Rat droppings in arcade cab?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

So I bought a nice Maximum Force deluxe arcade cabinet at a local auction this week, but there's a problem. One flip of the control panel and this thing is filled with rat poop and other unmentionables.

I unbolted the top of the control panel and washed it on the driveway with some simple green and the hose yesterday, but I'm at a loss for what to do with the wood parts of the cabinet. Let alone the coin box, wiring, lighting, etc....

I got the cab for a steal, it's JAMMA, and has a tri-scan monitor, so I really don't want to junk it. (I was thinking 4-player TMNT)

This is how the cab looks, so it's a bit of a challenge to work on as there's little to no access to any areas aside from the coin door where the rat or mouse was living:

[Stark]

You can't unscrew things and take it apart further?

[Erik_Twice]

It's very common. You can fix it without any problems, no need to dump it. You can also remove the control panel and clean, don't worry.

Can you post on the Killer List of Videogames? They will help you here.

[Majors]

I got the cab for a steal...it's a bit of a challenge to work on as there's little to no access to any areas aside from the coin door where the rat or mouse was living

Why do you think it was cheap? Your zombie cab army is rising.

Glad some folks got some gear, nothing for me last weekend.

[dunpeal2064]

Wow, that thing is JAMMA ready AND tri-sync? SCORE!

I would take it apart further for cleaning. It may be obvious, but don't vacuum out the droppings.

[mjmjr25]

Mice / Rats are to be expected and shouldn't a concern, the next old cab that doesn't require a good clean will be the first.

Umm, not too common to convert a gun game into a regular JAMMA cab, typically gun games are sought after - if it's working and those guns are wired and registering, or even if they aren't - that is the way to go.

I assume you mean tri-sync, not tri-scan. That is really a tri-sync monitor in there? Typically dedicateds wouldn't have need of that? Bonus if it is, i'm surprised.

Also, that isn't wired for 4players - it can be done, but it isn't a 2-minute job. With that, you'd need an entirely new control panel as that is obviously setup for guns and is going to have holes you don't want (can plug em' and get a new overlay I guess). You'd want a larger CP also as the Max Force cabs i've seen would be way too tight for players 1 and 4 (assuming 2 and 3 use the current gun positions).

Dunno man, I think you bought an expensive and intricate project. Please post some pics to let us see what you've done!

[dunpeal2064]

yeah, I was wondering why a dedicated would have tri-sync, but if it does, then that is legit!

I have to sit here and be happy with Duel Sync

[Majors]

yeah, I was wondering why a dedicated would have tri-sync

I do not believe it is dedicated, it's just a showcase cab. I remember Dub picked a cab like the one ModMan got that was converted from a Gauntlet to Naomi. Here is what a 4p setup would look like.

Dunno man, I think you bought an expensive and intricate project.

Young cab owners...so quick to bid, slow to restore.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Ok, so here's the skinny on the cab, it's actually a Deluxe Dynamo Showcase cabinet that was sub-licensed to ATARI/Midway operations for use as their deluxe cabinet during their second arcade heyday in the late 90's.

The 33'' WG tri-sync monitor and interchangeable control panels were all standard and the cabinet comes pre-wired for 4-player operation from the factory (just looped back into the gun circuit on Max-force). Atari took some creative liberties on styling for the trim on the control panel and monitor bezel which to me both look great, but overall it's a cool cab and mostly identical to a Dynamo showcase under the hood. The control panel pedestal is almost identical save for a wider coin box (for the 4-player games) and the elevated plastic control panel itself which replaces the wood box on standard Dynamo Showcases.

Anyhow, I've sprayed a healthy amount of Lysol in there to get rid of the funk and sanitize/disinfect the droppings and urine that's most likely imbued itself into the wood and along the wiring harness. The control pedestal is going to be a bit of a bitch to get open and sanitize properly though. There's no rear access door, so the only option is to remove the box from the front which is a pain in the ass.

In all I'm not really bothered by any of this as I only paid $25 for the cab and aside from the second gun having been removed (hence the hole where the rat got in) this thing looks like it's almost brand new and everything works.

I wouldn't call it too large or intricate of a project. I restored a completely destroyed Neo-Geo (kicked in front panel, liner peeling off the side-panels) for about $25. Plywood is cheap, spray paint is only $2 a can and JAMMA harnesses are only about $5-$10 depending on where you look. As long as everything works (90% of the time it never does, but just needs a capacitor fix, fuses, or something super simple) most cabinets are fixed in under a week barring parts I can't get locally, or larger issues.

[mjmjr25]

Can't wait for pics!