Williams Defender Cocktail Restoration Project!

[zzaz3]

 

Man, I thought buying an already wired harness would be easier.  Oh well, I guess I better look for an original defender harness.

[SirPeale]

Christ...dude, no.  Stop throwing money at this when you're not sure what you're doing.  A Williams harness is going to set you back quite a bit, $65 from Dokert @ KLOV for a brand new one.

Get a standard JAMMA harness from JAMMABoards.com.  They're inexpensive, and should work well for your needs.  Follow the JAMMA specs for power and video:

http://www.pealefamily.net/tech/jamma.html

That'll get you something on screen.  Oh yeah...you've got one of the linear power supplies.  You can sell it and get a standard Peter Chou power supply.

IIRC the JROK board comes with an instruction booklet which details which JAMMA pin are for what controls.  Use it to wire up your control panels, coin door wiring, test buttons, etc.  It is a JAMMA board but it does not adhere to the JAMMA spec due to how the Williams boards work.

Any other questions, ask them here FIRST before you got throwing your money away.

[zzaz3]

I have no idea how to wire the JAMMA harness.  Don't I need the white 'plugs' that my cabinet uses?

[SirPeale]

You're starting pretty much from scratch.  The buttons and joysticks are soldered on, the power supply uses "U" connectors, and the video should already have a connector.

[zzaz3]

how can I solder directly to the joysticks?!  The control panel will be screwed in.  Do I have to have a new power supply for this?

[SirPeale]

You solder to the tabs on the switches.

You can use that power supply, but it'll be a lot easier if you get a replacement Peter Chou style power supply with the screw lugs.

[zzaz3]

You solder to the tabs on the switches.

You can use that power supply, but it'll be a lot easier if you get a replacement Peter Chou style power supply with the screw lugs.

Alright, well I'm also making a Robotron cab, so maybe it'll be easier/cheaper if I wired the JAMMA harness through that one instead. 

I actually have a power supply, but I'm not sure what kind or how to wire it. 

I know that the two wires I have hooked up to the power supply are suppose to go to the monitor (and apparently it doesn't matter which one goes where as long as they both go to the monitor.)  I think that the two wires coming out of the transformer (is that right?  The ones by the green pencil) should go to the AC on the power supply, but idk if it makes a difference of which one goes to which.   I'd assume it doesn't because both the labels are 'AC'.



Oh, and apparently wire 'splicing' is frowned upon here.  Does anybody know any way I can get this working without 'splicing'?

[RayB]

Proper way is to use those screw-on plastic things. I don't know the proper terminology. Masking tape on 120v AC is a fire risk.

[SirPeale]

Depends on how you're splicing it. 

For smaller stranded wires, the BEST way is to strip 1" from one, and 1/2" from the other.  Place a piece of shrink wrap on one of them, and wrap the 1" length around the 1/2".  Then solder the connection, and use the shrink wrap to shield it from touching things it shouldn't.

For larger stranded and solid wires, bare 1/2"-ish, place them SIDE BY SIDE (don't twist them together) and use a "wire nut" to join them.

At a bare minimum electrical tape should be used - and only temporarily until a permanent solution can be provided.  NEVER use any other type of tape - especially masking tape!

[saleem]

Proper way is to use those screw-on plastic things. I don't know the proper terminology. Masking tape on 120v AC is a fire risk.

screw on plastic things,do you mean terminal strip?
 

[opt2not]

Proper way is to use those screw-on plastic things. I don't know the proper terminology. Masking tape on 120v AC is a fire risk.

screw on plastic things,do you mean terminal strip?
  

I think  he means wire nuts:

[zzaz3]

Well, I'm using colored electrical tape for now.  I found some of those wire cap things you guys were talking about, but I already soldered the wires together.  I'll see if I can make them fit though.

Here's what I have now.  Idk if it's right or not.

[zzaz3]

How's this?

[RayB]

I suppose that will do, if it's tight and won't come look. I notice now you have more than 2 wires going in. Didnt notice before. In that case, I'd recommend a distribution block:



Also, looks like you need a fuse along your hot AC line.

[zzaz3]

Alright, thanks.  I'll have to see if I have one of those laying around here somewhere.


Anyways, I haven't had any updates in a while now.  I've mainly been looking for parts and trying to earn some extra money to finish these projects.

I bought a defender board set for only $40 shipped.  And it just arrived today.  I don't really know what to look for on this thing.  I've noticed that the battery holder is missing and one little metal part has come loose.  (I'm not sure what it is, but if I can find out then I can buy a new one and it'll be an easy fix).

I really wish I could test this board, but I still need to find a cocktail harness for this thing.  I've also been wondering if this board will even support cocktail mode.. Guess I better cross my fingers.

So, I'm one step closer to finishing the defender.  Now I just need the control panels (which I'm trying to buy now, but the selling is a little slow to respond) and a harness.  Then maybe a few small things like battery holder, edge protector, and ect..

After that I guess I'll have to get to work on the Robotron, which actually seems like it's going to be a much easier project after doing this one.


Anyways, heres some pictures of the board set I got:





I was a little bit worried when I saw it was missing #5.  Turns out none of them have it.  Anyone know why?


Prongs are a bit bent here.


See the little metal piece?  It's loose and doesn't seem fixable.  Anyone know where I can get a new one?

[zzaz3]

Alright, I just washed the little metal piece in some acetone and vinegar and it reads:

12.0000
SRMP-1
M-TRON

I searched around and I'm not sure what exactly to get.  You think I'll have to order it online or is this something I can just pick up from radio shack?

[opt2not]

I bought a defender board set for only $40 shipped.  And it just arrived today.  I don't really know what to look for on this thing.  I've noticed that the battery holder is missing and one little metal part has come loose.  (I'm not sure what it is, but if I can find out then I can buy a new one and it'll be an easy fix).

Nice, half the work is done for you to upgrade it to a lithium battery.
I bought my battery upgrade kit from Bob Roberts:
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/wmsbatt.html

Really simple installation.

[saleem]

Alright, I just washed the little metal piece in some acetone and vinegar and it reads:

12.0000
SRMP-1
M-TRON

I searched around and I'm not sure what exactly to get.  You think I'll have to order it online or is this something I can just pick up from radio shack?

heres a link to the pdf schems for that board,its pdf format your interested in page 6&7.what you do is find out the part location,i am sure its CR1,then look on the list of parts and it will tell you what it is,i can see its part CR1 but,the pic is split right where the part is.if you look at the part list it says a crystal,i think 12mhz? (or something) its a shame cos you might think it says R1 but,thats a resistor on page 6 on the top left.dosnt help being split on 2 pages.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V5U6NNMQ

you can always try reconnecting it,just try some solder,if not try some wire and solder.i dont know what others will say.but,either way you will have to dig out your soldering iron to remove the old component.i would say that replacing is best.you can always take the cpomponent with you to the place you try to buy it?
 

[zzaz3]

I bought a defender board set for only $40 shipped.  And it just arrived today.  I don't really know what to look for on this thing.  I've noticed that the battery holder is missing and one little metal part has come loose.  (I'm not sure what it is, but if I can find out then I can buy a new one and it'll be an easy fix).

Nice, half the work is done for you to upgrade it to a lithium battery.
I bought my battery upgrade kit from Bob Roberts:
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/wmsbatt.html

Really simple installation.

Oh wow, cool!  I guess that missed the battery holder wasn't such a bad thing.  I already have the stuff to make it laying around here too. 

heres a link to the pdf schems for that board,its pdf format your interested in page 6&7.what you do is find out the part location,i am sure its CR1,then look on the list of parts and it will tell you what it is,i can see its part CR1 but,the pic is split right where the part is.if you look at the part list it says a crystal,i think 12mhz? (or something) its a shame cos you might think it says R1 but,thats a resistor on page 6 on the top left.dosnt help being split on 2 pages.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V5U6NNMQ

you can always try reconnecting it,just try some solder,if not try some wire and solder.i dont know what others will say.but,either way you will have to dig out your soldering iron to remove the old component.i would say that replacing is best.you can always take the cpomponent with you to the place you try to buy it?
 

Yeah, I tried to solder wires back on it and then put it back in place, but the wires just wouldn't hold.  I guess I'll have to search around for a place where I can buy this from.

And thanks for letting me know that it's a diode.  It would of taken me forever to figure that out myself.

[zzaz3]

In the meantime, I just ordered the control panels yesterday.  And now I'm just looking for a harness and trying to figure out how to make one.  If anyone knows where I can find one, that would help me out a lot.

Also, for a little update on Robotron, I'm going to be using the jrok board with the second cocktail (the Robotron), at least until I find a real Robotron board set down the road. (those things are impossible to find.) I've also decided to use a newer power supply in that one too. (like I mentioned above)  And I can't figure out how I'm going to fit a monitor in there.  I guess I'll go in more detail once the defender is done. So close..

[saleem]

i think its actualy a crystal,someone who knows more will tell you for sure,i am sure based on the schems its a 12mhz crystal.

[opt2not]

In the meantime, I just ordered the control panels yesterday.  And now I'm just looking for a harness and trying to figure out how to make one.  If anyone knows where I can find one, that would help me out a lot.

Dokert over at KLOV can probably help you out. He does a lot of Williams board support, and can probably supply what you need. Here's the list of things he can sell you:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/dokert/TheListMarch2010.jpg

Also, for a little update on Robotron, I'm going to be using the jrok board with the second cocktail (the Robotron), at least until I find a real Robotron board set down the road. (those things are impossible to find.)

So I take it you'll be adding buttons to the Control Panel then? For games like Joust and Sinistar? Or are you just going to have the board in there for the dual stick games?

I've also decided to use a newer power supply in that one too. (like I mentioned above)  And I can't figure out how I'm going to fit a monitor in there.  I guess I'll go in more detail once the defender is done. So close..

Are you going to get a switcher?
If you're going to get a new PS, perhaps this might be a good option?  It comes with the Ram upgrade (info here) as well...if you were planning on upgrading the RAM anyways, this might be a good deal for you.

[RayB]

You're in the similar boat as I was. I bought all the boards, including a Defender that I figured I can adapt to run Robotron, read a LOT of tech info here:  http://www.robotron-2084.co.uk/   (so many board revisions and variations to keep track of!)

...then figured just get a JROK board.

[zzaz3]

i think its actualy a crystal,someone who knows more will tell you for sure,i am sure based on the schems its a 12mhz crystal.

Oh wow!  That's exactly what it is!  Thank you so much.  I found websites that actually have it!

Dokert over at KLOV can probably help you out. He does a lot of Williams board support, and can probably supply what you need. Here's the list of things he can sell you:
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll282/dokert/TheListMarch2010.jpg

Yeah, that's the only lead I could find.  I sent him a message and he said that he might be able to help me, but he's not sure since it's a cocktail harness.  Right now he's too busy to take orders though, he said that he was getting ready for something and that he would get back to me in a few weeks.  Fingers crossed..

So I take it you'll be adding buttons to the Control Panel then? For games like Joust and Sinistar? Or are you just going to have the board in there for the dual stick games?

I'm just going to change the settings to boot strait into Robotron.  I might change it up every now and then if I'm in the mood for bubbles or something, but I really only want it to run Robotron.  I feel like it would look a little crowded/tacky if I ran more than one games.  Even though I love all the games it comes with..

Are you going to get a switcher?
If you're going to get a new PS, perhaps this might be a good option?  It comes with the Ram upgrade (info here) as well...if you were planning on upgrading the RAM anyways, this might be a good deal for you.

I don't even know what a switcher is.  I know close to nothing about these power supplies.  I just know that I'm going to need one.  I'm not even sure how the Power Supply you sent me the link to would work or how it would wire up.  RAM upgrade?  Are you talking about the Defender board or about the Robotron Board that I might end up with down the road?

You're in the similar boat as I was. I bought all the boards, including a Defender that I figured I can adapt to run Robotron, read a LOT of tech info here:  http://www.robotron-2084.co.uk/   (so many board revisions and variations to keep track of!)

...then figured just get a JROK board.

Yep, JROK board seems to be the simplest route.  Thanks for the link.  The board identification section really helped out a lot.  Now I know that my Defender board will support Cocktail mode! 

[opt2not]

I don't even know what a switcher is.  I know close to nothing about these power supplies.  I just know that I'm going to need one.  I'm not even sure how the Power Supply you sent me the link to would work or how it would wire up. 

A switcher, or switching power supply is what some people are using to replace the older linear power supplies that were originally installed in their cabinets. From my understanding, the "switching" part comes from the unit's ability to switch to a selected voltage. I've never used a switcher before in the few arcade machines I've worked on, I've always kept with the linear.
So I don't really know which is better, but I hear that a rebuilt linear power supply would outlast a switching one.  I'm not an authority on that, so don't quote me on it

Thoroughly check out that site RayB and I linked. There's a lot of awesome information on williams games that'll better your understanding on their parts. I would also advise to take a good look at the game manuals, and parts list file (hosted on that site as well)..lots of additional information is in there. The parts list would help you get familiar with the components as well.

RAM upgrade?  Are you talking about the Defender board or about the Robotron Board that I might end up with down the road?

On the CPU boards, not the ROM boards.

"This hack allows us to used UN-modified 4164 RAM in place of the 4116 RAM, without modifying the board, harness or RAM. The advantages are, 4164 RAM is plentiful, we no longer use +12 reg and -5 from the PS, eliminating those points of failure, and the RAM runs allot cooler, leading me to believe we may be easing up on the +5 requirements."

From what I've read, the stock 4116's tend to fail a lot, and from what I hear are harder to acquire replacements these days. Perhaps you might consider this upgrade later on, it's really a long term investment that will save you from having to worry about pesky ROM failures in the future.

[Beley]

Alright, I just washed the little metal piece in some acetone and vinegar and it reads:

12.0000
SRMP-1
M-TRON

I searched around and I'm not sure what exactly to get.  You think I'll have to order it online or is this something I can just pick up from radio shack?

Its just a generic 12.0 Mhz crystal.

should be fairly easy to locate this,  Radio shack may have it, if you have one that still sells components.
otherwise try:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CTX058-ND

[zzaz3]

I don't even know what a switcher is.  I know close to nothing about these power supplies.  I just know that I'm going to need one.  I'm not even sure how the Power Supply you sent me the link to would work or how it would wire up. 

A switcher, or switching power supply is what some people are using to replace the older linear power supplies that were originally installed in their cabinets. From my understanding, the "switching" part comes from the unit's ability to switch to a selected voltage. I've never used a switcher before in the few arcade machines I've worked on, I've always kept with the linear.
So I don't really know which is better, but I hear that a rebuilt linear power supply would outlast a switching one.  I'm not an authority on that, so don't quote me on it

Thoroughly check out that site RayB and I linked. There's a lot of awesome information on williams games that'll better your understanding on their parts. I would also advise to take a good look at the game manuals, and parts list file (hosted on that site as well)..lots of additional information is in there. The parts list would help you get familiar with the components as well.

RAM upgrade?  Are you talking about the Defender board or about the Robotron Board that I might end up with down the road?

On the CPU boards, not the ROM boards.

"This hack allows us to used UN-modified 4164 RAM in place of the 4116 RAM, without modifying the board, harness or RAM. The advantages are, 4164 RAM is plentiful, we no longer use +12 reg and -5 from the PS, eliminating those points of failure, and the RAM runs allot cooler, leading me to believe we may be easing up on the +5 requirements."

From what I've read, the stock 4116's tend to fail a lot, and from what I hear are harder to acquire replacements these days. Perhaps you might consider this upgrade later on, it's really a long term investment that will save you from having to worry about pesky ROM failures in the future.

Yeah, I will probably wait until the power supply and CPU board I have now go out.  I usually try to be as cheap as possible and not spend any money unless I absolutely have to.  Although I do have a feeling that the CPU I have now might not work, so I'm going to start reading up on this stuff anyways, just in case.

Its just a generic 12.0 Mhz crystal.

should be fairly easy to locate this,  Radio shack may have it, if you have one that still sells components.
otherwise try:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CTX058-ND

Thanks a bunch!  I'm never any good at finding small parts like that.  I'll have to go by radio shack sometime this week and see if they have it.  If not I guess I'll just order it from digikey and maybe some other parts.  I wouldn't want to waist all my money to ship just that.

[zzaz3]

Oh yeah,  and my control panels came in the mail today.  I tried cleaning them up a bit (didn't do much) and right now I'm mounting a joystick in one of the control panels that was missing one.  I'll upload pictures when I'm done.

Now if I could find a harness then this project would be as good as done!

[zzaz3]

Alright, sorry it took me so long, but here's some pictures:

[saleem]

do they have tmolding on these cocktails.
 

[DrumAnBass]

Schweeeet!! Looks great!

And no; surprisingly there is no t-molding on the Williams cocktails, just edges painted black.

[zzaz3]

Actually, some Edges on my cabinet had a cheap iron-on kind of protector. I'm not sure if its t-moding or not.  I also don't know if it was initally on all the edges and someone painted over the others. I found a site that sells the 8 feet of the iron on edge protecters that I'm going to use. I'll post the link when I get to my computer.

[DrumAnBass]

Yep, obviously I am wrong:

http://www.gamestencils.com/index.php?crn=221&rn=470&action=show_detail

[zzaz3]

Alright, I haven't updated this in a while because there's not really been any progress, but I just want you guys to know that I haven't given up or anything.

I'm still looking for a cocktail harness and I might need one of those metal board mounts too.  Also, I need to put on edge protectors and I still need to go to radio shack and get that one part for the board.  If I can manage to do all that it 'should' be done.

In the meantime, the other cabinet I have that I've been wanting to put Robotron is built for a 13" monitor.  It's not a defender cabinet though, because the control panel has more room.  I can't tell what it originally was, but I still want a Robotron.  Anyone know how I can or if I should fix this cabinet to hold a 19" monitor?


That's all I have.  If anybody knows where I can get the parts I need or has any information on building a harness (I just don't know where to get those white plugs or what kind of wire to get) it would really help me out.  Thanks. 

[zzaz3]

Hey,

So it's been a while since I've done anything to the machine.  I just need a harness.  I thought about making one, but I really don't think I'd be able to do it.  So right now I'm just waiting...

In the mean time, I think I should get to work on the Robotron cabinet.  I really need some help with that.  The cabinet I have is for 13" monitors, how can I get a 19" or 21" monitor to fit in it for Robotron?  After I figure that out and the power supply.  Everything else 'should' go by pretty quick.

Thanks.

[DrumAnBass]

To have a 19" monitor fit you would have to move the monitor support boards further apart. Plus you would have to get a new monitor bezel and clean the black paint off the inside of the glass. It would probably be a lot easier just to stick to a 13". I looked at moving up to a 19" with my Moon Patrol and decided to keep it original with a 13".

The wiring harness is just wires with connectors; shouldn't be a huge deal to modify a cheap JAMMA harness. Interestingly enough - my cocktail started off life as a Defender. If you want photos of what my wiring looks like, let me know.

[zzaz3]

I thought Moon Patrol originally has a 19" monitor?  I haven't even seen a defender cocktail harness after all this searching, I'd love a picture!

[DrumAnBass]

Well my cab started out life as a Defender, sometime before I got it, it was converted. I believe the original cocktail Moon Patrols were 13" as well.  It has an original Williams Defender tag on the wiring harness.

[Level42]

 

[zzaz3]

Well my cab started out life as a Defender, sometime before I got it, it was converted. I believe the original cocktail Moon Patrols were 13" as well.  It has an original Williams Defender tag on the wiring harness.

I would defiantly love to see a picture of that!