So this is what happens when...

[LTC]

... there's no one to tell you that you do not need any more projects...

[Vocalitus]

If you have the space...the sky is the limit.

Very nice cabs too. 

[Zebidee]

Very nice (for the right price). Each one a classic. They make your car look sexier too!

[javeryh]

Awesome score!  My jealously is pretty high...

[vertexguy]

Those look like they're in pretty good shape.  Anything to repair?

[LTC]

I need to look at the marquee light in the DK. The Popeye and Time Pilot will need coin mechs. TP needs an new CP overlay. Otherwise all in proper working shape. Monitors are nice with no burn.

I did get some help getting them all upstairs to the game room last night. Still need to clear up some space for them.

[bobbyb13]

Nice haul.
Always liked the look of the classic Nintendo cab.

[LTC]

Got the cabs arranged upstairs. Still have to squeeze in the A1up Golden Tee and the A1up conversion I'm working on. Also, turns out the DK marquee light was just unplugged inside the cab, so one less thing to worry about.

[javeryh]

Wow what a setup!

[leapinlew]

That's real nice! It also shows how well a A1UP sits next to full size machine as far as controls and monitor placement.

[RandyT]

It also shows how well a A1UP sits next to full size machine as far as controls and monitor placement.

Unfortunately, it also shows how distracting it is likely to be with a lit marquee in your face while playing.

Nice looking game room though, and I'm super jealous of the Time Pilot.

[LTC]

It also shows how well a A1UP sits next to full size machine as far as controls and monitor placement.

Unfortunately, it also shows how distracting it is likely to be with a lit marquee in your face while playing.

Nice looking game room though, and I'm super jealous of the Time Pilot.

Honestly, I don't notice the marquee on the Star Wars when I'm playing, and I'm 6'2".

Time Pilot is in my top 5 all time favorites, so when I saw it come up for sale, I jumped right on it.

This week, I installed  2 new "Nintendo style" coin mechs from arcadeshop.com in the Popeye, and new locks in the coin doors in both of the Nintendo cabs.

[LTC]

BTW, also noticed the counters in the Nintendo cabs. Not sure how I missed them before. Popeye has close to 23000 plays and the DK is almost at 30k.

[Beretta]

Nice looks like they're in a good shape too, Nintendo cabs are kinda junky but in a good way.

EDIT: I meant "FUNKY" not "JUNKY"

[LTC]

Nice looks like they're in a good shape too, Nintendo cabs are kinda junky but in a good way.

Yes, they have been played hard, but still in one piece

[vertexguy]

Those look right at home.     Seeing those Nintendo cab buttons reminded me just how tall they were.  Those might be the tallest buttons I've seen.  Can you still get replacements if needed?

[Mike A]

Do yourself a favor and buy a Gyruss PCB.

You can play it in your Time Pilot cab.

You can either set the PCB to mono or do what I did and wire your Time Pilot cab for stereo and add an extra speaker.

I pulled the whole speaker panel and replaced it. I threw in 2 small woofers and 2 tweeters. Gyruss sounds awesome.

I kept the old panel so I can return the cab to original condition at any time.

[LTC]

Love Gyruss. I'll have to look for a PCB.

[bobbyb13]

Gyruss is a personal fave, but plays like crap with everything except the U360 I have.

The original Monroe is a one of a kind apparently.

[RandyT]

Gyruss is a personal fave, but plays like crap with everything except the U360 I have.

The original Monroe is a one of a kind apparently.

What other sticks do you have?  The Monroe, while definitely unique in it's manufacturing design, isn't anything particularly out of the ordinary.  Looking at the exploded diagram, it appears to be a short-shafted, gimbal-and-spring-centered leaf switch joystick.  Pretty sure I can duplicate the feel and function pretty closely with a modded modern stick having those attributes.

That said, my grommet based 49-ways do a nice job with Time Pilot and Gyruss, but the feel is obviously a bit different.

[bobbyb13]

Gyruss is a personal fave, but plays like crap with everything except the U360 I have.

The original Monroe is a one of a kind apparently.

What other sticks do you have?  The Monroe, while definitely unique in it's manufacturing design, isn't anything particularly out of the ordinary.  Looking at the exploded diagram, it appears to be a short-shafted, gimbal-and-spring-centered leaf switch joystick.  Pretty sure I can duplicate the feel and function pretty closely with a modded modern stick having those attributes.

That said, my grommet based 49-ways do a nice job with Time Pilot and Gyruss, but the feel is obviously a bit different.

I think it may be the gate on the Monroe (is it circular?) that must be the critical element because I believe it is otherwise just an 8 way leaf.
Never had one in my hands so couldn't say what exactly it would be.

I have some older Leaf Pro sticks, Mag-Stik Plus and Servo-Stiks at this point also, but none of them seem to work properly/feel right for Gyruss.

I do really need to see about your 49 way solution Randy, for a scratch jrok Sinistar I would like to build.

I'm quite envious of LTCs Nintendo cabs!
The only original cabs left on the island appear to be in private collections and never in circulation so if I wind up with a Popeye machine it is because I built it.

Mike A's audio solution sounds like a must for Gyruss too.

[Mike A]

Play Gyruss with a Gyruss Monroe that has the large circular actuator. Then play it with anything else. Get back to me.

A bunch of Time Pilot and Gyruss cabs have the wrong Monroe stick in them. People think they are all the same.

If I get some time I can post pics of the two sticks commonly found in a Gyruss and Time Pilot.

People pay 80 to 100 bucks for a Monroe. I am frankly surprised nobody has tried to repro them yet.

[RandyT]

I think it may be the gate on the Monroe (is it circular?) that must be the critical element because I believe it is otherwise just an 8 way leaf.

That is one attribute I omitted, being that it's a pretty obvious necessity for those titles and ungated operation with most sticks result in circular movement.  But yes, that is a necessity.  The gimbal and spring arrangement, along with the lack of clicking from the leaf-switches is what provides the smooth feel when the stick is rotating.  A grommet-based stick can be very similar in feel, provided the grommet is not too stiff, and the position sensing method does not have palpable physical feedback.  I.e. microswitches would be undesirable, unless they have very light actuation force and are relatively quiet.

[RandyT]

Play Gyruss with a Gyruss Monroe that has the large circular actuator. Then play it with anything else. Get back to me.

If all other aspects are the same, a change in the size of the actuator (along with leaf gap) will change the size of the dead-zone (throw before actuation) and to some extent, the diagonal range.  A large actuator also allows for a shorter overall profile stick.  Gyruss and Time Pilot would want even distribution of the range to all 8 directions, with pretty tight actuation.

I played those two titles frequently in the arcades and haven't found myself at any disadvantage with my current sticks.  But I can see how a stick without those properties could negatively impact gameplay.  I believe that a suitable replacement is possible, without exactly replicating the costly and somewhat arcane construction of the original Monroe(s).  In fact, they probably already exist.

[Gilrock]

This thread on KLOV has tons of info on them.  I was searching cause I never heard of them:
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/the-official-monroe-joystick-thread.464578/

[LTC]

We'll, I did it again. Passed a yard sale on my way home yesterday and stopped to take a look. I see this thing sitting there and offer the guy $150 if he can drop it at my house. I really don't have the time to work on it, or the room to park it, but whatever...

[bobbyb13]

Why can't anything like that pop up around my house?!

How big is that anyway?

[LTC]

It's 53" tall, 42" wide and 28" deep

[bobbyb13]

It's 53" tall, 42" wide and 28" deep

Nice...

So you paid for delivery of a free juke then it appears!

[LTC]

Pretty much. Also, the carousel is fully loaded with vinyl (100 records)

I messed around with it after work today and got the lights to work. Thing is pretty cool if you like the disco look.

[Zebidee]

Pretty much. Also, the carousel is fully loaded with vinyl (100 records)

I messed around with it after work today and got the lights to work. Thing is pretty cool if you like the disco look.

Some of that vinyl might be worth something, if it isn't all scratched to hell.

[pbj]

That’s pretty cool looking, any decent records in it?

[LTC]

Mostly 80's pop, with a few Beatles and Country hits. Not my thing, but my wife is warming up to it, if I actually get it to play music...

[Zebidee]

Mostly 80's pop, with a few Beatles and Country hits. Not my thing, but my wife is warming up to it, if I actually get it to play music...

Sounds perfect then

[bobbyb13]

That thing is freakin awesome.
Even better because of the random mix of music!

[LTC]

Here's a peak under the hood

[bobbyb13]

Did you have to clean it or did it already look like that?!

That's a hell of a machine sir.

[LTC]

So far, I have only removed the 40 year old foam insulation that would send black snow down any time my fingers brushed over it, and vacuumed out all the crud. It still need a fair amount of scrubbing on the inside. I also removed all the boards for inspection and found some acid damage from a leaking battery. Removed the battery and ordered a new one. Hopefully the acid damage is not fatal.