Free Arcade Cab found in the Wild Yesterday
I noticed that there was a listing on our local Craigslist for a free Millipede arcade cab. The add said the cab was in bad shape, but I had the day off and know some fellow collectors who own Millipede cabs and could use some spare parts. So I headed up to Tewksbury about 15 North of where I live to check things out. The guy who was getting rid of it (Justin) picked the cab up off a curb in Boston during college roll-out about 5 years ago, put it in his parent's garage and forgot about. He was cleaning the garage out and needed it gone. Here is what I found when I got there.
The entire bottom of the cab had severe water damage and the bottom wood was pretty much separated from the rest of the cab. Since the cab itself was toast, I went to work taking it apart for parts. Once all the good stuff was pulled (the marquee was a POS, but I kept it anyway), We took a Sawsall to the cab. I kept the sides for the art and we put the rest on the curb from the trashman.
After I loaded up the cab in my Baja, I came home to post a few pics for our local collectors group to see if anyone needed some spare parts. Since I did not pay for this and don't have a Millipede cab of my own, I offered everything up for grabs in exchange for a six pack of good beer to cover my time and gas to run up and retrieve the parts. Before long, most of the parts were claimed, I am the promise of two cases of Guinness coming my way and everyone is happy. Here is what I was able to salvage from the cab.
A beautiful vertical arcade monitor with ZERO screen burn-in (a static image "burned" into the screen after long use, usually the title graphics or high score field).
Coin-door (rusty but salvageable with some sanding a new coat of paint) and coin mech (in perfect condition)
Full wiring harness and PS plate (both reuseable)
ARII Sound Board
Smoked bezel glass (goes in front of the monitor)
Arcade Speakers
Coin box and coin counter
The primary boards and board cage were also in pristine shape. If you are interested in getting into collecting and restoring classic arcade cabs, keep an eye on your local Craigslist. Deals like this pop up fairly regularly and you can walk away with a project cab or even fully working machine for little (or in this case no) money.