# VAL-M.1 Restoring Arcade Legends System BIOS Settings - Cocktail Cabinet

**Source:** Chicago Gaming Company  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-05-09  
**Duration:** 6m 45s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW1Ly9LmGKk

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## Analysis

Butch Peel from Chicago Gaming Company provides a technical tutorial for restoring Arcade1Up and Ultimate Arcade cocktail cabinet systems by replacing the depleted CR2032 CMOS battery on the motherboard and restoring factory BIOS settings. The video addresses a common failure mode where the onboard lithium battery loses charge, causing the system to lose BIOS configuration and fail to boot properly.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Arcade1Up and Ultimate Arcade cabinets used commercial computer chassis as their processing units — _Opening statement by Butch Peel identifying the hardware foundation of these arcade systems_
- [HIGH] When the CR2032 lithium battery on the motherboard drains, the BIOS instructions are lost and the system reverts to manufacturer default settings, preventing proper boot-up — _Technical explanation of CMOS battery failure mechanism and its effects on system initialization_
- [HIGH] The CRT monitor and circuit boards in these cabinets retain significant electrical charge even when powered off and unplugged — _Safety hazard warning issued during disassembly procedure_

### Notable Quotes

> "Commercial computer chassis were used as the brains or processing units in these early Arcade1Up or Ultimate Arcade cocktail video games."
> — **Butch Peel**, Opening
> _Establishes the underlying hardware architecture of Arcade1Up cabinets as standard PC-based systems_

> "When it gets to the point that it can no longer power the motherboard's memory, the BIOS instructions are lost. Everything basically reverts to the motherboard manufacturer's default settings."
> — **Butch Peel**, ~1:15
> _Explains the root cause of boot failure in aging Arcade1Up systems_

> "Keep hands and tools well clear of the backside of the CRT monitor and all of the circuit boards and brackets attached to it. These components hold a significant electrical charge even when the system is powered off and unplugged."
> — **Butch Peel**, ~4:30
> _Critical safety warning about CRT monitor hazards during disassembly_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Butch Peel | person | Chicago Gaming Company representative providing technical support and educational content for arcade cabinet repair |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball and arcade manufacturer producing educational technical support content |
| Arcade1Up | company | Home arcade cabinet manufacturer whose systems are subject to CMOS battery failure due to depleted lithium cells |
| Ultimate Arcade | company | Arcade cabinet manufacturer whose cocktail systems experience same CMOS battery failure as Arcade1Up equivalents |
| CR2032 lithium battery | product | Standard coin-cell CMOS battery used on PC motherboards in Arcade1Up/Ultimate Arcade systems; prone to depletion over time |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade cabinet hardware maintenance and repair, PC-based arcade system architecture, CMOS battery failure and BIOS restoration, Arcade1Up cabinet support and technical documentation
- **Secondary:** Educational technical content for operators and enthusiasts

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0) — The content is purely instructional and technical in nature. Tone is professional, educational, and helpful. No subjective opinions or emotional framing present.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Chicago Gaming Company producing educational technical support content for Arcade1Up and Ultimate Arcade cabinets, demonstrating commitment to operator and collector education (confidence: high) — Full step-by-step video tutorial addressing common hardware failure mode in competitor's arcade cabinet systems
- **[technology_signal]** Arcade1Up and Ultimate Arcade systems based on commercial PC motherboards rather than custom arcade hardware, representing architectural shift in budget arcade cabinet manufacturing (confidence: high) — Butch Peel explicitly identifies commercial computer chassis as the processing units with standard CMOS batteries and BIOS systems

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## Transcript

hi there this is Butch peel with Chicago gaming company commercial computer chassis were used as the brains or processing units in these early arcade Legends or ultimate arcade cocktail video games the basic input output system are bio settings of the motherboards in these computers are used when the system boots up to tell the motherboard how to interact with all of the computer peripherals connected to it monitors controllers dis drives Etc these bios instructions are stored in memory on the motherboard itself the motherboard is able to remember these settings when the power is off with the help of an onboard lithium battery unfortunately this lithium cell like all batteries drains over time when it gets to the point that it can no longer power the motherboard's memory the BIOS instructions are lost everything basically reverts to the motherboard manufacturer's default settings in short the arcade Legends or ultimate arcade system tries to boot up but cannot complete the process without its specialized bios instructions we made this video to show you step by step how to replace the motherboard's lithium battery restore the factory bio settings and get your arcade Legends or ultimate arcade system back up and running again to complete this job you'll need a number two Phillips screwdriver a wired USB keyboard and a new cr20 32 3v lithium battery let's get right to it before doing anything power the system down and unplug it from the wall outlet next up locate the side access panel on the cabinet and the two black Phillips head screws holding it in place using a number two philli screwdriver remove both of these screws reinsert one of the screws you just removed into one of the holes in the access panel push it to one side and use it as a handle to help you pull out the top edge of the panel pull the panel up and out of the side of the cabinet and set the panel and screws aside a quick shock hazard warning keep hands and tools well clear of the backside of the CRT Monitor and all of the circuit boards and brackets attached to it these components hold a significant electrical charge even when the system is powered off and unplugged the system's computer controller is in the bottom of the cabinet in a metal box we'll need to remove the lid of the box to get to the motherboard and its battery there are two philp screws holding the lid in place use the number two philli screwdriver to remove the screws move the green ground wires that were under the screw on the right off to the side set the screws aside then using both hands lift the back edge of the cover up and slide it straight back toward you then carefully remove it from the cabinet looking down into the metal box you'll see the computer's motherboard and its battery specifically a CR 2032 3vt lithium coin battery carefully remove the existing battery the holder is extremely fragile press down on the battery and slide it backward a little in its holder this will free up the front edge of the cell and allow you to lift it up out of the holder reverse these steps to install the replacement battery in the same orientation as the original with the engraved side facing up next up locate the system USB connections at the back of the metal box there will be a cable clamp and screw holding them in place using your number two Philip screwdriver remove the screw and pull the two USB connections loose from the back of the computer get out your wired USB keyboard and plug it into one of the two USB slots plug your system back into the AC wall outlet turn it on and repeatedly press the delete key on the keyboard as the system boots up in a few seconds the motherboard's bio setup screen will appear on the monitor use the keyboard arrows and Enter key to navigate through the list and make changes as necessary to match the settings specified here if additional integrated devices are shown for your computer leave them on their default settings you can access and download the full bio settings list for this motherboard on the address shown in green when finished updating settings use the exit and save changes command to exit bios setup the system will reboot with the restored settings power the system back down and unplug it from the wall outlet unplug the USB keyboard and reconnect the two USB system cables that you removed earlier reinstall the cable clamp and screw that you took out earlier also okay time to reinstall the lid on the computer's metal box carefully Slide the back Edge along the top of the box holding the front edge up until the lid snaps into place ensure that the lid is completely seated by firmly pushing it down then back reinstall the two screws that hold the lid in place do not forget to reattach the ground wires to the metal box with the right side screw last thing replace the cabinet side access panel Slide the bottom edge of the panel in first then push the top Edge into place reinstall the two screws you removed earlier all done well I hope hope you found this video helpful time to challenge someone to a game of centipede have fun and we'll see you next time

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 4cefe05a-2534-487f-ae30-3b7893ca79ab*