Iโm back from a trip to both Fredericksburg, Virginia for Reclaim Open and after that Long Island, New York for some extended family time. All of that coming off several days in Lisbon, Portugal, so I was feeling the effects of being on the road for a bit. I have a lot to say about Reclaim Open, and that will begin here shortly, but before that I need to ease back onto the blog, so Iโll highlight some of my recent work in the bavacade.
Turns out the arcade work can also do double-duty as a kind of re-entry therapy. My bipolar gets pretty acute when Iโm on the road and away from the family for a while. If Iโm not mindful my thoughts can begin to spiral. So for this re-entryโbefore blogging or jumping headlong back into workโI took some time to tinker on a few games. I usually lug a bunch of arcade parts, repaired boards, chassis, etc. back from the US, and this trip was no different.* On top of the random parts, I also retrieved a few game boards I had shipped during my last trip to the US in February (including Sidamโs Condor, Exidyโsย Cheyenne, and Nichibutsuโs Moon Cresta). On top of that, I took a few with me from Italy, namely a Moon Patrol bootleg board with sound issues, a Bagman with sprite issues, and my back-up Yie-Ar Kung-fu board. So, in short, a lot of boards to be looked at, and below is the tale of the tape for board repairs:
Thatโs a fair amount of board work, but as of now there are no bad boards,. This will be a short-lived victory, but Iโll take it.
Next up is monitor chassis repairs.ย I have two G07 cap kits (Robotron and Condor) I need to do, as well as a K4600 capkit for the Centuri Challenger. After that, the final project is the Hanterx Polo, which has been drawn out way too long, so Iโm trying to resolve that sooner than later.
The other work happening has just been some random testing of parts and boards I brought back, such as testing a 15-pin Williams power brick for Make Trax: it works fine. Iโve also been testing boards like Condor (looks and sounds amazing)ย Bagman (working again and power adjustment fixed the power-induced sprite issue), Dig Dug (works perfectly), and Zach reported back Moon Cresta is all systems go. So Cheyenne, Moon Patrol, and Yie-Ar Kung-fu are the last boards to test, but two out of the three will need to wait until the games are back online. That leaves Moon Patrol, and Iโll be testing that here soon.
This weekend I fell down a repair rabbit hole. I picked up a degaussing coil in the US, and brought it back to add the final touch to Exidyโs Venture (one of my absolute favs) which had a bit of discoloration on the CRT. The degaussing fixed the issue, but soon after the game was freezing and eventually it seemed the monitor was cutting out. When I adjusted voltage the screen came back, but this time with mono-chromatic colors and it was out ofย sync. Major bummer. I started troubleshooting which lasted deep into Sunday to finally learn the monitorโs fine, but one of the chips that controls the color and sync (chip 13C) needed to have the solder re-flowed. I did that and re-seated everything and the game started working again and looking better than ever. That was a small, but rewarding, win.
It all becomes pretty consuming for me (which is true of most everything I do), but I find that focused attention and tinkering to solve small, elusive problems can be just what the doctor ordered when trying to return to a much needed work/life rhythm. Arcade therapy! But not so much playing the games these days as fixing them which is a really pleasurable, if unexpected, consequence of getting into this hobby.
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*I even found all my Dungeons & Dragons maps and guide books feared lost, but that is a post for another day.
Iโve been pretty busy knocking out my to-do list for the bavacade. I created a long one after returning from the US, and Iโve gotten through most of it, so might be a good time to create a log with work done over the past month or so.
Back of pac-man painted
Pac-man Multi-game HSS Kit
High Score Save Kit for Venture
Cheyenne original ROMs
Big Blue Capacitor (Atari Power Brick)
12V Power Switch for LED Marquee Light in Dig Dug
Still to do:
Like the Venture post before it, most of this was originally published as part of the bavacade repair log from February 9, 2023. ย But in service of searchability and documenting these cabinet overhauls more individually, Iโm breaking this out into its own post.
Broken corner in Dig Dug cabinet
There was a big gouge in the bottom rear corner of the Dig Dug cabinet that was bothering me to no end. The cabinet was otherwise quite solid, and I have to say the seller ensured everything in it was original, which is always nice. One thing that struck me when taking this apart was how well designed the Atari cabinets are. This was the first one I disassembled, and it was the easiest yet by far. I love the way the light and speaker are combined onto one piece of plywood for easy removal.
Light and speaker mounted unit for Dig Dug cabinet
The coin door setup is also super easy to remove with a genius design that allows you to attach and detach the coin box easily and tighten the door with all bolts seated using attached, movable nuts. When you disassemble enough of these machines you begin to appreciate good design choices.
Bolt system for coin doors for the Atari Dig Dug cabinet
The cabinet work for this game was a bit more straightforward. Epoxy for the gouged lower corner and for the various imperfections along the trim. I have new t-molding on order, so this game should be mint very soon.
Some taping of Dig Dug for touch-up paint
There were a few places the cracks in the sides meant I needed to do some touch-up paint work, and the base color of his cabinet is closer to off-white than pure white, so I found myself adding yellow to pure white paint to get a better match, and that was fun. Itโs not perfect, but you would need to know what you are looking for in just a few spots to see the difference. Itโs approaching perfection for me, so more than passable for most I hope. Also, none of the original artwork was touched, so this was already a pretty impressive cabinet, that just got awesomer!
Dig Dug After touch-up paint and before light sanding
There are a couple of things I still needed to attend to, and I got around to them after returning from travel. The first task was fixing the marquee light that blows every florescent tube Iโve put in there. I believe itโs the ballast on the light fixture, but I decided to go the easy route for the time being and just attach a 12V switching power supply to convert 120V power line to 12V in order to attach a 12V LED light strip.
That worked well, although the light is a bit bright, so I am looking to find some opaque tinted tape to dial down the lumens. Right now I have masking tape as a work-around, but that might not be the best idea
That said, the marquee is now working quite well, and it is an original glass, not pasltic, marquee, which is extra special:
Next up, the power brick was pretty noisy, so I thought it might be a big blue cap that needed to be replaced. Itโs an easy job, so I brought a couple back from America and swapped out the existing one. Unfortunately the noise persisted, so in the interim I switched the power prick from Millipede, which is dead quiet, with the one from Dig Dug. I did this not only because Dig Dug is in the foyer and the noise can get annoying, but also because Millipede is next game up for a quick refurbish and wheels. While Alberto is working on Millipede, Iโll see if I can figure out what is making the loud humming noise on the Dig Dug brick.
Finally, the smooth, black t-molding is on order, and should arrive soon. But apart from that, this is another mint cabinet that sits alongside Donkey Kong Jr, Galaxian, and Pac-man in the bavamanse foyer!
Dig Dug is re-assembled and looking groovy
Itโs been busy in the bavacade the last several weeks as I prepared for a trip
back to the US of A. Iโve been racing against the clock to figure out what I need to bring back for the various games, which means a lot of testing to try and get things working, or establish theyโre beyond my repair capabilities, which means shipping them out.
Troubleshooting Cheyenne Monitor
The process of trying to diagnose has become more and more fun for me as I gain a modicum of insight. I have finally found a hobby I can really sink my teeth into, which is quite rewarding. Iโm still in the process of re-organizing the bavacrypt so that my old, open area office space is transformed into a full blown workspace for the games, which also means a lot of storage for parts, chassis, and other sundries. I also got some shelving to start storing my toys, VHS tapes, parts, and much more.
Glimpse of shelving behind Asterock
Whatโs more, Iโve moved my Reclaim Hosting office into what was the basement guest room, and itโs working much better for calls, video recording, streaming, etc., thanks to better acousticsโnot to mention much less doorbell interference. Once I get back from America I should be able to put the final touches on the office transition. Iโll also be sure to document that in more detail, because I really have built a dream space that is an all-in-one office/workshop/80s arcade. Have I mentioned on this blog already that creating spaces might be my other hobby passion these days? โ itโs what I might miss most about Reclaim Arcade, imagining that space with Tim was an absolute joy.
Anyway, on to the repair log, and there is a lot to mention here.
Broken corner in Dig Dug cabinet
There was a big gouge in the bottom rear corner of the Dig Dug cabinet that was bothering me to no end. The cabinet was otherwise quite solid, and I have to say the seller ensured everything in it was original, which is always nice. One thing that struck me when taking this apart was how well designed the Atari cabinets are. This was the first one I disassembled, and it was the easiest yet by far. I love the way the light and speaker are combined onto one piece of plywood for easy remove.
Light and speaker mounted unit for Dig Dug cabinet
The coin door setup is also super easy to remove with a genius design that allows you to attach and detach the coin box easily and tighten the door with all bolts seated using attached, movable nuts. When you disassemble enough of these machines you begin to appreciate good design choices.
Bolt system for coin doors of Dig Dug cabinet
The cabinet work was a bit more straightforward. Epoxy for the gouged lower corner and for the various imperfections along the trim. I have new t-molding on order, so this should be golden.
Some taping of Dig Dug for touch-up paint
There were a few places the cracks in the sides meant I needed to do some touch-up paint work, and the base color of his cabinet is closer to off-white than pure white, so I found myself adding yellow to pure white paint to get a closer match, and that was fun. Itโs not perfect, but you would need to know what you are looking for in just a few spots to see the difference. It is near perfect, so more than passable. Also, none of the original artwork was touched, so this was already a pretty impressive cabinet, we just made it awesomer!
Dig Dug After touch-up paint and before light sanding
There are a couple of things I still need to attend to, including fixing the marquee light that blows every florescent tube I put in thereโI believe itโs the ballast, but need to test this. Also, the power brick is pretty noisy, and I think that might be a big blue cap that needs to be replaced, so ordering that. Finally, the smooth, black t-molding is on order, and should be ready once I get back. But apart from that, this is another mint cabinet that sits alongside Donkey Kong Jr, Galaxian, and Pac-man in the bavamanse foyer!
Dig Dug is re-assembled and looking groovy
I was beginning to think I would never see this game running. When we bought it for $400 over two years ago, I knew it was going to be a project. Itโs a game that doesnโt really come available all that often, and a good condition working cabinet is not only hard to find, but also relatively expensive. The only one I ever saw since my childhood was at the Terminal in Nashville, and it was in pretty rough shape and played terribly.
The first thing we needed to do was get the cabinet in good condition. The top-back corner of the cabinet was broken, and the back door and lower portion were falling apartโold, deteriorating wood glue was holding this thing together. It was in pretty rough shape; it had been neglected for probably 30+ years, and it showed. Alberto took this one and worked his magic, he sent me a bunch of images of the work, and I really love to see the process visuallyโฆ.
Once I had it back from Alberto I had to paint the cabinet white. I did the first couple of coats with a matte white, and I still want to do a final coat with glossy, but before I did that I needed to re-assemble the cabinet because the power supply guru Roberto was coming by to bring the re-built (for the second time) original power supply that canโt be simply replaced by a switching power supply given it uses hi and lo +12V and -12V for the sound board, which also helps power the video. This power supply has been a beast, so given Roberto was coming with a fixed unit I was thrilled, but when he arrived he noted that the -5V was not working, so we (royal) added a rectifier bridge for -5V that was pretty cool:
-5V Rectifier for Venture
-5V Rectifier for Venture connected to Ground and -5V from power supply
-5v from rectifier to board
We tried that and the board was now getting -5V, which was a win. But, but, but for some reason the +5V was not getting to the board cleanly. I was depressed, I really thought we were going to finally cut through this Gordian knot of a game. But despair is not an option, so we re-grouped and re-traced everything again, ensuring the edge connectors were attached correctly (they were), and still no dice for the +5V, although every other voltage was arriving to the boards as expected, so it was at least isolated to +5V.
Ventureโs edge connectors connected correctly
As a last ditch effort we decided to install a switching power supply to get the +5V to the board to see if that will workโฆ.and it did, dear reader! It was a moment that had been a long time coming, but bringing a game back from the dead that Iโd not seen working since we got it was amazing.
Venture Switching Power Supply for +5V
I can now take the -5V rectifier and use the switching power supply for that, but it is pretty cool to see how the rectifier works, that is yet another thing that enthralls me about electricity, all these gadgets to control and temper the flow of energy is truly amazing, and I am reminded once again it is always power with these games.
The Venture board I bought worked perfectly, and the monitor is gorgeous, I do need to try a cap kit on the K4600 monitor chassis for Venture given itโs not working, so the current chassis is on loan from Galaxian. The other bit is I need to clean-up and possibly re-build the the 8-way joystick. It is a bit of a ratโs nest right now, and it could use some new leafs and general TLC. But, the good news is Venture is on wheels, cleaned-up beautifully, and working a treat!
After fitting Pac-man with the BitKit2, I decided that cabinet needs to be on wheels and the bottom needs to be looked over closely given the floor was feelingย tenuous under any kind of pressure. There were early signs of wood rot that may have been a result of water damage, although it was definitely not extensive.
Pac-man without underpants
Pac-manโs old floor was feeling its age
I stripped it down and sent it out to Alberto and he is a genius. He replaced the floor entirely, while leaving everything else in tact, and added base pedestal to hide the new wheels. Once I got it back I taped around the original artwork and painted the cabinet with the Scramble yellow I had left-over from that project, and did some touch-up on the black paint, but otherwise left the original artwork untouched. The yellow from Scramble is a tad more subdued then the original Pac-man yellow, but you would really need to be in-the-know to realize the subtle difference. That said, I may re-paint it at some point
This was probably the fastest I ever completed a strip down, re-build, and re-paint. It was all done in less than a week, including Albertoโs workโwhich was crazy fast. I took a ton of photos, and you can find them in this Flickr album.
Itโs looking good! I still need to paint the back of this cabinet, which was also yellow. Iโll take care of that once I return. This dot gobbler is the crown of my collection, so it needs to be beautiful!
Above are the major notes, but there continues to be ongoing weirdness with Williamsโ transformers. I got back the โblownโ Joust transformer that turns out was not blown after all, the surge of 220V was not detrimental to the actual transformer because the varistor prevented it from doing any harm. Once the blown varistor was removed the transformer started working again, I just need a new varistor now.
Anyway, When I put the Joust transformer into Stargate it was having issues with the Williams JROK board, it kept randomly resetting the board whenever I would touch the smart bomb button. After realizing the JROK board worked fine in another cabinet (Defender), I figured it most be a power issue. After seeing the switching power supply values were all reading fine, I decided to put all ofย transformers back in their original games (I had them labeled).* That seems to have solved the issue, but we will see.
Hanterex Polo 20โณ chassis are my bane, and Cheyenne is now the only game not working. I am sending that chassis out for repair given I do not have a capkit, and hopefully that will be up and running soon.
I have the chassis removed and ready, just havenโt had time to try the K4600 CapKit. This chassis was originally in Venture, but if all goes well will be in Galaxian.
Condor G07 Capkit -not sure whenIi will do it, but on the list.
Cable for monitor and coin door light in Asterock acting up, this has been an odd issue, and it just seems like cables in Asterock power supply are lose, and the monitor loses power, but will need to dig deeper.
Need to install high score save kits for Venture and Pac-man.
Whew, that as a lot, but I am happy cause the Reclaim retreat is about to start and now I can start my West Coast tour diary on the venerable bava.blog
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*I had put the Stargate transformer in Moon Patrol, the Moon Patrol transformer in Joust, and left Stargate empty until the Joust transformer one was fixed.