My first roadside pickup / what would you do with a video slots machine?

[Well Fed Games]

OK, so today my mother-in-law comes home from church and tells me about an arcade cabinet she saw on the side of the road. I check it out, it end up being a video slots machine. I haul it back home-- if nothing else, there's some useful parts in there, maybe wood for a future project-- and find out that it works, with the exception of the bill collector. Slight burn in on screen, there is a printer in there that does... something. Coin mech works. Bezel was there too, in good shape, just not in pic below.

So, what would you do? Convert it into a MAME machine? Sell it (do these have any value)? Anyone else use one of these for a project?

[leapinlew]

Sell as much of it as you can and use the leftover wood to build a bartop.

[Well Fed Games]

Sell as much of it as you can and use the leftover wood to build a bartop.

I like the way you think... I guess it is a "fruit bonus 96"

[BobA]

The printer and pcb have value.   Sell them and use the funds to build a cab of some sort.  Bartop would be good.

[yotsuya]

If you have the space in your gameroom, I'd restore it just for fun. I'm actually considering building one for my mom, who goes to the casinos regularly.

[Well Fed Games]

My father-in-law actually played it for a half hour or so just standing in the garage. Pretty nice Wells Gardner monitor in it, although I don't know how much burn-in would be noticeable with another game going on it. Such an odd thing to just toss by the roadside... but it was in front of a pretty nice house, so might be folks who may not be interested in restoring/selling/messing with stuff like this.

[leapinlew]

My father-in-law actually played it for a half hour or so just standing in the garage. Pretty nice Wells Gardner monitor in it, although I don't know how much burn-in would be noticeable with another game going on it. Such an odd thing to just toss by the roadside... but it was in front of a pretty nice house, so might be folks who may not be interested in restoring/selling/messing with stuff like this.

Hopefully they weren't temporarily placing it outside to let it air out...

[Well Fed Games]

My father-in-law actually played it for a half hour or so just standing in the garage. Pretty nice Wells Gardner monitor in it, although I don't know how much burn-in would be noticeable with another game going on it. Such an odd thing to just toss by the roadside... but it was in front of a pretty nice house, so might be folks who may not be interested in restoring/selling/messing with stuff like this.

Hopefully they weren't temporarily placing it outside to let it air out...

Nope, it was curbside, the universal "I'm done with this, but someone may want it" spot. Usually reserved for used Little Tykes play equipment and random bits of scrap metal (seriously, scrap metal will be gone within an hour. It is freaky.)

[leapinlew]

He's just being a dick

Yeah, I was trying to be but I must be doing it wrong. You giving lessons PBJ? 

[Well Fed Games]

Some interesting options... only thing I know, it is raining today, so I am glad I went for it yesterday.

One weird thing, there is a "Tec-Key 2000" (some sort of wireless receiver, like a garage door) wired into it, seems to go to the reset switch. I wonder what purpose that would serve?

[leapinlew]

Some interesting options... only thing I know, it is raining today, so I am glad I went for it yesterday.

One weird thing, there is a "Tec-Key 2000" (some sort of wireless receiver, like a garage door) wired into it, seems to go to the reset switch. I wonder what purpose that would serve?

A place I used to hang out could clear the credits on the machine remotely when someone cashed in. Think it's for that?

[boardjunkie]

I have a cab very similar to that, only mine is green formica. 13" Kortec monitor (IIRC). I may shove a 19" monitor in it and make a MAME setup for the kid since I already got halfway into converting it.

[boardjunkie]

DAmmit....the insert image hardly ever works.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62937081@N00/2634955718/#

[boardjunkie]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62937081@N00/2634955718/#

[boardjunkie]

Nope....insert link don't work either....

[Paladin]

Throw a touchscreen in there, slap some speakers into the front panel and make a touchscreen jukebox!

[markronz]

Some interesting options... only thing I know, it is raining today, so I am glad I went for it yesterday.

One weird thing, there is a "Tec-Key 2000" (some sort of wireless receiver, like a garage door) wired into it, seems to go to the reset switch. I wonder what purpose that would serve?

A place I used to hang out could clear the credits on the machine remotely when someone cashed in. Think it's for that?

+1

Here is in Wisconsin, these things are everywhere.  Pretty much every bar you go into, even some gas stations have them.  They don't legally "pay out" but in this entire state, it's an unwritten rule that they really do payout.  If you ever win big and want to cash out, you just talk to the bartender and they pay you in cash.   Anyway, I've seen countless places use a remote to restart the machine, which clears the credits off of it.

[markronz]

Oh, and I personally would restore it, but then again I like these things.  If you aren't into the whole slot machine thing, then you could just sell the parts and MAME it out.   PM me if you are interested in selling the board at a reasonable price!

[LeedsFan]

If I had that I'd just stick a cheap PC in it and an LCD monitor and just make a basic classics cabinet out of it. Control panel won't take much more than a joystick and a few buttons. Depending on the screen burn I might invest in a JPac and Arcade VGA. I'd certainly bin the printer and note dispenser. What size monitor is in it now ?

[Well Fed Games]

If I had that I'd just stick a cheap PC in it and an LCD monitor and just make a basic classics cabinet out of it. Control panel won't take much more than a joystick and a few buttons. Depending on the screen burn I might invest in a JPac and Arcade VGA. I'd certainly bin the printer and note dispenser. What size monitor is in it now ?

19" Wells Gardner, produced in 1994.

[Jack Burton]

Do you already have a MAME cab?

If not this is a good "first try" candidate.  

Take out the PCB and wiring.  I'm not sure if these things use JAMMA or not so you should check that out.  

You can probably find somebody on this site in BST willing to trade you the PCB and other hardware inside for some joysticks and buttons.  

The easy way to redo that control panel is to take a piece of lexan or 1/4" MDF and attach it over the button holes in the original CP.  Then drill new holes for your new parts.

For the rest I'd stick with the good old combo of PC+I-pac+ArcadeVGA.  For sound you can hack a set of PC speakers or buy a little amp.  

[Well Fed Games]

Some interesting options... only thing I know, it is raining today, so I am glad I went for it yesterday.

One weird thing, there is a "Tec-Key 2000" (some sort of wireless receiver, like a garage door) wired into it, seems to go to the reset switch. I wonder what purpose that would serve?

A place I used to hang out could clear the credits on the machine remotely when someone cashed in. Think it's for that?

+1

Here is in Wisconsin, these things are everywhere.  Pretty much every bar you go into, even some gas stations have them.  They don't legally "pay out" but in this entire state, it's an unwritten rule that they really do payout.  If you ever win big and want to cash out, you just talk to the bartender and they pay you in cash.   Anyway, I've seen countless places use a remote to restart the machine, which clears the credits off of it.

Yeah, I am sure that is it, a remote credit clear.

Thanks all for the thoughts,  I am currently "finishing" (painting, painting, painting) my Pac cab (MAME), and was thinking of doing a Raiden II cab next or a mini cab for my daughter. But now I have a "real" arcade monitor... hmm.

[Well Fed Games]

Some pics of the inside, for the curious...

*edit- sorry for the bad focus... I apparently need a new camera. Why do I never find one of those on the curbside?  *

[Jack Burton]

Hmmm,

those buttons appear to use the same hole size as a standard arcade button.  This is a good thing.  No need to make a new CP.  You could easily remove the current buttons and install a joystick plus four action buttons.  Something like this maybe?



You'd want to put a a button plug in the hole next to the joystick. 

[Well Fed Games]

Hmmm,

those buttons appear to use the same hole size as a standard arcade button.  This is a good thing.  No need to make a new CP.  You could easily remove the current buttons and install a joystick plus four action buttons.  Something like this maybe?



You'd want to put a a button plug in the hole next to the joystick. 

Thanks for the mockup... I think I have a line on someone who wants the CP, but I definitely see the possibilities.

[Well Fed Games]

Just an update- decided to part it out, save the monitor for a future project, and since the cab is on the smaller side anyway, going to make it even smaller, probably a bit thinner and a bit less deep. Either a shmup-oriented cab or a classics cab/Christmas gift. In the same week I found this on the side of the road, I found a fully functioning PC (XP) with monitor as well... I think I can make a "found items" cab... now someone in my neighborhood just needs to throw away a Seimitsu LS-32...