Hey all.
Being a new arcade collector myself, I was just curious. Do you guys buy games that work but just need a little love, or do you tend to buy lots of fixer-uppers? This question is likely targeted at the newer collectors like myself, but you long time collectors are free to chime in.
For example, I first bought a Gauntlet II in a painted black Defender cabinet with the intention of restoring it to Defender (or more likely some sort of multi-williams). The monitor had Defender burn in, and the original bezel (which was cracked in a corner), coin door and power supply, but otherwise it had been "upgraded" in some way. I got this thing cheap a decade ago for $75. Soon after purchasing it, the monitor went out. It has sat in a garage for the last 10 years and I'm only now working on fixing it back up.
In contrast, I just recently purchased an original Ms Pacman, with a restored CPO. The marquee is faded, and the side art is fairly faded and has worn a bit where you tend to put your hands. Various nicks and dings all around, and a replacement back door. But otherwise, it plays great, with the exception of some curling on the right side (likely the G07 needs a cap and/or Bob Roberts curl fix). Got it for $400. Some might say that it was too much, but the market where I'm at, it's hard to get a working game for under $200-$300.
Next, I picked up a Neo Geo MVS 2-slot for $60, with Samurai Shodown and Puzzle Bobble. I think the battery on the motherboard fried b/c it comes up with backup read error (can't write to 0055). Monitor comes on and neck glows, but no text on screen. Had to plug it into a spare monitor to see the error. Not sure what that problem is, but again, I'm new at this.
The whole point of this thread is to basically ask what the process is for everyone else? I'm in this hobby to learn more about electronic repair and do something with my hands (I have a brain-thinking day job). Arcade machines are something I've always wanted, so I figured why not?
Make sense?
Thanks for listening (err, reading).
Steven
Being a new arcade collector myself, I was just curious. Do you guys buy games that work but just need a little love, or do you tend to buy lots of fixer-uppers? This question is likely targeted at the newer collectors like myself, but you long time collectors are free to chime in.
For example, I first bought a Gauntlet II in a painted black Defender cabinet with the intention of restoring it to Defender (or more likely some sort of multi-williams). The monitor had Defender burn in, and the original bezel (which was cracked in a corner), coin door and power supply, but otherwise it had been "upgraded" in some way. I got this thing cheap a decade ago for $75. Soon after purchasing it, the monitor went out. It has sat in a garage for the last 10 years and I'm only now working on fixing it back up.
In contrast, I just recently purchased an original Ms Pacman, with a restored CPO. The marquee is faded, and the side art is fairly faded and has worn a bit where you tend to put your hands. Various nicks and dings all around, and a replacement back door. But otherwise, it plays great, with the exception of some curling on the right side (likely the G07 needs a cap and/or Bob Roberts curl fix). Got it for $400. Some might say that it was too much, but the market where I'm at, it's hard to get a working game for under $200-$300.
Next, I picked up a Neo Geo MVS 2-slot for $60, with Samurai Shodown and Puzzle Bobble. I think the battery on the motherboard fried b/c it comes up with backup read error (can't write to 0055). Monitor comes on and neck glows, but no text on screen. Had to plug it into a spare monitor to see the error. Not sure what that problem is, but again, I'm new at this.
The whole point of this thread is to basically ask what the process is for everyone else? I'm in this hobby to learn more about electronic repair and do something with my hands (I have a brain-thinking day job). Arcade machines are something I've always wanted, so I figured why not?
Make sense?
Thanks for listening (err, reading).
Steven




