How do you know when you've bought enough arcade stuff?

[leapinlew]

When you take an inventory and it looks like this:



It's not like I build 100's of machines - I just try to pickup stuff when it's cheap or I have the money. I realized I was getting quite a few boxes of stuff so I decided to do an inventory. I keep buying stuff with some plans down the line. This ought to get me motivated...

[psychotech]

Fingers guarded & airflow quaranteed!
 


You really should build one of those "airplane panels" .. sure got all the buoyancy force needed already.. 

Afraid to even take a look at my boxes of stuff....

psycho

[NoOne=NBA=]

You're not even close to having enough stuff yet.
I've got that much stuff laying around loose on my desk.
When your pile fills a stack of boxes in your den, starts taking over your spare bedroom, and you have steering wheels lining the hallway in your house, you'll be getting close.

[vidmouse]

You need at least one more gamepad for all that
Sega, SNES emulation...   

[vintagegamer]

You know you've bought enough when you see your wife reading over child support documentation and has a pen in her hand..

[leapinlew]

I think I have too much stuff, and some of you guys don't think I have near enough. So lets see it. Lets see your arcade gear. I think it would be interesting.

I should have specified that everything I layed out is new items that were bought and not used yet.

[ChadTower]

There is no "enough".  You go straight from "not enough" to "too much".

[shardian]

My garage has a bunch of stuff piled around. I have an empty taito cabinet (which I am actually doing some work on today) that has a bunch of stuff piled in and around it. I have a stripped pacman cocktail with some stuff piled around it. I have a Xevious project partially stripped and stuff piled around it. I have a working Top Gunner that is partially stripped for cleaning...with stuff piled aorund it. And both couches in the downstair living room are , you guessed, piled with boxes of stuff.

[ChadTower]

In the shed I have two project cabs (Pac and Star Wars), a pin (Fathom), and many parts.  In my basement are 3 project pins and 2 90% working pins, two project cabs (Asteroids Deluxe and Tank II), and a Neo Geo cab that is ugly but works.  There is also my current project (a bartop) and many spare parts around.  And there is probably 50 game consoles and a couple thousand games. 

Wow, I didn't realize there was so much crap down here.

[leapinlew]

 

[ChadTower]

Shadow

Laser Cue

Asteroids Deluxe

Tank II

Don't have pics of the others yet, I think.

EDIT:  oh, forgot the Space Duel... that one works, though.   

[leapinlew]

Shadow

Laser Cue

Asteroids Deluxe

Tank II

Don't have pics of the others yet, I think.

EDIT:  oh, forgot the Space Duel... that one works, though.   

I didn't see any pics of the asteroid deluxe

[asmida]

At least yours is all new.  Mine's all used..

[leapinlew]

At least yours is all new.  Mine's all used..

 

[ChadTower]

I didn't see any pics of the asteroid deluxe

There's a link buried way in there somewhere to them... I'm too lazy to find it, so here.

[asmida]

So what are those things on the left hand side of the photo? 

[leapinlew]

Theres a couple ipacs, cold cathode neon tubes, screw drivers, and some rubber grommets to install underneath.

[Zebidee]

You all obviously don't have too much stuff yet, because you still know where most of it is!

Try a garage full, plus the spare room full of bits & pieces, and 3 cabs in the living room!  Nice to know it is all there, but such a waste of time looking for that bit you need and KNOW you have .... SOMEWHERE!   

[MajorLag]

How do you know when you've bought enough arcade stuff?

Its a trick question. You can never have too much arcade stuff.

[Zebidee]

two words "accumulation" and "obsession"

Sound familiar? 

[Crowquill]

You all obviously don't have too much stuff yet, because you still know where most of it is!

You also still know WHAT it all is 

I'm printing out this thread and showing it to my wife for comparison to my stuff.

[Kremmit]

There is no "enough".  You go straight from "not enough" to "too much".

Truest thing I've ever read.  I'd frankly be embarrased to post a pic of the hoard at this point.

[ahofle]

When you take an inventory and it looks like this:

In the interest of helping you out, I'll take that unused turbotwist off your hands. 

[shardian]

Nice to know it is all there, but such a waste of time looking for that bit you need and KNOW you have .... SOMEWHERE!   

Now that is the truth! I have went thru that multiple times. However, that is not limited to just arcade stuff - it goes for tools too. Just the other day I needed a tape measure. I have 3 tape measures in my house, and I could not find a single one. Finally after I gave up and didn't need the tape measure any more, I happened to see one.

[shorthair]

Nice to know it is all there, but such a waste of time looking for that bit you need and KNOW you have .... SOMEWHERE!   

Now that is the truth! I have went thru that multiple times. However, that is not limited to just arcade stuff - it goes for tools too. Just the other day I needed a tape measure. I have 3 tape measures in my house, and I could not find a single one. Finally after I gave up and didn't need the tape measure any more, I happened to see one.

organization

[Zebidee]

Finally after I gave up and didn't need the tape measure any more, I happened to see one.

organization

Shorthair is right (except for the spelling), but then organisation is sometimes the antithesis of true creativity 

Shardian is definitely a man of like mind to me. Don't worry, it's just our personality!  It's not that we don't want to be organised.  It is just that we always have something more important/creative/interesting to think/worry about, rather than sorting out where everything is.

You can always buy more tape measures!  They are quite cheap these days.  I also have about 3 + 1 for the car in case I see something when I'm out and about.

[ChadTower]

In my house it's usually that someone else grabbed a tool and never put it back.

[shardian]

I've tried organization. It lasts for a few days/weeks, but always falls back into disarray.
Funny thing is that even when things are a total mess, I always know where everything is...as long as I am the only person messing around. It is when someone else moves my stuff that I lose things.

[Zebidee]

I've tried organization. It lasts for a few days/weeks, but always falls back into disarray.

ditto

It is when someone else moves my stuff that I lose things.

Yes, ditto again.  Unfortunately, the only options if you want a living partner are to:

- become organised    ; or
- create a separate space for your hobbies (pref. with a lock)   

[bleargh]

I've tried organization. It lasts for a few days/weeks, but always falls back into disarray.
Funny thing is that even when things are a total mess, I always know where everything is...as long as I am the only person messing around. It is when someone else moves my stuff that I lose things.

Can relate.... I generally know where most stuff is in the house, except for the first few months after my wife decides that we should clean things up.  Takes a few months for the "natural sorting order" (disarray) to come back, at which point I've figured out where everything is again (and put all the useful stuff near the front/top).  Then, sure enough, its time to "clean up" again... 

[cowguy]

You know when this is one days worth of mail! Much much more on the way too.  I've got a whole bunch of parts too but didn't feel like finding them.
Edit: Just got another one from the ups guy 5 min ago!