daskrabs
Enthusiast
In 2021, I had an idea to use the arcade hardware sitting on my shelf to raise money for charity. I’ve been keen to make sure that every so often I do something, even something small, for those less fortunate than myself. I think it’s an important thing for everyone to try to do, no matter your lot in life. Anyway, I thought that since my coin-op collection was heavy on Neo Geo, including a decent number of MVS carts, that finding a used Neo Geo cabinet to restore and place on location somewhere to generate money for charity might be a good idea. In the fall of 2021, I had been looking on places like Craigslist and KLOV for Neo cabs in decent condition, not too far away, and at a reasonable price. In December, I found a “Big Red” 4-slot an hour or so away that had been converted to a different game, but it was physically solid and only missing a few critical things. I bought the cab from a retailer, so I had to pay more than I would’ve liked, but I was happy that I now had a foundation to build on.
The cab was missing a bunch of non-critical but “nice to have” parts to get it to the point where it would be something that I’d be proud to play. Stuff like marquee EL panels and the associated control boards, credit LEDs, side art, headphone jacks, etc. The cab needed a 4-slot motherboard too, but luckily I had a spare laying around. It also needed the correct power supply for the cab, which was tough to track down. They’re not as common as they were even a few years ago. I sourced the cab artwork from a variety of online sources, and everything else that was SNK-proprietary from KLOV. It took 4 months altogether, but eventually I had a nice, working Big Red cab. I spent about as much for the cab as I did restoring it, which sucked, but I told myself that it was for a good cause. I decided that using quarters for credits was the lowest hurdle to clear to getting this machine earning, so each play is 50 cents. Securing an initial stock of quarters to change out for bills wasn’t too tough either. The receptionist at my work helps out making by change if folks need it. Eventually, I’ll need a Rowe or similar bill changer.
I thought that the easiest place to vet the cab and get this charity arcade program off the ground would be at my job. I’m lucky that management is warm to the idea of having something fun to do at work, especially if it’s charitable in nature. They agreed to provide the floor space and electricity for the machine, and I own and maintain the cab. A co-worker helped me transport the cab to the building where I work. We officially launched the “CharityCade” program (I’m not good at naming things) in May 2022. Even though there’s not a lot of people that play retro games at my company, there’s enough to sustain the program, and some of the younger guys are really into it, to my surprise. My company has donated annually over the past decade to a local food bank, and so I thought it would be a good idea to make the food bank the beneficiary of this new program. Every month, my company matches the coin take, and we donate the total amount. It’s been working out great so far. We’re nearing $500 in donations in 8 months. That may not sound like a lot, but it can make a real difference to a family in need.
The highest earning games so far have been Puzzle Bobble, Metal Slug 1,2,X, and Blazing Star. I’m in the process of adding another cab at work, something more modern, most likely Vewlix-based. Eventually, I’d like to have a few public locations in my area where machines that I own are all generating money for charity. I’m hoping that my fellow arcade collectors might consider doing something like this in their communities, whether at their place of work, at a nearby business, community center, etc. It’s fun being an arcade op for the first time in my life, and it feels good knowing that just by playing games, my coworkers and I are literally putting food on people’s tables.
The cab was missing a bunch of non-critical but “nice to have” parts to get it to the point where it would be something that I’d be proud to play. Stuff like marquee EL panels and the associated control boards, credit LEDs, side art, headphone jacks, etc. The cab needed a 4-slot motherboard too, but luckily I had a spare laying around. It also needed the correct power supply for the cab, which was tough to track down. They’re not as common as they were even a few years ago. I sourced the cab artwork from a variety of online sources, and everything else that was SNK-proprietary from KLOV. It took 4 months altogether, but eventually I had a nice, working Big Red cab. I spent about as much for the cab as I did restoring it, which sucked, but I told myself that it was for a good cause. I decided that using quarters for credits was the lowest hurdle to clear to getting this machine earning, so each play is 50 cents. Securing an initial stock of quarters to change out for bills wasn’t too tough either. The receptionist at my work helps out making by change if folks need it. Eventually, I’ll need a Rowe or similar bill changer.
I thought that the easiest place to vet the cab and get this charity arcade program off the ground would be at my job. I’m lucky that management is warm to the idea of having something fun to do at work, especially if it’s charitable in nature. They agreed to provide the floor space and electricity for the machine, and I own and maintain the cab. A co-worker helped me transport the cab to the building where I work. We officially launched the “CharityCade” program (I’m not good at naming things) in May 2022. Even though there’s not a lot of people that play retro games at my company, there’s enough to sustain the program, and some of the younger guys are really into it, to my surprise. My company has donated annually over the past decade to a local food bank, and so I thought it would be a good idea to make the food bank the beneficiary of this new program. Every month, my company matches the coin take, and we donate the total amount. It’s been working out great so far. We’re nearing $500 in donations in 8 months. That may not sound like a lot, but it can make a real difference to a family in need.
The highest earning games so far have been Puzzle Bobble, Metal Slug 1,2,X, and Blazing Star. I’m in the process of adding another cab at work, something more modern, most likely Vewlix-based. Eventually, I’d like to have a few public locations in my area where machines that I own are all generating money for charity. I’m hoping that my fellow arcade collectors might consider doing something like this in their communities, whether at their place of work, at a nearby business, community center, etc. It’s fun being an arcade op for the first time in my life, and it feels good knowing that just by playing games, my coworkers and I are literally putting food on people’s tables.
