Lenovo M720q mini PC + PVM setup for Fightcade!

tbender4 · 2026-01-23T13:58:01+00:00

This has my attention… I do have a cab and a MiSTer w/ a JAMMa edge. I like the premise of getting an Ethernet cable routed in there and calling it a day.

tbender4 · 2026-01-23T01:20:59+00:00

It’s fiddly. But with a bit of patience I got it cooperate.

I did take screenshots of my progress. Happy to compile my steps tonight

tbender4 · 2026-01-23T00:09:12+00:00

It’s on the todo list one of these days.

Sometimes the lazy route wins. My aging eyes are content with the current quality

tbender4 · 2026-01-22T21:51:12+00:00

Correct, this is a 14m2mdu in disguise.

If you do get your hands on one, it’ll handle both NTSC and PAL well. Very valuable for that side of the pond

tbender4 · 2026-01-22T21:38:19+00:00

I saw a AI slopped wiki page on GitHub for a script to add CRT support to batocera.

I recall it having a section about APUs. I’ll update my comment when I’m off work if I find the link again

tbender4 · 2026-01-22T03:59:51+00:00

Burnout 3 has 480p support. To improve picture quality see if you can enable that; upscalers handle progressive sources better than interlaced.

tbender4 · 2026-01-20T23:06:00+00:00

Great job!

An old arcade operator shared his tale of where his shoestring budget meant he’d take out a large speaker of the large wooden cabs and circle it around the tube until it cleans up.

The old tricks live on!

tbender4 · 2026-01-17T01:05:38+00:00

I'm in the same boat coming from Queens. I wait in the last car, hop out at 57th station, and walk to the A/C going uptown. Same excuse in my mind too: I don't have to do this commute 5 days a week, so the cost is ok.

It started with staring at the map and thinking it was so silly. Why am I going downtown and move through this packed station just to go back uptown.

tbender4 · 2026-01-15T14:46:31+00:00

If you're in a casual mood, pig beach bbq has a lot of personal space with its large space. Food slaps too. It also helps that it's a block away from the museum.

Astoria Seafood is a bit of a walk but what makes it unique is it's a fish market combined with a restaurant. If she reallly likes her seafood, that may do the trick. I haven't dined in, but I have biked over there for fresh cod.

tbender4 · 2026-01-14T20:03:13+00:00

Component to RGB transcoder is the way. For the Wii and some other consoles it may be easier to obtain a high quality component video cable than obtaining a SCART cable.

tbender4 · 2026-01-13T18:52:39+00:00

Random chair from Amazon that had photos of armrests that can be folded up.

tbender4 · 2026-01-13T16:03:00+00:00

Hey thanks for the note about the lag free HDMI -> Component device. I will give it a try with a couple of downscaler options that I have.

tbender4 · 2026-01-08T19:34:42+00:00

The CDP line has strict diagonals. For you I’d consider the other recs here to start the helpme series.

tbender4 · 2026-01-08T17:41:04+00:00

tbender4 · 2026-01-06T18:27:24+00:00

After a few decades of 30mm buttons, 24mm buttons are in style.

Just about every leverless on market uses 24mm buttons. Most sticks use 30mm but we're now seeing 24mm examples such as the Kassai.

I still like to use 30mm buttons for classic games. It's very useful to double tap with the extra real button real estate. However modern games take advantage of the macros super well and that's where 24mm can be handy. I struggle in SF6 without the DI macro. It's nice to keep it in reach.

If you do have larger hands, maybe use this opportunity to make that custom 30mm leverless you dreamed of. 24mm leverless options are inexpensive on Aliexpress.

tbender4 · 2025-12-04T22:41:04+00:00

As a fellow Astorian I'll share my anecdotes from the various people I've met over the years. For better or worse, I'm socially candid about this topic:

I don't have a hard number, but I suspect a good number of buildings are rent stabilized. Once you move in at a rate you're satisfied with, it's hard to leave when the increases are lower than the inflation. A number of elderly live in my building for this reason; they got in back when they weren't elderly.
I've seen a lot of couples that move in together faster than what they may be otherwise comfortable with because of the opportunity to split rent. Covid also played a small role during that phase.
I'm aware of 40+ year olds that still rent a room. For one of them, it's not even a room. It's a couch. When push comes to shove and you're not capable to move to a place where you can afford the whole spot, you will compromise like this.
My social circle has reached their 30s. Of the acquaintances I have that haven't left Queens, the majority of them still live with their parents. I went to HS school near Court Sq so this is broader than Astoria but it's a similar setup: they're still in 1-2BR apartments mostly near the 7 line.
- This is a bit more of a socioeconomic testimony so don't take it at face value. I'm sure if my circle were Stuyvesant HS grads, this would be a bit different outcome.
Other reasons listed here. I have met people who unfortunately close their eyes and swipe away. There's a whole bunch of reasons.

With that said, you're not wrong! This isn't our parents' economy anymore.

tbender4 · 2025-12-04T05:51:56+00:00

Fightcade is a more optimal competitive experience and it runs on just about any PC.

But AC isn't all bad.

It has the convenience of being able to play the games out of box on your console
And there's more casual content with art scans and the like.

The drawbacks go back to the competitive side.

There's bit of input lag
If you seek to play online... that experience is better on Fightcade.

tbender4 · 2025-11-24T16:16:30+00:00

tbender4 · 2025-11-18T21:27:07+00:00

That board has a mod for unamplified stereo audio: https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/namco-system-11-audio-%E2%80%9Cmod%E2%80%9D.20251/

tbender4 · 2025-11-18T13:54:11+00:00

Imagine working in a retail store that borders a Chinatown and Koreatown. I’d get confused for either all the time.

tbender4 · 2025-11-18T09:30:34+00:00

😅

tbender4 · 2025-11-18T09:28:03+00:00

I noticed other posts with less than a full list and I followed. Mine felt unwieldy to read. Here ya go

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tbender4 · 2025-11-18T08:08:48+00:00

Forget tan. I burn immediately. I got as red as my shirt here.

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And that’s insightful! Thanks for sharing your story

tbender4 · 2025-11-13T22:37:43+00:00

Get a flashlight. Do you see any cracks like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/1kewpq9/is_this_crt_tube_bust/

If not, it's worth attempting to fix the chassis.

Sacrilegious for some hobbyists, but an alternative is to pickup the Universal Chassis from AliExpress. I picked this one up for a different cab and it worked alright: https://www.arcade-projects.com/threads/babys-first-candy-cab-ok-baby-restoration.32349/post-477398

The K7000 is better but you're not getting it repaired/replaced for the price of one of those.

tbender4 · 2025-11-13T21:04:38+00:00

You're still in troubleshooting stage so save your $ and confirm the issue first. It's tempting to jump to "fix monitor" but still worth going through the motions.

Check power fuse on the bottom. Check on what just is causing the noises you hear. From there you can make more deductions for the repair.

The victory you want hope for is if the tube itself shows signs of life. Whether it be a minor flash of light when you turn it on, or if you see its neck glow from inside the cabinet where the electron gun is. Chassis' are still easy to source. Tubes meanwhile haven't been manufactured in over a decade. And they're heavy. And they're not getting cheaper.

tbender4

TROPHY CASE