Well, welcome to legitimately attempting to fix this junk pile:
- Crapola.jpg (27.16 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
Oh.....wait.......you're here for real information.
In that case:
So, you want an arcade cabinet. You've buckled down, built up a modest budget and have been scanning local trades, craigslist and if you're lucky a nearby arcade and vending auction. Trust me, it can be a daunting challenge to take on, but in the end you'll walk away satisfied and accomplished with what you've managed to get no matter how humble it may be.
Without further ado, lets get on with the show.....
Step: 1) When buying a cab Check for damage, any and all damage. If you're like me the first thing you noticed in the picture above was the big cracks ominously emanating from the sides of the coin box. If you even think about putting any real weight on that control panel expect it to come down in a glorious shower of wood chips and moldy, dusty soggy garbage.
Next, you'll have noticed the ridiculous control panel setup. Neo-Geo buttons in a triangle formation and missing the D button altogether? Not to mention the reversely mounted buttons and joysticks for player two!? Ok, this isn't too bad I mean.......wait, the right side of the marquee is burned too.........
OK, by now you might be thinking this is one serious junk pile. For starters, just look at the bottom of the front panel and the corners of the cab. Tons of bare particle board that's been scraped in and worn away over time, wear and tear everywhere, tons of weirdly set up and scrambled wiring inside? (< see pic gallery below)
Well you're right, but never feel afraid to take on a challenge and save a good cab from the scrap heap as long as step two checks out......
Step: 2) Does it work? Well in this case miraculously, yes. See, arcade ops are frugal people.....if it breaks, why buy a new one? After all, if you can solder and have a few schematics on hand nothing's really broken unless you're the one that killed it.
This means that 90% of the time even the weakest looking and roached out cabinets typically contain a working game or wiring harness. And if you're like me that means when it's time for your local arcade and vending auctions you'll be snapping up a beat up but working cab on the cheap. A good rule is to expect most to work while being up for sale, or at least hold out to some minor testing at the location before failures and defects (typically minor but can escalate if not fixed) begin to surface.
Now that we've established operational status and any present defects we're aware of let's get to one of the most important aspects when buying a cab.
Step: 3) How's the monitor looking? Is it crisp and sharp, colorful and clean? Or is it twitchy and static filled, burned in from countless attract/demo mode cycles and nearly black and white from how devoid of color the image is? Be aware that lots of these problems can be fixed, the boards that drive monitors can be rebuilt again and again restoring brightness, fidelity and color to monitors that have begun suffering from age and real world wear and tear.
Burn-in, scratched glass, crazy convergence and extremely big problems can all be signals of a truly dying picture tube, and a clear sign that unless you've researched and know what you're doing this is one to stay far away from.
Remember to check that all wires and cables are securely plugged into the boards and harnesses in the cabinet. This can sometimes save you the headaches and problems associated with most monitor troubles too if you're one of the lucky ones to simply have a half-on plug.
Step: 4) The I/O system, wiring and cabinet interfaces. Ports, coin mechs, card readers, lighting controls, speakers and more. you'll be amazed at just how many things light up, move around, connect to switches and make an arcade cabinet so interactive in the first place. You might be thinking it's not so bad if some lights burn out or there's a coin mech that seems to have a phantom quarter living in it. But, over time all those little fixes will add up a good bit if you're not prepared to do some serious cleaning and housekeeping right off the bat.
Stay tuned for part two, working with the garbage you just paid good money for!
Image Gallery:
- Cabinet En-Nude (Medium).JPG (38.39 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
- Control Panel De-Laminated (Medium).JPG (86.23 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
- Panel 1 (Medium).JPG (37.22 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
- Panel 2 (Medium).JPG (41.33 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
- Somebody's a dirty girl down under....... (Medium).JPG (60.44 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
- Topless, sunburnt and loving it..... (Medium).JPG (42 KiB) Viewed 1065 times
