Possibly buying my first arcademachine. No experience. SWE

[Vurpa]

Hello forum!

While I've been a VG-collector for consoletitles a very long time I've always wanted an arcade. Thinking this would be the best place ever to ask . I have absolutely zero prior experience with arcademachines hence my coming possibly ultradumb questions:

http://www.blocket.se/ystad/Arkadspel__ ... =23_14&w=1

^Currently I'm in talks with the seller about this machine. Going to check it out on Sunday. Saw it by accident and it's very close to me (rare for me that anything's close) so therefore the hasty questions.

Questions I mainly have:

1. What should I look for/be wary of (screen/speakers/controls/technical/whatnot)? Seller says:

"Jag har ingen dokumentation av den enda reparation jag varit involverad i men då handlade det enbart om att stärka upp ett par lödningar och byta en säkring (till den del som förser högtalarna och myntinkastet med ström). Vid monteringen efteråt så kletades även på ny värmeledande pasta på de ytor i Hantarex-aggregatet som behöver det."

Translated very roughly: "I have no documentation about the only repair I've been involved with but that time it was only about strengthening of a couple of solderings/leadenings (to the part that provides the speakers and the coinslot with power). At the assembly afterwards the surfaces in the "Hantarex aggregate" that needed it had heatleading paste sticked onto them.

It has a reversable screen (I'm assuming this means it works for sidescrollers as well?)

2. Is the price OK? 4000SEK is roughly 600$/450euro/385 GBP according to google. -500 SEK if Raiden 2 doesn't come along but that's not relevant (I think?). Would be selling a couple of consoles to finance it so not too proud to haggle here. What's fair if it's not already? It's about

3. How hard are these machines to repair/exchange games/parts in/do anything technical with? Like said I have no prior technical experience but...one can always learn if it's not superdifficult?

4. Is it possible to adjust volume etc in an easy way or does that involve going into the machine as well? In an old apartment so would want to be careful with the neighbours.

5. Is it possible to "pull the plug" over nights or does that require a whole lot of settinginputs over again afterwards again? I'm guessing no if it's all done inside?

6. Follow-up on the above question...are these firehazards/do they overheat a lot or anything like that? Can't help but notice a fireextinguisher right next to it.

7. Anything I have forgotten/should think about? Compability or anything like that? Again I have absolutely no clue. Please be nice and help and don't verbally facepalm me

Additional pics he sent:









More of what it says in description:

"Allt från myntinkast till joysticks och skärm (25') fungerar perfekt. Det är ett robust ståkabinett med vridbar skärm.
Kabinettets kraftaggregat är nygenomgånget på så sätt att lödningar förstärkts och en viktig säkring har bytts mot en ny."

Everything from coinslot to joysticks and screen (25') works perfectly. It's a robust steelcabinet with reversable/"turnable" screen. The cabinets poweraggregate is newly gone over and solderings have been strengthened and an important plug has been exchanged for a new one. (Basically the same already translated).

"Enheten är ca 176 cm hög, 90 cm djup och 65 cm bred "

The unit is about 176 cm/69 inches high, 90 cm/35 inches deep and 65 cm/25 wide.

Massive thank you in advance for any help at all. Can translate anything else if you need to provide proper help but the english will still be crap. Thank you again

[matrigs]

Well i wouldn't. 450 euro can get you a sega naomi in good condition.

The cab is a german "big screen" cabinet, or some blatant copy or later revision. It has a hantarex screen and the joysticks used in big screens so i assume it is a genuine one. Here is the manual for it and for the hantarex screen :

http://www.andysarcade.de/data/coinop/v ... ndbuch.pdf

http://www.andysarcade.de/data/coinop/v ... tc9110.pdf

The screen is alright - is an italian hantarex mtc9000. Proper low-res screen. Rotateable yes so you can play horizontal games, fighters, etc. There are repari manuals availlable on the internet for it and if it is in working condition (which it looks like) any repairs will be mostly capacitor exchanges etc. which any tv-service can do. or yourself.

The panel is ghastly - those buttons are to exchange immediately but you still end up with that horrible button layout. Those joysticks look like "euro-sticks" which are pretty alright for shmups. But for shmups only.

Also it's a stand-up cabinet. If you don't mind it's alright - i do. The panel is so thick that you can't even sit by it on a higher chair close to it.

It depends on what you want to do with it. It has most probably a jamma connector so if you want to invest into PCB's it's plug and play. Consoles will require a bit of fiddling and extra costs but nothing deal breaking.

to answer your questions directly:

ad1. - mostly the screen imho as this is the most important part and the rest can be exchanged easily and cheap. check the geometry (are the edges of the picture all straight, is the picture centered) and look for anything suspicous when the game is running. if raiden has one and you know how to launch it - try to view a cross-hatch test screen on it (google how it should look like). look for flickering of the screen. check of there aren't any suspicious sounds coming from the cab like popping or sizzling. an important thing is to let the cab run for a few minutes. let the seller make you some coffee. recheck of the screen doesn't decolourize after some time, doesn't start to loose geometry.

ad2. - i wouldn't take it for that much. i'd give maybe 200 euro for it. if at all.

ad.3 - well control parts are very easy availlable. the screen tube rather won't die on you. if the screen chassis fails it will be for repair. that's why i again ask you to triple check it. besides the screen and controls there isn't really anything to repair / exchange. the coin chute can crap out - you can buy a new one or remove it completely if it isn't supposed to give profit. speakers and lamps are availlable.

ad.4 - that you have to ask the seller but i assume there is. worst case scenario you can add one yourself. no big deal.

ad.5 - yes you can. after launching it you should wait a few minutes though for the screen to warm up.

ad.6 - you have electronics in a wooden box - risky always. the cab is a german "big screen" cabinet commercially produced so it had some safety requirements to pass. there shouldn't really be any risks. as for fire extinguisher it is always good to have one. i have one in my game room. i rather don't toss a bucket of water when something starts to burn.

ad.7 - well as i mentioned above, jamma games (pcb's, neo-geo motherboards etc.) will work plug'n'play. connecting consoles will require additional hardware. search for "villetim's adapter" on the board to find what you need.

Still - i wouldn't buy it. Not for this price. Hell even for a lower price. It's just buying garbage. If i where you i'd save up a bit, checked ebay and posted a cabinet buy request on this forum, on the neo-geo forum and others. Maybe you will be lucky and find a proper candy cab. Or a sega naomi. It's not the perfect cab, but it's very easy to use with consoles or for mame. It doesn't have low-res though so keep that in mind. I have one, a lot of people on this forum also have one. They are very popular in europe so i guess one will pop up sooner or later in your area.

Cheers.

[emphatic]

Protip: Sign up @ www.arkadtorget.se and ask more questions there to other Swedes in swedish to avoid confusion. The seller is a member there called behemoth.

Questions to ask:

1. Is the Raiden II PCB an original one (helps heaps if you one day want to sell the game) - if yes the value of the game PCB itself is at least 1000 SEK
2. Is the wiring 100% good or does the cabinet need work at all

If you want to own a wooden cabinet, this one is pretty neat as it has the 25" monitor. Most wooden cabinets available in Sweden (JK F3 is the most common ones) only have a 19" monitor. On the downside, buying a "rare" type of cabinet is not good in the long run as sourcing parts is very hard.

[Vurpa]

(...) a shitload of very useful info I will read more closely tomorrow (...)

Thank you very much for all the useful explanations. Will back out on it because well...for selling some precious consoles would want something "top of the line" from the beginning and my technical knowledge simply isn't there should anything go very wrong with it. Also a sitdown would indeed be preferrable. The reason I was rushing was because it was "relatively" close but close enough. Rather go 50 miles extra . Thank you again you saved me a lot of worries.

Protip: Sign up @ http://www.arkadtorget.se and ask more questions there to other Swedes in swedish to avoid confusion. The seller is a member there called behemoth.

(...)

That is indeed a protip. Going that route first.

Thank you both guess I've got a lot of reading to do before something like this...saving the empty space for that first dream cabinet .