Hey Everyone!
I'm Joe, 28 years old and I'm from New Jersey. I've been fiddling with MAME on my PC for years, but on my way to work last Wednesday I happened upon an arcade cabinet on somebody's front lawn with a "FREE" sign on it. Actually, there were two, identical ones, but I could only fit one in my vehicle.
It's a video poker machine called "Dodge City," made by Merit Industries from the late 80s. I cannot understand why someone would pay to play video poker without a payout, especially considering the machine only has a bill acceptor!
The machine mostly works. A few of the buttons on the control panel are sticky and the bill acceptor is dead, but the monitor is sharp and doesn't have any burn-in.
The cabinet is decent. It needs paint and some repairs to the T-molding. I managed to get it with keys so I didn't need to drill out the locks! The monitor bezel is a piece of plexiglass that is back painted like the backglass on a pinball machine. Making a custom one for however I decide to do it will be a challenge. The control panel is fairly shallow, so I'm not sure what I'll be able to fit on it
I'm undecided on what to do with the monitor. I'd love a real CRT arcade monitor, but it's not as though it's a Wells Gardner or Electrohome: it's just some Chinese thing with no actual brand I can find. I don't know how reliable it will be long term.
Aside from this, I've got three pinball machines at the moment, none of which are at 100%: a 1974 Bally Firecracker, 1978 Stern Lectronamo and 1979 Williams Tri Zone. I also have a thing for most old electronics, including radios, TVs, stereo and HiFi consoles, telephones and computers.