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[solved] Project direction for an empty blue case for Dungeons & Dragons Shadow over Mystara?

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ifkz

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In my stuff, I found this CPS-2 top case a few weeks ago (both halves) and I remembered the story of how I got it; the original owner had to do some custom surface mount work to the board inside to save it and get it operational, but his fixed board could not fit back into the case. He told me he had to solder cap legs to the original board, and suspend a custom chip in the air like a spider....I wish I could have seen his finished work! Ah the story of CPS-2 acid battery damage.

This top case was headed for the trashcan, but I spoke up and got it and I have kept it around. I never want any arcade anything to hit the trash.

After getting back into the hobby recently, I cleaned it up inside (some brown residue) and it is sort of a piece of art that watches over me at the edge of my desk while I do my soldering work.

I am not interested in selling it, but rather, I would love to get this going back into a game again.

I am ignorant what a replacement loose board for it is going to be: impossibly expensive? Can someone write a few words on the state of things in CPS-2??? (edit: research says it's a story of lucky survivors and a whole lot of acid soaked boards from battery damage)

Last night, looking around further (at my parts) and I found a few bits: graphics eproms burned + a GAL for a conversion game idea: Progear. I also happened across a factory mask rom set + PAL for Vampire Savior. That's the end of my CPS-2 parts.
(edit: yeah, like the Big Lebowski, I am missing the rug that ties the whole room together, the board that goes in this shell. LOL!)

So, anyone have an opinion that could I do with this momento of my younger arcade years? Keep it as art? (edit: most likely, turn it back into what it once was as a conversion game since I have the EPROMS to do it. Now I just need to hunt for a bare donor board to throw inside the case and I'll be set to start.)

(edited with new information, what I found after looking around, and the project direction of turning this back into a DND SOM with a bare donor board).

A picture since everyone likes those!
 
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Just sell it to someone who may need it. I'm acrually looking for one but want to deal in Europe.
 
I was going to say the same as the above poster. I just got a 32-in-one off Aliexpress and it came without a case (also came with an A board with no case) so I'll be looking for a top shell myself to put it in
 
Some, like me also end up with cracked shells from poor packing, etc. I would think an empty shell would be in descent demand.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I had to clarify in the OP that I am not interested in selling this plastic shell, but rather turning it into a game again. But looking around at my options, for the first time in 12 years, is sobering. It looks like lots of acid eaten boards out there and the ones that did survive are a bit expensive. I will see if I can source a CPS-2 title that needs this case. At least it is in good shape from the carnage I just looked at, ha! Even having an intact sticker seems like a big deal.

You all have me thinking in the right direction.
 
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hrist said:
Oh, so just fintd yourself a naked B board and convert it to D&D! Its a really good game!
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This is the best direction to go with it; I already have eproms that should work well for the game code and also a GAL that I can reprogram too. From what I saw looking around, it is a real rarity to have this case also in this condition. I always wanted to have a larger CPS-2 collection, so if I can make this back into a real game, even a conversion, then it's a good direction. Get a bare donor board if I can find it, burn the roms, use an openkey and I should be set with a recreated game that will match it's case.
 
The link for the Aliexpress board I sent you actually has that D&D game on it :)

It also has the previous one. Tower of Doom. Worse case, you can take off the C board and use the bare B board to make a new game
 
KhaineGB said:
The link for the Aliexpress board I sent you actually has that D&D game on it :)

It also has the previous one. Tower of Doom. Worse case, you can take off the C board and use the bare B board to make a new game
Click to expand...
Yeah, what I am really hoping is, once I've got a budget again in the new year, I can make a WTB to find a bare stripped but working board for it and do all the things and get this back to the game that's on the sticker once again to have it proudly playing in my collection. I think a single conversion game is the way I want to go, it uses up all of my parts I have saved over the years and that seems to me like the proper thing to do. You know, use up all the resources I have in my parts bin to make this one, and only one, CPS-2 game happen. Perhaps I am just a romantic, LOL!
 
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