Author Topic: New Project - Galaxian Conversion (Read 10786 times)

SirPeale · « **on:** April 20, 2004, 09:18:10 am »

http://www.pealefamily.net/tech/arcade/?cat=5

Just picked this up on Sunday. I've got my work cut out for me!

Galaxian cabinet. No glass, monitor intact. A little rough.

steve_pss · « **Reply #1 on:** April 20, 2004, 01:49:40 pm »

Restore? Don't convert. Create.

SirPeale · « **Reply #2 on:** April 20, 2004, 04:23:20 pm »

It pretty much depends on how bad the side art is underneath. I tore off the sideart that was on there, revealing a large swath of Galaxian sideart. I'm not sure how good of condition it is, however. It looks like it was painted over with Latex paint, so that's on my side. What was under the sticker is coming off with my fingernail. If I'm careful, I may be able to salavage it. I'm going to give it ye olde college try, anyway.

If it doesn't work, I'll just hack the heck out of it, put a 5' control panel on it, with two spinners, three trackballs and four players, eight buttons per player. Strip it down, paint it black (with black t-molding).

steve_pss · « **Reply #3 on:** April 20, 2004, 04:57:16 pm »

Font forget 6 light guns and a construction paper surround for the 36" TV.

patrickl · « **Reply #4 on:** April 20, 2004, 05:08:51 pm »

What do people do to these cabs to get them in such a state?

BTW you better hurry up. There is a queue of cabs forming

SirPeale · « **Reply #5 on:** April 20, 2004, 06:00:23 pm »

Quote from: steve_pss on April 20, 2004, 04:57:16 pm

Font forget 6 light guns and a construction paper surround for the 36" TV.

Don't be ridiculous. We're going for authenticity here. What game had six light guns?

I suggest you head down to your arcade, and bash your head against a 'House Of The Dead' for a while, until this sinks in.

steve_pss · « **Reply #6 on:** April 20, 2004, 08:34:26 pm »

I'm sorry. I meant 7 home built star wars yokes.

SirPeale · « **Reply #7 on:** April 20, 2004, 09:32:59 pm »

On one cab?

Hm...networked Star Wars machines, so you can fight the Death Star together. Now THAT would be fun.

menace · « **Reply #8 on:** April 21, 2004, 09:55:36 am »

When i get cabs like that i just put a tank of gas inside and light a fire to it--watching it blow up is worth way more than the cab itself. I find that the sideart generally enhances the color in the explosion as the chemicals in them produce different colors--much like your common firework displays--why you people insist on maming these games is beyond me...

SirPeale · « **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2004, 10:54:41 am »

You realize we're kidding, right menace?

However; yes, I will be converting this cabinet to a MAME machine, BUT it will be running Galaxian.

steve_pss · « **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2004, 10:58:54 am »

Menace to tounge in cheek board threads if you ask me

menace · « **Reply #11 on:** April 21, 2004, 03:32:23 pm »

it appears my humor is lost to all but a select few

I was just one-upping, since it was suggested to put a 5' panel on it (in jest of course), i thought lets go all the way and just burn it.... oh well I never professed to be funny

SirPeale · « **Reply #12 on:** April 22, 2004, 08:57:39 am »

Actually, it was funny until your last statement:

Quote

...why you people insist on maming these games is beyond me...

I was thinking you'd rather see a classic burn than MAME it.

SirPeale · « **Reply #13 on:** April 24, 2004, 10:31:11 am »

When the machine was sold to me I was told there was something wrong with the monitor, that all yellow displayed as magenta. Since this monitor seemed to be the exact model as the one in Project: Blue I took the harness off that and tested it. Result? Flawless picture. Better than the one in Blue. I suspect he was testing with a bad board.

I think today I will see how hard it will be to remove the black paint from the cab.

SirPeale · « **Reply #14 on:** April 24, 2004, 06:12:58 pm »

I've been attacking the nasty black paint that covers the sides. Luckily it's latex paint, over an oil. That makes things a bit easier.

It's going to require extensive touch up.

One problem that I've noticed is that since the last layer of original paint is black, it's the first layer that's coming off with the other black. Luckily, so far not *too* much.

SirPeale · « **Reply #15 on:** April 25, 2004, 10:16:28 am »

Here's a picture of that.

patrickl · « **Reply #16 on:** April 25, 2004, 10:22:29 am »

Wow, that's a lot of work by the looks of it. Will you ever get that completely white? Or isn;t that what you are trying to do?

SirPeale · « **Reply #17 on:** April 25, 2004, 10:54:38 am »

My aim is to restore the artwork at neatly as possible. I may, or may not, be able to do that. Most of it is intact, it's the black areas that have already come off that I'm worried about.

SirPeale · « **Reply #18 on:** May 25, 2004, 01:44:29 pm »

Well, so much for aim. I attempted again to remove the black paint. It's coming off easily enough, but it's taking a huge amount of the detail with it.

So much I have to call the side art a loss.

Interestingly enough, it seems perhaps the art is a large vinyl sticker, covering the entire sides and front. It has peeled right off the cabinet, revealing bare wood underneath. In excellent condition. I'm thinking of staining it. Won't that be an interesting change?

jcoleman · « **Reply #19 on:** May 25, 2004, 02:04:49 pm »

I peeled the vinyl off my Galaxian when I decided the artwork wasn't worth saving. I had a terrible time getting all the glue stripped off (had to use Safest Stripper about 4 times), and decided the wood wouldn't look that great stained. Having painted it, now some of the veneer is coming loose and bubbling in a few places. If I had it to do over (and I may still be able to), I would laminate it. Your mileage may vary; good luck.

Coleman

SirPeale · « **Reply #20 on:** May 25, 2004, 02:11:11 pm »

I'm attacking it with a heat gun. It's working wonders. No chemicals, just burnt fingers.

creatine28 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 25, 2004, 02:15:15 pm »

If the black paint is latex based, this stuff works great! I've used it to remove black paint over my Centipede cab and the art work looked great after words. I left the stuff on for quite a while and it only removed the paint. You can get it at Home Depot for about $8 or so.

http://www.liftoffinc.com/product_5.htm

SirPeale · « **Reply #22 on:** May 25, 2004, 03:28:08 pm »

Well, it's too late now. I've got 40% of the vinyl off.

Believe me...I'd rather have saved it than toasted it.

The good news is that once Mahuti finishes vectorizing the Galaxian artwork, I can use it.

But depending on how well staining goes, I might not.

SirPeale · « **Reply #23 on:** November 24, 2004, 08:24:43 pm »

Link to the new site added to the first post.

RayB · « **Reply #24 on:** November 24, 2004, 09:26:16 pm »

I must say that cab was a frankenstein! Galaxian body, Ms Pac marquee, PacMan control panel...!?! WTF!?

SirPeale · « **Reply #25 on:** November 24, 2004, 10:02:34 pm »

Quote from: RayB on November 24, 2004, 09:26:16 pm

I must say that cab was a frankenstein! Galaxian body, Ms Pac marquee, PacMan control panel...!?! WTF!?

LOL! No doubt! Right now it actually has a Galaxian marquee and CP on it. The picture is old, I need to update.

Maybe tomorrow!

menace · « **Reply #26 on:** November 25, 2004, 11:13:45 pm »

I had a galaxian once that i thought i could do the same thing to--got the exact same results--i'm thinking that the dyes they use for the sideart must be fairly weak adhesive wise--for me it was the blues that just peeled off with the latex paint--most disappointing to see such beautiful sideart lost--ah well. if you find a good source (i.e. cheap) to get them repro'ed i would appreciate a heads up.

paigeoliver · « **Reply #27 on:** November 26, 2004, 09:51:36 pm »

Um, tomB vectorized the Galaxian art last year.

I actually stained a Galaxian cabinet once, it came out great.

GMZombie · « **Reply #28 on:** January 05, 2005, 03:55:55 am »

heh i went to a local warehouse raid and picked up a galaxian machine for 30 dollars ...it didnt obviously have the game but i liked the artwork although it was a bit dirtied up since it sat for 10 to 15 years i suspect...anyways i got it home and put a mame machine in it for JUST Galaxian and galaga...but i want to touch up my artwork anybody know what the best way to get the exact colors for this game either made or bought ya know? i also at the same raid picked up a centipede cab with almost perfect sideart for 10 dollars since it had a small check out of it...lol im a sucker for good artwork...

SirPeale · « **Reply #29 on:** January 05, 2005, 06:28:08 am »

You may be able to clean what's on there already. Just be careful, as it's silkscreened on vinyl.

tmasman · « **Reply #30 on:** January 05, 2005, 08:48:40 am »

Hey Peale...
Need the Galaxian Glass bezel? I've got an original one in pretty good shape.
We'd have to figure out the best shipping method, but I don't really need this thing (It was in an empty cabinet I bought @ a local auction.

Anyhow, if you're interested, let me know & we'll work out a deal.

- Thomas

SirPeale · « **Reply #31 on:** January 05, 2005, 09:06:08 am »

Nah, I've got a severely flaking Pac glass that I'm going to strip and paint black. I might do it, but I'd be worried about breaking it. And I have no idea how much shipping would be.

Oh, bring back your old avatar. The one of your face. I thought that was cool.

Edgedamage · « **Reply #32 on:** January 05, 2005, 09:57:29 am »

Cool find. Are you gonna be running vintage?

SirPeale · « **Reply #33 on:** January 05, 2005, 11:10:33 am »

No. Thought about using VAntAGE, though.

tmasman · « **Reply #34 on:** January 06, 2005, 12:53:38 am »

Quote from: Peale on January 05, 2005, 09:06:08 am

Oh, bring back your old avatar. The one of your face. I thought that was cool.

The Mohawk or the b/w shadowy model pic? (Or the brainless Homer)...
hehe...
I've had a few avatars...

SirPeale · « **Reply #35 on:** January 06, 2005, 01:28:36 am »

The first one.

SirPeale · « **Reply #36 on:** April 27, 2005, 07:44:40 pm »

Just an update (finally). Finished stripping off the vinyl, and the staining process has begun. I did the front first as a test, to see how it would all look. I think it'll be pretty decent, once I get a second coat of stain on.

The water damage on the bottom I'm going to cover with some variety of kickplate. What, at this point, I'm not sure.

SuperGunGuru · « **Reply #37 on:** April 28, 2005, 11:12:39 am »

Quote from: GMZombie on January 05, 2005, 03:55:55 am

heh i went to a local warehouse raid and picked up a galaxian machine for 30 dollars ...it didnt obviously have the game but i liked the artwork although it was a bit dirtied up since it sat for 10 to 15 years i suspect...anyways i got it home and put a mame machine in it for JUST Galaxian and galaga...but i want to touch up my artwork anybody know what the best way to get the exact colors for this game either made or bought ya know? i also at the same raid picked up a centipede cab with almost perfect sideart for 10 dollars since it had a small check out of it...lol im a sucker for good artwork...

Just curious, where was that warehouse? Was it the one in Kalamazoo, MI by chance? I recall a guy in the basement of that warehouse that got a Galaxian and a Centipede that had a chunk of wood missing.

SirPeale · « **Reply #38 on:** May 01, 2005, 06:56:12 pm »

Really, *really* close to being done with the construction part. Heck, even the software part is mostly done. Since this project will (at least at first) just be running games that use similar controls to Galaxian (Galaxian, Galaga, Space Invaders, etc) pretty much all I have to do is shut the other games off. I've got a Pac-Man CP that was hacked to shreds. Going to try and patch most of the holes and drag my 4 way down from the attic.

I wish I could have saved the CP artwork, but after much thought I had to tear it off. The CP was just too rusty, and it was ugly. If they made repro Galaxian CP overlays I might consider getting one, but for now the CP mostly matches the theme of the cabinet (black pica vinyl).

One thing I've learned from this project is that the makers of the cabinet stapled in the damn T-molding into the cabinet at the ends. Some I was able to rip out, but a lot caused some damage to the cabinet when I tried to remove the old T-molding. Nothing too bad, though. I replaced the green molding with black leather grain.

I had wanted the staining to be darker, but I suppose overall it didn't turn out too badly. I've certainly learned a lot from this project.

Pictures are forthcoming, the batteries on the camera died. They're on the card, but not enough power to upload them.

SirPeale · « **Reply #39 on:** May 01, 2005, 07:29:36 pm »

There we go...I love one hour rechargables.

Dire Radiant · « **Reply #40 on:** May 01, 2005, 07:31:06 pm »

Wow, that staining turned out a lot nicer than I expected from the pics of the first coat.

SirPeale · « **Reply #41 on:** May 01, 2005, 07:40:34 pm »

Actually the picture makes it look better than it actually is. It's not nearly that dark (I wish it was, though.)

It's not terribly bad, it looks 'antique-ey'.

Still need to polyurethane the sides and front.

Buddabing · « **Reply #42 on:** May 01, 2005, 08:50:52 pm »

Is the stick a 2-way or a 4-way?

I show about 120 unique games in MAME which can play with a 2-way, but twice that with a 4-way.

I guess the question is moot if you're running Vantage.

SirPeale · « **Reply #43 on:** May 01, 2005, 09:14:18 pm »

What's on there right now is a two way. Running VAntAGE at the moment, soon to be replaced with DOS Mame .95 (which just came out)

SirPeale · « **Reply #44 on:** May 03, 2005, 03:27:06 pm »

Hooked up the keyboard hack. Had to change around a *lot* of keys, since I'm using a non-standard layout.

Glad I'm not going to be using VAntAGE eventually, I can't play Galaga at all. The machine is just too slow. So I'll use it to play Space Invaders and Galaxian for a while.

The other problem with VAntAGE is that you can't set up multiple keystrokes for an event. So if I want P1 start + P2 start = exit, I can't do that. Even though ArcadeOS is supposed to do it for you as a 'wrapper' it doesn't work (or I haven't figured how to get it to work). So if you want to change games you have to reset the machine.

AlanS17 · « **Reply #45 on:** May 04, 2005, 04:22:19 pm »

Good job on the machine. It looks good that way. I have a Galaxian in similar disrepair, but I'm gonna (hopefully) be converting it to a Galaga. Mine has sideart hiding under sheets of yellow formica. I'm pretty much already chalking it up to a loss.

I'll likely have to replace the monitor. Last time I played it (when I got it to test it out), I smelled something burning and then I lost picture.

Either way, I won an auction on Ebay a long while back for a working original Galaga board and full reproduction sideart (sides, front, and CP) for something like $350. As soon as this broken finger heals, I'm gonna try to get that up and running. I've got 14 machines taking up space in the garage that I need to restore and push out.

SirPeale · « **Reply #46 on:** December 11, 2005, 09:28:33 pm »

Issue: no red showing on monitor:

Finding: poor solder joints on neckboard, particularly on the tube socket.

Repair: reflow/add solder to joints on socket. Works much better now.

SirPeale · « **Reply #47 on:** April 01, 2006, 08:37:57 pm »

Not done - never done, of course.

I had it outside on my porch for Halloween. One kid said that our house was the coolest house he'd ever been to in his ten years of trick-or-treating.

Today we re-arranged the house. I said "hey, let's bring the cabinet into the house" and suprisingly the wife agreed.

Luckily, I have a hand truck. A really good one. Unfortunately it's solid steel, not aluminum, so it adds a ton of weight to whatever you're moving. When you're on a flat surface, it's not that big a deal. But when you're trying to move it upstairs with your not-so-strong wife...

Luckily it made the journey intact. Almost didn't, I thought she was going to lose it.

Keyboard hack got bounced around a bit, one wire came off. Quick touchup with the soldering iron put that to rights.

Still need to do a little tweaking in software. Lock down ArcadeOS and get a few more games in there that will run on the hardware I have in the cabinet and with the controls that I have.

One idea I have is getting some translucent leaf buttons for the P1 and P2 and getting the LiteMite. They'll blink in Galaga/Galaxian, and that would be cool. Would also be relatively inexpensive.

SirPeale · « **Reply #48 on:** August 23, 2009, 07:32:56 pm »

I never took pictures of the inside. Find some here:

http://www.pealefamily.net/tech/arcade/?p=363

saleem · « **Reply #49 on:** August 23, 2009, 07:48:31 pm »

Quote from: SirPeale on May 01, 2005, 07:40:34 pm

Still need to polyurethane the sides and front.

would you recommend polyurethene for putting the shine to paint.

i wet sanded a cab,so now its all hazy,its smooth as hell!but,hazy.i need to put the shine back once i have prep'd the paint by cleaning residue of it.so would it do to give me a lovey smooth shine?

SirPeale · « **Reply #50 on:** August 23, 2009, 08:05:18 pm »

I never did poly the sides. I may one day.

I don't know enough about paints to give you an answer. Instead of poly you might want to go with a gloss clear. *shrug*


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