My grail finally comes home: Dragon's Lair

gobsgraham

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I have been in this hobby for just a few years now and immediately started searching for a Dragon's Lair. A year ago I had an add posted looking for one and got a response saying "I don't have a DL but have a few other games". One thing lead to another and I bought a quonset with over 120 games in it. After spending the last year refurbishing, selling, (sorry) Mame'ing and 60-1ing cabinets, I have sold over 110 cabinets since September and bought or traded for another 20 or 30 games. I have met a lot of great people and a few not so great people. Most importantly I have introduced a lot of people to the world of home arcades and hopefully we can build the very small arcade community that we have here in Calgary.

Last week the best deal of them all was to trade a Buck Hunter Sportsman's Paradise for my Dragon's Lair. I have known about this cabinet for almost a year now and it has taken me a year to finally get it. The funny thing is out of all the places in the world it was owned by someone that my brother works for. Small world.

The DL doesn't work yet but it will and with the artwork kit that I got from Dean's March of Dimes fundraiser I plan to restore this thing to its formal glory and make it shine again.
 

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The Dragon's Lair pictures.
 

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And how the quonset looks from after we moved the last 30 games out.
 

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Congratulations, let me know how it goes, I have lots of parts for DL and SA.

Thanks Ross. I haven't started troubleshooting it yet so I am not sure what I will need yet. I don't even know what parts are in it yet but I know it has a conversion board and a newer laser disc player. It supposedly worked until an office move and then never worked properly again. It just randomly jumps through screens, doesn't respond to most controls and lots of random crap like that.

For now I am looking for a control panel so that I can toss a computer in it and bring it to Jay's show. I don't want to cut/splice anything original though so I just want a spare that I can run Daphne for a few months while I fix the original stuff, then I can sell the CP and computer to someone else when I am done restoring it.
 
Very nice! Happy to see you have one now - it is a great game (despite what others think). Why do you think its still being remade to this day? What a classic, and a marvel for its time. The cab is a beauty too - one of the nicest designs in Arcade history.

Get it running and enjoy (post questions over on the Dragons Lair project page - they are very helpful).
 
Congrats!

When I first got into this hobby, DL was on my list of grails too. In the meantime though, I've found so many other games that I didn't really get to play as a kid that I end up loving now so, DL keeps getting pushed further and further back!
 
Congrats, DL is pretty much at the top of my desired list as well (has been since I started collecting several years ago)!
 
Congrats on the DL pick up. I guy I know has one for 1K, however I decided that was too much to spend on a game I could buy for $1 on my iPhone.
I am sure there is a big difference, but I got the idea by playing it.
Fun game and I can see why so many people love it!
 
I have always wanted a Dragon's Lair since the 80s. That was the game that made me want to buy actual arcade games instead of home versions. I'm really torn about getting one though. I have played it in all it's different incarnations on computers, consoles, and now the Blu-ray version. Back in the day it was a no brainer because the home versions weren't up to snuff. The lastest version, arguably, plays better than the original. The real problem I have though is that it's not going to have repeat play value for me. I still kind of want one though. It looks soooo cool.
 
Well I know you've been talking about wanting a DL since I met you, so congrats on finally getting one into your home. You'll have to let me take her for a spin once she's up and running...

It's running. I had a few hours to kill last night so I figured I would take a crack at it. The LaserAce was setup for a 1550P (not sure that wouldn't have worked) and the power 5V was a little low. I also at some point had flipped the cable from the main board to the LaserAce. i was pretty sure that the red line indicated pin 1 but I was wrong I guess. Anyways it is up and running and I am very happy. I picked up another cabinet a few months ago that was jammatized and needs all new vinyl. Now that I have a fully working game I can start putting the second one back together and make someone else really happy.
 
It's running. I had a few hours to kill last night so I figured I would take a crack at it. The LaserAce was setup for a 1550P (not sure that wouldn't have worked) and the power 5V was a little low. I also at some point had flipped the cable from the main board to the LaserAce. i was pretty sure that the red line indicated pin 1 but I was wrong I guess. Anyways it is up and running and I am very happy. I picked up another cabinet a few months ago that was jammatized and needs all new vinyl. Now that I have a fully working game I can start putting the second one back together and make someone else really happy.

Congrats on getting it up and running! I just got mine up and running thanks mostly to pr0K, and it feels good to finally have one of my childhood grails in my collection. Just a kick ass cab and game!

Like a lot of people, I thought that I could do without the game because I have it on my phone, etc., but for me, the flashbacks come from playing it in an original cabinet with the scoreboard right in front of me and the feel and sound of the joystick making the moves. Same reason why I don't own a 60-1, it's not about emulating, it's about the experience you get from the original form :)
 
This has always been one of my grails. I was always afraid of them knowing nothing of the LD systems. One day maybe...Congrats! khabbi, I didn't know you had one or I'd have tried to work a deal with you on the Space Duel.
 
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