Roadkill

I re-soldered every solder point on the board, I have a brand-new power supply, I cleaned every contact, cleaned my games, I am using the proper RCA to coax connector, I have plugged the system into the VCR and directly into the TV as well. When I turn the system on, I either get a nice, bright, vivid plain black screen or a thin row of vertical scrolling blocks. When I tilt the cartridge back and forth, I get a few other random patterns of garbage, but nothing that would resemble a game screen. Just to eliminate the possibility, I hooked up a joystick into the player 1 port. I have just about come to the conclusion that I just have a bunk system. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Ryan

I am experiencing many issues, just curious where to put a post like that.

I think the old standard goes: If you have more than 3 of something similiar, it's a collection. I consider myself a collector of vintage video systems, even though all I have at the moment is a Genesis and a Dreamcast. I am always looking for interesting stuff, but you don't have to buy EVERYTHING just to be considered a "Collector". I am currently working on building a strictly Pac-Man merchandise collection. Currently I have an iron-on patch, drinking glass with a maze on one side and a Pac-Man animation on the other, coffee cup, several vinyl records, pencil bag, mint 5200 cartridge, and a digital watch with a built-in Pac-Man game with a little joystick. It is most important to collect what YOU enjoy and not what other people enjoy. If you like sealed boxes, go for it! If you like certain games you played as a kid, awesome! There are many reasons to collect different things and everyone has unique reasons for what they enjoy. Someone else can't tell what you need to collect to be happy, just do what ya like!

I have a great idea! I'm gonna go to work at a liquor store and refuse to sell to alcoholics! I'll refer them all to AA and refuse them alcohol! OR I could go to work at a tobacco store and refuse to sell cigarettes because cigarettes are bad! It might not be too fun getting the crap beaten out of me by people going through withdrawls, but hey! I'll be doing the right thing! making the world a better place! Mabye I'll start working at a sporting goods store, selling guns but refusing to sell bullets! Guns don't kill people if you don't have bullets! Bullets kill people! Hmmm... Let's take this a little further... Work at Wal-Mart but refuse to sell things made in foreign countries! I could continue... But I won't

I found a stash of 5200 games in my closet but 1 of the games has no label. It says "Parker Brothers" on the back but no label. There is a screw on what I would call the "Top" of the cartridge but I tried removing it and the cartridge showed no signs of being loosened at all. I would like to know what game it is but I don't have a 5200 to test it on. Would be there any indication as to what game it is by looking at the circuit board? That's mainly why I'm trying to open it. Thanks in advance.

I have never owned a Jaguar system and I have never seen one outside the box except for pictures on websites. I also have never played a single Jaguar game or even held a Jaguar controller. I recall seeing the Jaguar for sale in a retail game store a long time ago, but the price was ridiculous. I am interested in finding a system to purchase, but first I need to know some things about the system. Is the only RPG released for the Jag "Towers 2"? Does the system have a method of saving your progress in games? What optional equipment and attachments are worth looking for? Are the controllers easy to handle? Was every system sold with only one controller? Are there any 2-player games? How much should I be willing to pay for a working system? Anything else I need to know about the system that I haven't asked? I have checked ebay and really not too sure what anything SHOULD sell for, so I really have no idea. Thanks in advance.

"Nintendo Portable"? I honestly thought you were kidding with the description, but I clicked the link and that is pretty freakin' sweet! I may have concocted a way to make a NES portable back when I was in college, but you made that thing a work of art! I just checked out your entire site and I must say that you are a true artist. I have never seen such a blend of woodworking and electronic engineering. I assume by the web addy that you live in Austin? There should be plenty of companies that would love to recruit you after graduation. Those devices would make the coolest resume I can imagine. Austin is a huge city and if you stay off 6th Street long enough, , you can accomplish great things in that environment that rewards creativity and oddness. I wish I had the money to invest in one of your custom creations. I have a feeling that your "Early Work" might be a sought-after item in the coming years. Keep up the amazing work! I wish I had money!

I own the original vinyl record. Cover is kinda scuffed, but the picture is able to be seen. Record is in decent shape. It has a few pops but it still plays great. I always liked "The Defender". "Do the Donkey Kong" is awesome too though. Ahh 1982. I was 7 years old. Memories.

Schweeeet. I have moved several times since I first received it, but I did copy it and I have kept several copies around. I have a lot of stuff in storage and I think the original is packed in a box with some CDs I began to rarely use. I also had 5 complete Atari 2600s boxed up but I can't find those. LOTS has happened since then; 2 wives, 1 son, 4 houses, 2 cities, and lots of my old stuff is missing... A few hundred bucks would be greatly appreciated about now. Gotta get my son something special for Xmas. He's 8 years old and wants to create video games . Thanks for the info!

Company disk, but the case was generic. Yea, it has been bootlegged to death. Probably worth a 2600 E.T. cartridge with a crappy label.

I got my start by going to all the vending machine companies listed in the telephone book and asking if they had any old arcade machines they would be interested in selling. Simple as that. Be sure to have some money on hand when you do some calling so you can make an excellent impression on the operator with a buyable game. Quick purchasing at first does wonders for establishing a good relationship with a vendor. Show that you are eager to purchase and don't start calling the same place every day without buying anything and expect to be treated well. I developed such good reputations with a few local vendors that I was contacted to "Haul off" more arcade machines and pinballs that I can count. Lots of the machines actually worked and some just needed minor repairs. I highly suggest, if you haven't already, buying a soldering iron and learning the basics of replacing components on a PCB. Also, learn how to read electronic schematics. Learning to do your own work on electronics will literally save you thousands of dollars. There are only 2 kinds of arcade machines: Those that have had problems, and those that will have problems. The original Ms Pac-Man machines were literally designed to last no more than a year at most. Almost all I have seen in my lifetime are still operating with the original electronics intact. The early games that were produced were as diverse as you can imagine. The Q-Bert games had... I forget how many game boards mounted on the back door. One for speech, one for logic, one for video, and I have no clue since I haven't looked at one in so long. The power supply in Q-Bert produced about 4 or 5 different voltages for the various boards. Watch out for Tempest machines with the Atari color X/Y monitor! I hate to say, but in my experience, they are fire hazards! I have seen 3 of them go up in flames. Most games made in the late to early 90s, and possibly even today, use JAMMA cables. JAMMA is a universal format that connects game boards to the video, power, joystick, and buttons simply my unplugging a single connector and reconnecting to a different board. JAMMA is definitely the way to go if you like easy switches from game to game. A single cabinet with an assortment of buttons and a stick can be used to play several games just by changing boards. On older games the monitors may be weak or dimly lit. A monitor rebuild kit is a collection of diodes, capacitors, and resistors that can breathe new life into an old monitor. Replacing the existing parts with the new parts can make an old monitor look new again. The vast majority have installation instructions with them. If not, I'm sure a website has them (I hope). Electrohome 7800s are pretty common. While working on old monitors, PLEASE, PLEASE watch out for the flyback transformer. Learn to fear and respect the flyback transformer. On the top of the monitor is a thingy that looks like a suction cup attached to it. That is NOT a suction cup! Do NOT stick your finger anywhere near it! I have worked on many a game but I have yet to work up the courage to change a flyback transformer. I kinda have a thing against dying for some reason. I can't think of much else right now. I will probably think of a ton of things after I hit the "Add Reply" button, but that's about it for now. Good luck and make sure you have a LOT of space!

A friend of mine from high school went to work for Virgin Interactive soon after graduating. I saw him several years later and asked what he had been up to. He passed me a copy of "Thrill Kill" and told me to go blow my mind. At the time it was pretty edgy and controversial. A dominatrix who pleasures herself between matches? A midget on stilts wearing a thong? A cannibal named Cleetus who uses a severed human leg as a weapon and takes bites out of it? This was long before Grand Theft Auto but slightly around the time of Doom 2. I'm not sure if the world is ready for the game yet, but I still have my original. "Pirated", "Bootlegged", whatever, I received my copy from a developer a few months before EA bought out Virgin Interactive and axed the project before it saw the light of day. Several gaming magazines previewed the game and had very positive things to say about it... But anyways, does this qualify as a prototype game? Not sure. Thanks in advance.