Thinking about buying a Candy Cab and could use some guidance

[jimmy2x2x]

I'm thinking about selling up most of my arcade/video game stuff and buying a Candy, just having one PC powered cab for everything.

I was looking at:
New Astro City http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170735912052?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_3535wt_919

or Egret II (really like the rotating monitor mechanism)
If I can source one!

I don't really know much about them:

What are the key differences?
Any common faults to look out for?
How are they for moving around, getting through doorways etc..

Any pointers appreciated.

[Funnel]

Candy Cabs are awesome! I have a SNK candy cab and it's very easy to move. They have two wheels and you usually move them by tipping them back.

[JoeB]

I own a NAC .. and love it.

They have great big monitors (29" for NAC) that's build like a tank.   They also take a lot less space.

Here are things to lookout for:

- look for cracks - especially around the control panel body.  The system is made from plastic and fiberglass.  Cracks in body are signs of heavy use, and are difficult/expensive to repair
- make sure you get all the keys - these machines have keys for everything!
- hope you like the faster action of the much shorter joysticks (compared to HAPPs)
- google "arcade otaku"

[Franco B]

I have a chopped Naomi and a NAC.

E2's are always in demand and tend to fetch higher prices. NACs are generally more plentiful and you should be able to pick one up easier as you have seen from ebay.

They both have a MS9 15/24k monitor. The E2 has a rotate mech which makes rotating the monitor slightly easier but you need need to manually remove and rotate the bezel. The NAC can be rotated but you have to physically remove the monitor from the cabinet. It's not as bad as it sounds and can be done in about ten minutes. The advantage that the NAC has is that the monitor/chassis is in a mouting frame which protects the monitor and so it is much easier to 'pull' if you need to do any work on the chassis etc whereas the E2 doesn't have a frame and so it is harder to remove if needs be.

I've not had an E2 but I have been told that the build quailty on NACs is better than E2s

They are pretty easy no move about. All the common candies I know have wheels on and they will fit though most doorways.

Your best bet would be to head over to www.arcadeotaku.com and have a look around. We have a ever growing wiki [here] with lots of good information about various cabinets, hardware, games and there is also a beginners guide which may be of use.

[emphatic]

The EGRET II's have the advantage that you can easily remove the control panel making it really easy to get through narrow doorways, for the NAC you need to remove the whole front of the cabinet to do so. It also seem to have lots more space inside (I've had a 110-220 Transformer, a sub woofer an XBox 360 with pad hack + an UVC and a PC inside one of mine EGRET II's simultaneously before. Sure, if you mount a PC on the wooden PCB mounting board that usually comes with the cabinet there should be trouble with a NAC for that use.

Sorry about the mess:


This shows the available space better (notice the sub woofer and transformer in the back to the right):


Some more EGRET II pics here: http://www.emphatic.se/?page_id=9

[JoeB]

The EGRET II's have the advantage that you can easily remove the control panel making it really easy to get through narrow doorways, for the NAC you need to remove the whole front of the cabinet to do so. It also seem to have lots more space inside (I've had a 110-220 Transformer, a sub woofer an XBox 360 with pad hack + an UVC and a PC inside one of mine EGRET II's simultaneously before. Sure, if you mount a PC on the wooden PCB mounting board that usually comes with the cabinet there should be trouble with a NAC for that use.

What do you mean by trouble for that use? I got a miniATX MB + PSU + JPAC + HD mounted inside my NAC on the wooden board.  All using plastic feet.

[Franco B]

The EGRET II's have the advantage that you can easily remove the control panel making it really easy to get through narrow doorways, for the NAC you need to remove the whole front of the cabinet to do so.

---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---

The NAC CP is the same width as the rest of the cab and so if you can get the body though you can get the CP though too

Yes, the NAC may be a little more cramped on the inside but hey, these things were designed to run PCBs 

[JoeB]

Agreed. 

With a north american woody, 80%+ of the cab is empty space!  Not only can you fit a PC + subwoofer in there, but even a bar fridge!