Picked up an empty cabinet tonight

[NoahsMyBro]

A couple of days ago I spotted this on Craigslist:

I have a Dynamo cabinet in perfect condition free to the first taker.

I'm moving having a moving sale this weekend, and if it's not gone by then I'm going to break it up and toss it into a dumpster.

I's empty except for a power-supply (I believe)... it may have a harness inside also (not sure).

I picked it up tonight.

The cabinet is FAR from perfect condition, though it's in OK shape, especially considering the price.

The cabinet has Wheel Of Fortune graphics on the sides and on the control panel. There is a clear plexiglass marquee panel laying inside the cabinet.

The control panel has a couple of start buttons, and also two buttons on each side of the center hole. There is no joystick.

I don't believe this is a 'Dynamo' cabinet - for one thing, there is a sticker on the side from some Dade County regulatory agency, dated 1989. I doubt Dynamo existed in 1989.

I didn't have time to examine the machine when I finally got it home tonight, so the above is pretty much all I know so far.

Question:
1) How do I unlatch the control panel so that I can flip it forward to examine the underside?
2) MAME - Assuming I want to run a MAME set-up in this thing, do I need to buy an IPAC (IPAQ?) to wire the controls to the PC, or is there another way to accomplish that? (I'm confident the answer to this is easily found online, and I'll certainly do that, but any advice from you guys is welcome too.)
3) Carpentry - where the cabinet is damaged at the bottom from being dragged during various moves - that's is undoubtedly very common damage - how is that repaired?


If anybody attending NAVA tomorrow is looking to unload a joystick I can use for this thing, I'm in the market.

[aclbandit]

1) How do I unlatch the control panel so that I can flip it forward to examine the underside?

Pictures of the cab would be REALLY helpful, but usually you reach up from inside the coin door and unlatch the underside.

3) Carpentry - where the cabinet is damaged at the bottom from being dragged during various moves - that's is undoubtedly very common damage - how is that repaired?

I fix that sort of thing with Durham's Water Putty (and, indeed, I recommend that brand specifically -- I've tried others, and that one takes it), followed by vigorous sanding and a nice coat of paint (the kind that has primer in it). I've also heard good things about Bondo, but I haven't a clue about it.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Thought I'd add a little more on how to use it- in case anyone else is curious. I only recently discovered the wonders of Bondo, after being unsure of how to use it for the longest time. You'll need an electric sander and a mask. The dust isn't good to breathe in.

Bondo is an awesome substance for repairing larger dings and dents. It comes in a can at Lowe's along with a small tube of hardener. You put an appropriate amount of the compound on a large putty knife.



Add a few drops of the red hardener to the putty, and mix them up quickly until the stuff turns light pink. Don't use too much hardener- the small tube should be enough for the whole can if you use it properly.



You'll only have a few minutes until it completely hardens so you need to apply it quickly. Make sure you use an old set of knives for this, as it will probably ruin them for any other use. Also wear gloves when applying it because it sticks to your hands. The only time the putty and hardener should come in contact is when you mix it- otherwise you'll ruin your unused portions of both substances.

Before:



First Application of Bondo:



After Sanding:



After Painting:



Bondo is pretty easy to use, and it works great. The process I showed above consisted of a few more applications and sanding to make it look even, as it can sometimes be a long process. Drying time is about 30 minutes before it's sandable.

[NoahsMyBro]

Cool - thanks for the tips, and the pics.

[Flack]

Just for the record, Dynamo cabinets go way back. They were one of the first companies I remember making generic cabinets for arcades to order, especially when ordering kits. I know one of the arcades in town here had the classic Z-style Dynamo cabinets in the late 80s.

[NoahsMyBro]

I had no idea Dynamo went that far back, but I admit I did zero research. I just assumed they cropped up to sell to MAME-cabinet builders and arcade/collector enthusiasts.

I've just taken some pictures and posted them to my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6138393...7623798408497/

I also figured out where the control panel latches were and how to open them - thanks aclbandit.

[aclbandit]

I also figured out where the control panel latches were and how to open them - thanks aclbandit.

No problem

Here're some images from my restoration:

Before:


After some water putty and paint:



Enjoy your new cab. I recommend, instead of MAME, getting into arcade PCB collecting -- original hardware is WAY better than emulation.

Best places to start, should you choose that route, would be NeoGeo and Capcom CPS-2, and maybe Sega ST-V.