It's difficult to call anything both utilitarian and elegant, but I can't think of another way to describe post-1985 arcade cabinets. Until the video game crash, developers constructed beautiful show pieces for their software, many of which had completely proprietary electronic connections and access panels.

JAMMA (Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Association) cabinets swiftly changed the way business owners purchased coin-operated games. The boards for these machines required a 56-pin connection, something that quickly became an industry standard.

Arcade owners could purchase conversion kits rather than sinking lots of money into a new cabinet. JAMMA designs place functionality over aesthetics, but that elegance I mentioned earlier comes though in their simplicity.

The following collection of JAMMA cabinet schematics from 3-Koam Inc. prove that functional design can be both practical and gracefully implemented.

Be sure to check out the other images after the jump.

Images courtesy of the Arcade Flyer Archive.