[null, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210815.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210815.jpg", "alt_text": "Dance Dance Revolution Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_205857.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_205857.jpg", "alt_text": "Dance Dance Revolution Solo Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210356.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210356.jpg", "alt_text": "DanceManiaX Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210230.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210230.jpg", "alt_text": "ParaParaParadise Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210520.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210520.jpg", "alt_text": "Beatmania 5Key Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210333.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210333.jpg", "alt_text": "KeyboradMania Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210727.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210727.jpg", "alt_text": "Beatmania IIDX Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210102.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210102.jpg", "alt_text": "Pop"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210258.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210258.jpg", "alt_text": "Beatmania III Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210428.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_210428.jpg", "alt_text": "Pop"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20160618_131326.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20160618_131326.jpg", "alt_text": "Jubeat Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20160618_131914.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20160618_131914.jpg", "alt_text": "Sound Voltex Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180326_225455.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180326_225455.jpg", "alt_text": "Reflec Beat Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180326_225621_HDR.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180326_225621_HDR.jpg", "formatted_filename": "HDR", "alt_text": "MUSECA Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180325_160028.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=400&height=400&image=/bemani/collection/20180325_160028.jpg", "alt_text": "Beatmania Mini Cabinet"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150217_215516.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150217_215516.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "Dance Dance Revolution marquees"}, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150217_215531.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150217_215531.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "Dance Dance Revolution marquees"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_223834.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151209_223834.jpg", "alt_text": "Pop"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20171029_191801.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20171029_191801.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "Beatmania 5key marquees"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150221_153932.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150221_153932.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "Beatmania IIDX marquees"}, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20180213_173343.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20180213_173343.jpg", "alt_text": "Beatmania IIDX instructions"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150222_131240.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150222_131240.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "Guitar Freaks marquees"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150222_130904.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/IMG_20150222_130904.jpg", "formatted_filename": "IMG", "alt_text": "DrumMania marquees"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20180221_110734_HDR.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20180221_110734_HDR.jpg", "formatted_filename": "HDR", "alt_text": "DanceManiaX Pops"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20170930_115115.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20170930_115115.jpg", "alt_text": "Miscelaneous Marquees"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=100&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_000620.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=100&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_000620.jpg", "alt_text": "BEMANI controllers"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001015.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001015.jpg", "alt_text": "BEMANI games"}, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001754.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001754.jpg", "alt_text": "BEMANI games"}, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=100&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001156.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=100&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_001156.jpg", "alt_text": "BEMANI games"}, null, {"document_url": "https://dragonminded.com/bemani/collection/", "unformatted_src": "/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_000155.jpg", "src": "https://dragonminded.com/assets/image.php?width=500&height=200&image=/bemani/collection/20151210_000155.jpg", "alt_text": "BEMANI soundtracks"}]

My Current Collection

My current collection consists of 150+ marquees, 15 working BEMANI arcade cabinets, almost one hundred BEMANI manuals, several few dozen official kits and a growing collection of pops and instructions insert cards. I have been adding small trinkets and collectibles as well when I have the chance to pick them up. I also have several of the home releases for Playstation, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, N64 and other systems. My ultimate goal is to have a complete library of home releases, a marquee for every single version of any BEMANI arcade game and working arcade versions of each game including each of the released kits for each hardware revision.

Arcade Cabinets

Dance Dance Revolution My Dance Dance Revolution is an original black Japanese cabinet. It has working memory card slots and the original 15khz monitor. I spent some time tracking down side rubber pieces since mine came with them removed. The pads have all 32 sensors tuned and foam tape modded for the best accuracy. I have an analog 573, a digital 573, a python 2 and a minimaid for playing OpenITG on the cabinet. It has working eAmusement readers as well as X2 side tapestries which make it look complete. All lights including the marquee backlights work properly.

Dance Dance Revolution Solo My Dance Dance Revolution Solo has the original 15khz monitor and a digital 573 with a flash card to run newer mixes. I've replaced the subwoofer as somebody kicked the original in before I purchased it. I've repaired the lights controller so all pad and cabinet lights work properly. I have a Solo 2000 art set which includes the marquee, sticker, side pops and top pop. I believe I am the only one in the country who has a full art set for Solo 2000, which is a shame because Solo cabinets look so good with them! My DanceManiax Cabinet has all of the 2nd mix artwork on it but is missing the Append J-Paradise advertisement pops. It is also missing the floor mat which demonstrates where to stand. All of the sensors and lights work properly, but the monitor is a bit dim and probably will need a cap kit soon. This game is a lot more fun than it appears so it is a shame that it didn't do well. It has one of the best song lists of any of the older BEMANI games. My ParaParaParadise Cabinet was purchased non-working in five different pieces off of an operator's front lawn. I didn't know much about the game at the time so I lucked out with a cabinet that ran 2nd Mix. I had to replace the main board with a board pulled from a Mocap Golf in order to get it up and running. All lights and sensors work properly and I've tracked down and added ParaParaParadise v1.1 instructions pops for the sides. The stage is pretty worn down and I'm missing a set of side tapestries as well as the top acrylic artwork that goes above the sensor ring. I haven't been able to track down a firebeat capable of running ParaParaParadise 1 and 1+ yet. This game is hellishly fun, especially with friends that know the routines! If you find one in the wild, give it a try.

Beatmania 5Key My Beatmania 5Key is running a legitimate copy of The Final with a proper marquee and even a Final top pop. I have seen an auction for The Final side pops only once in my life and it was in a lot which I couldn't afford at the time. Maybe some day I will track them down! For now it has CM2 side pops as well as turntable covers. It plays well aside from some slight distortion in the amplifiers. All of the lights including the ones in the keys work properly. My KeyboardMania cabinet was almost scrapped for the kit and artwork, but I managed to purchase it with about a week to spare. When I got it, the keys weren't working and the pitch bend knobs were wonky. I replaced the contact strips with brand new replacements and ended up swapping out a board on the firebeat to get the pitch bend knobs working but everything is now perfect. All of the lights work on the cabinet and I have a 1st mix top pop that I tracked down to add to the top. I'd love to get a 3rd mix top pop but I've only ever seen one for sale that went for too much money. This game unfortunately doesn't get much play due to the steep difficulty curve, small songlist and ease of mashing to pass songs. It was a good experiment though and I really like the use of both screens when playing a single player game. I have yet to try sessioning with a Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania cabinet but I have all of the equipment for the KeyboardMania to make it work.

Beatmania IIDX My Beatmania IIDX has been a project piece for me for several years now. I picked it up without readers, with an aftermarket monitor, without working lights and with a bootleg PC. It did, however, come with a twinkle stack so I am able to play the older mixes including one of my favorites, 3rd Style. I've fixed the lights in the turntables and in the subwoofers, replaced parts on the top lights controller to fix stuck lights and replaced the key lights with white and blue lights to match the lanes in-game. I haven't yet replaced the top spot lights but it is on my to-do list. I managed to track down Sirius charge-note pops to decorate the sides. I haven't managed to get my hands on a pair of legitimate IIDX eAmusement readers so I am using DDR Supernova readers in their stead. I've also installed a headphone amp so that players can use headphones when playing the game. I also recently tracked down a working official CRT which completes the look of this cab well. I have all of the equipment to session with a DDR but I haven't yet been able to get it working yet.

Pop'n Music My Pop'n Music came to me in almost pristine condition but it has take on some wear and tear when I bring it out to CAX every year. I've replaced the marquee light and make sure the rest of the lights are fully working. I upgraded the reader to wavepass instead of slotted and I have a working card dispensor attached. I have it currently loaded with a set of Sunny Park cards and I leave it enabled on free-play so that guests can have a small party favor when they come over to play. I have a dj main and a firebeat to run old mixes with, but I have not yet tracked down a python 1 kit for mixes 9-14. I am missing side pops for the various mixes to complete the look of this cabinet.

Beatmania III My Beatmania III cabinet was a major project piece. When I got it, the front door hinges were broken, the neons didn't work, the key lights were mostly out, there were no screws for half of the panels and somebody had painted over the instructions with black paint. I spent several hours meticulously removing the paint to restore the instructions cards, fixed the lights, installed new hinges and replaced all of the screws that were missing. I also worked on reverse-engineering the way the game drives the neons (normally they are dimmable) in order to install an after-market solution to at least get them to be game-controllable again. The eventual circuit I came up with to fix the neons is documented on my repair site, gamerepair.info. I'm proud to say that my Beatmania III plays like a dream and looks amazing.

Pop'n Stage My Pop'n Stage was bought on a whim since the price was so cheap. I have yet to track down a few parts to get it fully restored, but in the mean time every single input works and all of the lights work perfectly. I've done a fair bit of cleaning work to restore it to a beautiful shine, including getting rid of tons of sticker gunk on the sides. The monitor is about as crisp and beautiful as you could ask for in a CRT. One of the non-switch panels has a huge crack in it, so I need to either track down a replacement or have my friend manufacture new ones for me. I also need to track down an Asahi Seiko 720 A/B quarter mech to convert this from yen to quarters like all of my other cabinets. This game is actually fairly fun and has a neat feature where it keeps track of your best and worst panel. However the songlist is sorted by genre and very short so its not hard to see why these did terribly in America. I bought my Jubeat as part of a group order from a friend, along with my Sound Voltex below. It was an impulse purchase since the bundled price was so cheap and I've enjoyed playing the game at other locations. It definitely came from an arcade in Japan, as opening the cabinet greets you with the smell of cigarette smoke. I've been cleaning it out inside to get rid of the smell, but its not noticeable when the game is shut and operating. Everything is in great shape on this cabinet, but I need to tear down the front control panel and clean dust out inside. Jubeat is a good intro game to the BEMANI series as its self-explanatory how to play and quite easy for beginners to pick up.

Sound Voltex Since trying the game out a few years ago, I've wanted to own a copy of Sound Voltex on my own. This is an amazingly fun game for hardcord BEMANI fans! Everyone is saying that its the new IIDX, but I find the symmetrical controls and layering of elements on the screen to be a different and fun challenge. The game is in great shape and just needs a bit of cleaning out under the control panels some time in the future. I've replaced the knobs and switches and it plays great! If you have a chance to play this game, give it a try! You can find them all over Japan and in Round 1 arcades across the USA.

Reflec Beat My Reflec Beat cabinet was purchased mostly as a filler for the container it was going in. I hadn't played it outside of a few arcades in London when I would go there on business. The game seemed somewhat unapproachable. I'm glad I picked it up, however, as it turned out to be a very well-done game. Its a bit casual, and I can see why there's a lot of hate for it, but I find it quite fun to unwind with. The game is in great shape cosmetically and even came with a beautiful full-print Reflesia marquee. I picked this game up to give it a try, since there were no working cabinets around me. I'm extremely glad I did because this is my favorite music game that's come out in the last half of a decade! The charts are extremely dynamic and the game is F-U-N! It's too bad that Konami killed it, but at least I've managed to rescue one! The game is in pretty great shape, with only one tear in the cardboard top pop. I've replaced the switches and tuned the sensors and it plays great!

Beatmania Mini Not many people know these even exist! Beatmania Mini can be thought of as the cabaret version of a regular Beatmania cabinet. It fits through a standard door and is much, much smaller. The only real downside is the turntable spacing feels off, and I often jab my pinky into the metal bit in the center. The cabinet I have was in pretty rough shape cosmetically, missing some pieces and had lots of rusted screws. I've replaced most of the screws, tuned the buttons, fixed the lights and tracked down spare parts to replace the ones that were missing in order to fully restore this cabinet! The only thing missing now is a turntable decal for the right turntable. While impossible to find, I might be able to reproduce one based on the left side.


System 573


DJ Main

Python 1

Python 2



All of my artwork that I list as part of my collection is original. Most of the marquees still have the foil stickers on them, and the few that don't usually have the void residue which I leave intact. I try my best not to purchase or facilitate bootleg artwork, but occiasionally I have been mistaken.
 
Guitar Freaks Console Games and Accessories