Arcade Collecting > Restorations & repair
Missile Command cocktail Restored and Sold
RayB:
**This cocktail machine has been revived! Original posting is just here below: **
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OK so I've been VERY SLOWLY reviving a Missile Command. It's been an experience I must say, though none of it real negative (nothing blowing up, no magic smoke, etc...) I need advice from some experienced people...
So the story thus far:
A year ago I picked up a Missile Command cocktail with no board in it. Guy told me the monitor worked. "See, you can hear it come on..." he said. No board to prove it of course.
It came with an AR-II board (Audio/Power Regulator).
So first steps, acquiring a board, and testing the power voltages. So of course what I did instead was immediately order trackball rebuild kits from Bob Roberts! :-D
OK, so beyond that, I won some PCBs off Ebay, got them, then saw they were missing parts. :-(
D_Zoot:
Ray,
Usually when the self test reports bad ram, it will in fact be a chip problem. I'n not familiar with the Missile Command board, so I can't be specific. Sometimes there may be other chips involved with the ram circuits, such as addressing chips, your problem could lie there as well. But, ram chip failures are more common.
Testing ram isn't something you can do without special testers. Generally when a self test routine reports bad ram, you have to replace the suspect ram and re-run the self test and work thru the troubleshooting that way.
The first thing you can try is re-seating all the socketed chips. If that clears up your problem, you have bad sockets on the board. That's pretty common. Then carefully inspect the board for bad/cracked solder joints, broken legs on any components, improperly installed chips, or damaged traces on the board.
If you still have the same problem after that, you will probably need to try replacing the suspect ram.
To get into the vblank problem, and/or if replacing the ram doesn't clear up the ram problem, you will be looking at getting into some logic level testing. That means you will need a logic probe, or scope, and some understanding of how logic works and how those circuits operate. It's not something that's easily explained.
Since the board was missing parts, that's not usually a good indication. Usually, people won't rob parts from good, working boards.
I don't know if it's cost effective for you, but eldoradogames.com will exchange that board with you and you'll get a working board with a warranty. I've delt with them before and had good luck with them.
Good luck!
D
RayB:
Thanks for the advice. Eldorado's site doesn't have much information on their board exchanges, except in the "glossary". According to that page, they don't accept boards that have been worked on. My board has not only been serviced before, but I got it working by taking parts from 2 other boards I own. So I dunno if they'd accept it.
Do you know where their proper page is about this info?
MODS: If you move this to Projects I'll keep it as a running thread on my restoration progress...
~Ray B.
vader:
Ray,
I have a Missile Command upright....if I can be of any assistance, gimme a buzz...I'm not sure how to test things except that mine works. You could tell me what to do or call me...or I could even send you a board or something if that helps...let me know
Tim
D_Zoot:
--- Quote from: RayB on December 11, 2004, 06:30:56 pm --- So I dunno if they'd accept it.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure if they would flat out refuse a board just because it's been worked on before. Large numbers of boards have had repairs at some point given that many are 20+ years old now!!
I suspect what they are trying to avoid is boards that have been "hacked up". That would include sloppy or poor repair work, missing parts, wrong parts and so forth... But I can't speak for them, if you have any doubts about it, you could call them. Best to avoid email with them, they aren't very good about responding, but they always answer the phone.
Another possibility would be to post a message on the newsgroup rec.games.video.arcade.collecting and ask about recomendations on getting it fixed elsewhere. There are some really sharp repair folks that read that group and there's alot of folks that do only one kind or just specific boards so they get pretty good at them. Due to the nature of your issues, probably be hard to try and get any usefull troubleshooting help, but I'd bet you could get hooked up with somebody that would be willing to fix it for you.
Good luck!
D
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