Author Topic: To Preserve or To MAME (Read 5802 times)

CPickler · « **on:** February 02, 2005, 09:11:55 pm »

This is a Double Dragon II dedicated upright cabinet from 1988. It is in excellent condition. I want to know if it is valuable and therefore I should not bore out new button holes and otherwise alter the case to make it a MAME system. I read Appendix B and realized I was unsure how valuable a collectors item this could be and I wanted to get opinions. The links are to pictures of the cabinet and side arts.
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0990.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0991.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0992.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0993.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0994.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0995.JPG
http://restech.wustl.edu/~cpickler/IMG_0997.JPG

tmasman · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2005, 09:21:07 pm »

My suggestion...
If you own it & want to MAME it, buy a used control panel that will fit that cabinet.
Mod the heck out of it & put on whatever overlay you want.

Keep that original CP & store it inside the cabinet.

This way you can actually completely restore the cab at anytime & still have your MAME cab now.

Just don't touch any of that artwork! it's minty fresh & beautiful!

- just my 2 cents...

CPickler · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2005, 10:16:30 pm »

I looked at doing that. When I unhooked the control panel so I could examine the underside of the controls the hinge at the bottom is solid. (Obviously it is hinged but look at the picture)

How could I remove that. Or should I try to build a control panel over it?

tmasman · « **Reply #3 on:** February 03, 2005, 08:55:03 am »

I can't really tell how it's attached to the cab.

It kinda looks like it's riveted in 4 spots (or some other "permanent" method), you could always drill out the spots that are holding it down & later bolt it back in place...

Plan on that hinge staying with the CP & not the cab. It looks like it's a part of the CP.

It's worth a shot.

SirPeale · « **Reply #4 on:** February 07, 2005, 08:54:36 am »

I can tell you this...that cab isn't dedicated.

It's a Dynamo cab. Cut corner.

You should be able to find replacement panels fairly easily for it.

CPickler · « **Reply #5 on:** February 07, 2005, 09:23:27 am »

I truly deserve my n00b status on this board. How can you tell it is not dedicated. It is possible I am not using the term correctly. I wish to learn more about this obviously. Thanks for your support and help.

RetroJames · « **Reply #6 on:** February 07, 2005, 09:28:14 am »

Dedicated, the way Peale is using it means, the game is in the original cabinet as it was shipped and that cabinet was specific to that game. Think Defender, Tempest, etc.

Dynamo cabs were (correct me if I am wrong) used for multiple games and were often converted to new games as time went on.

P.S. My vote is to get another dynamo panel, use that for mame.
Keep the artwork etc. Very nice looking.

CPickler · « **Reply #7 on:** February 07, 2005, 09:32:13 am »

Thank you. That would explain why the artwork looks so nice for a game that came out in 1988. What is the value of a Dynamo converted cabinet then, versus a dedicated cabinet? I need to update my insurance so I also want to know a ballpark value figure for it if that is possible.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2005, 06:35:09 pm »

Quote from: Peale on February 07, 2005, 08:54:36 am

I can tell you this...that cab isn't dedicated.

It's a Dynamo cab. Cut corner.

You should be able to find replacement panels fairly easily for it.

Wrong. For Double Dragon II it came in a dynamo cabinet. As did many games of that time (Street Fighter II CE). It probably is the original cab for that game. because it is a dynamo cab doesn;t mean it is dedicated. Just like midway and taito, they tended to use the same cabinet for all their games. At the time dynamo was the smart and cheap way to go. They mass produced jamma cabs for the arcade industry.

Finding parts for it isn't that hard. It is an older dynamo so some of the current dynamo cabinet parts aren't the same.

Finding artwork on the other hand is near impossible. I've been wanting to to get reproductions for my double dragon II cabinet ever since I got it.
Especially since there are two versions of the CPO. There's a tan and a white. White is nowhere to be found and I think the best looking. I see the tan show up on ebay once and awhile. I have the white cpo, you have the tan. White is a little more rare.

If you need an operators manual I have mine in pdf format.

For insurance info, this cabinet isn't worth that much. It isn't a very popular game to collect and it is a "generic" cabinet. Everything but the artwork is readily available and cheap. You can get replacement boards for $10 on ebay. I replaced my marquee for $1 on ebay.

Being that I own one of these I say preserve but make it a mame cabinet using jpac and arcadevga. Use something like multijamma to switch between original boards and computer. This is the perfect jamma cabinet, everything is to jamma specs.

finally the pics loaded for me, I hate modem. You have a cabinet in good condition, I wouldn't do anything to it to harm the artwork since it is hard to find replacements for ddragon2.

RayB · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2005, 10:33:32 pm »

What exactly are you saying is "wrong" sirponga? The rest of your post sounds more like you're agreeing with everything that's already been said.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2005, 10:43:10 pm »

I think it's what one means as a dedicated cab. If oyu mean a unique shape like a discs of tron environmental, no. If you mean it is an original cab then yes, it's a dedicated cabinet.

RayB · « **Reply #11 on:** February 21, 2005, 03:47:10 pm »

Dedicated usually means it was shipped from the original manufacturer in that cabinet. The "opposite" of dedicated is the "kit" which is a board, marquee, controls, and stickers... and the purchaser then applies all this to the cab of their choice.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #12 on:** February 21, 2005, 04:16:39 pm »

Well, this is the cabinet that double dragon II was distributed in from Romstar (Taito US distributor).

I don't recall if it was a kit or not. But a Dynamo is the original cab for many games. It's like most Midway games use the Pacman shaped cabinets. But instead of a company making it's own design, it's a company buying someone else's mass produced cabinet.

XtraSmiley · « **Reply #13 on:** February 21, 2005, 06:52:45 pm »

I'm sure the FAQ mentions what is dedicated or not, but I use to have a Strider that came from the factory with Strider in it. It was never converted but a Strider since day one, I still didn't consider it dedicated. I feel that dedicated means the company built a cab, with full artwork (not just half side stickers) that was meant just for that game. Now I'm not sure this is the best or only answer, just mine. I do have a Gravitar and Space Duel, both of which have the same cab, just different art, but the art is full side art and not just a sticker, it looks silkscreen right on the side.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #14 on:** February 21, 2005, 08:59:25 pm »

Oh, with that definition there aren't that many dedicated cabinets.
Heaven forbid someone tells someone to mame a pacman because it isn't a dedicated cabinet...

clanggedin · « **Reply #15 on:** February 22, 2005, 11:25:55 am »

I have that exact same cab, but I am not MAMEing mine. It will be a PS2/XBOX Cab. I cut off the front a little and I'm adding a Frankenpanle, but I only paid $10 for the cab and I have done my fair share of preserving cabs that need proper restoration (SEE Donkey Kong Jr and Nintendo Vs. Dual System).

The CP is too small as it is to have a comfortable 6 button layout for 2 players. I also wanted something that I could rest a steering wheel on if I wanted to play driving games (Burnout 3) on it.

Since that is not a cabinet that someone can see the shape and tell you what game it was, I would MAME it. It's just going to look really ugly if you do what I did.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #16 on:** February 22, 2005, 01:15:07 pm »

Quote from: clanggedin on February 22, 2005, 11:25:55 am

The CP is too small as it is to have a comfortable 6 button layout for 2 players. I also wanted something that I could rest a steering wheel on if I wanted to play driving games (Burnout 3) on it.

*snicker snicker*

You know the dynamo cab is was Street Fighter 2 CE came in...

Stingray · « **Reply #17 on:** February 22, 2005, 01:48:50 pm »

I have a NEO GEO in a Dynamo cab. The panel is more than adequate for the two sticks/ four buttons each layout that it uses. There's plenty of room there for two more buttons.

-S

clanggedin · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2005, 04:51:33 pm »

I said comfortable... something that you can rest your wrists on for hours of playing.

Gunstar Hero · « **Reply #19 on:** February 22, 2005, 04:53:40 pm »

If you're not shoulder to shoulder with your opponent then it's not Arcade Authentic (TM)!

SirPeale · « **Reply #20 on:** February 23, 2005, 08:59:39 am »

Quote from: SirPoonga on February 20, 2005, 06:35:09 pm

Quote from: Peale on February 07, 2005, 08:54:36 am
I can tell you this...that cab isn't dedicated.

It's a Dynamo cab. Cut corner.

You should be able to find replacement panels fairly easily for it.

Wrong. For Double Dragon II it came in a dynamo cabinet. As did many games of that time (Street Fighter II CE). It probably is the original cab for that game. because it is a dynamo cab doesn;t mean it is dedicated. Just like midway and taito, they tended to use the same cabinet for all their games. At the time dynamo was the smart and cheap way to go. They mass produced jamma cabs for the arcade industry.

You get off on a technicality. CTower has a POW cab that's in the same boat then. Dynamo cut-corner.

Flinkly · « **Reply #21 on:** February 23, 2005, 04:11:23 pm »

well i'd like to back up sirpoonga...even though my opinion carries no weight.

if a cab was shipped from the manufacturer or primary distributer, in that cab, then it's dedicated. when dynamos were around, they were a cheap and effective way to go. Just like dell has alot of kinds of computers, but only 5 or 10 designs that they stick them inside. it's just smart buisness. when an arcade company thought they had the "golden" game, that is when they made a specific cabinet for that game to set it apart even more from the rest. just because every arcade game doesn't have it's own cabinet design does not mean they all aren't dedicated cabinets. i hope this clears up and holes in the explanation.

the other kind of cabinets are non-dedicated, where someone thought another game was better, either financially or in gameplay and couldn't afford the space or money for the complete deal, so instead they just get a kit of stickers and pcb's to swap out the origianl game with the new one.

SirPeale · « **Reply #22 on:** February 23, 2005, 04:14:21 pm »

Oh, I wasn't disagreeing with him - quite the opposite.

Sasquatch! · « **Reply #23 on:** February 23, 2005, 05:17:25 pm »

Quote from: Peale on February 23, 2005, 04:14:21 pm

Oh, I wasn't disagreeing with him - quite the opposite.

"Quite the opposite"? So you're not saying that you were not not agreeing with him

SirPoonga · « **Reply #24 on:** February 23, 2005, 05:38:44 pm »

When I think a game had a dedicated cabinet I think of it not as a kit but the fact that it came in it's own cabinet from the manufacture.

Like pacman. We all know the pacman cabinet shape and yellow color. Now Midway used that cabinet shape for many of its games. But that shape in that color is instantly recognizable as pacman.

For me a double dragon II US version is instantly recognizable as the light green and blue overall tinted sideart in a dynamo cabinet.

BTW, back to this cabinet. Do you have leafs in there? I was woindering if leaf joys were standard. I'm not sure if mine were replaced at one point or not. The buttons don't match so they were replaced.

Tailgunner · « **Reply #25 on:** February 23, 2005, 06:33:28 pm »

Ikari Warriors is another game that originally came in a Dynamo cab. Typical cut corner control panel, but the button layout is different from the Double Dragon CP.

Flinkly · « **Reply #26 on:** February 23, 2005, 06:53:13 pm »

the plastic on his leafs look kinda new, as does the metal prongs. i'd have to say those are new. i'm wondering about all this stuff because i'm about to fall into a double dragon myself...hopefully.

CPickler · « **Reply #27 on:** February 23, 2005, 08:10:47 pm »

they are probably not the original leafs and metal, but they are definately more than a few years old. I am going to have to replace a few of them.

Also, the 1st player joystick is really sluggish. What can I do to fix that?

SirPoonga · « **Reply #28 on:** February 23, 2005, 11:40:00 pm »

With leafes you bend the leafes to get better response.

CPickler · « **Reply #29 on:** February 24, 2005, 12:22:12 am »

thanks


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