The Cathode Ray Bottleneck
Restoring a classic 1980s arcade cabinet (like Pac-Man or Donkey Kong) requires the original glow of a CRT monitor. LCD replacements look terrible and ruin the value. However, the factories that made these 15kHz monitors closed decades ago, making working units incredibly scarce.
Scouring the Barn Finds
These heavy monitors are usually listed by specialized hoarders on obscure forums or mislabeled on eBay as "old TVs."
- Chassis Specificity: Track the exact chassis models (like the Wells Gardner K7000) that fit your cabinet's mounting bracket.
- Burn-in Filtering: Parse the listing description to ensure there is no mention of severe "screen burn" from previous games.
Automating the Arcade with kAIros
Set up kAIros to track eBay and specific arcade restoration forums (like KLOV). Instruct the AI to constantly search for the exact 19-inch CRT you need. When a match is posted locally (avoiding dangerous shipping), kAIros alerts you instantly.