does any one know if this could work?

[dragonbrood]

Hi all and well done to all those people involved in creating this excellent community!  

Ive been reading these forums o and off now for the past 6 months and my excitement to build my own arcade machine has now exploded throught the roof, ive helped some friends convert one, and now i think its time i made one myself, trouble is....in the uk im having trouble trying to find empty arcade cabinets - now ive just been told by another friend that he has 8 fruit/slot machines witing to be scrapped but in pristine condition...the question is does any one know the dimensions or rough dimensions of these cabinets and has anyone tried to convert one into an  arcade machine?

thankyou.

[Sephroth57]

well im not sure if theres any plans out there but since converting a slot is not really the usual youll probably end up doing a lot of it custom, but hey if theyre free you might as well take one or 2 to toy with. I know i would =)

[dragonbrood]

thanks i might just do that, theres 8 up for grabs - oooo so my attempt might be a first?! lol

i know some of them are converted into "quiz machines" the only manual thing i can see me doing is creating a new control panel - but i planned to do that anyway.

thanks for the quick reply though

[DeathMonk]

I am sure it's possible but it'll look goofy..

[dragonbrood]

lmao good point - knew i shouldnt get too excited!

does anyone know in the uk where i can get empty cabinets? i live in blackpool too and yet even the arcade machine rental/selling places arnt willing to part! grrr

[WiZeR]

where abouts in the UK are you?  How hard have you looked?  I have seen many come up on ebay.  Or you could call round your local Arcade supplier, they always have a shell or 2 sitting in a corner, or can guide you the right way.  Also loot is your friend.  I'm not keen on your idea of converting fruit shells.  I think you'd be better just starting from scratch if you cant find an arcade cab.

[tmasman]

I think converting one of those would be a great idea... I've seen pics of a couple of them that had been converted to MAME machines & they are basically the same as any other mini cabinet...

I thought of doing it a few times, but the ones that pop up around here always end up selling for too much.   (Super Auctions in Mesquite, TX)...

They would make great 1 player games. As far as 2 player.... eh... I wouldn't do it... That would be a little cramped.

But if it's free... Make a 1 player for starters & maybe you could sell it to fund starting a full-size 2 player MAME machine.

That's what I would do anyways...

[fullerlee]

I bought my cabinet from an arcade dealers in Leeds (cost me about 200 quid), whose name I just got from the phone book. There are many listed in the yellow pages who don't neccessarily have websites.

You can also try http://www.arcadeheaven.co.uk/. They cater towards private collectors so are very good. Based in the South East though unfortunately.

And another one is: http://www.arcadewarehouse.co.uk/ they also cater to the private collector and are based in Castleford (West Yorks).

Hope that helps.

Lee

[Sephroth57]

what did you actually look up in the phone book, i never looked but is there a listing for "Arcade" ?

[Tailgunner]

Over here you'll usually find them under "amusement devices".

[fullerlee]

Yep, amusement <something or other> in the UK too, you'll find it.

[paigeoliver]

I would just scarf up all them fruit cabs if I were you. They might still have monitors, and even if they don't, you could make several with all the different common control configurations.

[fullerlee]

I agree, get the Fruit cabs. I'm presuming they are "UK style" (ie with the upper features) fruit machines rather than "Vegas style" (just reels).

If so, it should be reasonably easy to drop a monitor into the upper feature section, and have the hold/nudge button section as the control panel. It would look different that's for sure.

If you're lucky, the top section will be deep enough to fit a decent sized monitor in there. If not, you might have to go about removing the casing from a modestly sized monitor.

Post pics of the fruits if you can.

[Stingray]

If it were me being offered this stuff for free all eight would have been in my garage before I had a chance to ask this question.  My wife really enjoys all the stuff I drag home.  

You might actually find someone willing to trade one for an arcade cab if you list them in the for sale section.

-S

[fullerlee]

You're lucky you have a garage. You should see my apartment kitchen, the Mrs loves it. Ohhhh dear.

[Stingray]

Been there. Getting a house with room to store all of my hobby stuff may be the main reason why I've managed to hang onto her for as long as I have.  

-S

[dragonbrood]

You're lucky you have a garage. You should see my apartment kitchen, the Mrs loves it. Ohhhh dear.

lol thats the scary thing ....my missus actually wants one!! talk about being shocked! i bet its a cunning plan to get me killed off and collect my life insurance

[Sephroth57]

yeah i really need to move out of my house my mom bitches about me gettin an arcade machine and taking up her garage space... bah. anyone want a roomate in NJ? =P