Star Tech Journal

The Parallel PCB Issue
Bill Johnston
Johnston's General Store
Buffalo, New York
MONEY TALKS ...
WHAT'S A PARALLEL?
A parallel is an original Printed Circuit
Board (PCB) which arrives in the U.S.A. from
other than the usual licensee channels, for
example: Technos created Double Dragon.
Tai to Japan licensed Double Dragon and
sold it worldwide.
In the U.S.A., Taito America distributed
Double Dragon as a new dedicated upright.
In the U.S.A., operators who didn't like the
big price on Double Dragon bought PCB's
that were imported from Japanese operators
who were done with them, saving the cost of
dedicated game, and building their own
Double Dragons. Taito America bitched to
AAMA (American Amusement Manufactur-
ers Association), AAMA bitched and barked
and busted operators for unauthorized
boards.
Any of you guys who believe in parallels, put
your money where your mouth is at $10 per
game. I did it. Send your bucks to: Bill
Beckham: Aoet/Red Baron at 6540-A West
Central Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43617.
If you're shy, anonymous contributions are
accepted. I'm a small op, and I'm in for 94
games on route at$940.00. Act now for what
you believe in -it feels great, and I know Bill
Beckham will sleep better when the legal
fees are paid and this issue gets decided
once and for all.
e;
Until Bill Beckham came and saved us, that
is. Court case follows in August, so stay
tuned!
TAITO PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
GRILLS BILL FOR 3-1 /2 HOURS!
But it was ok, as I'm a witness in the Beck-
ham case, standing by to do the Alexandria,
Virginia gig in the Beckham vs Taito/AAMA
case. I did a pre-trial interview willingly for
the Tai to contracted dick, hoping that Taito
will make a last-minute agreement with
Beckham to make the judge's decision eas-
a ier, faster, and less expensive for both sides.
• we'll cross our fingers. Trial scheduled for
the week of August 8.
One Parallel PCB
Drawback
Evan Wessel
Mercury Amusement
Haverford, Pennsylvania
One definite drawback to parallel boards
that is rarely mentioned is software revision.
A parallel board is almost always an early
revision of the game software and may earn
quite a bit less due to incorrect difficulty
levels or errors in the program.
By the time a game gets to the states, the
software has been fine-tuned for American
players. This should always be considered
when weighing the differences.