all the neglected cabs and parts

[abzman2000]

    Why does no one seem to want to do anything about these piles of potentially valuable stuff.  I see tons of heart-breaking stories and pictures of barns, arcade graveyards, and dust/pigeon crap covered rows of cabs, but none of like 20-30 guys from communities like ours going out there with trailers, pickup trucks, heck someone here probably owns a semi, and rescuing dirty cabinets and stuff like coin doors from saturated ones. 

    A group of dedicated guys could probably strip a place like that bare in a weekend.  We could be like a swarm of locust, SAVIOR locust, moving from state to state and righting (arcade themed) wrongs.  People could join in when we were planning a meet/salvage in their area.  the people in these stories always say something about getting a "tip from a friend" and since this group has some well connected individuals maybe we could all join in on the next confirmed "tip". 

think of the games

[ivwshane]

Those turbo sub cabs look like a nice design, anyone have any better profile pics?

[SavannahLion]

Time, communication, all sorts of factors. I rescued two Z's and three monitors from a barn filled with goats and chickens. Outside, I was heart broken to see a destroyed Pac cab. (Did manage to save the Ms Pac board out of it, but couldn't find any of the supporting hardware.) Among the fatalities, I did spot several NeoGeo marked sides, a sit down, and a number of unidentified Atari stuff. Inside the barn, there were numerous Z's, a MK?, several SFII's, and other unidentifiable cabs. I must've tripped over and smashed about a dozen glass marquee's in the attic while I was selecting monitors to bring out. I did not have the heart to brush off the six inches of ---Cleveland steamer--- to see what I broke.

All of this ---Cleveland steamer--- was down in a sort of valley on a ranch. With my 4x4 truck I would have zero problem navigating the terrain. The problem was, since the time this op put all these cabs and monitors down there. He had landscaped the entire area around it. I would have no problem squishing any of the plant life, but I don't think he would have appreciated that. Given that the house was going to market, time was also of the essence, I didn't have time to contact anyone to assist.

So I was left with the barest of choices. Grab any PCB I could find, grab as many monitors I can, then haul it all about 50 yards up hill and load it into the truck. Carrying multiple 21" monitors up hill when you're mildly out of shape isn't the easiest of tasks, no matter how badly I might want them.

When I asked the op why he destroyed the cabs, he simply told me that he had absolutely no idea there was any sort of demand for those cabinets. 

If I knew now what I knew twenty years ago, I would have stripped down every abandoned cab I ever came across in my life. I would have learned how to repair them later in my life. I've witnessed discarded cabs like in that the second to last photo. Buried in the snow. But I was too young, at the time, to know how to fix "broken" cabs. Even though I did have a place to store everything.

[RayB]

Abz, the truth about those photos you posted is that most of those locations WERE later picked through and stuff salvaged (but face it, there's only so much you can do with rotten wood, and other damaged parts). So it's not like someone snapped a photo and then never told anybody about that stuff.

[CheffoJeffo]

Heck, one of those spots is being picked over now by DenverLatino, isn't it ? 

As far as saving arcade stuff goes -- I've already got a furnace room full of monitors, a workbench piled high with PCBs and a basement with a number of "rescued" cabs cluttering the place up.

I'm out of room ... as evidenced by the fact that I had to let a SubRoc cockpit go yesterday (Yes, I made sure that someone else was going to grab it). If I had had the time to disassemble it, I might have brought it home, but even then I don't have the space right now.

[stan2323]

Arcade cabs and such are like anything else.  It wears out, rot, break and get broken to the point where is it no longer be repaired and is no good to any one no matter how skilled they are.  Once that point is reached it is faster to build a new one than to try to fix the old one. 

Then you do what we do and build new ones.

[CheffoJeffo]

Once that point is reached it is faster to build a new one than to try to fix the old one. 

Quitter !

 

[Ginsu Victim]

I couldn't believe my cabinet had bird ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- splats all over the top of it when I got it. I was like, "OMG....how long was this thing outside at some point over the last 25 years?"

Sanded, painted, looks great.

[amadama]

Arcade cabs and such are like anything else.  It wears out, rot, break and get broken to the point where is it no longer be repaired and is no good to any one no matter how skilled they are.  Once that point is reached it is faster to build a new one than to try to fix the old one. 

Then you do what we do and build new ones.

This is an interesting point. Someone else mentioned that sooner or later most of these cabs will rot away and all we'll have left are components.
Projects such as that started by Jakobud to maintain cab designs and plans are very important. Also sites like localarcade.com for artwork are key to our hobby as well.
I encourage anyone with access to rare machines to measure them up and send the info to Jakobud. Heck, I'll even start a reposititory of this information. How about we call it TARCS (The ARcade Cabinet Source)?
Thoughts?
Alex

[CheffoJeffo]

While I certainly applaud the sentiment, I have measured a half-dozen cabs for folks and still haven't seen plans from any of them ... YMMV.

[stan2323]

Quitter !

 

No Realist.

This is an interesting point. Someone else mentioned that sooner or later most of these cabs will rot away and all we'll have left are components.
Projects such as that started by Jakobud to maintain cab designs and plans are very important. Also sites like localarcade.com for artwork are key to our hobby as well.
I encourage anyone with access to rare machines to measure them up and send the info to Jakobud. Heck, I'll even start a reposititory of this information. How about we call it TARCS (The ARcade Cabinet Source)?
Thoughts?
Alex

This is a great idea.  What I would like to see it a database where you could go to find out enough information about any cabinet to make it.  It may exist but I have not found it.  Scale drawing, dimensions, monitor angle/size, control panel angel/size/type/layout.  There are a few cabs that I would like to get but I do not think I will be able to get them.  My next step is to recreate eventually but I do not have time now or the specs of the cabinet.  So for now I search.

I have an old Super Pac-Man that I can get the dimensions off and give then to who every wants them.  It has been converted at least once but the outside is still the original size. 


Stan

[amadama]

CheffoJeffo, you are correct in this. I think we need to come up with a standard that makes it easy to follow. A key feature of all measurements would be photos. These are harder to take than it sounds. A good side or front shot of a cab must be made with the camera at the right height and using a correct focal length (camera height dead center of cab and using a 50mm (standard) lens). If the photo is good then the dimensions are easy to get (knowing at least one dimension such as height or width).
It does end up being a lot of work and most people are busy enough as is.
Maybe something for the future.
Alex

[amadama]

stan2323,
Take some good photos like I described above and it can make a good start. I'll make the blueprints of the SUper Pac based on your photos.
Alex

[CheffoJeffo]

CheffoJeffo, you are correct in this. I think we need to come up with a standard that makes it easy to follow. A key feature of all measurements would be photos. These are harder to take than it sounds. A good side or front shot of a cab must be made with the camera at the right height and using a correct focal length (camera height dead center of cab and using a 50mm (standard) lens). If the photo is good then the dimensions are easy to get (knowing at least one dimension such as height or width).
It does end up being a lot of work and most people are busy enough as is.
Maybe something for the future.
Alex

I strongly recommend that you talk to Jake ... he had what I thought was a good approach to this (along the same lines of what you suggest).

[Bond007]

Heck, one of those spots is being picked over now by DenverLatino, isn't it ? 

[Flinkly]

i thought jackobud was gone the way of the dodo?  i still have the measurements for a neo geo cab if anyone wants it.  side measurements.  i might make some real plans up after i start work next week but have no where to store them.  can't believe it's been two years since i've been around, nothings changed.