To keep old tech preserved, one modder has turned a generic arcade cabinet into an “awesome” Lethal Enforcers cabinet.
Fans ofretro gamingtechnology are only too aware of how fragile the hardware is becoming, as components fail and wooden and plastic cases start to degrade and break. One modder and Redditor is taking the task of preserving retro hardware seriously and has painstakingly restored a version of the classic arcade light gun game Lethal Enforcers by converting a genericarcade cabinet.
Arcade machine collector and modder Klein-Tobi decided to take on the task of converting a generic stand-up arcade cabinet – sometimes known as a unicab or universal cabinet – into a version of Lethal Enforcers, a lightgun game first released in 1993.
Search for a retro CRT
Due to the way that light gun games work, they are incompatible with modern flatscreen televisions. They can only work with an old-schoolCRT screen. This presented the largest challenge for Klein-Tobi, as they needed to locate, purchase, and install a CRT screen that was the right size andrefresh rate. There were a range of other compatibility concerns, including the pin-out arrangement for the connectors, and resistance and inductance of the deflection unit.
The next task was more cosmetic, as Klein-Tobi used his own plotter to print out authentic artwork to adorn the cabinet, giving it the perfect look and feel.
Klein-Tobi posted of his achievement tor/ArcadeSubreddit, receiving praise for the modification work. Reddit user Pretieteste was particularly impressed, saying: “This is the kind of conversion I’m here for!”
The Lethal Enforcers arcade cabinet will now be made available for the use of visitors to Klein-Tobi’s arcade bar, located in Vilters-Wangs, Switzerland.
Rebecca Hills-Duty was a Tech Writer on Dexerto’s UK Team, specializing in PC components, VR, AMD, Nvidia and Intel. She has previously written for UploadVR and The Escapist, hosts a weekly show on RadioSEGA and has an obsession with retro gaming.
