The Vectrex Minicade

[RayB]

Chadtower brought this up in the Hologram thread. (I thought we had derailed that thread long enough and started this one).

I had never heard of this before... a Vectrex bartop arcade machine (used a timer, like the Nintendo Playchoice 10):

http://www.vectrexnews.com/articles/feature_minicade3.html

http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/others/minicade.htm

Lot's of info (but broken photos!!):
http://perso.club-internet.fr/sap1/minicadea1.htm





neat!

[ChadTower]

There is one local here that I've played many times as I'm sure at least one other BYOAC member has.  It's a standard bartop cab with a regular Vectrex in it.  It uses a regular Vec controller that is embedded in the CP with a thin metal plate on it to make it stronger.  It runs off of a regular Vec cartridge.  The only thing coinop about it is that there is a timer PCB in line with the controller.  You pay, you get a couple of minutes, and when time is up the controller goes dead.  I can't remember if it resets the Vec as well but it might - a quick power bounce would do that easily. 

[Ummon]

Interesting. I just picked up a Vectrex on ebay, though I don't know if I'd want to encase it. Maybe.

[Matthew Fisher]

For those who care, here's a thread about possibly recreating a Minicade, down to the timer circuit.  There's more general info and lots of pix. 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=121365&st=0

[ChadTower]

I've thought about doing that over the years... but I always figured, why?  It's neat as a piece of history but to build one?  If you take away its place in console history it's just a Vectrex in a box.

[TOK]

Yea, why do anything when you can just type about doing things? 

[ChadTower]

Well, explain why one would rebuild something like that, rather than make one that's far better with only a little effort?  Isn't this mostly a MAME cab builders' forum?  Why isn't everyone building dedicated cabs instead, by that logic? 

[TOK]

Well, explain why one would rebuild something like that, rather than make one that's far better with only a little effort?  Isn't this mostly a MAME cab builders' forum?  Why isn't everyone building dedicated cabs instead, by that logic? 

Hey, you're right! What are you building instead of the Vectrex?

[Matthew Fisher]

The thing that puzzles me most about the whole idea is recreating the timer circuit.  Why would you want your Vectrex to turn off after two minutes of playing?  Sure, I'd love to have one of the originals, but it would seem to make a little more sense to build something with arcade controls, etc. 

  Personally, I think that the Vec is a pretty good looking piece of industrial design anyway, so why put it in a box at all?  It just makes the thing harder to move around, takes up more space, most likely makes it a pain to use accessories and change carts, and (if you put in a marquee light) makes the vectors harder to see.  Just my two cents.  (Off soap box)

[ChadTower]

Hey, you're right! What are you building instead of the Vectrex?

Right now, a bathroom.  Wife got to pick the current project.  Current arcade project is learning to clearcoat a spare pin playfield I picked up in May.  After that is the basement - new gameroom, furnace, and maybe a second bathroom.

Personally, I think that the Vec is a pretty good looking piece of industrial design anyway, so why put it in a box at all?  It just makes the thing harder to move around, takes up more space, most likely makes it a pain to use accessories and change carts, and (if you put in a marquee light) makes the vectors harder to see.  Just my two cents.  (Off soap box)

Exactly.  The Minicade is just a Vectrex holder - it even still uses the regular Vectrex controller.  I could see someone building the same cabinet and putting VectorMAME in it with a ZVG and some arcade controls.  That would be pretty cool and I believe has been done before.

[Ummon]

I think the difference between a 'cab' and a 'console' in this case is largely the controller cable. If the controller was part of the case and just rotated down - which could actually easily be rigged, but wouldn't of course be as comfortable viewing-wise - it would be considered closer to a 'cab'. When I had one (I know, I'm lame for mis-appropriating it), I actually remember thinking it was cooler-looking keeping the controller in the 'cradle', and I think I mentioned this to those I played with and they thought so, too. (Of course, console kiddies soon to come would disagree.) Plus, remember in the 80s anything plastic was looked down on, whereas wood (especially with any finishing touches) was king.

[ChadTower]

If you tried to play it with it still attached the hinge would snap in short order anyway.  I've had probably ten of them and half of them have had that hinge broken.  It's a pretty flimsy attachment.

[RayB]

I think I will still pursue my Vectrex in Cabaret cabinet idea, but I won't make it coin operated or use a timer. That's pretty pointless.

[ChadTower]

Cool.  I'm looking forward to that one.  LMK if there's any info I can provide.  Probably nothing you can't get yourself but I do have three Vecs and maybe 90% of the library complete, including boxed/complete 3d glasses, extra controllers, and most of the homebrew releases.

[RayB]

I'm going to need a multi-cart with a selection menu. I don't want to have to swap carts. I already have a Sean Kelly 1.0 multi-cart, but unfortunately it uses dipswitches to select games. I would gladly do a 1:1 trade for his 2.0 that uses a menu.

[ChadTower]

Post about that on rec.games.vectrex... someone might take you up on it.  Vectrex collectors are harsh completists.  Someone may have an extra 2.0 but no 1.0.  I see a couple 2.0 on ebay right now, too.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

I've got a vectrex.  My dad used to play it when I was a baby.  Had several games for it too:  Spike, Berzerk, few others.  We still have it, but the monitor appears to have crapped out on it...not sure why.

[Ummon]

If you tried to play it with it still attached the hinge would snap in short order anyway.  I've had probably ten of them and half of them have had that hinge broken.  It's a pretty flimsy attachment.

I remember it being two lobes, one on either side that the controller has slots for. Maybe I remember incorrectly that the controller rotated all the way down to horizontal while the lobes were still inserted? I thought it did. Hence, on a surface that is bigger than unit and controller, I don't see any issue of stress.

[ChadTower]

I remember it being two lobes, one on either side that the controller has slots for.

No, that's right, but it's not reinforced structurally in any way.  If you jerk it around a lot, like you would using a controller, it snaps off eventually.  Especially since when rotated down the controller isn't flat, it's at a weird angle relative to your hands.  It was designed to bear the weight of the controller but not the force of controller use.  The clip that holds the controller folded up snaps off a lot too.

[RayB]

It wasn't designed to be played while in the "lobes". You're supposed to remove it and have it on a surface.

[ChadTower]

It wasn't designed to be played while in the "lobes". You're supposed to remove it and have it on a surface.

We did say that.  He was just saying it looks cooler with it still attached.   

[Ummon]

The angle, right. So I guess, if I remember more clearly now, I just pushed it close to the cradle, but not into the lobes, as it wouldn't seat them if flat on the table. I certainly didn't jerk it around though. I cradled my left hand over and around the top-left corner and used my thumb on the stick. It didn't work trying to hold it like a game pad.

[ChadTower]

Ray, did this ever go anywhere?  Just curious... there's a lot of talk at the moment about the ZVG and VectorMAME going around.

[RayB]

Not yet. Sooo many projects...

[ChadTower]

Not yet. Sooo many projects...

No kidding.  I figure with the amount of guys that just bought ZVGs from this final run we may see a few of these projects pop up soon.  I've been searching around for decent VectorMAME threads and none of the forums nor Google turn up many.  Looks like a lot of folks talk about them but few actually build them and even fewer document it.