Namco Consolette 26
| Namco Consolette 26 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Katakana | コンソレット 26 |
| Rōmaji | KONSORETTO26 |
| Type | Sitdown |
| Released | 1989 |
| Dimensions | 900 x 710 x 1290 (1640 including marquee) mm |
| Wiring | JAMMA |
| Monitor | 26 in 15/24 kHz (Toshiba with Nanao MS8-26) |
| Rotatable | Yes (Has rotate mechanism) |
| Weight | 100 kg |
| Power Supply | +5V8A, -5V0.5A, +12V2A |
| Power | 120 W |
The Consolette 26 is the bigger and younger model of NAMCO's two work horses from the 80s. It was released in 1989, two years after the first 18 inch model and was initially made for Namcos own "Play City Carrot" game centers. Unconfirmed rumors state that the baby blue model was for the Namco game centers while the darker blue color was sold by Namco as a generic cabinet for private operators (then without the Namco logo between the speakers).
The cabinet has a unique easy rotation mechanism of sorts which Namco claims "can even be performed by women" (see Dirt Fox flyer back page in Gallery). After lifting the front up and unscrewing the four wing screws in each corner the monitor can be tilted forward until its extended cage hook latches on to a slit in the back. By balancing the hook in the slit which holds the bulk of the weight, the monitor can be easily rotated by one person. The rotation is according to the Namco game standard so a none Namco vertical game needs to be screen flipped in game itself or by flipping the yoke connector on the chassi.
The cabinet features an all metal construction, standard 2-player control panel, two 25 Watt speakers with individual volume control (due to the nature of the sound in System 1 and 2 boards of that time) and two headphone output whose volume also can be controlled from the front.
Apart from the overall larger size of the Consolette 26, the latter can easily be distinguished from the smaller Consolette 18 due to the L shaped frontal service trap door absent on the 18" model which features instead a smaller rectangular coin mech service door (displaced to the left on Consolette 26).
The coin slot is thus now, on the Consolette 26, located stock on the left side of the monitor, whereas on the Consolette 18 it was on the right.
It was designed in a modular fashion to easily accommodate different types of control panels and game play styles such as wheels and pedals. However only Namco's own racing game Dirt Fox was known to have a full conversion kit including different front fascia and toppers. Dirt Fox was able to link up to four cabinets maximum for multiplayer action, usually in a row of 4, without spacers, though due to the typical Consolette geometry inherited from the 18" model, the 26" cab version can be similarly positioned in a room corner to save space, aligned in a row at an angle against the wall or stacked in clusters of 2, 4 or even 6 cabs like octagons joining back corner faces or back to back & laterally with or without spacers (up to 2 spacers max, see below in Gallery back page of Dirt Fox flyer).
Gallery
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Dirt Fox flyer front -
Dirt Fox flyer back -
Dirt Fox flyer internal page 1 -
Dirt Fox flyer internal page 2 -
Burning Force (1989) flyer back, Namco recommending to use a "larger monitor cab", stating "Consolette 26 is the perfect match!" -
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L-shaped trap door -
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