I barely remember Quantum from the arcades, but now that I'm collecting games, I definately wanted one.
Unlike Asteroids, which are VERY easy to find, you can't just open the phone book and find a Quantum.
The first part of a Quantum that I aquired, was the PCB. I bought mine from Chris Hanks in Washington, after about 3 months of negotiating a waiting for another deal to fall through. (thanks Chris) I was considering putting Quantum in my tempest and making a harness and having a separate panel for the trackball.
I was working on some other deals (Star Wars, Black Widow, etc) with another guy in New Mexico and he told me about a friend of his that inherited an arcade and that they had all the games shipped to New Mexico, but most were already sold. I asked if by chance a Quantum had passed through. He told me he had one and the monitor didn't work and he would sell it to me for $100. It was currently at his friends house and his friend was thinking of converting it to a bowling game. I told him to hold it for me and I would be down in a couple of weeks.
When I got down there, he informed me that his friend had parted it out and sold all the pieces (nothing left). We bought 5 other games and drove home, very sad.
I kept working on making an adapter harness for my tempest. A few months later I decided I should call the guy that was going to sell me the Quantum and ask him if his friend (the one that parted the Quantum) would give me the name of the person he sold it to. (I was hoping that maybe I could buy it from him). He told me he would call him and get back to me.
Later that evening I got a call back and he told me that his friend had come across ANOTHER Quantum and he had parted it out and sold all the insides. He was in the process of moving to Arizona and couldn't get the cabinet to fit on the truck (he was going to sell it to a guy down there). I asked if I could buy it and 10 minutes later I had a check in the mail for $100 to purchase the cabinet (everything was missing except the marquee and a stripped control panel)
I made a few other arrangements (my cousin was living in New Mexico for the Summer, and he had a trailer), and in 3 days I had a Quantum cabinet in my garage. (This was before I PACKED my garage with games). Now all I had to do was collect the other parts I needed. I bought a monitor out of a tempest from Kansas City, MO. Power supply & reg/audio II from a space duel in Florida. Gravitar wiring harness from Gaymond in California. Start buttons from a tempest panel I had. Coin door from local operator, etc. Everything but the trakball.
I spent many nights rewiring the gravitar harness and putting everything together. I was then a little nervous about switching it on, so I didn't for about 3 months. I finally did and to great excitement, there was Quantum.
Shortly after that, I ended up purchasing 40+ games, and there was a millipede in the bunch. So I borrowed the trakball and I was able to play Quantum. When it came time to sell the millipede, I put the trakball back in, and I order a transparent blue trakball w/light from Happ Controls.
After many many hours of searching, traveling, building and about $500, I am the proud owner of a Quantum, Serial Number #113.
thanks to everyone that contributed.
