Merit Megatouch Classic Generation
History
After releasing quite a few multi-games arcade machines that were button operated, Merit's released in 1993 the "Pitboss Supertouch 30" in two different formats: Upright and Countertop.
With the release of the "Pitboss Megatouch" software update, a Cabaret version of the machine was also introduced. After this release, Merit abandoned the Pitboss brand and instead released the following updates only using the Megatouch brand.
The platform was long-lived, as it received new software releases up until the year 2000.
Machines
Hardware Versions
The "Pitboss Supertouch 30" was based on the same platform as their previous button-operated machines, the CRT-250 which was Z80-based.
This platform did get a small upgrade (CRT-260) in 1994, which integrated some of the separate optional boards that existed for the CRT-250 into the main board and added the possibility of linking two machines together ("Megalink").
For more details, check each machine's sub-page.
Software Releases
The platform was well supported with software updates (which were stored in chips, as the machines didn't support any other kind of media) up until the year 2000 with the release of the "Megatouch 7 Encore Edition".
Most new releases included new question sets for quiz games and a couple new games. Each software release had multiple variants, due to different state regulations. Some of these variants had some of the games removed and some changed certain parts of the software to comply with said regulations.
CRT-250
- Pit Boss Supertouch 30 (1993)
- Pit Boss Megatouch (1994)
CRT-260
- Megatouch II (1994)
- Megatouch III (1995)
- Megatouch III Tournament Edition (1996)
- Megatouch IV (1996)
- Megatouch IV Tournament Edition (1996)
- Super Megatouch IV (1996)
- Super Megatouch IV Tournament Edition (1996)
- Megatouch 5 (1997)
- Megatouch 5 Tournament Edition (1997)
- Megatouch 6 (1998)
- Megatouch 7 Encore Edition (2000)
Software Variants
| Program # | Version | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 923x-00-01 | Standard Version | Includes all Options, no Restrictions |
| 923x-00-02 | Minnesota Version | Excludes Casino Games |
| 923x-00-03 | Louisiana Version | Excludes all Poker Games |
| 923x-00-04 | Wisconsin Version | Game Cannot End if Player Busts; 1,000 Points are Added to End of Each Hand |
| 923x-00-05 | Montana Version | Excludes Blackjack, Dice and Photo Finish |
| 923x-00-06 | California Version | Excludes Poker Double-up feature |
| 9234-00-07 | New Jersey Version | Excludes Sex Trivia and includes 2-Coin Limit with Lockout Coil |
| Program # | Version | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 9255-xx-01 | Standard Version | Includes all Options, no Restrictions |
| 9255-xx-02 | Minnesota Version | Excludes Casino Games |
| 9255-xx-03 | Louisiana Version | Excludes all Poker Games |
| 9255-xx-04 | Wisconsin Version | Game Cannot End if Player Busts; 1,000 Points are Added to End of Each Hand |
| 9255-xx-06 | California Version | Excludes Poker Double-up feature & No Free Game in Solitaire |
| 9255-xx-07 | Bi-Lingual ENG/GER | Includes 2-Coin Limit with Lockout Coil |
| 9255-xx-50 | New Jersey Version | Same as Standard Version, Without Word/Casino Games |
| 9255-xx-54 | Bi-Lingual ENG/SPA | Same as Standard Version, Without Word Games |
| 9255-xx-56 | No Free Credits | Same as Standard Version, Without Word Games and No Free Credits |
| 9255-xx-57 | International Version | Same as Standard Version, Without Word Games |
| 9255-xx-60 | Bi-Lingual ENG/FRE | Same as Standard Version, Without Word/Casino Games |
| 9255-xx-62 | No Free Credit | Same as Standard Version, With No Free Credit |
| 9255-xx-62 | Croatia | Same as Standard Version, With No Free Credit |
| 9255-xx-70 | Australia Version | Same as Standard Version with Special Question Set |
| 9255-xx-71 | South Africa Ver | Same as Standard Version with Special Question Set |
On the above table, xx is the game/version code of which you can find a list below:
| Game/Version Code | Version |
|---|---|
| 20 | Megatouch 3 |
| 30 | Megatouch 3 Tournament |
| 40 | Megatouch 4 |
| 41 | Megatouch Super 4 |
| 50 | Megatouch 4 Tournament |
| 51 | Megatouch Super 4 Tournament |
| 60 | Megatouch 5 |
| 70 | Megatouch 5 Tournament |
| 80 | Megatouch 6 |
| 90 | Megatouch 7 Encore |
Note that not all variants are available for all versions.
For example, for Megatouch 4, Set 9255-40-62 is Croatia and for Megatouch Super 4, Set 9255-41-62 is No Free Credit.
Security
For the protection on the classic generation machines, Merit used a Dallas DS1204 Electronic Key. The key not only prevented piracy but was also used to define which variant the machine ran.