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OMG What have I gotten myself into -- 10 MORE CABS!

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smalltownguy:
So I'm walking by the local pizzeria last week, and noticed that 2 of the 4 cabs in the hallway outside are not working. I know the owner, so I walked in and mentioned that I'd be willing to fix up his cabs since I enjoy the hobby and could use the experience. I told him that I would only charge him for parts and I'd provide the labor. I just cant stand to see cabs in disrepair, plus he's not making any money on cabs that don't work.

Sunday, I get a call from the owner - he wants to take me up on my offer. He's got a 'few more' cabs that he'd like to drop off to see if I can do anything with them, or maybe use them for parts.

2 hours later, here's what I have in my garage:





From left to right in the two pics:

1. Final Fight, in a converted midway cab. I believe it was a pacman cab, based on the blue paint I see on the back panel. Does not currently power up. Was working 2 months ago.
2. DONKEY KONG! Dedicated, original cab. Powers on and plays. A few sound issues noted, could be a speaker connection issue. Joystick is very loose, and intermittently responsive. Cab is in GREAT shape, 1 side of the coin mech still works. A real jem -- just needs a bit of cleanup and joystick work.
3. Tetris - I believe it's dedicated, but not sure based on the pic I see on KLOV. Works, but controllers are sloppy and intermittently unresponsive. Both coin mechs work. Monitor clear and bright.
4. Mortal Kombat II, in a converted cab of unknown origin. Monitor has a bit of burn, but looks OK when on. Owner tells me that it powers on and off randomly. Controls feel OK, but CP is in need of recovering or repainting. Both coin mechs work.
5. MS PACMAN, totally dedicated, restored cab. Currently using pac man bezel. Screen shows a bit of flagging, needs a capkit. Joystick a bit sloppy.
6. Tetris II - the Revenge of DOH, in a converted cab of unknown origin. Decent conversion, cab is solid. Needs marquee. Controls feel good. Game plays blind, monitor shows red image at times, scrambled at other times. I'm sure it needs a capkit.
7. Neo Geo cab, in a conversion of unknown origin. Marquee shows a driving game, but cartidge currently installed is a bowling game. Game does not currently power up. Control panel is horrible - button layout is all wrong, but joysticks feel good.
8. Head On - cab is in terrible condition - was left outside for many years with the back removed. The particle board is swelled and bloated everywhere, though it still appears to be structurally sound. All original artwork is there, including original 4-way joystick. Button is snapped off. Cab is open in the back (back board are stuffed in sideways in the bottom), and is full of dust and pine needles. I didn't try powering it on since I like my house 'not burned down.'

Needless to say, I've got some work ahead of me! I'll be working on the Donkey Kong, Ms Pac Man, Tetris, Arkanoid, Mortal Kobmat II, and then Final Fight in that order to get them in route ready condition again, and the other 2 cabs are parts machines only. I may ask him to keep the Neo Geo cab so I can rework it, and I'm pretty sure the Head On cab has so graciously been 'donated' to me.  ::)

Looks like Bob Roberts and I are going to become good friends over the next few weeks.  :afro:

The owner has offered me free pizza for life when I get them all working again. Obviously that kind of offer would come with limitations (hey can I have 42 pizzas for my superbowl party?) but I'm inclined to take him up on his offer.

My wife was actually somewhat OK with the situation, even though this has rendered one stall of our 2 car garage useless for parking. I think the fact that there's a working Tetris and Arkanoid cabs in the mix helps with the WAF.

I'll try to post updates as I dig into these cabs to get them working again. Cheers!  :cheers:

sstralkowski:
Good luck, man.  This sounds like a fun project. 

TOK:
Don't let this ruin the hobby for you. Taking on too many projects can burn you out.

smalltownguy:

--- Quote from: TOK on September 07, 2010, 11:12:12 am ---Don't let this ruin the hobby for you. Taking on too many projects can burn you out.


--- End quote ---

That's wise advice, TOK. I already told the owner that it may take some time to get this done. He's fine with however long it takes; in the mean time, I get to play them all I want during the repair process.

It helps that he's agreed to pay for the replacement parts. It's always much easier to do repairs / restorations when it's not YOUR money on the line for parts.

opt2not:

--- Quote from: smalltownguy on September 07, 2010, 09:40:04 am ---3. Tetris - I believe it's dedicated, but not sure based on the pic I see on KLOV. Works, but controllers are sloppy and intermittently unresponsive. Both coin mechs work. Monitor clear and bright.

--- End quote ---
That is actually a Williams cabinet, looks like a Robotron. I'd recognize it anywhere!

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