Taking the plunge

[Stac2000]

It all started with a bartop arcade purchase from Gameroomsolutions.com running a Rasberry Pi. Early 40s mid-life crisis thing but now I'm hooked.

I currently have the A & B boards (Marvel Super Heroes rev. 4, I think) and the kit plus G Pal purchased from Paradise Arcade after a long wait.

I have done countless hours of research and watched hours of youtube videos (bus commute into Manhattan during the week). My current goal is to get the kit installed and running.
However, not yet sure of this will fit in the bartop I have. I am also considering a full size upright or three sided cocktail as other options (would love a Candy Cab but too much $$$).
Also interested in the St-V and Taito F3 multi kit projects.

I am looking forward to being involved in the various forums and glad to see there are people out there willing and able to help.

 

[Derick2k]

Welcome!

Cant go wrong with Darksoft's multis.

I almost guarantee the CPS2 multi wont fit in the bartop. Post any questions you have, the very best people are on this site.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Welcome

I am also considering a full size upright or three sided cocktail as other options (would love a Candy Cab but too much $$$).

Unless there's a lot of room in that bartop it's doubtful you'll be able to squeeze in a CPS2 setup.
Also, what are you doing to handle 15KHz video?

As for a full-sized cab. don't waste your time with cocktails, they're a real pain to work on they take up a lot more space then you'd suspect and there's almost no resale value on them. As for uprights, if you can score a cheap 25" dynamo that's a good option but just about anything else is going to take up a ton of space and be a pain to work with. Candies are expensive but that's because they're worth it and they hold their value.

 

[Stac2000]

My other option is to add some type of base cabinet and store the electronics in there. Not my most desired option.
As for the video, I purchased a vga converter on Ebay or Amazon which is how I tested the board when it arrived.

How much should a full size cab run? I saw one on Craigslist recently for sale at $450 - Marvel vs. Street Fighter, looked decent, incl. the monitor

Agreed on the cocktail idea.

 

[SNK-NEO-GEO]

Welcome.. I would suggest a candy even if you have to spend $$$.. They take small space and changing game boards is a painless process since the doors are on the front of the cab I would go this route 1000 times.. Also, when you decide to sell it, you will have no problems getting your money back

 

[Stac2000]

I did recently order (but cancelled) a Blast City from Ken at The Gameroom.
The price was $1,000 plus $150 for a new two player control panel plus shipping was over $300 to NY. So minimum purchase of $1500.
In addition to receiving the unit intact, my main concern was the monitor since they don't make them anymore. That is one area completely out of my comfort zone. Also got turned off after reading about ever other guy that paid next to nothing for their cabinet while it will cost me 10x what they paid! Seems more difficult getting cabs on the east coast from my research. A lot of way overpriced junk out there.

 

[twistedsymphony]

I did recently order (but cancelled) a Blast City from Ken at The Gameroom.
The price was $1,000 plus $150 for a new two player control panel plus shipping was over $300 to NY. So minimum purchase of $1500.
In addition to receiving the unit intact, my main concern was the monitor since they don't make them anymore. That is one area completely out of my comfort zone. Also got turned off after reading about ever other guy that paid next to nothing for their cabinet while it will cost me 10x what they paid! Seems more difficult getting cabs on the east coast from my research. A lot of way overpriced junk out there.

Yes, people do find great deals but in general you have to be willing to diligently search daily for months/years for such deals to pop up, and then when they do you have to be willing to drop everything and buy/pickup that machine the same day... then after that you probably still have some repair work to do.

Buying a cab from someone like Ken is more expensive because the machine has already been gone over with problems fixed and you're also paying for the availability.

I can tell you that if/when a candy pops up in the NY area it's likely going to be priced in the $700-$1200 range and it's likely going to need some work, and it's likely going to be sold in HOURS, not days of the listing going up.

It comes down to this: how much do you value your free time?

If you're interested in a challenge: setting up email alerts and checking listings several times a day, ready with a wad of cash and a truck to snag that deal, and then buying something that will require you spend a few hundred bucks in parts plus weeks of work to tear it down, clean, paint, and possibly solder and crimp then buying a cab from someone like Ken probably isn't the right choice.

but if you're interested in just buying a nice cab and playing games then buying from someone like Ken probably IS the right choice.

FWIW out of the 9 machines I currently own, after the initial purchase price, transportation, and buying parts to fix them up I've probably only spent less than $1500 on 1 of them, and that's only because I got it as part of a deal with a bunch of other machines and did the bare minimum to get it up and running.

-------------

My advice to anyone in this hobby is to first figure out what it is you really want. Then be willing to spend the money to get exactly that. Even if that means waiting longer to save the money necessary to buy it. On Many occasions I've spent money on "cheaper" alternatives that end up costing me a lot more in the long run trying to make it into what I wanted in the first place. As my grandmother often told me "no amount of travel down the wrong road will lead you to the right destination".

 

[jassin000]

not yet sure of this will fit in the bartop I have

I'm 99.9% sure it WONT FIT.
CPS2 is very long and with the B-board installed somewhat thick.

I can't put mine inside my Vewlix cab without angling it to the side...

would love a Candy Cab but too much $$$

Candy's are premio bucks on the East Coast for sure, I've seen some good deals on empty woody cabs recently however.
Maybe it's time to take the cab plunge as well?

 

[SNK-NEO-GEO]

Here is a quote from Ken.. But I pay any day for quality over quantity.. His cabs have burn in.. Shipping will damage the cab and that is a given but if you go known that, you will be ok

Cyberlead $850.00
Astro City $1500.00
Blast City $1050.00
Net City $1350.00
New Net City $1450.00
New Versus City $1600.00
Namco Noir HD $2200.00
Taito Vewlix F Model $2600.00

Edit - also if you want burn in free CRT that would be an extra $600.. If you want a knew Nano that would be $1600 on top of the price, only two left.

 

[jassin000]

Taito Vewlix F Model $2600.00

Ouch! I got my Vewlix C for $2600.00 but that included shipping (which was 450$).

OP FYI: A LCD based cab like a Vewlix isn't going to play nicely with a CPS2...
However a CRT based cab is going to require (somewhat) regular maintenance.

Just out of curiosity what type of monitor do you have in the bartop?

 

[xodaraP]

Here is a quote from Ken.. But I pay any day for quality over quantity.. His cabs have burn in.. Shipping will damage the cab and that is a given but if you go known that, you will be ok

Cyberlead $850.00
Astro City $1500.00
Blast City $1050.00
Net City $1350.00
New Net City $1450.00
New Versus City $1600.00
Namco Noir HD $2200.00
Taito Vewlix F Model $2600.00

Edit - also if you want burn in free CRT that would be an extra $600.. If you want a knew Nano that would be $1600 on top of the price, only two left.

Why are Cyber Lead cabs so unloved? Nanao MS9-29 monitor, JVS support so they'll take a NAOMI without modification, the only downside is they're not rotatable I guess. Parts are impossible to find much like the Taito cabinets. But they're a solid cab and the DMD marquee is cool.

 

[zero238]

I did recently order (but cancelled) a Blast City from Ken at The Gameroom.
The price was $1,000 plus $150 for a new two player control panel plus shipping was over $300 to NY. So minimum purchase of $1500.
In addition to receiving the unit intact, my main concern was the monitor since they don't make them anymore. That is one area completely out of my comfort zone. Also got turned off after reading about ever other guy that paid next to nothing for their cabinet while it will cost me 10x what they paid! Seems more difficult getting cabs on the east coast from my research. A lot of way overpriced junk out there.

Shoot, I hate myself a bit for buying a monkey ball for $1600 so I didn't have to search anymore. That was 2 months ago and a few days ago one comes out for 850 playing blind. Bad luck happens but once you get the cab you want, worth it to have an original dedicated cab. As for fixing cabs, bite the bullet and start learning how to fix them, otherwise getting someone else to fix it will cost you more $$$; the tech was charging like 65/hr to fix my Neo Geo when I was still new to this.

 

[Derick2k]

Here is a quote from Ken.. But I pay any day for quality over quantity.. His cabs have burn in.. Shipping will damage the cab and that is a given but if you go known that, you will be ok

Cyberlead $850.00
Astro City $1500.00
Blast City $1050.00
Net City $1350.00
New Net City $1450.00
New Versus City $1600.00
Namco Noir HD $2200.00
Taito Vewlix F Model $2600.00

Edit - also if you want burn in free CRT that would be an extra $600.. If you want a knew Nano that would be $1600 on top of the price, only two left.

Damn, Ken raised them prices, guess thats the way things are going.

 

[Stac2000]

Appreciate all the feedback, it is validating most of my recent conclusions. twistedsymphony your end remarks hit the nail on the head - thanks
I am anxious to get this kit going and be able to play.

 

[Lemony Vengeance]

Here is a quote from Ken.. But I pay any day for quality over quantity.. His cabs have burn in.. Shipping will damage the cab and that is a given but if you go known that, you will be ok

Cyberlead $850.00
Astro City $1500.00
Blast City $1050.00
Net City $1350.00
New Net City $1450.00
New Versus City $1600.00
Namco Noir HD $2200.00
Taito Vewlix F Model $2600.00

Edit - also if you want burn in free CRT that would be an extra $600.. If you want a knew Nano that would be $1600 on top of the price, only two left.

Damn, Ken raised them prices, guess thats the way things are going.

Yikes. six months ago, I got an Astro from him for my office for $750, and I know that the NNCs were $1250.. Looks like prices have gone up in deed.

Also, don't get those cyberleads. they're NOT in good condition.

 

[xodaraP]

Ah. I wonder if he'd be willing to sell Cyber Lead parts separately, I'd really love to see if he'd part with the I/O and maybe an amp board

 

[Stac2000]

So crt and not lcd for the cps2 setup?
The bartop has a viewsonic widescreen but looks like that will stay as an emulator while i continue to hunt for a suitable cab.

What about lcd arcade monitors - any good?
I was hoping to avoid crt alltogether. Is that not realistic?

 

[twistedsymphony]

What about lcd arcade monitors - any good?
I was hoping to avoid crt alltogether. Is that not realistic?

If you want comparable picture quality and speed in an LCD cab you'll be joining the ranks of the $5K candy club.

I think the real question is WHY you want to avoid CRTs?

 

[Stac2000]

crt it is then.

 

[xodaraP]

It's all about preference, most people prefer CRT for older games because that's what these games were played on. LCD can be made to look similar with equipment like the OSSC

Here we have jassin who swears by LCD and uses that equipment to get an (admittedly very nice) picture, where others (myself included) prefer CRT for the lack of input lag, the color and the fact it's more authentic.

I would like to own an LCD based cab for newer hardware, but everything I tend to play on arcade cabs is early-mid 90s which looks better on CRT

Edit: As twistedsymphony said the OSSC and other required equipment to make an LCD work is NOT cheap. But if you want LCD it can be done, if you only want 1 cab and want to be able to play anything and everything on it, it costs more but it only costs once


.... Until the bug bites, lol