My first arcade machine! (aero fighters) [Archive]

enp82003

03-13-2009, 07:37 AM

Hey all, I just recently purchased my first arcade machine from a friend for $150. It has been a dream of mine to have one ever since i was little.

Anyway the reason I got it so cheap is that the fire button for the 1st player isn't working (but should be an easy fix?) other then that it seems fine, a little dirty but fine.
I guess the one thing I underestimated about it was its size and weight lol. I would really like to disassemble and reassemble it in my room. because my room is on a 2nd floor.

If i do disassemble it i am kind of scared of the CRT. It's a vertical screen. In the cabinet the CRT has no covering and after being in the tech field for awhile I know touching any open CRT is a bad idea.

I also just want to take off the metal front where the coin slots are and the metal base, just to make the cabinet some what lighter for bringing to my room. If taking off the metal makes a lot of difference in the weight i might not even bother with the CRT which I really don't want to deal with.

Any one have any ideas suggestions or anything they would like to add?

Here is a picture of what the front of the machine looks like the only difference is mine has blue sides with white letters that say "SEGA" :p which i think is awesome!

http://www.klov.com/images/11/118124162885.png

I think i might of gone over my head buying this thing I hope not lol

Blur2040

03-13-2009, 08:17 AM

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enp82003

03-13-2009, 08:46 AM

Wow Thanks for such a fast reply Blur2040! Yeah I would rather just bring the thing up (as is) and I really don't feel confortable discharging the CRT I don't have the right tools or knowlege so unless i find some one that does, I don't think that is going happen. I am just worried that If i try carring that thing up the stairs Its going break the stairs. Lol I know that sounds stupid but I guess when my friend was taking it out of his basement's bulkhead door he broke every step on the way.... But those are mostly just wood boards and he also carried up 2 more machines as well, He said mine was the lightest of all of them.

I would love to keep the thing as intact as i can. Keeping it in its orginal state some people said "it would be cool to replace the CRT screen with an LCD screen" But I think it would kill the whole classic arcade look of it.

Eric Dude

03-13-2009, 09:57 AM

enp82003

03-13-2009, 10:32 AM

What the heck, it didn't cost you much more than a copy of the SNES game would. Nice score!

I don't blame you, not wanting to discharge the CRT. I'm scared to death of electricity. Don't tempt the Gods!

To to bad I don't know Raiden, I bet he could discharge it and charge it back up for me again might not want to shake his hand though... But yeah i though it was a pretty good deal made a childhood dream come to in the process so hey :king: it all worked out. I tell you, I would rather spend the $150 on this machine then $250 on an xbox 360 or ps3 or even the wii I just think its much cooler lol. But thats just me.

I'll post some pics of it when I get a chance.

Joe West

03-13-2009, 10:37 AM

great price, nice cabinet, good luck getting it up too the second floor

enp82003

03-13-2009, 10:53 AM

great price, nice cabinet, good luck getting it up too the second floor

Thanks man! If worst comes to worst I'll keep it in the garage, just sucks because I only go in there to park my car and its in the way so i can'teven do that lol.

If you think thats a good price my friend is selling 2 more for the same price or lower if you can haggle (he just wants to get rid of them). Not trying to make a sales pitch, I am not even sure what the names are lol.Both are snes like graphics, ones a top down racer with a steering wheel and gas/brake petal the other is a bowling game with a track ball. I live in MA, I think you would have to come Pick it up or work out some type of delivery. If anyones interested PM me i'll grab more info for ya.

MrSparkle

03-13-2009, 02:16 PM

The button is indeed a very easy fix. You can get a new one from http://www.happcontrols.com/ . i wouldnt take the monitor out if you dont feel comfortable working around crts. it sounds like your friends stairs kind of sucked. This cabinet isnt going to weigh anymore than a fridge and im sure your stairs could handle that. Id say for transportation leave it intact, most of the weight comes from the cabinet anyway.

Blur2040

03-13-2009, 04:33 PM

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otaku

03-14-2009, 10:53 AM

sweet congrats (great game I have it on my AES)

HyperDuel

03-14-2009, 08:22 PM

Good buy!

Ed Oscuro

03-15-2009, 05:49 AM

HyperDuel

03-15-2009, 11:16 PM

I like Aero Fighters, don't play it much but it's a decent game. I'm wondering what type of cabinet it's in; I'd rather have a "generic" one than a repurposed cabinet for a completely different game, myself.

Should be in a regular upright cab, with the marquee and most likely some basic sideart. Noting too fancy.

Ed Oscuro

03-16-2009, 11:36 AM

Yes, of course it's upright. Reading carefully:

Here is a picture of what the front of the machine looks like the only difference is mine has blue sides with white letters that say "SEGA" :p which i think is awesome!
It sounds like an Astro City or something. See what I meant now?

XYXZYZ

03-16-2009, 12:16 PM

Congratulations, owning an arcade game is a lot of fun. And don't forget, what you have is a vertical monitor cabinet, with Aero Fighters currently in it. If you want more variety you can easily put another game board in it, (as long as it's a JAMMA board for vertical monitors) or switch out the marquee, bezel and control panel graphics to any game you want. Or even MAME it for greater variety. It's a lot of work, but a fun project.

weirdguy

03-16-2009, 02:45 PM

I think I have the board for Aer Fighters 2 if you ever want it. I don't have any vertical screen cabs so I don't use it really much.

XYXZYZ

03-16-2009, 03:27 PM

I think I have the board for Aer Fighters 2 if you ever want it. I don't have any vertical screen cabs so I don't use it really much.

Aero Fighters 2 was a horizontal screen Neo Geo MVS cartridge. Do you mean Sonic Wings Limited?

weirdguy

03-16-2009, 03:30 PM

Aero Fighters 2 was a horizontal screen Neo Geo MVS cartridge. Do you mean Sonic Wings Limited?

Damn, now I feel like an idiot... It's Sky Soldiers that I have...

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9577

enp82003

03-19-2009, 01:57 AM

Ok guys I am back, sorry for the wait I been pretty busy lately. Anyway I figured out i could get to the button wires with out opening the front of the cabinet (Duh) *slaps head*. Anyway I have no clue how i am going to fix that button, I don't know where to start I don't want to hurt the wiring at all and i have no soldering skills what so ever. I might trying calling a Pro to look at it i wonder how much that will cost.... Be awesome to get the 2nd player to work and be able to play with friends. Oh yeah weirdguy i'll hit you up with a PM I would be interested in that.
anyway here are some pics of machine
Sega this is why i am in love with it lol
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/man88e/IMG_0039.jpg
front view
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/man88e/IMG_0040.jpg
JAMMA board
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/man88e/IMG_0041.jpg
The offending button its the yellow one
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/man88e/IMG_0042.jpg

Anyway these are all i could take before my crappy cam died.
My friend said he would help me bring it up tomorrow I am pretty happy about that.

Ed Oscuro

03-19-2009, 03:16 AM

Ahh, too much SMS influence on that side art!

Great game and artwork though! Control Panel could use a lil' luvin' maybe but it looks pretty good.

enp82003

03-19-2009, 03:45 PM

Ahh, too much SMS influence on that side art!

Great game and artwork though! Control Panel could use a lil' luvin' maybe but it looks pretty good.

I love the SMS logo idk just apart of my childhood :cheers: I am deff going give it some loving (I guess no one really treated it well till i got it), Its just its hard to work on my garage floor, specially after this winter salt, sand ect.... Also what sucks is that I have no key to it so the coin box could be full for all i know lol.

weirdguy

03-19-2009, 05:29 PM

I would re-wire the whole control panel... Wire soldered to the switch... why god why ?!?

murdoc rose

03-19-2009, 05:40 PM

well congratz looks like a nice machine and a decent game at that, Came into a similar problem last year a friend of mine got his first arcade while we were out garage sale hunting. We got it in the truck along with my newly purchased 1929 sewing machine also very heavy. Got it back to his place and managed to get it into the kitchen. Then realizing the trek upstairs pluged it in and tested it. Over all got an amazing offer with in a day so sold it instead of hauling it up stairs lol. I wouldn't advise taking it apart, if leaving it downstairs is an option then think about that other wise prepare for a fun day.

intvsama

03-19-2009, 07:21 PM

I dunno why everyone's talking about discharging the monitor before yoinking it out of the cab. I worked at an arcade for 3 years, replaced dozens of monitors in that time, chucked an equal amount in the dumpster behind the mall. 8*)

Just unbolt the monitor, disconnect it from the board and power, and yank it out of there. If you're really concerned about shocking yourself just don't mess around with the red high voltage wire. Accidents often happen when you're nervous, be calm and sure of yourself. Pulling out and replacing monitors isn't something to be worried about.

intvsama

03-19-2009, 07:24 PM

I would re-wire the whole control panel... Wire soldered to the switch... why god why ?!?

Soldering wires is often more secure, but then when your switch dies it's a huge PITA to replace. 8*)

If it were me I'd spend the hour or so it'd take to put quick disconnects on all the switch wires, will make your life INFINITELY easier when it comes time to replace switches.

weirdguy

03-19-2009, 09:23 PM

enp82003

03-19-2009, 10:50 PM

I actually got it up the stairs fine! It took about 20 mins with me and 2 of my friends. It was really a lot easier then i thought. And no the stairs didn't break lol :above me:. So i am not going worry about taking the thing apart I'll leave it intact. Me and my friend where looking at the non-working fire button and the wiring to it. We think it might be a wiring problem but we can't be sure. I can just play as the 2nd player and it plays fine, but if i have a friend over one of us will just have to be the bomber as the fire button on player 1 is basically useless.

intvsama

03-20-2009, 01:46 PM

New switches - http://happcontrols.com/amusement/acesor/95073301.htm
Quick disconnects - http://happcontrols.com/electrical_supplies/43053900.htm
Crimping tool - http://happcontrols.com/electrical_supplies/92027400.htm

If you're gonna buy an arcade machine start learning how to work on it. 8*)

If you feel like rewiring the cab -
JAMMA harness - http://web.happcontrols.com/powersupplies/80510000.htm

In case it's PCB issue, tested working Aero Fighters PCB -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120327761202

enp82003

03-21-2009, 04:36 PM

Well I figured out how to get in test mode! When i went to control configuration it said that the fire button was stuck "on" So IDK ill look at it little more. I have no clue what the problem could be, I don't to take all the wiring out if i don't need to and its just a dirty button or something easy to fix.

kupomogli

03-21-2009, 05:54 PM

I don't own any arcades so I can't give any info, but atleast your machine is of an awesome arcade game(look into getting the second title.)

enp82003

03-21-2009, 06:29 PM

I Did it!!!!! I FIXED IT!!! I AM SOOOOO HAPPPYYY!!! \\^_^/ IT was the Snap Switch underneath the button! The little red square that the actual button hits was stuck in... I just opened up the Snap Switch and the little red button came flying out, I put it back together and the little red square worked fine!

intvsama

03-22-2009, 10:21 AM

Heh, congrats! 8*)

Flack

03-24-2009, 10:06 AM

Good deal, glad it was an easy fix. Stonic sent me a box of spare buttons one time that I have been passing along to people who need them -- had I seen this a day or two ago I could have sent you one.

If I were you I would pick up a 48-in-1 board off of eBay or somewhere else. It's JAMMA, and vertical, which means you can unplug the harness going to your board, connect this one to it, and be done. The 48 in 1 has games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Zaxxon and so on -- tons of classics that are really fun to play. Between that and Aerofighters, you may never need to buy another cabinet! (And, if I lived up a flight of stairs, I wouldn't!)

Here's a quick tutorial I wrote up about swapping boards, which oddly enough, features putting a 48-in-1 in my own Aerofighters cabinet!

http://robohara.com/arcade_articles/index.php?file=jamma_swap

enp82003

03-24-2009, 01:53 PM

Wow thanks for the guide and every one else's support! I had no clue what a snap switch was till looking at the different parts that intvsama recommended. I really wanted this Raiden fighters Jet PCB board i saw on ebay going for $75 with the front display that goes infront of the light. I was the top bidder till the last 10 secs then i think some one bid snipped me i was so sad :bawling: I love Raiden 1 and 2 for PSX so having a game by them that wasn't released to console and only for arcade would of been sweet... but oh well... Damn bid snippers...