Hi all

[coll83]

Hello everyone,

Just a quick hello and a little bit about me. I am based in the UK and have been playing games from the late 80s. I love all aspects of gaming but have found modern games have now become very easy and the only real challenge is grinding which isnt too much of an issue being an RPG fan. So I tend to play the older stuff for score challenges with friends.
I have a small collection of candy cabs which consist of: 2 new astro citys, 2 blast citys, 1 aero city and a neo25. supporting these machines is various CPS1/CPS2/CPS3 boards, namco boards and also a Mistercade and a few darksoft products.
To top it all I have a growing collection of Neo Geo + MVS carts.

 

[tika]

Welcome to AP!

 

[mybff]

Great collections!

 

[FrancoB]

Welcome!

That sounds like a nice collection you have there.

Where abouts in the UK are you? Not that I want to rob you, honest

 

[coll83]

Welcome!

That sounds like a nice collection you have there.

Where abouts in the UK are you? Not that I want to rob you, honest

Thank you very much! It will continue to grow I hope as I have such a soft spot for candy cabs.
Im in the West Midlands. My house sits on 20 odd concrete steps so be my guest!!

 

[teethbee]

Sounds like a great lineup you have, welcome!

 

[Joko3]

Welcome to our nerdy, cozy little corner of the internet. If you have any questions about superguns, building arcade sticks, or vintage stereo gear please feel free to reach out as those are my areas of knowledge. I also do a mean packing job on PCBs so if you sell anything here and want advice on package please reach out

 

[coll83]

Welcome to our nerdy, cozy little corner of the internet. If you have any questions about superguns, building arcade sticks, or vintage stereo gear please feel free to reach out as those are my areas of knowledge. I also do a mean packing job on PCBs so if you sell anything here and want advice on package please reach out

thank you! I will keep that in mind, ive embraced the hobby on a hands on level aswell as love having a tinker! Hakko equipment helps alot! I have recently got a OSSC to run my neo geo through my S95C but I just cant seem to get the settings good enough. I curently have it on a sony trinitron but need the space

 

[Joko3]

Good soldering equipment definitely changes the game. I thought for sure I couldn't ever solder successfully until I finally got a Hakko station. I have a Hakko desoldering station as well, but I haven't used it much. Usually I don't have to desolder much so just using desoldering wick does the trick. Little flux, fresh solder, put the wick on, hit with the iron, and boom all of it is soaked up.

 

[coll83]

Good soldering equipment definitely changes the game. I thought for sure I couldn't ever solder successfully until I finally got a Hakko station. I have a Hakko desoldering station as well, but I haven't used it much. Usually I don't have to desolder much so just using desoldering wick does the trick. Little flux, fresh solder, put the wick on, hit with the iron, and boom all of it is soaked up.

I got the solder/desolder stations aswell. Never done much before bar the odd wire here and there and the equipment is amazing. I practised capping etc on a mega drive 2 and more or less replaced everything on it. Then did several PSUs/sound amps and monitor chassis. The chassis I did see improvements from so really happy. I was struggling to find UK support to help with maintenance so you got to do what you got to do.

 

[Joko3]

Best to learn even if help is available because none of us are getting any younger and that help may disappear one day. I'll still use help when available if something is above my skill level, but I always try to arrange it so I can stick around for at least an hour to watch and learn. Usually those old-school repair guys don't mind the company anyway.

 

[coll83]

Best to learn even if help is available because none of us are getting any younger and that help may disappear one day. I'll still use help when available if something is above my skill level, but I always try to arrange it so I can stick around for at least an hour to watch and learn. Usually those old-school repair guys don't mind the company anyway.

When I was a kid we used to work in a sound and light shop and the in house tech there (mad mick) we all made fun on but he could fix anything!! What I would do to have him to hand now. Ive been sending some bits state side but its not cheap. Plus I like to mess anyway and enjoy learning what makes things tick.

 

[o1s1n]

2 NACs, 2 Blasts, an Aero and a neo25 is not a 'small collection', it's a bloody arcade! sounds like an amazing setup, would love to see some photos

 

[coll83]

2 NACs, 2 Blasts, an Aero and a neo25 is not a 'small collection', it's a bloody arcade! sounds like an amazing setup, would love to see some photos

Here you go. I have the NAC and Blast at home, the Aero and neo 25 are on the way to me. 2nd Astro is at work for me and the lads to play on (if we get time) and the 2nd blast im restoring. its currrently at the paint shop being coated.

 

[o1s1n]

Wow, they're some minty looking cabinets! Particularly that Aero and Neo 25 on the way.

Have you played around with an Aero before? They're amazingly heavy things, built like absolute tanks.

 

[shelcoof]

Small collection is an understatement
That's pretty impressive collection

 

[Joko3]

When I was a kid we used to work in a sound and light shop and the in house tech there (mad mick) we all made fun on but he could fix anything!! What I would do to have him to hand now. Ive been sending some bits state side but its not cheap. Plus I like to mess anyway and enjoy learning what makes things tick.

Yeah man those old repair guys are always strange, but a godsend when you need them. My dad has been building audiophile gear for about 40 years. He's pretty good with a soldering iron and knows his stuff, but he has a guy in town he brings stuff to either when he's stumped, it's beyond his skill level, or if he just wants it done five times faster than he can do. The guy works out of what essentially amounts to a huge storage unit with an office attached. His work bench is mad professor-ish and his personality is completely unfiltered (but not in an offensive asshole way). I slipped one day while carrying a board and cracked it so bad it broke into two pieces. The dude put it back together like it was nothing; it was absolutely insane to watch.

My arcade stuff will be in storage in my hometown for a hot minute until I'm fully resettled back in the US, and I'm thinking I should utilize him before it all goes anywhere else. There's definitely a couple boards and consoles I'd rather him recap than me; one I waited 5+ years for the opportunity to buy (clean Wonder Boy 1 on Sega System 1) so I'd rather just pay the cash and have a pro do it. Common stuff like MVS, CPS2, Mega Drive, etc I'll just do myself because practice makes perfect after all, and if I do something drastic (which isn't likely) it won't be the end of the world lol.

 

[coll83]

Wow, they're some minty looking cabinets! Particularly that Aero and Neo 25 on the way.

Have you played around with an Aero before? They're amazingly heavy things, built like absolute tanks.

I havent no, I wanted to flip the screen and dedicate it to vertical shumps. I have twisted the aero and blasts inside out and back again so wanted something new to play with. Do you have experience with them?
I am one of those anal people for detial so the aero and the neo will be getting my treat

Yeah man those old repair guys are always strange, but a godsend when you need them. My dad has been building audiophile gear for about 40 years. He's pretty good with a soldering iron and knows his stuff, but he has a guy in town he brings stuff to either when he's stumped, it's beyond his skill level, or if he just wants it done five times faster than he can do. The guy works out of what essentially amounts to a huge storage unit with an office attached. His work bench is mad professor-ish and his personality is completely unfiltered (but not in an offensive asshole way). I slipped one day while carrying a board and cracked it so bad it broke into two pieces. The dude put it back together like it was nothing; it was absolutely insane to watch.

My arcade stuff will be in storage in my hometown for a hot minute until I'm fully resettled back in the US, and I'm thinking I should utilize him before it all goes anywhere else. There's definitely a couple boards and consoles I'd rather him recap than me; one I waited 5+ years for the opportunity to buy (clean Wonder Boy 1 on Sega System 1) so I'd rather just pay the cash and have a pro do it. Common stuff like MVS, CPS2, Mega Drive, etc I'll just do myself because practice makes perfect after all, and if I do something drastic (which isn't likely) it won't be the end of the world lol.

love it! After I got to about 200 caps or so the confidence comes then it seems alot easier thats for sure! Plus its great fun and some nice head space time.