Galaxian Resto (finished)

[Ian]

Finished with my first Resto... When it came right down to it, it was mostly cosmetic... Got a new board and put less than $600 in it. So all in all I'm very happy with how it turned out!




(original post)

My first Restoration... I have a galaxian (one of my favorite looking cabs). It came with a newer monitor that wasn't working a couple of game boards that need some repair the original bezel and control panel.

So things to do:

new artwork (sides and front kick plate, bezel and controlpanel and marquee in good condition)
Test monitor
Test Game boards
Fix broken joystick

[Ian]

I cleaned up the control panel last night, It has some scuffs and some missing artwork pieces but I kind of dig it a bit original. The colors pop (pics probably don't show it) thanks to using a magic eraser.

My first order of business is the joystick... It is really really really loose. Doing some research it looks like someone may have put an ill fitting joystick (the stick itself) in the mechanism. As far as I know they were always red... and white (in Japan). So I have to try and remove the stick (the thick part that holds the joy in place is stuck pretty good. I removed the c-clamp and it still didn't budge. And secondly does anyone know where to get replacements? I would like a white ball-top but a red would do as well. These would be the short stick ones if I am not mistaken.

I did see that this was the early version so no grommets. I suppose it would be easier just to put a new leafpro in there from ggg but I really want to try to keep it original.

[vwalbridge]

Cool! Another restore!

I love the Galaxian style. White sides and cool side-art.

I'll be watching. 

[behrmr]

The ball top should be red so what you have there is probably wrong as you suspect.  If it's loose that could be due to the diameter of the shaft being off.  It sits in between two rubber stops and those look intact so that's probably not the issue. I don't think a leaf pro would work real well there particularly with the mounting pattern not matching the studs.  I would think you could find a replacement from another collector. Good luck.

[Cobolisdead]

You before pics looks better than my after pics on my Galaxian!

[8BitMonk]

Should be a cool restore, I like the look of these. Keep the joystick original if you can!

[Ian]

You before pics looks better than my after pics on my Galaxian!

Ha!

I have the money to fix... but do I have the skill?? 

[Ian]

Should be a cool restore, I like the look of these. Keep the joystick original if you can!

 

Cheers to that... If anyone has an extra stick please message me. Otherwise the hunt will continue!

[Ian]

The ball top should be red so what you have there is probably wrong as you suspect.  If it's loose that could be due to the diameter of the shaft being off.  It sits in between two rubber stops and those look intact so that's probably not the issue. I don't think a leaf pro would work real well there particularly with the mounting pattern not matching the studs.  I would think you could find a replacement from another collector. Good luck.

Thanks for the confirmation and the reply I appreciate it!

I will hunt!

[Ian]

Well I plugged everything in after a good cleaning. Two different results on my two boards.

Board 1


I plugged this in and my speaker went full on bass mode. It was a very low humm... nothing seemed right. I assume this is as dead as it gets?

Board 2


This sounded better (less bass, but no game sounds either), and actually produced something that looked like a game. Nothing was in motion. But I gotta know what you experts have to say. Is this something I send in??? Or should I be better off looking for a tested board?

[Cobolisdead]

Expect to pay $75 - $100 for a tested Galaxian board.

Is this your first Arcade machine? Have you thought about putting a 60 in 1 in it?

[Ian]

Expect to pay $75 - $100 for a tested Galaxian board.

Is this your first Arcade machine? Have you thought about putting a 60 in 1 in it?

Yeah, I just dropped $85 for a board. This is my first dedicated machine. I have 2 Mame machines and helped my friend build his. I have experience but not in board repair.

Ian

[yotsuya]

Expect to pay $75 - $100 for a tested Galaxian board.

Is this your first Arcade machine? Have you thought about putting a 60 in 1 in it?

Yeah, I just dropped $85 for a board. This is my first dedicated machine. I have 2 Mame machines and helped my friend build his. I have experience but not in board repair.

Ian

Good for you for not going the 60-1 route.

[Nephasth]

Excellent choice! One of the best looking classics for sure.

[Ian]

Expect to pay $75 - $100 for a tested Galaxian board.

Is this your first Arcade machine? Have you thought about putting a 60 in 1 in it?

Yeah, I just dropped $85 for a board. This is my first dedicated machine. I have 2 Mame machines and helped my friend build his. I have experience but not in board repair.

Ian

Good for you for not going the 60-1 route.

Well Yots... Like you always say..I kind of graduated from Mame. On to the real thing.

[yotsuya]

Expect to pay $75 - $100 for a tested Galaxian board.

Is this your first Arcade machine? Have you thought about putting a 60 in 1 in it?

Yeah, I just dropped $85 for a board. This is my first dedicated machine. I have 2 Mame machines and helped my friend build his. I have experience but not in board repair.

Ian

Good for you for not going the 60-1 route.

Well Yots... Like you always say..I kind of graduated from Mame. On to the real thing.

[Mike A]

The 60-1 is an abomination. I am glad to see that this is an actual restoration. If someone wants to stick a 60-1 in something, I would suggest a trash can.

[8BitMonk]

The ball top should be red so what you have there is probably wrong as you suspect.

They also came with white balltops...



Why not throw a 60-1 in it and run it alongside the original hardware. That's what I did with my Dig Dug Cabaret and love it. You don't have to hack up any of the original hardware and it's cool having all the extra games to play. Just pick up a Galaxian to jamma adapter and wire it jamma and you can easily switch between your main board and the 60-1. If you pick up a Super Jamma Harness from Twisted Quarter it should also have the molex connections you need to plug right into your original controls.

[Ian]

I get why people put in the 60-1's I do... they serve a purpose lots of games but also newer hardware. Having a gameboard from 1979 probably isn't going to be the most reliable but hell call me a sucker for liking old school, original, vintage, cool ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- . Plus my mame machine is right next to it...it's running on a nice arcade monitor and any game that is on a 60-1 is on that cab. I just dig the galaxian and I want it to play galaxian. If I ever want to sell or trade it (my goal is to find a Tapper) then I can do so knowing its a 100% galaxian.

[yotsuya]

I get why people put in the 60-1's I do... they serve a purpose lots of games but also newer hardware. Having a gameboard from 1979 probably isn't going to be the most reliable but hell call me a sucker for liking old school, original, vintage, cool ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- . Plus my mame machine is right next to it...it's running on a nice arcade monitor and any game that is on a 60-1 is on that cab. I just dig the galaxian and I want it to play galaxian. If I ever want to sell or trade it (my goal is to find a Tapper) then I can do so knowing its a 100% galaxian.

Well said. Exactly the way I feel.

[8BitMonk]

I just dig the galaxian and I want it to play galaxian.

Totally understandable, no reason to go through the hassle if it's not worth it to you.

My main point was that you can add a multi-board, mame etc. without devaluing or defiling the original. My Dig Dug cabaret has all it's original components, I can swap the original DD PCB with the 60-1 in a minute and could sell it as original. The benefit for me is flexibility and reliability. If you have more than a couple people over and don't have a bunch of other machines then they have game options, or if the main PCB bites it the machine's still up and running.

[Ian]

I just dig the galaxian and I want it to play galaxian.

Totally understandable, no reason to go through the hassle if it's not worth it to you.

My main point was that you can add a multi-board, mame etc. without devaluing or defiling the original. My Dig Dug cabaret has all it's original components, I can swap the original DD PCB with the 60-1 in a minute and could sell it as original. The benefit for me is flexibility and reliability. If you have more than a couple people over and don't have a bunch of other machines then they have game options, or if the main PCB bites it the machine's still up and running.

 

[Ian]

Traditional Green T-molding or do I go Black

[Nephasth]

Green.

[yotsuya]

Green looks best on that cab.

[Ian]

Green it is... I was leaning that way. But I saw the black.

[Ian]

Some progress....

Starting to heat gun away the old artwork... It was cracked, faded and scratched to hell... wood however is in great shape!



Did some painting on the inside of the cabinet and on the control panel... Also replaced the buttons with nice white short leaf buttons.



I wanted to use the original cp art (not because I am cheap) because I wanted it to look a bit original and beat up in places. The colors are still vibrant and the Marquee is original as well.






Now before I have anyone overreact that I have paint on the T-molding, its okay. Thats the old stuff and will be tossed soon.

Now next up is finishing removing the artwork
Get the coindoor prepped and painted
Install new coin door lock


Waiting on
Art from thisoldgame.com
Tested Galaxian Board
T-molding (galaxian green)

Still working on

Finding original joystick.

[8BitMonk]

Looking good! The wood on the sides is in great shape, doesn't look like any edge chipping at all. The CP overlay looks good too, a ding here and there adds character.  Are you thinking Red, White or Black for the joystick?

[Ian]

I would prefer white... Red is also an option though. 

[Nephasth]

Waiting on
Art from thisoldgame.com

You might be waiting a while. Took several months to get mine... Hopefully you get yours soon.

[Ian]

Waiting on
Art from thisoldgame.com

You might be waiting a while. Took several months to get mine... Hopefully you get yours soon.

Yeah I think he said he is 2-3 weeks behind... eh.

Gives me time to figure out this damn joystick.

[Ian]

So this  thing is getting on my nerves. So I figured out the joystick is the correct size. The problem is on the Pivot bracket assembly itself. The joystick goes through the big round part and then C-clipped on. This round part is detached from the pivot assembly itself. That is why there is so much play. 

Problem is the damn thing is rusted/stuck on the joystick WD-40 seems to have very little effect. I have tried to tap it with a Hammer and a screw driver but it's not going anywhere. If I can get this thing unstuck I could JB-Weld this part on (couldn't find a replacement) and go on my merry way.

One possible solution is to find a nos williams joystick handle and cut this guy off with a bolt cutters.....

Or I can keep cranking on this fella. Any tricks you guys use to loosen up these kind of things?

Or I can live with it. The leaf springs center it enough. The damn thing is just really wobbly.

[Cobolisdead]

1. I looked at my Galaxian, and it's Joystick is black. Just thought I would let you know.

2. If you are trying to remove the joystick, it will be a pain. Just take off the clip, keep spraying it with wd40, and keep hitting it with a hammer and tap. It will take a while but eventually it will come loose.

[8BitMonk]

Or I can keep cranking on this fella. Any tricks you guys use to loosen up these kind of things?

Electrolysis is your friend. Check the video below with the seized up latch.

[vwalbridge]

I would prefer white... Red is also an option though.

I'd go white balltop all day everyday.

[behrmr]

Waiting on
Art from thisoldgame.com

You might be waiting a while. Took several months to get mine... Hopefully you get yours soon.

Yeah I think he said he is 2-3 weeks behind... eh.

Gives me time to figure out this damn joystick.

If he says 2-3 weeks it is going to be 2-3 months.  The last thing I bought from him he said 2 weeks.  It was at least 2 months and that required me to hound him. 

[Nephasth]

I would prefer white... Red is also an option though.

I'd go white balltop all day everyday.

Lime green!

[Ian]

Received my game board today! Plugged her in and damn... she is running so so so nice... I was playing the hell out of it when it occurred to me that the Mame version was never this much fun. So of course I booted up Mame next to it and sure enough the Mame emulation was almost twice as slow... it was terrible! No wonder everyone wants Galaga.

I wonder how many other games are just better as a dedicated machine?

Anyway.. glad I picked Galaxian this game is fun! 


PS the loose joystick is still loose... however it actually wasn't bad to play on at all. I think I was really just used to my Sanwa sticks.

[behrmr]

I wonder what romset you have on your dedicated PCB?  I have Galaxian running on my machine and on MAME on an RPI3.  They seem very very similar.   Glad you got it running. 

[Cobolisdead]

Received my game board today! Plugged her in and damn... she is running so so so nice... I was playing the hell out of it when it occurred to me that the Mame version was never this much fun. So of course I booted up Mame next to it and sure enough the Mame emulation was almost twice as slow... it was terrible! No wonder everyone wants Galaga.

I wonder how many other games are just better as a dedicated machine?

Anyway.. glad I picked Galaxian this game is fun! 


PS the loose joystick is still loose... however it actually wasn't bad to play on at all. I think I was really just used to my Sanwa sticks.

Galaxian really is a fun game, its a lot better than Galaga in the sense that it is a challenging game that requires more strategy.

[Ian]

Well, nothing to exciting update wise... cleaned up the coin door and painted it and installed a new lock. Other than that I am just stripping the artwork now. Thisoldgame contacted me... told me that since my artwork was off their website and it was only one set it should be here in a couple of weeks. Here is hoping!

Other than that, I have been playing a lot of Galaxian. I think it's an awesome game for sure.


The only other thing I have a question on is if anyone has the highscore save board in there Galaxian and does it work well?

Ian

[Ian]

So I received the artwork and took my time making sure everything came out on point.



The kick plate was a little tricky... It was a little rough along the edge but overall no bubbles and no wrinkles.. it looks fantastic. I used gloss black spray paint on the coin door after sanding it a bit to clean up the rust. I also put in a new lock for the coin door. Coin mechs are original and work great!
 


Inside the cab I used a gloss black oil based All Surface Enamel from Sherwin Williams. Prepackaged black is the only way to go. I cleaned up the glass, and the original control panel. Left the original artwork on the panel because I liked the character it gave. The joystick still has a lot of play on it but once I got the game working it actually controls very nicely so I think I may just leave it alone. And I replaced the original buttons.



Original Marquee, painted the brackets with a gloss black spray paint.


Side art is from thisoldgame.com, it took about 3 weeks to get it. Great quality and the vinyl was very easy to work with and the colors just pop. No bubbles and it looks great! (my picture looks kind of  funky by the t-molding on the left side. In person it's smooth and looks great)


It was a Great experience... anyone selling a Tapper let me know, it's my goal to have one for my basement bar.

Thanks for all the help and advice!

Ian

[Nephasth]

 

[8BitMonk]

Looks sharp, nice work! 

Good luck finding a Tapper, don't see them come up often and when they do they're pricey.

[Cobolisdead]

Great job on the restore!

[vwalbridge]

Great job! Nice and clean. Glad you did the green t-molding. 

[Ian]

Looks sharp, nice work! 

Good luck finding a Tapper, don't see them come up often and when they do they're pricey.

My Tapper quest is here for the long haul... almost got one a couple weeks back for $2000 but It was too much and way too close to the holidays. So the search continues.

Thanks for the nice words guys!

[DeLuSioNal29]

Nice resto!

Question, what monitor do you have in there?  Any issues with it?  I just got an original Galaxian and the picture is really dark.  Not sure if it needs repair or if I need to turn up the brightness.  Trouble is, it's a Wells Gardner k4500 where the labeled adjustment pots do not work (it's another adjustment somewhere, just don't know where).

DeL

[Ian]

Nice resto!

Question, what monitor do you have in there?  Any issues with it?  I just got an original Galaxian and the picture is really dark.  Not sure if it needs repair or if I need to turn up the brightness.  Trouble is, it's a Wells Gardner k4500 where the adjustment post do not work (it's another adjustment somewhere, just don't know where).

DeL

It's a Vision Pro MTG2901  which according to the world wide web its a clone of a K7300 I think.

[Ian]

And out of all of my monitors I have worked on (fourth... lol) this one is the brightest I have every seen. Great picture that is clear and very very bright.... I am almost sad it's in a Galaxian!

[behrmr]

Nice resto!

Question, what monitor do you have in there?  Any issues with it?  I just got an original Galaxian and the picture is really dark.  Not sure if it needs repair or if I need to turn up the brightness.  Trouble is, it's a Wells Gardner k4500 where the adjustment post do not work (it's another adjustment somewhere, just don't know where).

DeL

Yeah. Nice of Wells Gardner to include a remote board that doesn't work!   IIRC brightness adjustment is done by the control knob on the flyback.  It may be glued in place and you'll have to cut the glue so the knob turns.  The color drives are located near the service switch on the monitor.  And if you suddenly find your monitor in vertical collapse check that you didn't bump the service switch (that one cost me several hours of my life I will never get back).

[Ian]

I wonder what romset you have on your dedicated PCB?  I have Galaxian running on my machine and on MAME on an RPI3.  They seem very very similar.   Glad you got it running.

So interesting news.... I got the high score save kit from Joe over at highscoresaves.com. It works great, I highly recommend it... however the game plays just like the Mame game (which obviously would be ideal) yet, the board I bought on Ebay must have been some sort of hack as the game is very fast and exciting without being cheap and difficult. I still only shoot one blast at a time but since the game is much faster my reload time is faster as well. Dare I say it's perfect?

So now I have to return my save kit because damned if I want to play Galaxian all slow, especially now since I am used to the sped up version. I looked at the rom set and it looks like it's been worked on for sure (see the pic below).

I don't know any thoughts? Do you guys want to see a video???

[yotsuya]

I I'd keep the kit and save it in case you ever decide you want to sell the game. Might be able to get a few extra bucks if you can tout the high score save future. But that's only if you don't need the cash now.

[Ian]

! No longer available

What the hell... and here... we....go...

[PL1]

Interesting.

It's neither of the two Midway-licensed versions -- galaxianm and galaxianmo.

Several hacks have the Midway name at the bottom of the scoring page, but have different text at the top.

Can someone running v0.175 or higher check these two clones?

  -  Galaxian (bootleg, set 3) -- galaxbsf2

  -  Galaxian (bootleg, set 4) -- galaxianbl2

Screenshots show short laser blasts like Ian's.


Scott

[Ian]

I just tried set 3... the laser blasts are short but the ship moves too slow, and set 4 the colors are way off and again short burst slow ship.

[behrmr]

Look like super galaxian

[Ian]

I saw two different super galaxians gameplay on youtube... one the shots were way way too fast and the second one the ship moved too slow.

[Ian]

Well I officially found out what is going on with my PCB.... looks like it is a reprogrammed eeprom galap4 bootleg with the standard Midway graphics roms.


So if you want to play a great version of Galaxian boot up the galap4 rom version. It plays fantastic! 

[DeLuSioNal29]

I'm finally catching up to this topic.  Machine looks great!  I used a magic eraser on mine and it brightened everything up.  I left the sideart "as is" with the petina of someone carving in their name and high score (with date).  LOL.

I was wondering how the high score kit worked.  :-)  I was thinking of buying one myself.

Let me know if you need me to fix those eproms.  I have a programmer and I'm assuming it can be fixed with replacements.

DeL

[Ian]

I'm finally catching up to this topic.  Machine looks great!  I used a magic eraser on mine and it brightened everything up.  I left the sideart "as is" with the petina of someone carving in their name and high score (with date).  LOL.

I was wondering how the high score kit worked.  :-)  I was thinking of buying one myself.

Let me know if you need me to fix those eproms.  I have a programmer and I'm assuming it can be fixed with replacements.

DeL

No thanks... I love how the game plays. It is pretty awesome. besides the highscore save kit has all of the roms with it to replace the old ones. I have two non working boards I am going to try to bring back to life using my highscore kit but I had to order another processor as the legs on mine just fell off... lol

I saw your video on your machine... I would have kept the sides orginal as well... I liked the name and highscore on the side! That's freaking sweet!

If I can't get my two boards working, I'll send you a pm and sell you the highscore kit cheap.

Ian

[DeLuSioNal29]

I have a spare board as well, turns out it doesn't work (RAM 2 error).  I'm going to attempt to fix it.  Who know's maybe I'll replace the roms to make it like yours.. LOL.

D

[Ian]

Ah damn it... I broke one of my pins on my Highscore saves galaxian. Just snapped right off... anyway to fix it?

[mourix]

Awesome results on the restoration

Did you break an IC leg, or just one of the header pins on the bottom of the board? If it's the second, you can just order some 0.1" headers and solder them in.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Ah damn it... I broke one of my pins on my Highscore saves galaxian. Just snapped right off... anyway to fix it?

You can fix an IC leg.  Just get a socket to solder a wire to from the broken pin's base as explained here:
! No longer available

DeL

[yotsuya]

Ah damn it... I broke one of my pins on my Highscore saves galaxian. Just snapped right off... anyway to fix it?

If it's the pins I think they are, you'll be better off replacing the whole header.

[behrmr]

Ah damn it... I broke one of my pins on my Highscore saves galaxian. Just snapped right off... anyway to fix it?

If it's the pins I think they are, you'll be better off replacing the whole header.

Yeah.  This is the correct way if you can.  However socketing the kit and then soldering a wire from the broken pin to the insert of the socket works.  If you do this you may want to add a couple dabs of hot glue to keep the socket affixed to the kit.

[Ian]

Thank you guys!