Welcome
Welcome to the Megatouch© Longevity ProjectThe purpose of this site is to help provide the resources to help users maintain their Merit games Megatouch© systems.
Merit Megatouch© was a popular touchscreen based bartop system created in 1997. New software and systems were created and supported until 2015 when Merit games shutdown their operations. Since the shutdown support including the system software is no longer available from Merit.
This site serves two purposes:
The first purpose is to archive the factory software installation CDs/DVDs as well as the system manuals providing a resource for system owners to maintain their systems.
The second and more important purpose is to research and provide documentation that enables system owners to bypass the hardware security keys that allow the software to run. Most if not all Merit systems had a hardware key called a "Dallas Key" that is required for the system to operate. Without a valid key the system will not function. Unfortunately these keys are powered by a battery with an expected life of 10 years. Once these batteries wear out, the keys will stop functioning and the Megatouch© systems will no longer operate.
Using the provisions allowed in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act regarding the exception for "Computer programs protected by dongles that prevent access due to malfunction or damage and which are obsolete." we have reverse engineered the game software and found a way to bypass the security key. This site will provide the information to allow Megatouch© owners to patch their systems to work without keys so that their systems will not stop functioning when the keys batteries stop working.
It is important to note that the work we have done does NOT allow people to install the Megatouch© software on generic hardware. Since the Megatouch© systems all require a proprietary USB I/O device to operate, bypassing the key does not allow people to copy the Megatouch software to non-megatouch systems.
NEW NEW NEW August 2020
