Considering purchasing my first arcade machine; have a few questions

MJongo

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Considering purchasing my first arcade machine; have a few questions

Hello,
I have been a vintage console game collector for almost 15 years, and want to buy my first arcade machine just in time for my 21st birthday/Xmas. I have a few questions about the first game I am set on owning, Asteroids Deluxe, before I put any money into this hobby.

1: The primary purpose of the machine would be for me to play frequently and submit scores to Twin Galaxies. The aesthetic quality of the cabinet is extremely low on my list of priorities. Would I save money by just purchasing a vector monitor, control panel, and PCB?

2: If the answer to #1 is no, then:
a: If I purchase a working machine, how much upkeep is required to keep it working?
b: What are the most common problems (if any) with Asteroids Deluxes, and can they be repaired without prior experience in electronics?
c: About how much would a working Asteroids Deluxe in good condition cost? I would greatly prefer the update with the easy/hard mode dip switch setting, but I have no idea how rare those are, so I could possibly settle for the original version.

Thanks!
 
1: The primary purpose of the machine would be for me to play frequently and submit scores to Twin Galaxies. The aesthetic quality of the cabinet is extremely low on my list of priorities. Would I save money by just purchasing a vector monitor, control panel, and PCB
In the current market I'd expect to pay $300-$500 for an Asteroids Deluxe. I don't think there would be enough savings, if any, to make going this route worth your while. If you do, check with TG to see if they will accept records with such a setup first, they can be pretty finicky.
 
In the current market I'd expect to pay $300-$500 for an Asteroids Deluxe. I don't think there would be enough savings, if any, to make going this route worth your while. If you do, check with TG to see if they will accept records with such a setup first, they can be pretty finicky.
Oh, ok. Now that I think of it, I kinda want the whole package. It would be sort of lame to play such a great game on anything less.
 
1: The primary purpose of the machine would be for me to play frequently and submit scores to Twin Galaxies. The aesthetic quality of the cabinet is extremely low on my list of priorities. Would I save money by just purchasing a vector monitor, control panel, and PCB?
No.

2: If the answer to #1 is no, then:
a: If I purchase a working machine, how much upkeep is required to keep it working?
Depends on many factors, but generally if it's currently working and was recently serviced (cap kit, PS rebuild, etc.) it should be fine for a while.
b: What are the most common problems (if any) with Asteroids Deluxes, and can they be repaired without prior experience in electronics?
They can be repaired by someone without prior experience as long as that person has the proper tools and wants to learn how by reading tutorials and the klov forums. :)
c: About how much would a working Asteroids Deluxe in good condition cost?
Prices will vary a bit based on location, but anywhere from $275-450 would be my best guess.
 
1. no parts will usually cost more than a complete machine.
2. a. upkeep is hit and miss. These machines are around 30 years old now. It's possible to get one and have it work with no issues for a long time. Or see it working at the sellers place, transport it home plug it in for 5 minutes and have it die on you. My general rule is if it's working don't go poking around in there for no reason.

b. Vector machines tend to be more problematic in general. Monitor issues, board issue, power supply issues. I would say that someone who is motivated could learn to fix the power supply and monitor relatively easy as it usually only requires some basic soldering skills and research. Fixing a board issue can be a bit more of a pain and probably over the hear of someone who does not know a lot about these games. There are people who do fix them though so a broken board can be repaired.

Game price will depend on the area you are in and how common or rare the game is. I would put AD in the $200-500 range depending on condition. I would be looking at craigs list, collectors on sites like this and possibly ebay to find one. Buying from a retailer will cost closer to $1200 or possibly even much more. You may have to wait a little for one to pop up for sale in your area. I have never heard of the updated easy/ hard dip switch setting version. Most games have dip switches on the board and on many the switches can be used to select difficulty. Not sure if this is the case with AD.

Since you mention that you want this to submit score to Twin Galaxies, keep their rules in mind. I know these rules can vary from game to game so do some research but in general they require an original unhacked board and sometimes even require an original power supply. Make sure the machine you buy fits the requirements needed to submit a score otherwise you will be spending money on a game that will not serve your needs/wants.
 
As long as the power supply is in good shape. 'Pedes are usually pretty solid. The things that go south are typically the power supply and the trackball. Trackballs need a little more maintentance than joysticks, so they usually got none while out on route. Prices on 'Pedes can vary quite a bit. I've bought 3 for under $50 each, but they have all needed work. Working ones should be $200 - $450 depending on condition. Or $2100 if you buy them on eBay.

ken
 
Anything you buy is going to become a problem... The problem is you can't stop at one. Before you know it you will have a centipede and an asteroids deluxe!

Then a joust, then a stargate, then a ms. Pac-Man and on and on...

help me........ :D
 
Wow, doing research before jumping into this hobby. I like it. Different, but I like it.
 
These games are 30 years old. They usually need some kind of repair. That said, once you get it fixed up and replace the electrolytics in the monitor and rebuild the power supply, and put a new main filter cap in them, then you can expect many years of trouble-free service. Total parts cost for caps is less than $30.

Centipede is a very reliable game - Asteroids Deluxe somewhat less so, but still, not a problem. I wouldn't worry about either. Pole Position, however... THAT's a bear to keep working.

-Ian
 
Considering purchasing my first arcade machine; have a few questions

Each game is different you might fix something on 1 game and play 2 games leave it for awhile and then something esle wrong with it. Or other games will play for Decades without any problems what so ever!
 
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