Welcome to the Basement Arcade








 
The best, one-stop-shopping, for the classic arcade game collector. Set your bookmark here as this page will offer the latest links to other collectors, as well as dedicated pages, parts, boards, and setting links. Here you will find the tools and information you need to get that classic game restored.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

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History

2/20/24

Incremental website changes
Earthshaker kits ...  Only 1 left!

1/25/23
Wobble Head kits are back in stock.
Earthshaker kits are now in stock

Some time ago I discovered a interface board called USBtoGUN. Its a JAMMA card that interfaces to a computer allowing HAPP light guns to communicate with PCs. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the innerweb about this card, so I though I would document my journeys with this hardware. The first 4 chapters are now up in the projects area, or just click here

Previous History reports can be found here

Introduction

The early 1980's was a great time to be a kid. With the creation of a new entertainment machine called the "Video Game", the world would change for the better. Arcades all over the world popped up offering anyone with a quarter in his pocket, time to become the saver of a universe or the best racer of the Grand Prix. Best of all I was part of this movement and have now started to relive the glory days of yesteryear by starting my own collection of these quarter eating monsters. My collection has started out with my favorite machine, which is Crazy Climber. I have given it its own Web page as I could not find a page devoted to this classic game. On the Crazy Climber page you can relive the days when arcade game manufacturers emphasized game play over graphic quality. As you can see below, as my collection grows, so do new pages on the games collected with the newest pages saluting Space Dual and Ms. Pac Man. ENJOY!

-=Mark=-


Games in My Arcade!

Crazy Climber

 One of the first places you will want to stop is my very own
Crazy Climber page. Flash down memory lane with my favorite arcade classic
of all time. Includes sounds!

Space Duel




The second game in my arcade. Visit my Space Duel page!

Ms. Pacman

 The Third game in my arcade. See all the pictures and here the sounds of my Ms. Pacman. Looking for the pin outs or switch
setting or even the full manual? It's all in there !

Donkey Kong 

The 4th game in my arcade. See all the pictures, here the sounds, 
read up on what I did to restore of my Donkey Kong  Looking for the switch setting or even the full manual? Links are provided.

Gauntlet



 The 5th game in my Basement Arcade. Sights ,sounds, manuals Its all here!

Toobin'




Hike up your swim suite and hit the water on the Toobin' page

Tapper 

Way cool, new Bud Tapper page. A beautiful addition to my basement arcade with plenty of pictures, sounds, and technical info available

Q*Bert


Q*Bert and I logged many hours in the arcades together so it is no wonder that 2 machines made it to the Basement Arcade

Domino Man

I went to A great deal to get a Domino Man, and It was worth ever mile traveled to pick it up. A forgotten classic with a dedicated page.

TURBO

 

Well if you want to find out how to restore a Mini driver from the ground up... Check out the TURBO PROJECT 

 Black Widow


 Black Widow.. a game I had never heard of till I started collecting, but a vector game with Robotron gameplay? Who could go wrong!

Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles. The first Track Ball game in the Basement Arcade. Outstanding artwork on this case and becoming one of my children's favorite games

Dig Dug

 

Bought a Dig Dug from a private auction, but it needed a bunch of work

I can Fix it

Fix it Felix jr.


 Since 2012 I've always wanted a Fix-it-Felix Jr. This it the story of that journey

More content from my Arcade Obsession

The Arcade Library

 Why might you go visit a library? To discover a new book? Borrow a DVD to enjoy a movie? Research something you don’t know or understand? It’s no different here.

An endless resource of manuals, technical information, repair blogs, videos, sounds, and book reviews all on our favorite topic 

In the Basement Arcade Shop

My blog spot of whats new and what Im working on

The Basement Arcade For Sale Spot

If Im selling it.. It's listed here

SOLD

Auctions

 Back in the day, amusement auctions were plentiful in the New Jersey area, with the possibility of having three auctions a month at times. I tried to attend almost every one.
Unfortunately, those days are gone, but what remains is a list of machines and their prices Of all the auctions I attended. As inflation seeps in, this list will get less relevant and more nostalgic, but enjoy it nonetheless 

GBNF

Gone but not Forgotten

Games that have come and gone throught the Basement Arcade.

Webcams

This not really want I had planed for. What I wanted was streaming live video, But after a month of disappointments in testing and getting it all working.. I am settling for this..

Best time for viewing are 7 p.m. - 1 am

Basement Arcade Flyers

Part of the Art is the flyers that advertize the games. A visual collection of my Amusement Flyers

Control Panel Overlay Museum

My collection of colorful stickers that tell you witch way to push that joustick

Side Art Sticker Museum

Visit the back room and see what's in the repair shop. Lots of pictures of games I'm working on that will have pages when they are restored..

3D Printing

 When I first contemplated buying a 3-D printer, I was a little overwhelmed with learning to draw, and the time it would take to learn the software involved. Now I can’t live without it. A collection, mostly of things I’ve drawn, With an occasional file from others. All Aacade related 

(Larger) Projects

Unlike the workshop blog, this area is to cover larger projects and include  more detail. An example would be the coverage of a reproduction mechanism like the moving Dalek that was on the Doctor Who pin or the moving earthshaker institute, for a Earthshaker pin, etc. 

ME

Who Is Mark Davidson?
If you already know me you see the irony in the page as I’m the guy that believes the needs of the many out way the needs of the few. So making a page drawing attention to myself if SO not me… and here it is 

 The Dragon's Lair Project. Visit my fellow N.J. collector's pages Jeff is the KING of laser disk games!

The Dot Eaters is a website that chronicles the history and progression of video games

The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers
The Source for Video and Computer Game History

So, you want to build arcade controls, huh?
Visit Build Your Own Arcade Control Center 

 The sUpErDeFoRmEd  Games Page is loaded with Arcade, 2600, and other  game and emulator links!

Remember Sega's R360 arcade game flight simulator? Here is a preservation page on it!

Clay's Game and Technical Information site is great! Buy his Sega Multi game or other System kits

  Over in Italy, ARCADE is loaded with dedicated pages, data sheets (to get you game fixed) 

 Al Warner's arcade pages are a personal favorite. Ceck Classic Vids and Pinball Machines as well as the Pins and Vids DVD! 

Got a pocket full of Quarters and your heading to the Arcade?  Visit Buckner & Garcia's Pac-man Fever site

Classic Arcade Gaming (dot com) is a old school site similar to this one with a smorgasbord of features.. all classic game related 

  What would happen if you played Pac-Man in NY with real people? Find out at Pac Manhattan

 Peter Hirschberg’s – Luna City Arcade is long gone but here is the archive of one of the best home arcades ever

Dedicated to the hobby of collecting video arcade games, visit arcadecollecting.com With an additional technical page I really enjoy here!

M.A.R.S. (Mark's Arcade Retro Site) Stop by today!




The VECTORLIST archives is a database of old mailing lists for the discussion of vector-based arcade games. Includes Raster and Tech tool groups too

Classics Reunited! Boasting info on Tapper, Pacman, Space Invaders and more, this page is a must see with online playable versions as well

EAS - Eddie's Arcade Shack  Arcade games, Defender, Stargate, Sinistar, and more!


Evil Exidy's Arcade-Classics! A new site! www.arcade-classics.com



WOW.! A Great Tech site here with the best Donkey Kong troubleshooting pages to date! Braze Technologies - Innovative solutions 

See The World Of Owen R. Rubin. Original Atari pioneer who contributed to Major Havoc, Space Duel, and many other games Read some of this inside stories

larwe.com  has named itself a coin-op arcade game museum, (of this gentlemen's collection)



  Mikes arcade shop is HOT! With downloadable Operation Sheet, Instructions cards, Coin door inserts, as well as Technical Info! THE BEST!

The Broken Token! I best known for their awesome podcast, Brent and Whitney cover everything from the golden age of arcade gaming to the newest pinball titles

Roy Kaplan's Page has resurfaced. Chumblepuzz and his collection are not to be missed!


New here is something different! Yllabian Space Guppy's Bizarre Arcade Game Archive reviews the strangest games to grace the arcades!

  Another new Arcade page found! Welcome Pelle's Arcade Collecting Page



JAMMAJUP coinop videogame collector/enthusiast site. Steve has quite a few boards in his collection!

 Another full featured site is Dave's Arcade filled with auction info restoration projects and more!

Some friends in the UK have started gamesroom-online.co.uk Lots of info, and data here! 

After a (very) brief absence, Game Room Classifieds now has a new owner and continues its excellent game services!

SAFESTUFF.COM Is now atarigames.com ! A great archival site of the grea Atari  Art Archive 
CURENTLY DOWN

Phosphor Dot's Arcade Artwork Archive

A new Grave yard site!!! Hold on... Why am I excited?? This is sad! Visit Andy's GALLERY OF THE GROTESQUE!! Includes CONVERSIONS FROM HELL

Another sad story of classics arcade machines left to rot in The Barn



The Eerie World of Abandoned Arcade Games
A PC MAG article with lots of pictures


 David Balsamini is a friend and the curator Morristown Game Vault, An arcade testament of what happens when you set out to make a dream reality

Another collector who took his love of the hobby and turned it into his day job - Marcade is owned and operated by my friend Marc Frega in the Rockaway River Commons

Friend and collector Bill Smith opened up Billy's Midway Arcade Hawthorne, NJ. Loaded with vintage video and pinball machines and curated with care

 Pinball zone! I don't know where to start.. There is SO much info here it will take you months to go through it all!

Mr. Pinball Classifieds! Trade, sell, find PARTS!!!




Replace the price card in your pinball machine with one of these informative and colorful cards. An impressive display from The Pinball Rebel

Can't remember the game you played as a child? Look here and you just may be able to find it!

The Pinball Database

FAST Pinball makes pinball control systems which let hobbyists, indie pinball makers, and full-scale pinball manufacturers build pinball machines.

Multimorphic, Inc. manufacturers the P3, a modern, physical, multi-game pinball platform, as well as pinball machine control system products, such as the P-ROC and P3-ROC.

Contacts

Mark@Basementarcade.com
Phone: +1 ‪(973) 400-9110‬  

Links

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