Feb

Capcom Bowling

Posted by Jeff Waldron Published in Capcom Bowling

Description of game:

Great classic bowling game. Took a while to figure out what game this cabinet was converted from. It is an old Midway Shuffleboard B&W raster game from 1978. This is one cool cabinet to be converted to a Capcom Bowling! The trackball in the control panel is original. It feels like a real bowling ball. The only cabinet I would rather have is from a Midway 4-Player Bowling Alley in the same year. The difference would be the Bowling graphics on the sideart. I love this cabinet!

Different games that this cabinet plays:

This is a Jamma conversion, so it should play any vertical display trackball Jamma game

How I got it:

I got this game as part of a bulk buy in February 2004. They were in an old movie theater that went out of business. The game also didn’t work when I got it. Turned out to be a bad power supply (what else is new?). It was very dirty. I figure it was a popular game to play. There was a ton of still wet soda under the overlay. The business I got it from has been closed for a long time, so the fact that it was still wet underneath was gross.

Check out the size of the ball after I removed it. There is a button setting beside it for a size reference. It even looks like a real bowling ball (needs 3 holes).

Before:

The sign on the control panel said “No Cigs or Drinks on the Game, Please!”

After:

Recent repairs:

As you can expect, a game that is 25 years old probably does not have a trackball that is very clean. After I disassembled it, this is what I found:

I took it all apart and cleaned every bit of it. It still runs a bit irregular, so I need to continue to work on it. It is starting to “loosen up” as we’ve been playing. I had to adjust the trackball sensitivity as this ball does not roll as smoothly or easily as a smaller trackball.

What it still needs:

I purchased some new o-rings at Lowes to put on the rollers. The old ones are dried up and slip on the ball a bit much. Instead of having the ball rest on the rollers, it has roller conveyer balls underneath suspending the ball. The rollers with the encoders mounted to them are actually pulled onto the side of the ball with springs. Very strange design. I would love to replace the roller conveyor balls with new ones to quiet it down and help the rolling speed.

The monitor may some day be replaced. There is some terrible Burgertime burn-in on the tube.

Final Thoughts:

The entire family loves this game, and it is a great looking machine. Love the sounds of the bowling alley echoing throughout the arcade. Now all I need is a pair of those great rental shoes!