| melchman's guide to: |
Arcade Restoration |
| Prerequisites: |
None |
| Sources: |
experience |
Arcade Game Restoration
I grew up and discovered
technology in the 80's. That means I spent a fortune in
quarters at every arcade I could find. The malls, the
Wildwood, NJ Boardwalk, even Video Visions in West
Wyomissing. When I was old enough to afford my own
expensive toys I found an arcade game. It was Centipede. I
spent way too much, but it was mine.
As it turns out, 20 + year old electronics require
maintenance. My Centipede was no exception. I quickly
learned how to find the resources on the web and fix
monitors, basic wiring and troubleshooting.
Monitors
Video game monitors are 20 year old color
TV's. Do you have any 20 + year old TV's in your house?
Remeber why? They break, often. They are expensive to
repair. More expensive if you have to pay someone to come
to your house and do the work for you.
Troubleshooting
Old technology is like new
technology, there are broad groups of junk called sub
systems. Each sub system can be swapped to test it's
function is a working system. Swap until you find the
culprit and then get it fixed.
Hobby or Business
I learned so much from my early
experiences that I started to collect some valuable tips. I
learned to make things. If you can make it right once you
can make 5 or 10. So, I started selling stuff on my
website. The Cedar Rock Arcade
Shop was born.