Flack, SuperAuction in Mesquite TX this Sat 3/11/06

[dcescott]

You live sorta close by, just thought I'd let you know. I am planning on being there and buying my first arcade game. I do have easys question before I get down there. I'm not out to snipe a sweet game from you,promise!

1. How much does a Neo Geo Cab cost and do they come with games?
2. Can you buy other games for that cab on ebay or here?
3.How much do the other games tend to go for, including the classics like a cocktail Galaga for example.
4.I assume I load it up myself after purchase?
5.What do I need to look for working/non working wise.
6.What titles should I pick up working or not (rare??)
7.Play Choice 10, is that game swappable and are they easy to get? I wouldn't mind an Excitebike or Ice Climber.
8. What time should I get there, it says 8am, but the auction starts at 10am. Is that enough time to check everything out? Is parking a problem?

I think that's it. If you decide to go, I hope add a couple more to your sweet arcade.
Daniel

[Flack]

1. How much does a Neo Geo Cab cost and do they come with games?
2. Can you buy other games for that cab on ebay or here?
3.How much do the other games tend to go for, including the classics like a cocktail Galaga for example.
4.I assume I load it up myself after purchase?
5.What do I need to look for working/non working wise.
6.What titles should I pick up working or not (rare??)
7.Play Choice 10, is that game swappable and are they easy to get? I wouldn't mind an Excitebike or Ice Climber.
8. What time should I get there, it says 8am, but the auction starts at 10am. Is that enough time to check everything out? Is parking a problem?

1. I got my single-slot Neo Geo (25" monitor) with Double Dragon Neo in it for $125 I believe. Of course every auction's different so you never know what you will find.

2. You can buy Neo Geo carts lots of places including eBay and here. There are a ton of fighting games for the system so those go pretty inexpensively. Metal Slug, Puzzle Bobble and other more well known games go for more.

3. Classics, depending on condition, go from $500-$1000. I've never seen a cocktail Galaga but I would expect it to go for $800-$1000, depending on condition.

4. At Mesquite there is a loading dock and the people there are quite friendly and helpful. When I go I take my trailer and the last time I went they loaded all 3 of my games for me and even helped me tie them up.

5. I would look for what you are willing to fix and what is easy to fix. Stuff like bad buttons and joysticks are very simple to fix. Paint and body work and marquees and lights are pretty simple too. If a game outright won't fire up, I'd think twice. They always say "it was working five minutes ago" ... they said that about a game completely missing a power supply once. Don't trust anything they say, they are there to sell games and make as much money as possible. Only trust what you've seen with your own eyes.

6. If any classics go cheap it's always worth picking one up for selling or hanging on to -- although that can get pretty expensive in a hurry.

7. The last auction I was at had a Playchoice 10 that went for about $250. The games are basically NES versions of games. Playchoice 10 games are pretty easy to come by. Just checking eBay there seem to be a lot of games for $10 w/$10 shipping.

8. If you are seriously looking to buy then I would get there as early as you can. I would absolutely not buy a game without looking at it first. When they are selling Pac-Man, you want to know how it works first. They try to fire up the games as the work around the auction but it's not always possible. There could be 300 games there so 2 hours isn't enough time to check them all out but it's enough time to check out what you're interested in most likely. Oh and parking is no problem.

Also I would recommend you bring the following things:

- Something to write with/on, maybe a clipboard
- flashlight (to look in games)
- good shoes (concrete floors)

I have thought about bringing a camping chair before. Keep in mind that the auction may last until 6pm or later. They have a snack bar there with nachos and hot dogs and stuff but I think if I go this time I'll bring some sandwich stuff and BOTTLED WATER and keep it out in the truck. There will be long periods where you can take a break, like when they come to 50 slot machines you can go get a drink or something. As for the paper, you will want to take notes on games you want to bid on because they will all start running together and you'll forget which one had a bad monitor and which one worked and which one didn't. All the games are numbered so you can make notes. I always bring printed out excel sheets where I note games names, conditions and what they sell for.

One other note, cameras are not allowed and if they catch you they will ask you to put it away and if they catch you again they will ask you to leave. I still try and take lots of camera phone pix but I'm just discreet about it.

Another thing with superauctions you will notice and it's no secret is that game owners can and do bid on their own games, so if you see someone bidding up a game too high or someone bidding on a lot of games, get out of the bidding. If it doesn't sell hang around after the auction, you might be able to get it for a fair price (instead of them hauling it back home).

If you are looking for a MAME cabinet then plan on waiting because they sell broken stuff last and it could be later afternoon/early evening before they get to that (depends on how much is there and how many people are there, of course).

That's about all I can think of. I am undecided on attending yet ... if I'm there, look for the guy with FLACK written on his hat. :)

[dcescott]

Thanks Flack, I live in Keller, TX right off of 35W. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. My wife thinks I'm nuts but she knows how I am. I plan on getting one this time. I took your advice and waited for the next itme after Chistmas.
I was planning on note taking for sure, that's quite a time frame, till 6pm? yikes. The buttons can be wd40'd or how the arcade restoration websites suggest. And lights aren't a big deal either. It will probably mean taking a trip to Fry's for parts (I hate that place)
I'm sure I won't score a classic. However a single slot neo geo would be sweet.
I'm trying to sucker my friend in going who has a truck. Plus I will borrow a dolly from work. My father in law has a ramp for his riding lawn mower. Those plus tie downs, it should be somewhat painless.

[98PaceCar]

I'm normally at the Mesquite auctions, but of course, I'll be out of town for this one. If you get into a bind while you are there, ask around for a guy named Noel Johnson and tell him that Darren sent you. He's a great tech on all things video games (and some pinball too).

[dcescott]

Ill do that, maybe I'll see you at another one in the summer...

[dcescott]

Easy question:
How wide are these stand ups? Can I fit them through a normal doorway. My house is new and a standard HistoryMaker one story home, no skinny doors.
General except a double screened nintendo.
thanks!

[98PaceCar]

Ill do that, maybe I'll see you at another one in the summer...

Let me know if you make it to the next one. I'm almost always there, but my girlfriend is forcing me to go to Vegas this weekend. I know, it's rough!! LOL

[98PaceCar]

Easy question:
How wide are these stand ups? Can I fit them through a normal doorway. My house is new and a standard HistoryMaker one story home, no skinny doors.
General except a double screened nintendo.
thanks!

The only games I've had trouble fitting through my doors (I live in a pretty new house, 1995) have been a 3 player Super Off Road and my 33" Tekken 2 cab. Both of them fit, but were extremely tight. I've done tons of 19" cabs and a pretty good amount of 25" cabs with no problems.

The dual screen Playchoice isn't really all that wide, it's just tall and sort of top heavy. If you get one, pull the monitors to move it. Makes it much easier!

[Flack]

I think he's referring to a stand-up side-by-side Nintendo VS. cabinet. And yes, I had one and couldn't fit it through a standard doorway -- brought it home and it never left the garage.

I can't remember the exact measurements, but I have had no trouble with any "standard" game fitting through a doorway. What I have had problems with are games with extra wide control panels, like X-Men (4 player) and Rampage World Tour (3 player). On those games the control panel extends out past the sides of the cabinet, and won't fit through a doorway. Fortunately the control panels come off with 2 or 3 bolts in 5 minutes.

[dcescott]

I got the hookups now.
Tax ID from work
nice dolly from work
ramp from father in law (loads up his riding lawn mower in back of truck)
Tie downs.
friends truck.

I'm antsy.
What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?

[Flack]

What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?
Neither one of those questions have a concrete answer, unfortunately.

Starting bids are wherever they can get someone to start bidding. Usually that's not below $100 but there are always exceptions. Usually they will start out high ("Who would like to start the bidding at $300?") and if no one bids they'll work their way down ("Ok, who will give $100?"). Each game is different. Some games may have reserves and you won't know what they are, so the best idea is just to decide what a particular game is worth to you, bid up to that amount and no more.

As for how long it lasts, the day before the auction people begin bringing machines in to be sold. Machines will keep arriving up until the auction begins. Then when the auction begins they will start selling them. So really there's no way to know how long the auction will last because there's no way to know how many machines are going to be there. I can tell you the longer you're willing to stay the better chance of a good deal you're likely to have, since most people that aren't dealers come to buy one or two games and usually blow their budget pretty early. So people spend their money and then go home, leaving less bidders.

Generally right off the bat they tend to sell any slot machines and stuff, then they go to the classics, then all the rest of the games, with pinball machines somewhere in the middle. Near the end will be stuff like cranes, coin changers, motion rides, sit-down games and broken cabinets (aka future MAME machines).

[98PaceCar]

I got the hookups now.
Tax ID from work
nice dolly from work
ramp from father in law (loads up his riding lawn mower in back of truck)
Tie downs.
friends truck.

I'm antsy.
What are the starting bids?
And do they really last until 6pm?

I think the longest auction I was at ended at around 2:30 in the morning. It just all depends on what's there.

[dcescott]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long?
I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.
I'm taking a multimeter and static wrist guard too, where's the best place to test the juice going into the machine?
I need to be careful what I get, I plan well esp since I have no earthly idea what I about to get into.
My goal is to come home with a NeoGeo MVS cab, single or double or more. Maybe a second one. I wouldn't mind a classic but they will be too high priced. I am plannign on getting a few games to swap out. Mame is an interest but I am mac savvy. I would like the originals but in time I will emulate.

[Darth Sensei]

Why don't they want you taking pictures?

[98PaceCar]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long?
I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.
I'm taking a multimeter and static wrist guard too, where's the best place to test the juice going into the machine?
I need to be careful what I get, I plan well esp since I have no earthly idea what I about to get into.
My goal is to come home with a NeoGeo MVS cab, single or double or more. Maybe a second one. I wouldn't mind a classic but they will be too high priced. I am plannign on getting a few games to swap out. Mame is an interest but I am mac savvy. I would like the originals but in time I will emulate.

Dallas is kind of their 'marquee' auction, so a lot of times they will bring stuff from their other auctions that they want to put in front of a bigger crowd. It really just depends on who's running the auction and what's there. If it's the main guy (Rob), it will go a lot quicker than if one of his employees runs it. That and usually, there is just a LOT of stuff to sell!

You won't be able to open up the machines, so taking a multi meter is kind of pointless. Best things you can bring along are a long extension cord and a flashlight. You will be able to see in the coin door of most games, but they frown on that as well. Don't want people tampering with the games.

You might be surprised at the prices of some of the classics. Without knowing what you are really after and consider classic, there could be some good deals. My last purchase at auction was a Phoenix for $40. Other than the monitor, it worked great and looks almost perfect. Now, a nice Ms Pac or Galaga can get up there in price, so it does depend on what you want.

If you have any questions before or after the auction, let me know. I'm not too terribly far from you (I'm in Plano), so maybe I can help out a bit.

[98PaceCar]

Some games may have reserves and you won't know what they are, so the best idea is just to decide what a particular game is worth to you, bid up to that amount and no more.

They've actually changed this a bit the last few auctions. If you look at the labels, they will put an 'R' with the reserve after it. They've also been writing the selling price on all of the games as well. That's a fairly recent thing though.

[dcescott]

You live in plano??
Pheonix for 40 bucks? That was me and my sister's favorite. How was changing the monitor?
They set a reserve now. So the classics are bound for 300 plus? I'm shootin for a steal.

[98PaceCar]

You live in plano??
Pheonix for 40 bucks? That was me and my sister's favorite. How was changing the monitor?
They set a reserve now. So the classics are bound for 300 plus? I'm shootin for a steal.

Yup, I'm in north Plano! Been here for quite a few years now.

The Phoenix was a steal in my book! My mom used to play it all the time, so I kind of got it for her to play when she's here. That way, I don't have to fight her for my other games!!

Changing the monitor is a piece of cake. There's a few things to be aware of, but it's not a big deal. I rebuild them all the time now.

Most of the games at auction won't have a reserve. Typically, the ones that do are the newer games that are still earning money in locations (stuff like Golden Tee and even MAME machines). I'd say at least 98% of what's there won't have a reserve.

Other than the Neo and Nintendo VS, what kinds of games are you interested in? I can try to get you some idea of what to expect pricewise so you can plan your attack!

[Flack]

Why don't they want you taking pictures?
I've asked this before and the only response I ever got was, "they aren't our games, you would have to get permission from the owners."

That being said, I've taken pictures at every auction I've ever been to -- I'm just sneakier about it than I used to be.

[Flack]

Not trying to prolong this thread, why do they last so long? I've been to auctions before for antiques and of course Goodwill, they're done by an hour after they let you in. Crazy.

You will see once you get there. Basically it's a matter of getting 50-100 people in front of one game, selling it, and then moving the whole crowd over to the next item and doing it again. I suspect at a Goodwill auction they move the items -- at an arcade auction, they move the crowd. Then after 3-4 games they have to move the ladders and chair they're standing on, the microphone/PA system, etc.

The good news is, you don't have to stay for the whole thing. There are runners taking the sold prices over to the pay booth, so if you buy something early you can pay for it, take it and leave without waiting. I think they usually make you wait until that row is done selling but that's it.

[dcescott]

I really don't have a good list, I do want them to work. Replacing buttons or sticks should be fairly easy.
Here's a list

Neo Geo MVS (any game or games)
Star Castle
1942
Galaga 3
Omega Race
Pheonix
Mr. Do
Punch Out! or the super PO
Bubble Bobble
Frontline
Commando
Arkanoid

Off brand games that resemble some of the classic is fine too.

Generally, when I get there I'm taking a huge amount of notes and mapping out my time when the auction goes on.

[98PaceCar]

You may be in luck. Most of what's on your list are not terribly sought after, so the prices are a bit low. I'd say with only a few exceptions, you should be able to get any of those games for under $250 or so. Now, it does depend on how many people are at the auction and if there are multiple copies of the games there. Also, several of these were mainly sold in 'kit' form, meaning that other cabs were converted to these games (I'm not sure if I've ever seen a dedicated Arkanoid.. Mine's in an old Pac cab). If the game is in a cab that's valuable, that will sometimes push the price up as well.

Also, remember that you will have to pay tax and the buyer's premium on top of your bid. It's roughly 20% total, so be sure to factor that into your budget. I think I remember you saying you have a tax number, so that will bring it down a bit!

I wish I was going to be there as I'd be more than willing to help you out. But I think you've got it under control, so I'll just wish you good hunting!

[dcescott]

Thank you!
minus the tax id is about 11% on top of sale price?
That'll work.
The guy with the truck is asking jow many am I buying??
two I hope, one for sure.
The MVS cab is important. I am a fan of neo geo games. The quality is consistant gameplay/graphics. Also the easy switch out of other titles is big.
A dedicated is 2nd choice.
There's two guys with know how to read schematics and are soldering pros at my church. My wife's Dad also is knowledgable. I'm set.

[dcescott]

How much will a Mortal Kombat go for? or the 2nd one?

[98PaceCar]

How much will a Mortal Kombat go for? or the 2nd one?

For some weird reason, the dedicated cabs are kind of pricey. Usually over $400-$450. They used to be worth nothing, but took off a few years ago. I just have the boards and slap them in a JAMMA cab when I want to play them!

You can get conversions for cheaper though. Especially the 19" ones.

[dcescott]

That's what I'm shootin for. Good gravy man!
400??? That's insane. I'll watch for that.
How will I know what a jamma cab looks like. I know what it stands for...

[98PaceCar]

There's no sure-fire way to know a cab is jamma without opening it up. Basic rule of thumb is pretty much anything after 1988, but that's not a hard and fast rule. You pretty much need to know if the game that's in it is JAMMA or not. Scan www.klov.com for some titles and it will tell you if they are JAMMA or not.

[Darth Sensei]

Forgive my ignorance but what is the "buyers premium"?

[dcescott]

I'll find out tomorrow. I think it's like a service charge for the auctioneer/owner of the machine. Although I am certain they own a majority of those games. 98pacecar says 20% on top pf my sale. I have a tax id so it's about 11% or 10%.
It should come out of the sale at the sellers expense. But I think this auction cuts both ways: seller fees, buyer fees, and tax.

[98PaceCar]

I'll find out tomorrow. I think it's like a service charge for the auctioneer/owner of the machine. Although I am certain they own a majority of those games. 98pacecar says 20% on top pf my sale. I have a tax id so it's about 11% or 10%.
It should come out of the sale at the sellers expense. But I think this auction cuts both ways: seller fees, buyer fees, and tax.

Bingo! The auction company takes a cut from both the seller and the buyer on the hammer price. That's how they make their money.

[dcescott]

On the MVS cab. I am looking for a cartridge type game instead of PCB right? Otherwise it is dedicated?
The prices on ebay show as high as 400-500 and as low as 80 bucks with bids on these machines before shipping. If I'm not mistaken, buy low sell high, those cabs should be on the low end out there?

[98PaceCar]

MVS is an interesting critter. The main board will be just a bare motherboard (like any other arcade board), but will have 1, 2, 4, or 6 slots on it for the cartridges. The MVS cartridges themselves are pretty much the same as AES carts, just with a different connector. So if you can see the board, it will look like a naked AES system!

The price will depend a lot on how many slots the board has, if it is dedicated or conversion, and most importantly, which games are in it. There are usually quite a few there, so hopefully you'll have a good selection to choose from. It's been a while since I've watched the prices on them, but I would expect they would be a good amount less than ebay prices.

[dcescott]

Okay cool, I'll peek into that and look for the motherboard and the memory slot where the games go.
enjoy your trip to Vegas. Don't lose your shirt out there. Stay away from Donald Trump's casinos, he has plenty of dough

[98PaceCar]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to at least break even this trip!!

I will admit though, all this talk about the auction has me wanting to be there!!! Oh well, I'll make the next one for sure!

[dcescott]

I just got back.
The classics were going for 400+. The pinballs were in the 2,000 -3,000 range. They had a budwiser Tapper that went for 675. I worked perfect too. A few I should have gotten like a nice Billards game for 100 or a but I got a:

2 slot MVS Neo Geo for 235+commission. Games are Metal Slug and Samuari Showdown 2 (or 3). The cab needs to be cleaned a bit, some white paint flecks. The monitor is 25", a little discolored but I'm sure that is fixable.
2 questions

1. One of the buttons sticks a little. I got it to work a little better, but what is the best way to clean it good.
2. How can I fix the monitor? It's fine but a little discolored. I downloaded the manual and saw they have the configurations and so on.
3. How do I change out the games. I found nowhere to open it with a phillips. It's some kind of allen wrench, something I don't run across to often.
Also the two bolts on top are gone. The four corners are rivets, from the factory probably. Is that permanent?

If there is a comprehensive site somewhere, please shoot me a link guys.

Well there you have it, my first stand up.

[dcescott]

okay 3 quesitons

[Arcade Antics]

1. One of the buttons sticks a little. I got it to work a little better, but what is the best way to clean it good.
Remove the control panel and turn it over. You'll see the buttons there, attached with a large nut plus whatever connections hook the buttons to the harness. Disconnect everything (carefully! - take pictures and/or make notes to help you remember what goes where if you have to), take out the button, remove the spring and wash the plastic pieces in warm soapy water. Let it dry thoroughly and then put it all back together. Alternately, you could just buy new buttons. Is the spring is shot, you'll have to do that anyway.


2. How can I fix the monitor? It's fine but a little discolored. I downloaded the manual and saw they have the configurations and so on.
If it's just a matter of adjusting the color, there will be pots on the monitor board (somewhere - check the manual) that you can adjust the colors, and also the brightness, contrast, positioning, etc. If you make the adjustments and it's still off, then you've got another issue. Just be *VERY* careful poking around the monitor, even when doing something relatively simple like adajusting the pots. You don't want to accidentally discharge that thing into yourself.

Good habit to get into is using one hand when you're reaching around in the machine - put the other one in your pocket to keep yourself from using it.

[MuppetMaster]

Also be sure to check out http://www.hardmvs.com/ lots of info on all types of Neo-Geo MVS systems. Once you do get to the motherboard removeing and replaceing MVS carts is easy, its the same as changing a SNES/Genesis cart.

Pics would help as well.

[Flack]

Well I had a double-whammy today. My sister went into labor this morning so when I got that call, I knew I wasn't going to the auction. :( So instead I hung around the house a bit and then went up to the hospital. Turns out it was false labor and after an hour or so everybody went home, so no baby and no auction. :( :(

Congrats on the MVS! $235 for a 25" is not a bad price at all. If the came was transported on its side or lying down, the monitor may need to be degaussed. Be more specific on the color problem because there's a lot of different things that could be.

Congrats again!

[dcescott]

Here's the serial #15487

I moved it on it's side because the back isn't flat ( the guy helped me load it) So I didn't have a choice on the matter.
The monitor needs to be moved over to the right a hair or two. It has a haze to the right, like a blur.


I looks like the contrast needs adjusting and the color a bit.
The joysticks need to be replaced. They stick a little but we just beat Metal Slug.

How do you open the controls? BOth "screws" are gone and there is four rivet bolts in each corner. I see the hinge underneath, but

Just think I spent about 20 bucks of quarters for the both of us!
Button A (red) sticks on player 1. I cant figure out how to open it.
I did come with a printed manual and Samuari Showdon III stickers, but I have the 2nd one not the 3rd.

[Arcade Antics]

How do you open the controls? BOth "screws" are gone and there is four rivet bolts in each corner. I see the hinge underneath, but
I'm not familiar with the MVS cabs, but in general, most cabs have hinges on either side of the CP that you can reach when you open the coin door. Unlatch them (or sometimes unscrew wing nuts, if it's bolted in place) and the CP should come off so you can get at the underside.

You also might be able to see how it's held in place (so you can better find the release mech) by removing the back door and looking through to the front, but it depends on how the cab is built. One of our Neo Geo experts here can give you better direction. :)

[MuppetMaster]

Open the coin door and look inside, you may have to go through the back of the cab, there should be hinges holding the CP in place. Once the hinges are released the CP will either pull open, lift open etc. but it all depends on tour cab style. Pics would help alot. As for the button problem, once the CP is open you can inspect all the button , joysticks etc.

[dcescott]

First of all, thank you for the help as of today and yesterday, it is a work in progress. It's not a major overhaul thankfully but I want to tweak it to make it look the best.

Okay I fixed the marquee lights, that was simple, new fuse and 18" tube 9 bucks at HomeDepot. I checked the configurations on the controls, everything works UDLR,ABCD, both sides, it's just hard to move on SSII and a run/jump on MetalSlug. Like it's not reading the movement.

The hatch screen shows the monitor to be a little convexed on th every outside edges. Is that normal?

On the RBG & White readings. The Green, Blue and White need adjusting on the monitor. It blurs to the right, white being the most, blue and green have the same amount of blur but red is fine. How do I fix that?

Once I get my controls opened can I adjust the picture? Wouldn't that be hard to do if the power is off?

[MuppetMaster]

You can leave the unit powered on, there should be a board with monitor controlls that will alow you to adjust colour,tint, vertical controll etc. If not you can get more info on the Neo-Geo tech forums.

http://www.neo-geo.com

You may also want to check the BYOAC forums as well.

http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm

[dcescott]

Here's the pic!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/dcescott/cab2.jpg

and the screenshot
The blurr goes to the right>>
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f289/dcescott/screen.jpg
I had to register to photobucket

[98PaceCar]

Congrats on your purchase!! Looks like a good buy to me!

[dcescott]

The monitor needs adjusting. There's a blurr going right like the brightness is too bright. The red is fine, but starting with the green then blue and white is gets progressively worse. It's noticable on the intro on SSII.
Also is there a security screwdriver to open the back. I am not qualified or smart enough to discharge my monitor. But there is a brightness dial back there right?
Hyperspace is coming out next week to diagnose my monitor. Either it's a recapping or easy color adjustment.
Also my joysticks on SS2 don't like to move in the diagonals too well, but after opening the panel and pulling out the hourglass, reassembling it works a little better. Any suggestions kind sir?

[dcescott]

I did get a Samuari Shown 3 sticker move list. It's not mint but it's kinda good. He stuck it inside the glass with blue archival tape (lucky me). I got SS2....

Does anyone have any use for it?
I need to raise $ for the monitor repair
I'm planning on posting a thread tonight or tomorrow with more stuff anyways but I thought I might ask the arcade alley about that.

Tonight I'll post a pic of the stickers.

[98PaceCar]

The monitor needs adjusting. There's a blurr going right like the brightness is too bright. The red is fine, but starting with the green then blue and white is gets progressively worse. It's noticable on the intro on SSII.
Also is there a security screwdriver to open the back. I am not qualified or smart enough to discharge my monitor. But there is a brightness dial back there right?
Hyperspace is coming out next week to diagnose my monitor. Either it's a recapping or easy color adjustment.
Also my joysticks on SS2 don't like to move in the diagonals too well, but after opening the panel and pulling out the hourglass, reassembling it works a little better. Any suggestions kind sir?

If it's the red 'bleeding' (and it sounds like it is), most likely it's either the red drive/cutoff needs adjusting or the tube needs to be rejuvenated. It's probably a Wells Gardner 7000 series monitor which are kind of known for doing this. The one on my Smash TV is the exact same way! Either way, not a big deal to fix. There will be a full set of adjustments on the back of the monitor, but if you aren't completely comfortable working back there, I'd leave it to an 'expert' until you've seen how it works. Once you have a better idea of what not to do, it's no biggie to adjust one.

The screws holding the back on could be security bits. Do they look like an allen or hex head with a little post in the center? There's a couple tricks to getting those open if that's what they are. No biggie there.

The joysticks... well, I usually just replace them when I get a new game. I'm pretty picky about how my games play, so I just keep extras around. I could probably be talked into letting a set go. I'm pretty sure I still have some new Happ ultimates sitting in my closet. Let me know if you want me to see about digging them out.

Pat (Hyperspace) is a GREAT guy to deal with! I highly recommend him. Did you meet him at the auction or contact him afterwords?

[dcescott]

I contacted him afterwards. Nice guy he lives just north of me.
If you have some extra joysticks, anything is fine. Mail or pick up. Probably mail because of gas going up again. Whatever will help and likewise in return. I'll pay for postage or something

Do you have any extra games? I'll buy those! Commons are okay, I only have two right now.

[98PaceCar]

You'll be happy with his work and he's a great guy to boot!

I'll see what I can dig up. Worst case I know I have a game or two I can pull them out of.

I do have a couple MVS carts, but I'm not sure what they are off the top of my head. My motherboard never worked right, so I didn't do much with them. I'll dig for those as well. I *think* I know which stack they are in!

[dcescott]

Thanks bro, I'll be selling stuff to build up my paypal.

Stack??
Holy cow how much stuff do you have out there?

[98PaceCar]

Right now I'm somewhere near 40 arcades, probably 50-75 boardsets, and a ton of parts. Plus, I've got access to 3 storage units full of stuff. Like I said, it's an addiction!

Then there's all my console stuff.. We won't even get into that! @_@ @_@

[FABombjoy]

Wow, that is a (lot of stuff, addiction)!

Say, got any spare Taito 8080 boardsets? :D

[98PaceCar]

Wow, that is a (lot of stuff, addiction)!

Say, got any spare Taito 8080 boardsets? :D

I don't think I do, but I may be able to get a hold of one. These are for the SI games, right? The L shaped one if I remember right (which I probably don't)??

[FABombjoy]

It's for the weirdo cousin of the L shaped board, the 3 boards stacked in an S shape (http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=629). I'm looking for bad or good boards to swap stuff in and out of - it's for an odd little cocktail called "Astro Laser" (listed in that link as "Space Laser").

[98PaceCar]

I've seen them before, but I know I don't have them. I'll bounce it off of a buddy of mine that has a pretty good selection of oddball stuff like that. He *might* have one buried in his storage units. I'll ask him next time I talk to him.

[FABombjoy]

Many thanks! Perhaps 3.5 years after getting this thing, it may just work some day.