# Electric shock arcade game **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923 "2009-05-10T05:47:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/21 "2010-09-07T04:48:43Z")
Tonight on _American Pickers_, they bought an electric shock machine. It wasn’t a Mills, but another one that had two knobs. Instead of automatically increasing voltage, the player increased it himself with the right-hand knob. [Here’s the wiring diagram from last year](http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m305/llaaksonen/?action=view¤t=wiring_diagram.jpg). Any electrically-handy Dopers want to build one for me? 😃 . ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/22 "2010-09-07T14:59:02Z")
My 8th grade science teacher rigged up one of these with a couple of 6-volt lantern batteries inside a small box. Two clamps stuck out the top of the box, each holding a quarter. The game was simple: take the quarters. Obviously, nobody could take the quarters. But like others have mentioned in the thread, it was always fun to have the class in a circle with each tail-end person grabbing their quarter. We were all so easily entertained 20+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/23 "2010-09-07T18:22:16Z")
I remember the game from the Disney Penny Arcade. I’ve found a few pics on line from inside the arcade but not that particular machine. Not very many people in my family ever wanted to spend time in the Arcade. “We’re here to ride rides or buy stuff, not play games!” ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/24 "2010-09-07T18:55:26Z")
All the ones I ran into in my youth were the kind you turned the knob yourself. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/25 "2010-09-07T19:05:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Do you mean a [Van de Graaff generator](http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3070264)? Those plasma globes don’t deliver a shock. They can generate a pretty painful arc if you set it up right. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/26 "2010-09-08T01:38:54Z")
I will post a link here: > **[Museum of the Game - International Arcade Museum & Killer List of...](https://www.arcade-museum.com/)** > > The International Arcade Museum at the Museum of the Game is the Internet's leading resource covering Arcade, Videogame, Pinball Machine, and Antique Coin-Operated Machines Hopefully you can find your game, and answers there. Hopefully you will waste time there as I have. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/27 "2010-09-08T01:46:28Z")
I found the game in May of last year. [Here’s the link from then](http://marvin3m.com/arcade/elecdoit.htm). I’d love to have one, but A) I don’t have the room for it; and B) probably out of my price range. I did find a countertop model (also Mills) a few months ago for about $450. Tempting, but still more than I’d like to spend. If I knew anything about building electrical things, I could probably make one for a few tens of dollars. But I don’t. I need to find a hobbyist who would do it. ---
**Author:** ![Shockaholics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Shockaholics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shockaholics)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/28 "2014-08-20T02:45:20Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > DO YOU FEEL THE POWER OF THE LORD?!?! ZAPPP!!! Funniest thing ever written. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/29 "2014-08-20T03:43:32Z")
> [@Shockaholics](#): > > Funniest thing ever written. Thank you. It was written in 2009. I have no idea if Hampshire is still here or not. ---
**Author:** ![Shockaholics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Shockaholics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shockaholics)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/30 "2014-08-20T16:44:21Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > It was written in 2009. I have no idea if Hampshire is still here or not. Hampshire was online just yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Shockaholics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Shockaholics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shockaholics)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/31 "2014-08-20T16:45:23Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I was jumping up and down and going “eee-eee-EEE-EEE…” Where were you? And that sounds hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923/32 "2014-08-21T21:26:10Z")
> [@Shockaholics](#): > > Funniest thing ever written. Thank you. **Moderator Note** **Shockaholics** , we ask that old threads not be revived in General Questions except to provide new information. For that reason, I’m closing this. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-arcade-game/495923.md?page=1)