12/18 - Xenon & Elvira pages are posted
I finally got around to editing & posting new pages for Xenon & Elvira.
Click here to visit Xenon page.
Click here to visit Elvira page.
Click here to visit Olympic Hockey page.
Click here to visit Xenon page.
Click here to visit Elvira page.
Click here to visit Olympic Hockey page.
12/4 - 4H Day @ Keith's Arcade part 2...
A couple of weeks ago we hosted another 4H event at our home. Everyone enjoyed the games as usual and I made another video showcasing the arcade. Enjoy.
11/24 - It's time to party...
Click image to visit Elvira page.
...with my latest pickup, Elvira & the Party Monsters! What did I have to give up for this one? Well, this was another trade worked out with my friends at Slackers. They had this beauty in their Columbia store and weren't letting it go cheap. Well, if you read my previous post, youll know that I aquired another Ms. Pac-Man for a cheap price and spent next to nothing to bring it back from the dead. I traded that game along with my Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man Pinball to aquire this gem. Yeah, not often I trade two games for one, but I didn't need another Ms. Pac-Man, and this is another highly sought after pin that I really wanted.
Is it perfect, well, no, not really. It is working but is suffering from the typical system 11 problems. Of course, I'm referring to a fried connector which is keeping some of the general illumination from working. It is also having a display issue which I originally thought was going to be quite pricey, but am quickly learning that a typical culprit might be a couple of resistors on the power supply. I am eagerly anticipating another parts order to arrive and keeping my fingers crossed. Until then Ill enjoy a few rounds of "monstrous" pinball. Stay tuned.
Is it perfect, well, no, not really. It is working but is suffering from the typical system 11 problems. Of course, I'm referring to a fried connector which is keeping some of the general illumination from working. It is also having a display issue which I originally thought was going to be quite pricey, but am quickly learning that a typical culprit might be a couple of resistors on the power supply. I am eagerly anticipating another parts order to arrive and keeping my fingers crossed. Until then Ill enjoy a few rounds of "monstrous" pinball. Stay tuned.
11/5 - How about another Ms. Pac-Man...
Click image to go to Ms. Pac-Man page.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Up until a few years ago I never dreamed I'd own a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game, until I found an exceptional deal on one back in 2008. Now, would you believe I found another one?
Check out this photo. Yes, this is what I have downstairs at the moment, not one but 2 Ms. Pac-Man arcade games. How did I pull this one off? Well thanks in turn to a down market for starters. One of these recently sat broken on CL for a whopping 10 days with a mere $100 price tag. After all that time and no takers, I had enough and decided to go for it. Aside from some heavy screen burn, would you believe the only problems were a bad fuse block (which is a typical culprit for this game) and some loose daughter cards? Yep, it really didn't take much to bring this one back from the dead.
The new find has a better cabinet and slightly better artwork, so I decided to swap parts around between the 2 games. Then I decided to replace the heavily burned monitor with one I had in my stash. As cool as it is to see these sitting side by side, do I really need both? I don't think so. Good thing I already have a trade worked out. Stay tuned for more details.
Check out this photo. Yes, this is what I have downstairs at the moment, not one but 2 Ms. Pac-Man arcade games. How did I pull this one off? Well thanks in turn to a down market for starters. One of these recently sat broken on CL for a whopping 10 days with a mere $100 price tag. After all that time and no takers, I had enough and decided to go for it. Aside from some heavy screen burn, would you believe the only problems were a bad fuse block (which is a typical culprit for this game) and some loose daughter cards? Yep, it really didn't take much to bring this one back from the dead.
The new find has a better cabinet and slightly better artwork, so I decided to swap parts around between the 2 games. Then I decided to replace the heavily burned monitor with one I had in my stash. As cool as it is to see these sitting side by side, do I really need both? I don't think so. Good thing I already have a trade worked out. Stay tuned for more details.
10/15 - From Pepsi machine to Pepsi... cooler?
Since Arcade & Pinball games dont generally come cheap (at least around here), sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get a game you want. In this case, I wanted a Xenon, and something was going to have to go to make space and funds for it. So I made the decision to sell my 1970's Pepsi Machine. I liked it, but lets face it, it was in the way and was a pain to move, whenever I needed to move it. A buyer came along and just the mere fact that it took us over an hour to get it out of my house was evidence enough that I made the right call.
Now the dillema remains, where are those frosty cold beverages gonna go now? I came up with an idea to "
somewhat" recreate my own "mini" Pepsi machine. It started with a nice mini fridge that I picked up cheap on CL. I then found this neat little Pepsi-Cola backlit sign (I believe from an old fountain) on eBay. I also found some stickers for the sides and then it was off to wally world for some paint.
Here's some photos of the old and new Pepsi cooler...
Now the dillema remains, where are those frosty cold beverages gonna go now? I came up with an idea to "
somewhat" recreate my own "mini" Pepsi machine. It started with a nice mini fridge that I picked up cheap on CL. I then found this neat little Pepsi-Cola backlit sign (I believe from an old fountain) on eBay. I also found some stickers for the sides and then it was off to wally world for some paint.
Here's some photos of the old and new Pepsi cooler...
9/29 - New project, "Enter Xenon" into the cave...
Click image to visit Xenon page.
Another pin? You betcha! Ever since I saw a Xenon at an auction awhile back I knew I wanted one. After learning about how the game came to be, it simply became another "must own". However, it is a highly desireable pin amongst collectors, and for a guy like me on a tight budget, these never seem to be within reach.
I met another fellow pinball collector nearby whom I purchased the Olympic Hockey pinball from. Of course he let us into his private gameroom to see and play his collection of pins, and I must say he has some nice ones. Sue played a Tommy pin and loved it, and I played a Black Hole & a Baby Pac-Man. However there was another pin that caught my eye, a torn-apart Xenon that he had in the corner with a few other project pins. It had a rough playfield and the backglass was pretty much done for, but the rest of it was nice (although very dirty) and the game was almost playable at the time.
Naturally, I inquired about it and asked if he was selling. At the time, he had an "interested party" that was in line to buy it for a decent price, and he was waiting to hear back. I expressed my interest if this other "party" backed out. Now fast forward to about a month or so later. I had talked with this fellow on several occasions and had asked what was going on with the Xenon. Apparently the first guy stopped responding and I was next in line. "Do you still want this Xenon? I'll even get it fully operational and put a supercap on the MPU for you". Well far be it for me to pass on this one.
This is a project game. As I mentioned, the playfield is a little rough, although it is touched up. It will need a good cleaning and some new rubbers. The backglass is too far gone to even attempt to save, but luckily I found a decent replacement which is en route. Otherwise the only issues are that a few lamps arent working. A couple need new sockets, and a couple other's will need some attention at the lamp driver PCB. No big deal. Even with a rough and dirty playfield, it still plays nice, and so far not one day has gone by that this game has been ignored. Even Alli says it's her new favorite game.
I hope to have this project done in the next few weeks or so, in which time it will have it's own page here on the site, so stay tuned for more.
I met another fellow pinball collector nearby whom I purchased the Olympic Hockey pinball from. Of course he let us into his private gameroom to see and play his collection of pins, and I must say he has some nice ones. Sue played a Tommy pin and loved it, and I played a Black Hole & a Baby Pac-Man. However there was another pin that caught my eye, a torn-apart Xenon that he had in the corner with a few other project pins. It had a rough playfield and the backglass was pretty much done for, but the rest of it was nice (although very dirty) and the game was almost playable at the time.
Naturally, I inquired about it and asked if he was selling. At the time, he had an "interested party" that was in line to buy it for a decent price, and he was waiting to hear back. I expressed my interest if this other "party" backed out. Now fast forward to about a month or so later. I had talked with this fellow on several occasions and had asked what was going on with the Xenon. Apparently the first guy stopped responding and I was next in line. "Do you still want this Xenon? I'll even get it fully operational and put a supercap on the MPU for you". Well far be it for me to pass on this one.
This is a project game. As I mentioned, the playfield is a little rough, although it is touched up. It will need a good cleaning and some new rubbers. The backglass is too far gone to even attempt to save, but luckily I found a decent replacement which is en route. Otherwise the only issues are that a few lamps arent working. A couple need new sockets, and a couple other's will need some attention at the lamp driver PCB. No big deal. Even with a rough and dirty playfield, it still plays nice, and so far not one day has gone by that this game has been ignored. Even Alli says it's her new favorite game.
I hope to have this project done in the next few weeks or so, in which time it will have it's own page here on the site, so stay tuned for more.
8/28 - Olympic Hockey Pinball, now on YouTube.
Since it's been awhile since my last update, I decided to try an experimental video with my Olympic Hockey Pinball. The video was shot using a couple different angles and views. Enjoy.
And if you are looking for a spoiler alert, I will tell you this... the next update will be another pinball update.
And if you are looking for a spoiler alert, I will tell you this... the next update will be another pinball update.
7/30 - When hobbies collide...
My hobby: vintage home console & arcade games. My Wife & Daughter's hobby: showing horses. What would happen if you mixed the two together?
This week, Sue & Alli attended the Missouri State 4-H Horse Show in Sedalia and entered in several events. One of them included a costume contest where the horses & riders would wear costumes in hope of impressing the judge. Apparently my hobby inspired them to create a costume based on Ms. Pac-Man. As you can see, Alli dressed up like Pinky, what you may not see are the pellets & energizer Sue was wearing. Why she didn't wear black clothes with the white pellets, I have no idea.
The crowd loved it, but unfortunately the judge just didn't get it, so Alli didn't place. Oh well, it was a neat idea and everyone had a good time. And now I have a constant reminder of this memory hanging in my cave. I'm proud of her.
This week, Sue & Alli attended the Missouri State 4-H Horse Show in Sedalia and entered in several events. One of them included a costume contest where the horses & riders would wear costumes in hope of impressing the judge. Apparently my hobby inspired them to create a costume based on Ms. Pac-Man. As you can see, Alli dressed up like Pinky, what you may not see are the pellets & energizer Sue was wearing. Why she didn't wear black clothes with the white pellets, I have no idea.
The crowd loved it, but unfortunately the judge just didn't get it, so Alli didn't place. Oh well, it was a neat idea and everyone had a good time. And now I have a constant reminder of this memory hanging in my cave. I'm proud of her.
7/11 - A truckload of monitors, a couple of monitor swaps...
What we have here is a truck bed full of monitors that I recently brought home. How did I score all these? I recently put a broken Frogger up on the chopping block. I sold a few parts from it, and a local who had all these monitors wanted the rest. Seems he'd rather have another game instead of a bunch of old monitors in his way, can you blame him? Now, I try not to "hoard" parts but its good to have a spare or two, especially when you have a collection going, and the price was right once again. He said he was going to give me a few monitors, and much to my surprise we ended up filling my truck up with 10 of these suckers, plus a bonus 21" computer monitor which happens to be the exact same model I have in my MAME cabinet. Nice.
While most of these monitors were in various states of disrepair and a few had some pretty bad screen burn, there were a few treasures here. In particular, a burn free WG4900, a very nice G07 and a mostly working, burn free 14" Sanyo for a Nintendo or Atari cocktail. Theres even a tri-sync 27" as you can see. After a Saturday of picking and testing, I flipped the 13" monitors to other forum members and traded 4 dead monitor chassis' for a rebuilt WG7000 which I needed to flip another game. This left me with 3 working 4900's and a working G07, along with the D9200 and the 21" computer monitor.
It just so happens that my Tron also runs a 4900 and has a rebuilt chassis, but also has very heavy burn on the tube. I immediately began thinking that I was going to put the burn-free tube in that sucker, and the results speak for themselves. I also put the G07 in my Hang-On, simply because it's a little better than what I had in it previously. The rest of these will wait patiently (or impatiently) on a shelf until they are needed.
While most of these monitors were in various states of disrepair and a few had some pretty bad screen burn, there were a few treasures here. In particular, a burn free WG4900, a very nice G07 and a mostly working, burn free 14" Sanyo for a Nintendo or Atari cocktail. Theres even a tri-sync 27" as you can see. After a Saturday of picking and testing, I flipped the 13" monitors to other forum members and traded 4 dead monitor chassis' for a rebuilt WG7000 which I needed to flip another game. This left me with 3 working 4900's and a working G07, along with the D9200 and the 21" computer monitor.
It just so happens that my Tron also runs a 4900 and has a rebuilt chassis, but also has very heavy burn on the tube. I immediately began thinking that I was going to put the burn-free tube in that sucker, and the results speak for themselves. I also put the G07 in my Hang-On, simply because it's a little better than what I had in it previously. The rest of these will wait patiently (or impatiently) on a shelf until they are needed.
6/26 - If you can't save it, MAME it...
Click image to go to MAME page.
What do you do when you have a nice Taito game that doesn't work and everyone wants it for parts? You part it out.
So then what do you do with a nice empty Taito cabinet? It would simply be a sin to let it go to waste.
In my early years of buying arcade games, I had built a couple of MAME cab's myself. Of course, I'm talking back in the day, when these things cost close to $1000 for a proper build. Nowadays, computers are cheaper & faster, and you can get a computer & CRT monitor just about handed to you. That was the case here. So, an empty cabinet and an extra computer to play with? Yep, it was time to build another MAME cabinet.
This time, I would spend next to nothing and run it with a simple and easy to use front end. No more having to turn the computer on manually and navigate thru menus with a mouse like we had to in the early days.
The game used to be an Alpine Ski that refused to stay working. It died so that others may live on. I just had to do something with a nice leftover Taito cabinet, and you can see the result to your left.
Click here to visit the new MAME page.
So then what do you do with a nice empty Taito cabinet? It would simply be a sin to let it go to waste.
In my early years of buying arcade games, I had built a couple of MAME cab's myself. Of course, I'm talking back in the day, when these things cost close to $1000 for a proper build. Nowadays, computers are cheaper & faster, and you can get a computer & CRT monitor just about handed to you. That was the case here. So, an empty cabinet and an extra computer to play with? Yep, it was time to build another MAME cabinet.
This time, I would spend next to nothing and run it with a simple and easy to use front end. No more having to turn the computer on manually and navigate thru menus with a mouse like we had to in the early days.
The game used to be an Alpine Ski that refused to stay working. It died so that others may live on. I just had to do something with a nice leftover Taito cabinet, and you can see the result to your left.
Click here to visit the new MAME page.
6/14 - The ultimate pinball topper
So a couple of weeks ago, my wife went away to Nashville on business. Not long into the trip, I got a phone call saying she was getting an autograph from none other than Mike Eruzione, who had just given a speech at one of the seminars and was signing autographs afterwards. Being a hockey fan, I should have known right away who this man was, but instead I just had to ask "who is that?". Well, if your not familiar with the "miracle on ice", well, what, have you been under a rock? Turns out Mike was the team captain of the famous 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team. It wasnt until she reminded me of who Mike was that I thought "wow, cool".
Now my wife is not a big sports fanatic, so when she got home I was expecting Mike's insignia on a worthless piece of paper or something of the sort. Turns out he was signing on an 8x10 photo of the entire team. Off to the dollar store we go for a frame to put in it, and then it hit me. Why not put this thing on top of this Olympic Hockey pinball machine I recently picked up? Lot's of arcade game enthusiasts put toppers on their games, but you usually don't see them on pinballs since alot of players will bump the table at times. Nothing a little velcro can't take care of. I just had to do it. These just go together like chocolate and Reese's peanut butter.
Of course, I couldnt stop there, so I grabbed a few of my Pac-Man collectibles and now Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man has a few toppers of it's own.
Click here to read about the 1980 "miracle on ice".
Now my wife is not a big sports fanatic, so when she got home I was expecting Mike's insignia on a worthless piece of paper or something of the sort. Turns out he was signing on an 8x10 photo of the entire team. Off to the dollar store we go for a frame to put in it, and then it hit me. Why not put this thing on top of this Olympic Hockey pinball machine I recently picked up? Lot's of arcade game enthusiasts put toppers on their games, but you usually don't see them on pinballs since alot of players will bump the table at times. Nothing a little velcro can't take care of. I just had to do it. These just go together like chocolate and Reese's peanut butter.
Of course, I couldnt stop there, so I grabbed a few of my Pac-Man collectibles and now Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man has a few toppers of it's own.
Click here to read about the 1980 "miracle on ice".
6/5 - Olympic Hockey, anyone?
Click image to go to Olympic Hockey page.
What do you do when you have a single pinball game amongst numerous video games and youre on a tight budget? In my case, I sold a couple games, then I waited for a bargain to come my way. Once again, patience pays off. This shopped out Olympic Hockey pinball game popped up on CL recently and I simply couldnt pass it up, especially after the seller threw a bonus game into the pot.
This one marks some milestones for my collection. It's the only EM game I own as well as the only game I own made by Williams. I dig the hockey theme also so this will make a nice addition.
Click here to visit the new Olympic Hockey page.
This one marks some milestones for my collection. It's the only EM game I own as well as the only game I own made by Williams. I dig the hockey theme also so this will make a nice addition.
Click here to visit the new Olympic Hockey page.
5/21 - Nintendo Arcade Hi-Score Save/Freeplay Kit Review
If you own a Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. or a Mario Bros. arcade game, these kits are a must have. They are produced by Braze Technologies and are available exclusively at ArcadeShop. These nifty little daughter PCB's are easy to install and add many features to your game, including Hi-Score save, freeplay and sound in attract mode. There is also a D2K kit available for Donkey Kong owners which also adds a second game called "Donkey Kong II - Jumpman Returns".
I recently recorded a video review of these kits for those who wanted to share in the learning experience of installation and how to utilize the menu's. Be sure to check it out below.
I recently recorded a video review of these kits for those who wanted to share in the learning experience of installation and how to utilize the menu's. Be sure to check it out below.
5/14 - Saying goodbye to a couple old friends
With the recent edition of new games, holes in the pocket book come and a lack of space occurs. In these cases I have to make tough choices and sell a game or two. What you see here is my UMK3 and HOTD, sold to a new owner and leaving my driveway. While Ill miss playing UMK3 myself and visitors really took a liking to HOTD, These were two high dollar games that I just couldnt hold on to. Turns out the new owner is an MK fanatic and is looking to build an MK row. He already owns an MK2 so this will be a nice edition to his collection.
Not to worry though, I have a couple more games in the works. Check back in the weeks ahead for more details. In the meantine, you can read all about UMK3 & HOTD by clicking the links.
Not to worry though, I have a couple more games in the works. Check back in the weeks ahead for more details. In the meantine, you can read all about UMK3 & HOTD by clicking the links.
5/7 - Compact Flash upgrade for the Atari drivers
Ahhh, late model Atari driving games. I have 2 of 'em and enjoy them on a regular basis. In fact, there is only one beef I have with modern games, they use hard drives. Yes, the same hard drive you have in your computer. I detest these about as much as suicide batteries, and for the same reason... they can and will eventually fail, rendering your game useless.
While my games in particular were still operational, I knew I would have to address the hard drives sooner or later. I happened to stumble upon an idea I discovered from my friend Jeremy (The Basement Arcade). I dont know if it was his idea or not, but he mentioned performing a "flash" upgrade to a few of his late model Atari driving games. What does this mean? Basically the hard drive can be replaced with a simple Compact Flash card and IDE adapter. Jeremy is also a computer whiz and has the capability of burning the needed image and files on the CF card. So I asked for his help and he delivered. Thanks Jeremy.
Once they arrived in the mail, all I had to do was make a power adapter for each game, since the IDE adapter has a different power connector than the hard drive. No problem, I have a small stash of old computer cables and was able to make a couple nice adapters without any hacks to the game wiring. You can see how it looks installed in my Rush the Rock. One thing that suprised me is that I didnt lose any settings. All of my fast times were left in tact, along with my free play & volume settings.
While my games in particular were still operational, I knew I would have to address the hard drives sooner or later. I happened to stumble upon an idea I discovered from my friend Jeremy (The Basement Arcade). I dont know if it was his idea or not, but he mentioned performing a "flash" upgrade to a few of his late model Atari driving games. What does this mean? Basically the hard drive can be replaced with a simple Compact Flash card and IDE adapter. Jeremy is also a computer whiz and has the capability of burning the needed image and files on the CF card. So I asked for his help and he delivered. Thanks Jeremy.
Once they arrived in the mail, all I had to do was make a power adapter for each game, since the IDE adapter has a different power connector than the hard drive. No problem, I have a small stash of old computer cables and was able to make a couple nice adapters without any hacks to the game wiring. You can see how it looks installed in my Rush the Rock. One thing that suprised me is that I didnt lose any settings. All of my fast times were left in tact, along with my free play & volume settings.
For more information on these games, visit the California Speed & Rush the Rock pages.
4/30 - Keith's Most Wanted
I've been wanting to add a page like this to the site for a long time, and I finally got around to it. The new "Wanted" page contains a list of my most wanted items, including arcade parts and accessories, home console games, portable games and even mod/repair services. Click here to view the list, and if you have anything on the list that you would like to sell or trade, please contact me.
4/21 - Hang-On enters the cave
Click image to go to Hang-On page.
Another day of surfing Craigslist eventually led to the score of this fine piece of arcade history. While I wasn't looking for any game in particular, this one showed up and the price was good enough to show interest. Much to my suprise, I get a response from Slackers indicating they were the seller. We've done business many times recently, I have sold them games before, offered repair services and even traded one game for another. The game was complete and in decent condition from what I could see in the photos, but like most cheap deals it was dead as a doornail. Well that hasnt stopped me before and this time would be no exception. We negotiated a deal for this and another cheap game (Soul Edge) and they even agreed to deliver the goods closer to home. Didn't take long for me to act quickly on this one.
The game had several issues, mainly with the PCB and monitor, both major components of the game. This usually results in more holes in the pocketbook, but with a little luck and determination I was acually able to resurrect this one at virtually no cost. How you ask? Check out the new Hang-On page and read all about it.
And of course, heres some video of the game in action...
The game had several issues, mainly with the PCB and monitor, both major components of the game. This usually results in more holes in the pocketbook, but with a little luck and determination I was acually able to resurrect this one at virtually no cost. How you ask? Check out the new Hang-On page and read all about it.
And of course, heres some video of the game in action...
4/9 - Another game resurrected - Long live Gorf
Click image to go to Gorf page.
Well, it took several months, but with the help of some fine forum members I can now say I have a fully working Gorf Arcade Game. A special thanks to Ed Lutz for fixing up the boardset & power supply. I also want to thank Chris for sending me the "Galactic Weapons System" insert you see to the left, as well as Mastersurrealist for donating the missing piece of trim I needed.
Since I had never played this game before I finally got it working last night, I'm very excited. This calls for another YouTube video in celebration. Check it out. You can also click here to go to the Gorf page.
Since I had never played this game before I finally got it working last night, I'm very excited. This calls for another YouTube video in celebration. Check it out. You can also click here to go to the Gorf page.
3/26 - 4H Day @ Keith's Arcade
Since it's been awhile since my last update, I decided to share this video. Alli is an active 4H member and so we decided to host a 4H get-together at our home. Of course this means we had to turn on the gameroom for everyone to enjoy. I had my camera handy and caught some of the action. Youll see a couple "casulties" but most of the games got a workout and good times were had by everyone. Enjoy the video. Now I have to get to work on the "casulties".
1/17 - Bally Midway MCR attract sound mod & tutorial video
I happen to own 2 arcade games (Tron & Satans Hollow) which utilize the Bally Midway MCR series hardware. There is one pet peeve I have with MCR games, most of them do not have sound in attract mode. Not a big deal, but after doing some research, I had learned that the R135 resistor could be taken out of the equasion, which turns the sound on in attract mode. Only one problem, removing or "clipping" that resistor will not offer the option to turn the sound off later. You'd have to replace the resistor if you change your mind later. Well, leave it to a forum member to find a way around this.
I found a thread some time ago where someone had the idea of wiring the resistor up to an unused dip switch on the SSIO. He simply used 2 strands of wire wrap and soldered them to the on & off positions of the unused switch. He then took the other ends and wired one to a clipped leg on the resistor and the other to the solder pad where the leg was removed. Just like that, attract sound that can be turned on or off with the flip of a switch. Why didnt Midway think of this?
While I can't take credit for the mod, I can tell you that I did this with both of my MCR games and it works like a charm. And for those who are thinking about doing this mod, I made a tutorial video. Be sure to check it out.
I found a thread some time ago where someone had the idea of wiring the resistor up to an unused dip switch on the SSIO. He simply used 2 strands of wire wrap and soldered them to the on & off positions of the unused switch. He then took the other ends and wired one to a clipped leg on the resistor and the other to the solder pad where the leg was removed. Just like that, attract sound that can be turned on or off with the flip of a switch. Why didnt Midway think of this?
While I can't take credit for the mod, I can tell you that I did this with both of my MCR games and it works like a charm. And for those who are thinking about doing this mod, I made a tutorial video. Be sure to check it out.
1/4 - New Years Eve pickup, welcome back MK (Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3)
Click image to go to UMK3 page.
If you recall my post from 11/7, then you are aware that I traded my MK for a Donkey Kong Junior. While I don't regret the trade by any means, it left a small void in the gameroom. I wasnt really searching for another MK, but I found this one, on New Years Eve no less.
This game was lurking on the Kansas City Craigslist. It was listed as an Ultimate MK3, not working. The photos show an original MK cabinet with the original sideart, complete with the typical fade. It had the UMK3 Marquee, CPO & PCB installed. I contact the seller and ask for more details & more photos. He explains that it shows bad roms on the bootup screen and the game wont boot as a result, and the photos backed this up as well. We agree on a pretty good price and a New Years Eve road trip was underway (5 hours round trip).
Upon pickup, I immediatey notice that the cabinet was in pretty nice shape, and the monitor had a good picture, of the bootup screen anyway. His story is that he bought the game about 8 years ago and it broke down 2 years later. It turned into a project that he never got around to and he finally decided to sell it. What he didnt mention (and probably didnt know) was that the monitor looks like it's brand new. Always nice to find a bonus like that in a cheap game.
As for the Rom error, would you believe that a simple zip tie repaired this game? Visit the new UMK3 page and learn more about it.
What a way to bring in the new year!
This game was lurking on the Kansas City Craigslist. It was listed as an Ultimate MK3, not working. The photos show an original MK cabinet with the original sideart, complete with the typical fade. It had the UMK3 Marquee, CPO & PCB installed. I contact the seller and ask for more details & more photos. He explains that it shows bad roms on the bootup screen and the game wont boot as a result, and the photos backed this up as well. We agree on a pretty good price and a New Years Eve road trip was underway (5 hours round trip).
Upon pickup, I immediatey notice that the cabinet was in pretty nice shape, and the monitor had a good picture, of the bootup screen anyway. His story is that he bought the game about 8 years ago and it broke down 2 years later. It turned into a project that he never got around to and he finally decided to sell it. What he didnt mention (and probably didnt know) was that the monitor looks like it's brand new. Always nice to find a bonus like that in a cheap game.
As for the Rom error, would you believe that a simple zip tie repaired this game? Visit the new UMK3 page and learn more about it.
What a way to bring in the new year!
