Atari Asteroids Deluxe

My second "real" arcade machine, the Asteroids Deluxe was purchased at an auction. By sheer chance I ran across an add in the paper about an auction that was going to happen at an arcade called Star*cade. The mall the arcade was located in was not doing well and the arcade owner thought it best to close the doors.

So off I went with my father's truck to the auction, set on buying an arcade machine. There were many games there that caught my attention, but none so much as the classics in the corner. There was a Galaga without sound, a Centipede with one side of the cabinet with wall texture on it, and the Asteroids Deluxe. Bidding started and worked it's way to the classics. I bid on the Galaga, but the price quickly rose above my set budget. The winner opted to take the Centipede for the same price. Up next was Asteroids Deluxe, and I was able to win the bid.

After talking with several people who were at the auction, there was some confusion as to whether the machine worked or not. Come to find out, there was a kill switch inside the coin door that turned the machine off every time the door was opened. The machine is in perfect working order except for the blacklight, which is the only thing that needs replaced.