Donkey Kong Forum
Blogs => Player Blogs => Topic started by: DadsGlasses on June 07, 2015, 08:36:37 pm
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My name is Robert. I decided it was time to give a brief introduction.
I was born in 1979. My first gaming system was Coleco Vision. My favorite games at the time were Donkey Kong Jr, Venture, Turbo ,and Cosmic Avenger. Next came NES. This was probably the console that played the longest single role in my gaming life. I lived and breathed NES. Favorite games for NES: Excitebike, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros. Next I got Sega Genesis. Most played Sega games were Ecco The Dolphin, Flashback, and Mortal Kombat. When I went to college I got exposed to N64 and Goldeneye. Goldeneye and MarioKart exposed me to multiplayer gaming. I enjoyed it, but never as much as I enjoyed solo gaming. Years later I moved into XBox and spent way too many hours playing Halo 2 online multiplayer rounds. PS3 followed and eventually XBox one.
One consistent theme for me was that as the games got more "advanced" by gaming standards, I became less interested. Graphically beautiful, theatrically pleasing, drawn out campaigns just do not hold my interest the way the classics do. They never have, and I'm not sure if they ever will. I'd prefer to play a text based adventure like Zork rather than many of the newer games. (Super Meat Boy is an exception to this. I love that game!)
My children have inherited my love of gaming. Most notably my 4yr old son. He's has some issues in his young life, and video games have provided a very positive outlet. When he was in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery, a Nintendo 3DS helped comfort him. (And my wife and I)
I recently decided to build an upright MAME arcade cabinet. It may sound weird, but I thought it would be healthier for my son to play video games while standing up rather than sitting down. So I built the cabinet and we love it.
I started playing Donkey Kong on the cabinet about 3 weeks ago. I decided to look online for some strategy advice. That is how I located this forum. I decided I just had to buy a Donkey Kong cabinet. I like the idea of the HSL and I wanted to be able to submit scores. I also wanted the personal challenge of doing it on a dedicated arcade machine. I don't want to practice save states in MAME. I want to learn and improve one credit at a time!
So I found a pretty decent DK Jr cabinet in the next state over. I decided to buy it and I swapped out the boards. Eventually I plan to add a Vector Labs Switcher so that players will have the option to play DK or DK Jr.
That's how I got to where I am today. Current personal best is 132,600. I've got a long way to go. My plan is to run the boards (for the most part) until I can get a kill screen. I would like to beat Billy Mitchell's longstanding high score and get into the high 800,000's. Once I reach that goal, I'll decide what's next.
I've been having some issues setting up a good video capture device. I'm limited by my old MacBook laptop. Hopefully I'll sort that out soon.
Thanks for all of the help, support, strategy, and comraderie.
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Hi Robert and welcome.
Best of luck in your gaming endeavors.
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welcome to the forum mate. good luck :)
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Get this man the blog badge!
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Thank you for all of the kind welcome messages.
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It has become immediately clear that I need to make some changes to my video capture setup.
1st: It looks ugly. My wife doesn't like the appearance it gives off when you enter the room. I tacked this together quickly using a spare piece of trim I had in the garage. I am going to make a more low profile mount for the web cam.
2nd: My computer is so very out of date. I'm currently using a 10+year old MacBook. It's the only laptop that I own. I am looking into a replacement so that I can stream through Twitch. With my old laptop it just doesn't seem feasible. I'm using a Logitech 720 c270 webcam. Unfortunately there is not much support for MAC, so I have little to no control over the capture settings. I am considering purchasing a "cheap" laptop to use for video capture/streaming. I just need to make sure I cover the basic requirements. Currently I am capturing a HUGE .MOV file and then importing it into iMovie and compressing. Then I'm loading that file onto a thumb drive and transferring to my desktop iMac. Then I upload the video to YouTube. With all that, I am wasting time that I could be playing and improving.
3rd: I need to decide what works best for my setup once I upgrade. Twitch streaming vs YouTube, etc.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/7e228172-8dc3-47e0-b8bf-b98a680b0a70_zpsodayzhxm.jpg)
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A Lonely Companion.......
I currently have a non-working PolePosition sitting in the room next to my DK Arcade Cabinet.
When I picked up the machine it was working fine. I decided to remove the leaky battery from the PCB. Unfortunately in doing so I messed something up. Now I just get a blue screen with a RAM 8 error message. I have played with it a little, but I fear doing more damage. I think I am going to send it to Eldorado Games for repair.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/f5fefcae-3370-4bab-a55c-a54f16c7cc9b_zps5mgfapwq.jpg)
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Last in the room is the MAME cabinet that I built. We love it. So many great games that really stir the nostalgia. My 4yo son absolutely LOVES the machine. Currently I am trying to figure out how to get the PAULINE hack onto my MAME cabinet. I have seen a few step by step guides, but they require a Windows PC in order to alter the .bin files. I can't figure out how to do it on a MAC.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/7b428f70-6a8f-4df3-85d2-fd99b6b7cfd3_zpszyu6lltg.jpg)
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Hand positioning:
I always find quirky things like this to be interesting. I'd love to hear how others position their hands while playing DK.
Here's what I do:
My left hand rests on the control overlay. I use my left thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger to hold the joystick. I place my thumb directly over the set screw hole. If my thumb is not directly over the hole, my hand just doesn't feel right at all.
For my jump button, I rest my right hand on the control overlay. I simultaneously use both my pointer and middle fingers to tap the jump button.
Does any of this matter? Probably not. I just find it interesting.
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Music:
I enjoy listening to music while I play video games. It adds to the nostalgia of being in the arcade as a kid. There was always music playing. So what do I listen to and how do I listen?
I have a Sonos speaker that sits directly on top of my DK cabinet. I listen to the 80's Rock station from Pandora. Perfect atmosphere for playing an early 80's arcade classic.
My wife HATES it. I LOVE it.
Is the music annoying in the background of my streams?
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I think I am going to send it to Eldorado Games for repair.
Don't do that, you are just asking for more trouble. See if you can Dick Millikan's info on KLOV and see if he's taking on repairs.
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I think I am going to send it to Eldorado Games for repair.
Don't do that, you are just asking for more trouble. See if you can Dick Millikan's info on KLOV and see if he's taking on repairs.
Thank you for the advice. I will do that.
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I have no experience with either of them but I've heard plenty of El Dorado horror stories and nothing but good things about Millikan's work on Atari boards. I think he used to actually take non-working in + cash for working bulletproofed pole position boards.
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I have no experience with either of them but I've heard plenty of El Dorado horror stories and nothing but good things about Millikan's work on Atari boards. I think he used to actually take non-working in + cash for working bulletproofed pole position boards.
That is certainly something I would consider.
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For reference as to Millikan's prowess with those boards, here's a FS post actually mentioning that the PCB was bulletproofed by Dick as a selling point.
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan)
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For reference as to Millikan's prowess with those boards, here's a FS post actually mentioning that the PCB was bulletproofed by Dick as a selling point.
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan)
Thanks. I'll have to see if I can locate him. I really appreciate it.
My son LOVES this game. I brought it home working great. Pulled the battery and gonzo. So dumb. My son asks me almost daily when I'm going to fix it.
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So I found an old version of Logitech Video software and downloaded it onto my MacBook.
The video quality is certainly better. I just need to adjust the camera to ensure that I capture full screen.
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For reference as to Millikan's prowess with those boards, here's a FS post actually mentioning that the PCB was bulletproofed by Dick as a selling point.
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=329296&highlight=millikan)
Just sent him a PM. Thanks!
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No worries. Let us know how you make out. Pole position is one of my faves.
2 of the best PCB guys I've worked with in the past are Yellowdog on KLOV for Williams PCBs (he worked for Williams in the past) and CDJump for Bally/Midway MCR stacks. Both were awesome to work with at very reasonable costs and are insanely knowledgeable. CDJump actually BUILT ME an intermediate board of his own design to get my florescent flashing lights working properly on my EDOT. Kreygasm
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Am I about to make a mistake????
I am considering converting my DK Jr cabinet into a DK cabinet. I plan to replace all of the side art, instructions, bezel, marquee, etc. I am going to paint the cabinet Red. I love the look of the original Red DK cabinets.
Here is my thought process. I bought the DK Jr cabinet because I really wanted a dedicated DK cabinet and this one was local and cheap. I don't plan to sell the cabinet. I am keeping it for myself as a playing cabinet. I am planning to leave the DK Jr serial numbers and everything on the back. (I am not the type of person that would ever try to resell it as an original DK cabinet for a profit.) But at the end of the day, I much prefer DK to DK Jr. I primarily play DK. Currently I don't even have my DK Jr pcbs installed.
Is this a bad idea? Am I essentially ruining a good dedicated cabinet just for decorative sake?
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No worries. Let us know how you make out. Pole position is one of my faves.
2 of the best PCB guys I've worked with in the past are Yellowdog on KLOV for Williams PCBs (he worked for Williams in the past) and CDJump for Bally/Midway MCR stacks. Both were awesome to work with at very reasonable costs and are insanely knowledgeable. CDJump actually BUILT ME an intermediate board of his own design to get my florescent flashing lights working properly on my EDOT. Kreygasm
Unfortunately Dick is no longer taking repair work. Any other suggestions for an Atari Pole Position board repair?
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Not off hand. I would try posting a thread on KLOV asking the same. The community is usually very good about policing itself and suggesting a good repair tech.
Or you could try posting in the repair forum there, maybe it's a simple issue and a chip loosened when you were pulling the battery or something.
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Currently stuck in a rut. Making silly mistakes at low levels and then ditching the game. I need to block out a few hours of focused play one of these days.
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So I've decided to paint my DkJr cabinet. I'm only running a DK board inside, and so I've decided to convert the cabinet. I painted and reassembled last night. I decided to go with Red because I think DK looks best in Red. I've done this for personal reasons only. My plan is not to try and sell it as an original DK machine, just to enjoy it in my home.
The paint is done. Now I just need to change the marquee, bezel, control panel overlay, instruction cards, and side art.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/4C96A7E4-0E7B-4DF3-882D-5E08D4F6DACB_zpsfsqbjqmd.jpg)
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Looks great! That must've been quite an effort. How long did it take?
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I know lots of people will think I've destroyed a good original DK Jr cabinet by painting it. For me, the reality is I'm trying to build a game room for my kids and I that we can enjoy. I'm not buying and selling games for profit. I am of course keeping the DK Jr ID plate on the back of the cabinet.
I'm excited about the conversion.
I'll post more pics when I get the artwork changed over.
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Looks great! That must've been quite an effort. How long did it take?
Thanks. Just took a few hours. It's not perfect. I removed the t molding, taped off some areas, lightly hand sanded, and applied new paint. I saw another conversion online and used the same paint codes. It's Valspar Radiant Red from Lowes. I'm excited to see how it looks with the new artwork.
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New marquee, bezel, instructions, control panel overlay, and coin indicator added. Now just waiting for side art.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/Mobile%20Uploads/F4B4E6C7-BFF7-4FC3-8B7E-9F04B4EC7CA9_zpszjrewc4x.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/Mobile%20Uploads/F4B4E6C7-BFF7-4FC3-8B7E-9F04B4EC7CA9_zpszjrewc4x.jpg.html)
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Looks great, keep going good sir! Nothing like a fun project that helps build equity in our functional "antiques", plus you get to learn stuff Kreygasm
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Looks great, keep going good sir! Nothing like a fun project that helps build equity in our functional "antiques", plus you get to learn stuff Kreygasm
Thanks. Removing the joystick was a learning experience. Pieces were lost, then found, then lost, then hitting me in the forehead. The final result is that the joystick is now cleaner and functioning more smoothly!!
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My next goal is to find a Nintendo VS Unisystem upright. I need a shooter so my plan will be to install a gun and Duck Hunt & Hogans Alley!
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The cab is looking very nice sir! Kreygasm
Amazing how a little work on these things can teach us so much, and make repairs less intimidating. Great job!
<Tim>
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Thanks. Removing the joystick was a learning experience. Pieces were lost, then found, then lost, then hitting me in the forehead. The final result is that the joystick is now cleaner and functioning more smoothly!!
I was lucky enough to have Richie teach me how to clean/disassemble/reassemble a nintendo 4-way in person; I remember explicitly being told to hold one of the washers at the base of the stick or "it would fly away forever" :)
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So far, I'm pretty happy with how the room is coming along. Hopefully next will be a Nintendo Vs Unisystem upright setup for Duck Hunt or Hogans Alley.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/F4AD26AE-E413-4378-9BA3-2C93869FB5EA_zpsu6macj5m.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/F4AD26AE-E413-4378-9BA3-2C93869FB5EA_zpsu6macj5m.jpg.html)
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Awesome game room!
Someone posted on the thread I started about my cabinet that the button colors aren't right for DK, and mine are the same color as yours. I see that Mike's arcade has replacement DK jr buttons which are the same color, and I'm assuming are what mine are (came with the cabinet).
Long story short, are you planning on replacing the buttons now that it's a DK cabinet, and if so, let me know where you found replacements as I would like to get the correct color in my cab too.
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Awesome game room!
Someone posted on the thread I started about my cabinet that the button colors aren't right for DK, and mine are the same color as yours. I see that Mike's arcade has replacement DK jr buttons which are the same color, and I'm assuming are what mine are (came with the cabinet).
Long story short, are you planning on replacing the buttons now that it's a DK cabinet, and if so, let me know where you found replacements as I would like to get the correct color in my cab too.
My understanding is that BLUE BLUE ORANGE is correct. Supposedly there were some variations, but most originals had BBO, which is what I have.
Here's that famous Life magazine pic. You can see Steve Sanders leaning over a DK that has Blue Blue Orange.
What are you thoughts?
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/F297C92A-7107-41E5-A28E-0C88D0B15414_zpswqsxhprx.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/F297C92A-7107-41E5-A28E-0C88D0B15414_zpswqsxhprx.jpg.html)
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The more I look at it, the more that jump button in the life picture appears "yellow-ish" rather than orange.
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Awesome game room!
Someone posted on the thread I started about my cabinet that the button colors aren't right for DK, and mine are the same color as yours. I see that Mike's arcade has replacement DK jr buttons which are the same color, and I'm assuming are what mine are (came with the cabinet).
Long story short, are you planning on replacing the buttons now that it's a DK cabinet, and if so, let me know where you found replacements as I would like to get the correct color in my cab too.
My understanding is that BLUE BLUE ORANGE is correct. Supposedly there were some variations, but most originals had BBO, which is what I have.
Here's that famous Life magazine pic. You can see Steve Sanders leaning over a DK that has Blue Blue Orange.
What are you thoughts?
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/F297C92A-7107-41E5-A28E-0C88D0B15414_zpswqsxhprx.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/F297C92A-7107-41E5-A28E-0C88D0B15414_zpswqsxhprx.jpg.html)
Il shoot ChrisP a PM. Maybe he can shed more light on this.
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This pic here certainly appears to have a more "yellowish" jump button.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/57604DFD-343D-4FD0-9414-40F5E0C9A4FB_zpse9ytqhg9.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/57604DFD-343D-4FD0-9414-40F5E0C9A4FB_zpse9ytqhg9.jpg.html)
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The colors are definitely blue/blue/orange, but the shade of repros is not true to the originals.
Repros are bright blue. The stock Nintendo blue buttons are more of a navy.
Repro orange is dark; Nintendo orange is a lighter shade.
See first pic.
It's not just the colors though that are different.
Nintendo plungers extend higher over the cylinder than those of repro buttons. This gives the Nintendos a deeper "push."
On the underside, the stem-end of the plunger (the end that makes contact with the microswitch) on a repro is a tiny bit longer than the stems on an original Nintendo. This causes a problem when using repro buttons with Nintendo switches. In the second pic, on the left you see a repro button mated with a Nintendo switch, which has a black ball on the end of the lever.
On the right is a repro button mated with a non-Nintendo switch, which does NOT have the ball on the lever.
The issue is that the ball on the Nintendo switches doesn't leave enough room for the button on the repros to release! The stem is too long. The switch stays closed when you're not pressing the button.
Anyway, if you wanna be sure what's going on ("are these original buttons or not?"), the shade should tell you. Look for navy blue/light orange. Or look at the stems and the microswitches. The Nintendo ones have the little ball-end levers and mate properly with the plunger on Nintendo buttons.
There was a Kickstarter recently to recreate the original Nintendo buttons. It failed. :)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1423841610/donkey-kong-orange-and-blue-pushbuttons (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1423841610/donkey-kong-orange-and-blue-pushbuttons)
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Thanks Chris! Very helpful.
Sounds like repro buttons work best with repro switches and original buttons work best with original switches.
Do you know if there are any repro buttons available that correctly match the original colors?
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I just edited the post and you may have missed it.
See this (failed) Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1423841610/donkey-kong-orange-and-blue-pushbuttons (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1423841610/donkey-kong-orange-and-blue-pushbuttons)
You can't get original Nintendo-style buttons, in either color or design (as far as I know). This is definitely a source of angst in the collector community. ;D People aren't so concerned with the switches, but the color just isn't right. I'm at a point now where I can spot non-originals from across the room and I wince a little because I wanna see that navy blue!
I thought it was a weird idea for Mike to do a Kickstarter where the "rewards" were simply the product. Seems like it would have been more sensible to just do an interest list on KLOV and then make them or not based on that. I haven't checked in on that, maybe he decided to make them anyway.
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Yes, I missed the edit on the first one.
It's funny, the blue doesn't bother me. Now it's the orange against the yellowish/orange background of the "Jump" text that is aggravating me!!
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So I appear to have found some original Nintendo buttons. Based on ChrisP's pics and descriptions I currently have Nintendo Switches with repro MikesArcade buttons.
I am hoping to install the original buttons so that my combination is Original buttons with original switches.
The Player1/2 buttons I'm getting have some cigarette burns, so I have to assess them in person before I decide to install them. The Jump button looks pretty good.
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Here's a pic of the button I'm getting that I am told is original. It's next to an installed MikesArcade button.
Look legit?
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/AA96F0EB-6BD9-45A8-9B79-17D0A894974D_zps1utxvtfz.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/AA96F0EB-6BD9-45A8-9B79-17D0A894974D_zps1utxvtfz.jpg.html)
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I received my Kong Off 4 Marquee in the mail today. Decided to put together two light boxes to hang this one along with a DKJr marquee. Added them both to game room.
Sorry for the bad pictures.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/649AD74A-2C25-461D-B0CC-66D40C8CE56B_zpsujow2xnf.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/649AD74A-2C25-461D-B0CC-66D40C8CE56B_zpsujow2xnf.jpg.html)
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/0CD49FC0-3E58-43DC-A886-E3A523EBC10C_zpsotjy8zwl.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/0CD49FC0-3E58-43DC-A886-E3A523EBC10C_zpsotjy8zwl.jpg.html)
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Every time I feel like I'm making progress, I take a step back. Just played a decent round. 80,000 give or take going into Level 4 springs. Dead dead dead done. Every time I start to feel comfortable with the springs I seem to take a step backwards.
Frustrating.
Onward & upward.
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Installed my Original Nintendo button today. Pictured here you can see it next to the MikeArcade repro that I removed. I'm happy with it.
I'm not sure what to do with the player buttons. I have originals now, but they have cigarette damage. Not sure if I should leave the MA repros or not. Thoughts?
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/95A49022-A6B2-40BE-BFA9-A7C315335678_zpssnm9el0r.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/95A49022-A6B2-40BE-BFA9-A7C315335678_zpssnm9el0r.jpg.html)
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Decided to replace all three buttons with original Nintendo buttons. Very happy.
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/6A329CA8-3ADA-470A-B240-DBFA6F71A541_zpsgv1owt3f.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/6A329CA8-3ADA-470A-B240-DBFA6F71A541_zpsgv1owt3f.jpg.html)
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New stool for the arcade room. My old butt gets sore on a wooded stool!
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/50E3D7A3-0113-4F53-89B3-F1167F4F7490_zpspl5epqhd.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/50E3D7A3-0113-4F53-89B3-F1167F4F7490_zpspl5epqhd.jpg.html)
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Everything is looking great sir! 8) especially that <pacman> carpet Kreygasm
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Looks great! I am jealous of your buttons. 8)
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Added a new light switch to the game room. Very cool. Buttons make arcade style noises when pressed and "marquee" lights up when you turn the room lights on or off by moving the joystick up or down.
Cool little touch. $14
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff444/CtTortoise/2B223BA7-F02C-4124-93A5-043FA39C013A_zpsgfzsnixo.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/CtTortoise/media/2B223BA7-F02C-4124-93A5-043FA39C013A_zpsgfzsnixo.jpg.html)