Let's Fix It!
Let's Fix It!
Welcome to our FELIX section which is all about fixing the games. At Bip Bip Bar we want all games to be playing their best and we salute everyone who help us out by reporting an error.
Is the joystick not moving to the side? The screen flickers too much? Maybe the button didn’t react to every click?
Felix can fix it!
Please use the button saying “REPORT A PROBLEM” on the page or the Google form found below.
The form will guide you & if you are curious to learn more yourself then jump to our “Felix FAQ” where some of the basics “good to know” are listed.
Thank you so much for letting us know what to fix!
See which errors have been reported & the status of the progress.
| Title of game | Problem |
|---|---|
| Strata Bowling | Gives message “cue ball is missing” but the cue ball is where it is suppose to be. |
A game that needs to be fixed deserves a sign saying it is out of order. Please let staff know if such a sign Is missing.
FELIX is the title we use for those of us who fix the games when something is wrong. It is also a tip of the cap to Disney’s “Wreck it Ralph”.
At Bip Bip Bar the guests can play the games the same was as they would do when the games where freshly released years ago. We enjoy the proces of restoring and making sure that arcade is is build to last.
“Felix” is someone who likes to restore the old original games. Basic skills like knowing how to solder and how to strip a wire is required but that is just about it. We learn as we go and the errors on these machines gets easier to spot as you get to know them.
Drop by Bip Bip Bar on a Wednesday and ask for Chrisstoffer and he will let you know how you can help out.
Felix' FAQ
This is where Felix shares some informations about the blips and blops you find on most arcade games. It can also help us a lot if you know the “terms” and names of the part/area if you decide to help us and report and error that needs attention.
The “box”/”frame” which contains all parts (screen, game, joystick etc.) to play is called the cabinet.
A dedicated cabinet is a cabinet that is made for on specific game and that game only. Like Out Run, you might be able to hack it and play other games on it, but it is meant to play Out Run and nothing else.
Multi Cabinet: Some cabinets are made to offer different games and are often made by a company that doesn’t necessarily make games/software themnselves. These where very popular in Denmark. Most famously are CG/CompuGame & JK Automater.
Another standard cabinet that somewhat combines the two types of cabinets is “Neo Geo”. Neo Geo is also a format itself, but the cabinets are often designed so that players can choose more than one game. Common for these are that they have a vertical (landscape) screen and usually 1 joystick & 4 buttons per player.
About
- Names used: CG, CG-Video, Compugame & Compu-Game.
- Danish designed multi-arcade-cabinet. Often found at “Grillbaren”.
- Games installed in this cabinet “back in the days” were often “bootlegs” meaning: The games were not original but “backwards engineered” or copied. Bootlegs often have a difference in expression/graphics/movement revealing it is a copy, like the name of the game company is bigger.
- Connection: Has its own plug but is typically installed with a game with “jamma” connection and an adaptor in-between (see below).
- Produced with a set of buttons that might not match the amount needed in the game installed.
- Known bugs: CG connector & adaptor have often bad connections causing the game to freeze, glitch or otherwise not working as it should. Fixed by turning off the machine (unplug it) disconnect game (PCB) from connection, clean it, connect it again and turn on machine. Note that there can be multiple connections between game (PCB) and the rest of the cabinet.
- Other use: Many of the Compugame cabinets has a different control panel as they have been used for Poker games with more buttons.
- CompuGame has also made the “Hugo” slot/fruit/jackpot/”enarmet” machine. Hugo slot machine is a different cabinet altogether and not typical Compugame cabinet with a Poker control panel.
Marquee
Bezel
Controlpanel
COMPU-GAME versions
CG to JAMMA adaptor
Adaptor to use when installing a JAMMA game in an original cCmpugame arcade cabinet.
CG-plug from game (PCB) to the rest of the cabinet. Often cause of faulty game and many CG cabinets are modified to strictly use JAMMA connections.
Modified control panel.
Poker and/or slot machine in arcade cabinet with CRT screen.
Button at the bottom left side: Most likely to add a credit button. The extra buttons next to joysticks & below the row of threes are placed in such a way that it is most likely a setup for a Neo-Geo cabinet. Neo Geo screens are horizontal/landscape & not vertical,
Arcade cabinets want your attention. It is tradition that the theme of the game is presented on the side of the cabinet.
Painted on: The older cabinets are often painted on in layers.
Multi-cabinets: These comes in various colours however black, blue & red seems to be the most common. Not to forget the lovely imitated wood finish many of these are spoiling us with.
stickers
This is the top part on most original arcade machines. The function of the marquee is top show which game is active in the cabinet. “Multicabinets” were popular in Denmark which is why you sometimes find marquess displaying “CG GAMES”, “DVS” or other titles that does not show any specific game.
This is the frame often placed behind the front glas and around the screen.
Some bezels have also included instructions (pictured as there yellow field).
This is where you control the game from. Units found on different arcade games: Typical selection of
Link for more info: ReviewGeek.com
- START button. May also serve as selection for number of players.
- Player-1 & Player -2 button(s). Some games may have one joystick but Player 2 option in which case players most often take turns.
- Button 1, Button 2 and so on: Arcade games have “mapped” functions for different buttons. Each does something unique and a special move is sometimes released when a “combo” is used by holding one or more buttons down and/or by pressing them in a selected order. On “Dedicated Cabinets” (see the “Cabinet” section) each function for each button will often display on the control panel.
- PLEASE NOTICE: On “non-dedicated” cabinets some buttons might not be in use but is left on the control panel for when a different game requires them at a later date in the future.
- “BallTop Joystick”. Often referred to as the “Japanese style” where “Sanwa” is preferred by many.
- “Baseball”/”Bat” Shaped Joystick. Often referred to as the “American” style & Happ. Many fighting games are created and sold with this type.
- “Trackball” is much like an old school computer mouse flipped outside down where you control the game by rolling a ball. This is the case in games like “Centipede/Millipede”, some versions of “Cabal” and more.
- Spinner. This is unfortunately very rare to find and in some cases the controls are converted and modified to a different standard. Popular spinner games are: “Arkanoid”, “Discs of Tron” & “Tempest”.
- Other: Arcade games introduces gamers to many different kinds of activity and experiences. Some games have Flightstick, steering wheel, dancing pads on the ground and more.
The play, an arcade needs to be on “FREE PLAY” or “credits”. The screen Weill tell.
- Bip Box. Bip Bip Bar have created the “Bip Box” where you can add credits wether you are using pay per hour or play per play.
- Coinslot. We have kept the coinslots on most of our games for aesthetic and preservation reasons. However, these are not in use and all games are coinless. Back in the days you would put a coin in the coinslot to get a credit to play for.
