So I've figured out how to take the arcade machine apart enough to
actually do stuff to it, if we want. Turns out that the computer in it
is *really* old, like, Pentium 4 with 512 mb of ram. I'm kind of amazed
it still works at all. But I tried at least seeing if I could get Linux
or something to boot on it, and it's too old to boot off of a USB
drive. And I don't really feel like burning a CD just to see if that
thing is salvagable. It's running an old version of software called
Maximus Arcade.
There's a pile of custom wiring to get all the inputs and outputs
connected to the computer, but it LOOKS like the joysticks end up
plugging into a USB input, the monitor is VGA and the sound is just a
3.5 mm jack.
So the question is, what do we want to actually do with it? Our options
seem to be:
* Just update the software to a new version of the same thing
* Keep the same computer but put Linux on it running MAME or something
(maybe http://www.lakka.tv/)
* Just replace the thing with a RPi
I'll play around with different programs and see if I can find one that
works significantly better than what we have.
On the more hardware-y side, I really want to cover the gaping holes
next to the coin acceptor with something... maybe plastic with cool
laser-cut designs and LED backlighting. The sides of the thing are also
just aching for paint and/or decals. Anyone have any good suggestions
there?
Simon
