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Silntdoogood

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Posts posted by Silntdoogood

  1. Posted

    Hello Atari-ageians,

     

    This post will probably appeal more to the computer members, or the circuit builders, while I do have some older games.

     

    I'm kind of in the "Toy Story 3" dilemma... just, my toys are sharp and covered in solder...and all around less cuddleable. Since about 5th grade I've been gathering...stuff. (Dead CD drives, working ones, floppy drives, boards, buttons, product-less remote controls, boards, switches, old power units, boards, stuff that can be project cases, boards, etc) I'm looking at college now & trying to clean out the workbench. I hate to have this stuff sitting around if there's someone out there looking for project parts, or just stuff to hack at (Plus a little gas & textbook money wouldn't be a bad thing) I don't think I'd be doing any transactions until April, I started this mostly to see if if there is any interest, but if there's someone that really really really wants a box of CD drives, or a dozen PCI Dial-up cards, I can send stuff early. This is also here if anyone is looking for something in particular, power cords, PS2 keyboard controllers, anything of the sort, to give me time to look around. I'd just much rather give any seeking Atari-Age hobbyist first dibbs on the collection before ebay.

     

    I have a wealth of devices and parts, working and non. I won't send you anything that doesn't work claiming it does. I will only say something is working if I just tested it, I can post a video of the unit working if needed. I repair systems for a charity, so some of the parts came form there. Non-functional stuff has potential in a second life, some can be repaired for it's original purpose. I've kept broken drives, platters and other stuff around for projects in the future, but will be severely short on time to do any of them in the near future. A lot of the parts are incredibly universal. I motorized my window blinds with a servo type unit from a Performa's 3½. Since it seems to be the latest trend, I can also "Box-o-crap" some stuff, but I won't do that until the collection has been picked over. If you do have an interest in the box-o-crap delivery style, post or PM. I do indeed have functioning drives, cards, mobos, and other stuff to a good home. Don't think I'm just some packrat trying to sell garbage. Computer parts range from the mid 80's to 2008.

     

    If there is an interest, I'll start an index of what I have, if no one has any, then I'm not going to waste hours indexing parts, games, drives, cards, cables, mobos, and whatnot.

     

    Thanks for reading

    -Spence

  7. Posted

    I'm trying desperately to not make this a tangent:

     

    Don't despair..."Disney quest"...

    ...I am planning a trip when my daughter is a little older, hope they keep it around!

    I can't imagine they won't. Just disappointing there wasn't a Kung-Fu machine. It may not be Atari, but it's the best cab ever made.

     

    I'll see if I can find the video (and the permission of the people in it to put it online)... If/when you do go, I highly, highly recommend getting in the Toy Story blaster ship things. In the video at 2:40 I pan over them. Towards the one side of the floor, it turns into a balcony sort of thing that over looks them. You sit in these space ships, drive around the arena, run over "asteroids" (Nerf style dodge balls that you pick up from inside and load into the cannon on the passenger side) and shoot them at other people. When hit, the ship stops responding to controls, and momentary spins in a circle. So much friggan fun!

  8. Posted

    The machines do get banged on a lot, but the blacklighting, 80s style music, and generally-crowded feeling of the old arcade's there.

     

    I don't know if "banged on" does justice. They look as though they are respected, there was only one machine that didn't work out of what seemed like close to 300. They all look like they are in relatively good condition for getting such strong use. Then again, low lighting, blacklights, etc... probably hid flaws. That and pure adrenaline.

     

    I missed out on the "crowded feeling". I was there during the winter. My friends and I decided to work from the top of the building (arcade) down, while everyone else started from the bottom up. We got in within minutes after it opened. That being said, we had the floor to ourselves for a while. Even when the full "crowd" came in, we were there outside of vacation season in winter, during the first time it snowed in southern Florida in something like 26 years.

     

    So...many...rounds of Ski-Ball!

  10. Posted

    Thank you! Stella has been on my desktop for over a year now...

     

    Agreed...that is...on my desktop PC. Sadly, I can't use my Atari controller on my laptop. I usually keep a screen on my desktop devoted to Stella when things are slow, (even though Stella laggs my system more....it's more bearable). So many home brews out there!

  11. Posted

    I've got about a dozen CRTs in my basement, I've been looking for a use. Home brew or not, I think I need to look into these adapters. Currently, reconstructing the "Monitor Arch" is winning. (Other angles available via Google Images) I would think since they are keystone shaped, this would be rather stable. If not...well...it solves this clutter problem. Electrical Darwinism. The ones that survive, will become gaming TVs XD

  12. Posted

    I've been looking recently. There are a few hidden brick walls I've discovered. My mall used to have a Namco arcade, If closed a few years ago, but it was always full. I've been following why they would have closed shuck a successful looking arcade.

     

    First problem, people tend to make less treks to go to an arcade, epically one composed of only coin ops. (When I was in third grade, the last true solely coin-op-cab arcade I know of, closed) To be a successful arcade now, you almost NEED a ski-ball machine and other ticket dispensing style machines to cycle a ticket exchange system for other prizes. Fun fact, from what I have seen, two lanes of Ski-ball can cost $10,000. If you're going to have a large enough crowd to support your arcade, you need more than two lanes :). If you want some claw machines, crane games. Well, there are various prices, but to keep it brief, every time you play one of those, and you see the claw assembly drop to grab your prize, you're watching $100-$200 dangle on a string in front of you. The small blue stackers run about $3,000, the big red ones go for $7,000.

     

    I was thinking of sitting on the idea, collecting broken machines cheap, and repairing them to a home-arcade style, then when I get a decent amount move to a commercial space. This is a slow, but plausible way. I know where seven cabnets, and three pinball machines are within a mile of my house, all in a state of disrepair, easy fixes, and they would be rather cheap. It seems they are rather easy to come by broken.

     

    Now, unless you're going to go all out and open a Chucky-Cheese competitor, you probably aren't going to have people making a devoted trip. A mall seems like an ideal place, to an extent it is. (There's a static, "For every 15 minutes you keep someone in a store once they find everything they need, they spend $5" I have no citation for this, so feel free to disregard it. This paragraph comes down to location scouting in areas where people are going to spend money, but will be leaving with spendable money and time.

     

    You need to consider insurance. At a near by mall, an UNMANNED kiosk between stores sitting on the floor measuring 4'X4'x8' (LXWXH) requires AT LEAST a one million dollar insurance policy. This isn't anything you can enter, nor is it easy to tip over. The only thing I could see happening is someone running in to it point blank. I don't have an idea what would be required, insurance wise, for a storefront. I wouldn't think it would be pretty, since you are now putting a dozen or so kids in a confined place, working up adrenaline, and in some cases (skiball) giving them projectiles...mhm...

     

    The other conflict I found with malls is in specific areas, malls are permitted to repartition out electricity, charging basically whatever they want. To an extent, you can conserve power. I was considering powering off the machines nightly, and keeping a physical highscore table by the front desk. Displaying it proud. More insensitive to be ranked, more time in the store, more quarters in your pocket. (because, anyone who owns a cabinet, tripped on a power cord, or watches Seinfeld knows when you unplug a cab, it resets the table. Lower lighting to get the stereotype "arcade" feeling can lower electricity bills, but then again be troublesome with injury insurance.

     

    You might want to consider food too. Even if you just put a vending machine for snackies, and drinks in the back. It'll keep a few people from leaving to the food court. Then you get the insurance for food poisoning, allergies, and that kid that gets his arm stuck when he tries to reach in the bottom and steal a pack of gum, etc. Keep in mind, how many people (I'm guilty) have used/are going to use that almost flat surface on the Galaga machine as a table for their open Mt. Dew. If your selling drinks, expect some clean up. Some cleanup may not be pretty with less sealed machines.

     

    You're also going to want to cycle through your cabinets. Hide a few in the back, invest in some new ones.

     

    Initial machine investments aside, you'd want to look at how much you are going to make. The most I have herd of a well established small arcade making is $10,000 a week. Personally, I'd expect maybe $1,000 a week, judging by stats I have seen. I'd estimate the rental on the spot in the mall we used to have a Namco arcade in was $3,000 a mo.

     

    There's also a good bit of nit-pick things that need decided, such as, quarters or tokens. Quarters invite walkins, while you can do 5 for $1 type deals with tokens, inviting more exchanges.

     

     

    http://arcadeheroes.com/2008/04/06/starting-an-arcade-part-1/

    http://www.ehow.com/facts_5049760_start-arcade-business.html

  15. Posted

     

    So, i would like to become a part of the arcade owner's club. If there isn't one here. We should make one.

    And, if the mods or anyone else find my post extra or unneccesary, please delete it.

     

     

    Since the cab owners club part of the post went unnoticed from what I can see, I think we should a least have a facebook group!

  16. Posted · Edited by Silntdoogood

    I'm kind of an arcade enthusiast. Kind of REALLY an arcade enthusiast...or any commercial machine at all... I digress. I went to Disney in February. I was probably the most excited to get to the Pizza Planet once I found out one in real life existed. Saddly, there was no rocket ship shared claw machine. After a small investment, we got the last green Toy Story alien in the arcade out of a claw machine. It seemed only fitting.

    Video of that, and a walk around:

    http://www.youtube.c...h?v=oIQvI31GgCw

     

    :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

     

    No classic cabs...

     

    Don't despair, in downtown Disney, there's a building called "Disney quest", the top floor, and miscellaneous other corners are devoted to classic cabinets. Free to play once you're in. They replaced the coin hoppers with buttons, push & play:

    http://www.youtube.c...h?v=m8XrOT3Ons4

     

    While I'm linking, the only other video I have up from the trip at the moment, downtown Disney's Lego Land has a virtual lego builder. It seems fit since this is a tech-ish forum to add this link. You hold out a box from the shelf in front of a camera. Below the camera is a screen with the video feed. A computer identified what box you have, and builds the finished project on the box you're holding on the screen. Even better, it finds your hand, and you can move the Legos!

    http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UqErbeMESwk

     

    One of the best weeks of my life!

     

     

    (Ps, I don't want to come off sounding like pestering spam so I won't bring this up again, but if you have a Youtube account, subscribing to me would be greatly appreciated, but not necessary)

  17. Posted

    ...does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to improve this?

     

    ...anyone? :ponder:

     

    Maybe Atari OS should be an adapter, where you put a cartridge in the adapter's slot, then an icon pops up on you desktop and you can play the game by selecting it. Maybe even multiple slots! (If there is still space) Other than gaming, a simple ''sleep mode'' where the screen turns black until you push fire. And how about a browser that goes the the AtariAge website, so you can download simple games for your Atari OS.

     

    That would actually be amazing if it were possible! Set up the equivalent of the NES M82 for an atari!

  18. Posted

    oy, well if I can get everything set back up I will definitely make a video of it. Right now I am strapped for space but when I do I will. I am a bit of a show-off and love to show what's happening when anything interesting happens.

     

    When i do make a video of it at work, it'll likely be a kind of long one as it's not a fast printer-- just works perfectly and I would trust it over an inkjet for the next 20 years. :thumbsup:

     

    Just keeping it in mind when you have a chance is all I can ask :)

  20. Posted

    Slintdoogood, that sounds like an excellent mod!!! I would love to see pics of it, now I want to make my own-- I have a box of DB-9 connectors begging to be useful!!

     

    I...actually had a thread going already trying to troubleshoot it. Emperor is good, he beat me to linking while I was typing this. The only problem I ran into making it was forgetting to inverse the plug schematic since you wire it from the back, and I used pins from an old mobo that still had printed circuitry.

    Full details, video, and pictures are in the thread Emperor posted

     

    Sorry, I don't want to get this thread into too far of a tangent.

     

     

  21. Posted

    Ink for a ribbon printer?...

    Oh yeah...I forgot about ribbon printing :ponder:

    I will never forget about ribbon printing...

     

    A personal fav is the Atari 2050, that thing is like a tank; a big, slow noisy tank that refuses to be stopped :) I think it's main strength is that it has Inertia on its side :rolling:

     

    Haha, it sounds awesome!...but call me a noob, I have never heard of the 2050... Mind posting or sending me a picture? I tried google and youtube, turned up empty handed.

    DOH! Not 2050, I was getting my numbers mixed up. I think this happens when you get older :roll:

    I meant the 1025, I have this one, here's a pic:

    http://picasaweb.goo...021931806883842

    Thanks for the rep point, too :thumbsup:

     

    haha, I clicked the link to here, closed it, and maybe five seconds later got an email notification about a reply haha. Thanks for clarifying! That's an AMAZING PIECE, and I now have a new thing to hunt down! I think I need one of these, man I wish I didn't live in such a luddite community. There is nothing older than a windows 95 machine. It makes me sad.

  22. Posted

    If you only have a handful of records and they are lying at an angle, it's better to lay them flat.

    While it's off-topic, it nevertheless struck me, and I want to ask about that.

     

    As a matter of fact, I've got only one record. Okay, actually, it's two, but one album (Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds)...

     

    Why don't I have more? Well, I don't have a record player (at least not at the moment). Why do I have this one? Well, for once, it was a present, and furthermore, I've got personal reasons to think special about this album, and don't forget it's just plain awesome. Not being able to listen to the record itself (although I often listen to it in MP3 form), I hoewever thought I'd put it "on display" in my room, as the cover art is of course awesome as well. So it's now sitting on top of a small shelf, leaning at an angle against the wall.

     

    You say this could be bad for the discs?

     

    Well, anytime just about anything is exposed to the environments like that, it's liable to sustain some age and possible damage. Depending on how long you leave it there, and the stand positioning are more of the factors. Leaving it out like that for a long time will enviably result in the colors fading, the sleeve will dryrot, and other stuff. If you lock it away in storage and preserve it though, than you can't see it and appreciate it. It is truly a double edged sword. I would think having just one out like that wouldn't be bad. I was revering to having maybe...8+ leaning at an angle. Then the weight compounds, and you have more weight pressing on the disks and sleeves than they can sustain. Just for the sake of preservation, you might want to consider a frame. Nothing professional, so you can take it out. If you get it professionally framed, you won't be able to take it out, and that's no fun! If you can find a frame to fit it to support it, or even just a thin piece of wood or something behind it, I would think you should be safe.

     

    It's just a matter of having force, a week object, and a fulcrum. I have a sketch below because I am horrible at explaining stuff. I am by no means professional at preserving and collecting, I just have a love for vinyl. You should really find somewhere to play that. Records have a whole different feel than "perfect" digital music.

    post-26769-128180821704_thumb.jpg

  23. Posted

    Ink for a ribbon printer?...

    Oh yeah...I forgot about ribbon printing :ponder:

    I will never forget about ribbon printing...

     

    A personal fav is the Atari 2050, that thing is like a tank; a big, slow noisy tank that refuses to be stopped :) I think it's main strength is that it has Inertia on its side :rolling:

     

    Haha, it sounds awesome!...but call me a noob, I have never heard of the 2050... Mind posting or sending me a picture? I tried google and youtube, turned up empty handed.

  24. Posted

    I just wanted to say in this thread:

    Since I am currently under 18, and can't hold a paypal account to get my hands on either a real Halo cart, harmony cart, or Stella adapter, I did the next best thing. I installed a DB9 port from an old PC I had to an old keyboard. Wired it all together. (I believe "interweaving the matrices of the keyboard and Atari controller" is the best way to describe this if I have the correct definition of "matrix", but no one can seem to confirm that for me) Now, the Atari controller makes the connections for the keyboard, and I can use it with the emulator. It's still a fully functional keyboard, just has this handy dandy Atari plug on the back. I'm probably going to add an additional connection so if you use a Genisis controller with it, A will emulate "reset", since so many games use that after you die...and jumping up to hit F2 takes you out of the feeling of having the real hardware.

     

    I digress, I just wanted to give my thanks for the inspiration! :D

    • Like 2

  25. Posted

    I don't know if anyone is even still watching this topic here, but I can't say I'm on a mission to collect everything, I am looking for a good pile of (legally) free ROMs. I know a ton are hosted here on atariage. I've downloaded a handful, some I really like, but others are kind of lemons. I didn't want to start a new topic, because I feel like it's been discussed before, but if anyone reading this has made any homebrews, has any ROMs to suggest, or a link to a thread where this has all been discussed before, I'm all ears!

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