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Tempest
ericball:
Check out http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,27282.0.html for a list of games which can be played using the original Tempest controls. I'm planning on doing a similar thing with the Tempest cab I rescued - put in a vertical 19" XVGA monitor and limit myself to the original CP.
And if I can figure out some way of mapping the spinner to 2 buttons then there are a bunch more games (like Galaga).
Gunstar Hero:
That cab looks clean.
If you're going to MAME it I don't think it's a crime to add a stick/trackball/whatever, but you MUST have a spinner so the cab can play it's proper game again.
Man, I'd love to have a cab like that pop up near me. :)
JODY:
Ericball, thanks for the link. Looks like you took some flak for using a classic cab for Mame. I'm doing the same thing. The cab I got has a little water damage on one side, but it isn't bad. The monitor was taken out to fix another Tempest cab that was in better shape.
I'm not going to do anything to the exterior that isn't 100% reversable, but whether we like it or not we all must come to grips with the fact that someday those vector monitors will no longer function. Mame is all about preserving the old games. I'm giving the cab a good home and it will be used to play the classics. I've got four kids that I know will have a good time on it.
The artwork is great and I'm not going to cut any holes in the original control panel. May put a different panel on it at some point to give it greater functionality. Would be kind of neat to create a panel that has artwork like the original but add a joystick or two and a few more buttons.
SuperGunGuru:
Nice cab.
Paladin:
I restored a Tempest and it cost me just under $1,000 all together:
http://home.comcast.net/~dark.paladin/tempest
My current project is another Tempest cab, but I definately can't afford to restore this one - so it's going to be a vertical MAME cab. The control panel on mine was already filled with extra holes, so it's going to have a T-Stick plus, 2 game buttons and 2 LED cone player start buttons. One thought about Tempest control panels is that unlike vector monitors, there are more panels out there than cabinets. I have an untouched spare tucked away in case I ever do restore the cab, and you can usually find them around for not too much money (especially unpopulated ones). The machine I restored had extra holes which I backfilled, and it's holding up fine.
I posted a question in the artwork forum asking for ideas of how to get the CPO made without the game instruction text, but didn't get any answers. I'm now planning on using a blue gridwork pattern.
My repro side art should be here this week - I've been kind of stalled while waiting for it, so I can't wait to get back to work.
Good luck on your project, and power to the Tempest MAMERS!