What parts are worth saving off old machines?

[medley]

I found a Vending company about an hour from me that has roughly 100 broken machines that they are salvaging parts from and selling. I was wondering what is worth saving? I wish I could take everything, but I have no room. Everything is in rough shape. I know things like joysticks and buttons are cheep enough to buy new. But what about other controls? What should I save if I happen to come across?

[SirPeale]

IMHO, I'd still save everything you can get your hands on.  In your situation, with no room, you obviously can't do that.  So I'd go for hand controls.  Even though they're 'cheap,' you never know when you might find something of use in a project.  Then you don't have to bother ordering it, you have it on hand.

[Xphile]

Boards...PCB sets are easy enough to store, and quite easy to pack lots in a smaller area, same with marquees and bezels....other than that, Unique or dedicated controls. spinners, and other stuff that you can't buy at happs or anywhere else anymore..


basically, grab anything you've never seen before, and someone will probably already have a need for it for their own restoration project..:-)

You can ebay the stuff, or check out the newsgroup
rec.games.video.arcade.marketplace
when you decide what you want to sell..

[Birdtales]

Where are you I have storage?  

[MrArcade]

I would grab :
balltop joys,
trackballs,
spinners,
translucent buttons,
a few nice coindoor assemblies,
metal marquee brackets (you would be surprised how many uses these can have),
nice speaker grills,
trigger joys,
steering wheel and pedals
any marquees you like,
and a few plastic monitor bezels...

But, that is me...

[MameFan]

Given your predicament, I would grab *EVERYTHING* except the outer shell. (And if space is a total concern, I'd strip the tube from monitors and leave that but take the rest of the monitor parts--you can always find 80's tv tubes to put back in later)

That includes everything others have stated. I will list myself too just in case somethings missed.

1) Entire control panels. Yes, even the wood/plexi/carriage bolts/metal. STRIP them later,
2) All the wiring
3) All the transformer boards
4) All the logic boards
5) All the flourescent or incandescent lighting holders/bulbs
6) All the trim (except Tmolding) this means marquee holders, glass bezel holders
7) All the coin doors and mechs and attached wiring and buckets
All the locks
9) All the monitor bezel glass, plexi, and the formed surrounds (black plastic or cardboard)
10) All the wire clips and screws
11) Any cards/instructions/coins thrown/fallen inside (dip switch settings, service, money )
12) Fans, Speakers, Speaker/air intake bezels and screws.

The only thing left at this point should be the cabinet+Tmolding and the monitor shelf/wood/metal montitor holder and the monitor itself.

DEPENDING on how much room you have, I would suggest that you would take all the monitors entirely (remove wood supports, but keep all metal ones and of course the metal frames).   However if you are that cramped for space you cant take all the monitors, then learn how to safely discharge monitors and take everything EXCEPT the tube. (Remove the yokes and convergence rings).

If any are vector monitors (asteroids, tempest,etc..) by all means take everything including the tube, no matter what. They're worth some $$$


Of course, anything you can't store for very long, please post a list of what you want to get rid of here and I'm sure you can get people to at least pay for shipping on stuff that you dont want to store... and keep the more valuable stuff and clean/test/use/ebay later.


Trust me.. I'd find room for 100 monitors even if I meant I was parking outside for a few weeks instead of a garage.

[Chris]

Grab wiring harnesses, too, if they have both mating connectors.  These can come in quite handy...

If you're not going to take the buttons, take at least the unusual ones: lighted buttons, player start buttons, etc.

And where are you?  One or two of us may be able to go with you and help you scavenge if you're willing to share some of the loot...

--Chris

[Chris]

Oh!  Get the control panel clamps, too!

[gnateye]

i recently saw a cab in the alley on the bus on my way to work, i called my wife and had her come pick me up and she waited in the car with my son while i stripped everything i mean everything i could get off the cab, i was completely inside the cab, stripping it. i would have taken the cab that day too, but it was frozen in the ice (i ended up coming back the next day for hte cab ) anyways take everything you can get off the cab, you will be able to use or sell everything, trust me. if you have the time get it all, even thye back doors from cabs are handy to have around, wiring, mounting bolts, light bulbs any kind of coin door stuff, i mean everything. have fun

[AlanS17]

COIN DOORs!!!

And make sure you don't just get the door. Get the coin validators on the inside. (That's the chute that connects the coin slot to the coin box and checks to make sure the coin is good. LOTS of times vendors remove them to use in other machines even though they leave the rest of the box intact. Make sure they're set to use quarters. Token coin slots are about of useful as no slot at all.

Casters are also nice to have...

And one more things... A power converter really comes in handy. So does a JAMMA loom if it's new and pretty.

medley, where are you located???
(Please say Texas. Please say Texas.)