Fast Pac-Man: Select accelerated Pac-Man gameplay through the kit menu.
• Separate high-score tables: Fast and original-speed gameplay retain their own supported scores.
• Extended scoring: Saves and displays scores as high as 9,999,990.
• No standard score rollover: Extended scoring prevents the normal lower-value rollover display.
• Level 255 practice: Start directly at Level 255 for kill-screen practice.
• Stealth/default mode: Choose which supported Pac-Man speed version appears when the cabinet starts.
• Upright and cocktail support: Compatible with documented upright and cocktail cabinet configurations.

Attract Sounds and Menu-Driven Settings

• Adjustable attract sounds: Select sound for 25%, 50%, or every supported attract-screen rotation, or disable attract audio.
• Rotating attract displays: Changes supported attract screens rather than continuously displaying one static image.
• On-screen DIP settings: Adjust supported game settings through the menu rather than changing physical DIP switches.
• Saved configuration: Supported settings are retained locally after they are changed.
• ROM Saver operation: The kit supplies the supported program code. The original program ROMs in row 6 must be removed as directed by the installation guide.

Important PCB and ROM Requirements

• Compatible original hardware: Designed for documented compatible Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man arcade PCBs.
• PCB access required: The original game board must be accessed during installation.
• 40-pin Z80 location: The kit installs at the documented Z80 processor socket.
• Original processor: The Z80 is removed from the PCB and installed on the HighScoreSaves daughterboard unless a compatible processor option is selected.
• No soldering when socketed: Installation does not require soldering when the Z80 location already has a compatible socket.
• Soldered processor: If the Z80 is soldered directly to the PCB, a qualified arcade technician must install a compatible 40-pin socket.
• Row 6 program ROMs: The original program ROMs in row 6 must be removed when the kit is installed.
• Required graphics ROMs: ROMs 5E and 5F must remain installed.
• Ms. Pac-Man PCB installation: Do not use the original Ms. Pac-Man daughterboard and ribbon cable with this kit.
• RAM Test version 1.09 and later: Setting DIP switches 1 and 2 to OFF enables the documented automatic RAM diagnostics during startup.
• Orientation: Verify Pin 1 alignment and inspect all processor pins before restoring power.

Installation Information

Standard and Optional Wi-Fi Versions

The Standard Kit permanently saves supported scores, initials, settings, and configuration data locally. It does not require an internet connection.

The optional 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Kit includes the same local features and can also submit supported completed scores after qualifying initials are entered.

Wi-Fi can be disabled without affecting Pac-Man gameplay, game selection, Free Play, local score saving, or menu operation.

Pac-Man Kit FAQ

Resources