Mr. Do! Control Question

D_Harris

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Can I get a consensus on what the button position is on Mr. Do!?

Was it normally on the left side of the joystick?

I ask because of the several machines I played in the 80s I don't remember the button being on the left. But like looks like that was just a coincidence.

But every machine I see now has it that way and I'm forced to play cross handed.

I'm assuming that it is the dedicated Universal cabinet (Like Konami's Gyruss) has the button on the left by default, correct?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
I've been doing my own restore and it seems that the Universal cabinet CP for Mr. Do had a left-hand joystick with one button on the right side. It also said "control" above the joystick hole. There's also a kit CP that has a central joystick with one left-hand button and one right-hand button (like Dig Dug).

Here's the original arcade flyer of Mr. Do. You can see there's a left-hand joy with right-hand button: http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=2592&image=1
 
The dedicated Mr. Do -- the one in the white Universal cabinet -- had the left handed setup with the joystick on the left and button on the right. Mr. Do was pretty widely sold as a conversion kit, so I've seen a lot more conversions than dedicated (especially since I've never come across a dedicated Mr. Do myself).

Here's a shot of my Mr. Do -- I've got buttons on both sides of the joystick. This is the typical conversion CPO, and you can see that there's a "THROW" label for both right/left handed button setups. There's also one in the wild just like this at Flashbacks in the Carousel Arcade in Seaside Heights, NJ.
mrdo_control_panel_2.jpg


I've also seen the generic green brick CPO, so I guess you can do whatever you want with the buttons here. In this case, the buttons both did the same thing, which obviously doesn't have any real purpose. (This is the "before" shot of mine.)
mrdo_control_panel_1.jpg


For the record: I was never a huge fan of the look of the dedicated cabinet. I'm also a right handed player and wanted to recreate the Mr. Do that I used to play in the sub shop down the street from my house... so I prefer the conversion.
 
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The one at Funspot has 2 buttons too, but they're on the right side. It's a Qix conversion (Taito cab, still has the Qiz bezel)
 
The one at Funspot has 2 buttons too, but they're on the right side. It's a Qix conversion (Taito cab, still has the Qiz bezel)

Yeah. I wasn't happy about that. :(

Thanks everyone. My suspicions have been confirmed. I played several conversions back in the 80s. (And I always considered the dedicated Universal cabinet the ugliest cabinet I ever saw).

(I always thought Gyruss was a cool game, but the left handed CP is the reason I wouldn't go near it).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
(And I always considered the dedicated Universal cabinet the ugliest cabinet I ever saw).

Really??? Wow. I think it's a beautiful cabinet. I guess everyone has their own taste. I'm piecing together a dedicated one right now in an NOS Universal cabinet. I tell ya, it's beautiful. Cab shape is unique and attractive, tasteful (yet generic) side art, beautiful back plastic art and bezel that flow together. What's not to like? OTOH, it seems like every conversion mr. do I've seen looks lame. To each their own though.
 
Am I correct in assuming that the upright Mr. Do! games did not use the black Universal joystick that the cocktails had? Would a Wico be an acceptable joystick for an upright cab?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
Am I correct in assuming that the upright Mr. Do! games did not use the black Universal joystick that the cocktails had? Would a Wico be an acceptable joystick for an upright cab?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

the upright has a very similar joystick, but it has a bigger knob. The base is very similar.
 
The universal cabs (as a whole) are probably the best looking cabs all around in regards to the art and appearance. A restored original do and ladybug I would easily rank with tron, tempest, gorf, as far as having a unique and engaging aesthetic. Please send me all of your awful universal cabs lol...
 
Am I correct in assuming that the upright Mr. Do! games did not use the black Universal joystick that the cocktails had? Would a Wico be an acceptable joystick for an upright cab?



Thanks.



Darren Harris

Staten Island, New York.



A 4-way Wico is a suitable replacement. Some would argue that it's better. I tried a Monroe stick but found I liked the wico better. You will have to drill holes in the base of the wico to get it to mate with the studs in the CP. same if you use a Monroe stick.
 
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