To gut or not gut, that is the question

[independentthread]

I bought a Rampart conversion cabinet, and I want mame.  what should I do?

[Tailgunner]

It sounds like it's already converted, and it's not something I'd concider a classic anyway. I'm assuming it's wired for JAMMA, so you can interface a computer to it with a JPAC. Sounds like a good MAME canidate to me.

Can you post a pic?

[RayB]

I already voted to GUT but really, what is the Rampart a conversion of? That's what matters. If it's sitting in a pristine Centipede cab with sideart I'd tell ya to screw you head back on straight.
;-)

[SirPoonga]

got pics?  tball or joystick version?  going to keep the rampart pcb?   PM me if you aren't.

[independentthread]

Can't get pics because I don't have a cam, but as far as the side art, I'm already going to have to sand it down and repaint it.  The side art was painted over with black paint that is scratched to hell and easilly scratched off.  I can't tell what it used to be anyways, it looks like it was something baby blue with yellow trim.
That's what I meant by conversion...It WAS another game at some point, but God only knows what it used to be...so if you don't believe in God................

[independentthread]

Oh, and by the way, I know that some of the Pacman games used to be baby blue.  It's not one of em.

[xoopx]

figure out what it used to be before deciding

[RayB]

Yeah, it's been converted and painted, but ALOT of collectors out there do take the time to clean off the black paint and then if the artwork underneath is still in good condition, you might have a little treasure there.

[independentthread]

alright fine, the vote says to kill it, but you guys are telling me to strip it.  Is there an easy way to get the black paint off of it?  I mean, if it involves lightly scraping all the black paint off in order to find out what it is........then a belt sander would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much less time consuming.  So if you have any simple suggestions that aren't going to make this project take up an extra week of my life, then speak now, or forever hold your piss. (family joke, don't worry, you DID miss something there)


Edit by moderator: all the 'ooo' in the word 'so' threw the page off whack.  Fixed.

[SirPeale]

If you can beg, borrow, or steal a camera to get some pics, that might help some.

[independentthread]

The only person I know who has a camera that I can get pics from right now won't let it out of their house because they spent more than I make in a month on it.  I bought cheapass one at Wally World and found out that you have to have the room lit up like all the people combined in Time's Square on New Year's Eve.  I'll try it with mine later, but I'm not promising anything.

[xoopx]

The only person I know who has a camera that I can get pics from right now won't let it out of their house because they spent more than I make in a month on it.  

hah. useful

[DaveMMR]

The only person I know who has a camera that I can get pics from right now won't let it out of their house because they spent more than I make in a month on it.  

Let me get this straight.  You know someone who bought a camera that can never leave the house?  Do they just take pictures of their furniture all day?  

Sorry, that's not meant as a jab at you or your friend but I laugh at that because I know people like that... people who would spend an ungodly amount of money for a 'tool' but don't use it at all because they're afraid of it depreciating more that 1/32 of a cent in value.  Then there's my friend's girlfriend who keeps all her DVDs sealed.  As if Reindeer Games is going to really skyrocket in value...

As for a camera just run out and pick up a disposable and have it developed to disk (or scanned at Kinko's).  You're going to need it for when you finish your project anyway.  

[independentthread]

Actually, not the furniture, but the birds that fly around their house.  They use it when they're on vacation and that's about the only action that thing gets...wow...am I describing the camera or me!?
Anyways...I threw a little temper tantrum earlier and the cabinet is now gutted...but it could easily be put back together.  I'm not going to modify the cabinet itself until I get the paint stripped down to see if it really hides something worthwhile, or something gay.  

By the way, I've got a question for anyone with the knowledge.  If I were to set this up with an AT power supply, what would be the easiest way to extend the wires for the power switch?  Splice or solder?  I want to extend them so that I can use the flip switch on the top.

[independentthread]

I'm thinking that since all the parts from that cab worked (except the PCB) that I'm going to make a cocktail cabinet of sorts when I get the time.  I found a guy who made one that just looks sweet as hell and I think I'm gonna steal part of his plans.  He had the monitor mounted so that it was angled toward one of the long sides, and mounted two sets of controls there...so essentially it's still a cocktail cab, but you don't have to bother with trying to hunt down games that flip if you want mulitiplayer.  I'm at work now, and the link is at home...otherwise it would be posted...

[RayB]

Is there an easy way to get the black paint off of it?  I mean, if it involves lightly scraping all the black paint off in order to find out what it is........then a belt sander would be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much less time consuming.

A camera that takes pictures of birds in a house while the occupants are on vacation??? OK, I think I'll just let that one go..... (btw you just need some cheap digital camera shots, not a video movie camera sequence).

See if we could see the cab shape, we could tell you what the game MIGHT be. As for the paint, you don't sand it off. The whole idea is to preserve the artwork underneath. Unless you don't care. If you don't, then sand away. If you want to know what's under there, lay the cab flat on its side, and use "Goo Gone" or similar. If you visit rec.games.video.arcade.collectors (or search by dejanews.com ) you'll find many threads about this with a few alternative products you can use. The idea is not to use something so strong that it will just take off the original artwork and paint too.

[SirPeale]

"Goo Gone" will remove adhesive residue.  "Goof Off" is what  lot of people recommend for getting off layers of paint.  That, and 3M Safest Stripper.

[independentthread]

I know that you only want some simple pics, but the pics from the camera that I bought are really dark.  Dark as in there was daylight shining in on the cab AND I turned on a light, and you could still only make out the fact that there was a cabinet there.
And by the way, if you don't like my english, then PAY FOR MY COLLEGE SO I CAN ACTUALLY GO!!!!!!  
IBM poor.

[SirPeale]

I know that you only want some simple pics, but the pics from the camera that I bought are really dark.  Dark as in there was daylight shining in on the cab AND I turned on a light, and you could still only make out the fact that there was a cabinet there.

Email them to me.  I'll brighten them up and post them.

[independentthread]

I have a copy of Photoshop SE and tried...it didn't work...so I deleted the pics.  Do you have a better program?  If so I can take more pics.  Otherwise I was going to stop by Wally World tomorrow and buy one of those disposable dilios that are designed for digital pics.

[independentthread]

Actually, since I'm at work, the pics couldn't be sent till tomorrow anyways, so I won't waste your time.  Scratch that last comment, I'm going to go pick up a digital one-use camera tomorrow.

[independentthread]

Alright you sons of motherless goats...I still don't have pics.  The only one-time use cameras they had at Wally World said that they COULD BE converted onto disk, and I swear there was supposed to be one that was DESIGNED to go straight to disk.  So I was planning on heading to another store, and maybe even a camera shop if need be...but the one thing they did have at Wally world was this "new" Goo Gone gel spray.  Said that it was a non-running formula that would stay in the spot you spray.  I figured that since I wasn't going to tip the cab on it's side in it's current state (I'm trying to fit a monitor to it, and I didn't want to pull it out) anything that said it wouldn't run would have to help.
As far as it being "gel," I think that's VERY misleading.  It's the equivalent of gel if we're comparing it to Jello when you first get done mixing the powder in the water.  As far as it being non-running...well...it was a lot better than trying to use regular paint thinner for working on the cab this way.

Now that my prduct review is over, I KNOW WHAT THE CAB IS!!!  AND SCREW SAVING IT!!!!!!!  Heh...
It's an old school Aladdin's Castle cabinet.  For those of us who used to play there as a kid, kinda nostalgic.  For those of us who think that a baby blue cab with red pinstripes and white lettering looks kinda gay...ummm...yep, it's getting mutalated and repainted.

Thanks for everyone's help and concern.  I WILL get pics of the finished product, but that could be a LONG way down the road at this point.

[RayB]

Now that my prduct review is over, I KNOW WHAT THE CAB IS!!!  AND SCREW SAVING IT!!!!!!!  Heh...
It's an old school Aladdin's Castle cabinet.

OH GOD, GUT IT!!  
Those cabs are butt ugly.