Hi guys! So I have been on and off searching for an old arcade machine that I wanted to get (rampart) I have just found an original working PCB online and I really think I will snatch it up in the next few hours. That said I have absolutely zero experience working with arcade hardware and basically I am wondering if the entry bar for recreating a replica of the old cabinet and all is going to be something that would be a bit beyond a beginners range. Ideally I'd like to have it wired up how I remember with 3 player trackballs and reprint the original graphics for it. http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9263 Thanks for any tips and advice.
Restoring or replicating a classic cabinet is not for the faint of heart, depending on the game. Rampart looks to be a Jamma board, so wiring should be easier to deal with. You might want to start reading here: http://arcadecontrols.com/arcade.htm and move onto their message boards.
Rampart is a terrible machine to scratch build - even converting a generic JAMMA cab wouldn't be fun. Ease-wise and cost-wise, you're far better off getting a dedicated cabinet. http://www.ebay.com/itm/191594261644?item=191594261644&rmvSB=true Gauge by that auction (even if it's not near you). Trackballs are at least $60 each new - you need 3. That's $180. Then you need either a generic cabinet.... or a lot of wood, wires, a monitor, PSU, time, patience and knowledge! Reprinting the graphics would be very expensive - you can get a marquee for $20, but the rest would have to be custom made by photographing an original or recreating it yourself, then having it printed on vinyl.
That's a bit disheartening but I still think I am going to push forward, I have a buddy who works doing sign work here locally and I know I can get a really good deal from him so I'm not all that worried about the price of the graphics. In my random searches the last day or two I could have sworn I found some trackballs for around 15$ but that might have just been the ball and not the whole assembly. I am really looking at this as a great learning opportunity, I may end up learning that this is more work than it is worth but the experience getting that far will be memorable.
Nobody's going to thank you for building a replica, to be fair... there's a difference between replacing worn-out artwork on an original cab and effectively making a fake. You'd be better off going for something you can get plans for and giving it a custom rampart-based artwork. That way, you won't tread on anyone's toes introducing a non-original machine and don't have to track down an original to photograph / reproduce, although you're still going to have to design artwork. Better (and cheaper) still, buy a generic JAMMA cab that you can hack about and make the artwork for that. If the monitor and PSU are decent, you should save yourself a fair bit. You'll still need to rebuild the control panel. You still need woodwork, design and electronics skills, then you have to source an arcade monitor (which are expensive on their own) to build the system around. $15 trackballs will, no doubt, be second hand. They have to be arcade trackballs - the manual will give you some idea of spec.
I am still really impressed you were able to find that ebay listing. Is there a good place to keep eye other than ebay for arcade machines for sale?
Your best bet is arcade forums/groups really. If you can find one local to you, all the better. You could keep an eye on VAPS (post a wanted, although there are several on there already), the Arcade Controls forum, the BYOAC forum (you'll be wanting to look there, anyway), KLOV forum, Arcade Otaku forum... etc. Look for dealers, too - the prices might be a bit higher, but if you find one in close proximity, it'll be worth it. If you have your heart set on making one, I don't want to put you off - just know it's not easy, it's not fast and it takes a lot of money. Don't do it to save a few quid building something that already exists - do it for the enjoyment and to make something really custom.
Also, realize you could easily become bored by it too. I haven't touched my custom arcade machine in years and can't get anyone interested in buying it for anything other than parts. Parting out an arcade machine, especially figuring out how to ship the CRT, is not something I even want to think about.
I really appreciate the input guys. This is an arcade game I've wanted since I first played in back when I was 13 or 14 years old and I'm in my 30s now. I am going to move forward with working on getting a custom machine up and running. I found local arcade owner and asked him some questions and he gave me some advice on types of machines to look into to try and modify so I have a very rough plan. The idea of this project from the start was not to try and save some cash in creating the arcade but is more about the creation process and bringing something to life. I have a few ideas of some things I want to do and I'm really looking forward to it.
