RF Generation Message Board

Episode 23 is live!

I was just cleaning some nes carts up while listening to and older collectorcast when I saw this. Can't wait to hear the new one.

Can there be a better way to spend your time???

Guessing the topic has something in the podcast about it, but it honestly stopped me in my tracks for a bit until I realized we're all rational people. ;)

The reference is in the intro. It makes more sense when you hear it.

Aww yeah!

[img width=300 height=171]http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvo8nlaWRA1r6aoq4o1_400.gif[/img]

Great topic guys. Lot of good info. Still totally paranoid to mess with a monitor though.  :P

Got me interested in getting my Nintendo VS Dual system working.  Been trying to diagnose some unusual problems.

You make a great point here. I think that a lot of people shy away from collecting cabs or pins (other than the obvious money and space issues) due to a fear of getting over their heads in electronic repairs. Fortunately, we live in a time where repair tips, forums, and even helpful videos exist online. Other than the frustration of having to order the parts and wait for them, diagnostics and repairs are typically never that bad and should never prevent you from owning a machine. There are great people out there who are always willing to help. Also, I have noticed that Radio Shack has really beefed up their selection of electronic parts over the last few years; I rarely have to order much online. I neglected to mention this on the show, but I use Clay's repair guides quite often for my pinball repairs:   http://www.pinrepair.com/. These are great step-by-step instructions that will help get you up and running. Maybe someone could suggest a similar vid site. Good luck!

Rich is right, you do bring up a solid point.  Might I suggest this very good primer on arcade monitors:

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=143645

Thanks for the info guys. First I need to figure out if the monitor is even bad on my machine. Its got a wide range of issues, which could be connected.

Also recently found this for those that have machines not quite working yet.  :laugh:

Loaded up my zunes. Podcast is downloading now.

Looks like i have a couple hours of cleaning/arranging to do when i get a chance to listen :D

Zune is a thing?

I remember the Zune. my best friend was nuts for all the new tech as it came out and got a limited edition Halo Zune. I wonder if he still owns that thing?

Damn, and here I thought I'd just imagined the Zune existed.

Maybe I still am imagining it?

Anyway, I've taken my ear to the first half of the show so far. One thing I can say is: Bil, your boys simply ain't getting it done against the filthy-rotten-no-good-scumbag Kings. Oh, they can take 'em into OT both times, but they couldn't even finish 'em off either time. It's bad enough the Sharks suffered the biggest choke job in NHL playoff history to those low-lifes, now they're up 2-0 in the finals?! I think I'm gonna be sick, again.

Other than that, I noted the complaints about how they put too much extra "missions" and side-stuff in pinball games that prove more distracting than a fun challenge. I daresay I encounter this in quite a few modern console games, too. Remember the simple days for the SNES controller, with its D-pad, four face buttons, and two shoulder buttons? But that wasn't good enough, so they eventually added an analog stick, and then two of 'em. Then came a couple triggers, and then they doubled up on the shoulder buttons! How's a guy with ADHD supposed to keep track of it all, huh?!

Errrr... not to get all curmudgeonly or anything. Wouldn't wanna harsh your pinball buzz with my gripey demeanor.

BTW maybe you bring it up in the second half of the show, but some of the tables do have magnets underneath to help "guide" the ball while in play, right? 'Cuz I've experienced occasions where the ball goes in a quick triangular "circle" right in the middle of the field while being nowhere near a bumper, jet, or flipper. I recall this happening with the early-90s Star Wars, The Who: Tommy, and Star Trek the Next Generation tables. I can't be the only person who's noticed this? I might be crazy, but not THAT crazy...  :tinfoil:

For me, Zune is like a television show I believe I watched growing up called "The Great Space Coaster." A few years ago I remembered the name and Googled it to see if others recalled it. Sure enough, there is a "support" group for the show. Until then, I thought my parents might have gotten hold of some bad acid in the early 70's and passed it on to me in utero.

I had mixed feelings about this podcast. I enjoyed it, but I compare it to a discussion about collecting exotic cars. Just feels too far a goal to be attained. Especially in my city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gC8dNB5vMA

ON THE GREAT SPACE COASTER

Norch, some pins do have a magnet to guide the ball, as it's typically used to hold the ball or as part of other mini-games as well for those machines.

I understand it can be frustrating in certain areas and know that many machines are harder to find in Canada, but I respectfully disagree with your comment. Like anything rarer that people collect, it's  just about making the right connections. They are out there, it just takes a bit of leg work. How many machines does Crabby have again? :)

It was like that with me and Sledge Hammer. Until it came out on DVD, I thought I'd merely imagined that show. Mainly 'cuz whenever I'd mention the show to someone around my age, they didn't know what the hell I was talking about. Was the show really that obscure?

The Great Space Coaster, however, I remember all too well. Mainly because my fellow middle schoolers wouldn't let me forget after I once admitted to watching a few episodes, which made me a lame-o in their eyes. Well, even more of one than I already was; my social ineptitude and childhood obesity was already at full swing by the time my revelation got out. Goddamn, middle school sucked.


I feel for ya, Ricky. But, some coping mechanisms are better than others.



...and occasionally have the ball doing a donut in the middle of the field, apparently, making a mockery of physics and my last few threads of sanity.

^Theatre of Magic and Twilight Zone have magnets in the table as a big part of their gameplay.

Gravity-defying shenanigans should be expected for those two particular tables, as it would fit quite well with their themes. It just seemed weird to me to see it happen in the ones I played. But hey, it's not like it happened all that often...

Tons of games now with magnets. I'd say the majority of modern games use them in some fashion. This is my favorite use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHxdPw4ambk

I played Dracula at a friends house a little a while back. I activated the mist ball and when I went to knock the ball free I didn't hit it hard enough and my ball got stuck in the magnet's pull as well. We sat there watching them wiggle against each other until the magnet ended in silence. Then my buddy commented "that's unfortunate.....". It was fun. Can't wait to try again!!!

Had my store not won them for selling the crap out of 360s YEARS ago i would have confirmed that the Zune was only a rumor. I even bought one of those radio broadcasting things so i could listen to it in the car. (It worked like absolute shit.)

Before Zune it was WMP10 and before that it was Winamp5, Winamp 3 and Winamp 2. Never tried iTunes since i've never owned an apple product and constantly was hearing about people bitching about libraries being deleted. At one time i had 750+ hours of music on my PC so i wasn't interested in potentially losing it and having to rip it again or redownload it.

I was talking with my I.T. guy at work and the Zune came up in conversation. He told me the Zune was to MP3 players what the N-gage was to gaming consoles. I thought it was a bit harsh, but then again, I haven't actually owned either one, so I can only go by what I hear...and it is always bad things about both.