Author Topic: Puckman, the Italian Bootleg restoration... (Read 36527 times)

Level42 · « **on:** August 14, 2007, 04:54:30 am »

EDIT: To do list:

1) make test prints of the CPO that is FINISHED. Need to make test-prints to check sizes but I need a laser printer :S
2) Install the joystick on the CP
3) resolder all the leaf-switches on the joystick
4) change over pins on the CP connector (amazingly, the bootleg connector is exactly the same as the Midway Pac joystick connector, but the wire settings is different)
5) Install a working PCB. I'm afraid this one will get a 48in1 (do I dare to write that here ?)
6) Drill hole in CP and install extra button (will be done _very_ tastefully)
7) Probably more to do but I forgot....

OK I've been running on the bids for this, but since I just bought the SW and have to invest money to restore my other cabs as well, I'll have to let this go, with A LOT of pain in my heart:

This is one amazing cab. Look at the side-art, like new !!!!

Link removed, not longer available....

I hope it will go to someone who will carefully restore it

Level42 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 14, 2007, 05:00:29 am »

I've never seen this particular version by the way.....

http://www.puckman.net/cabinets.html

shardian · « **Reply #2 on:** August 14, 2007, 08:10:26 am »

That joystick scares me...

Level42 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 14, 2007, 10:17:24 am »

Yeah it looks horrible. Wonder if it's original. Would replace it anyway, if I had enough money to get it....

Jeff AMN · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2007, 10:18:34 am »

Oh man, I'd so grab that beauty.

torez · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2007, 10:25:08 pm »

It seems like it has some kind of logo in the green field of the marquee. The cab seems to be Taito, logo dunno

. If it's a clone, I would guess a very very early one.

Kremmit · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2007, 10:44:36 pm »

Quote from: torez on August 14, 2007, 10:25:08 pm

It seems like it has some kind of logo in the green field of the marquee. The cab seems to be Taito, logo dunno . If it's a clone, I would guess a very very early one.

It's not a Taito, and Puck Man isn't a clone. It's the original. Pac-Man is just what they renamed the game to once they exported it from Japan. The amazing thing about this particular cab is that the marquee and sideart haven't suffered the usual fate of Puck Man machines in the English speaking world; the P hasn't been modified into an F. (..and now you know why they changed the name!)

I actually played one of these, in the wild as a kid. It was in a grocery store in a small town in Northern California- durned if I know what it was doing there. At the time, I thought it must be some kind of bootleg myself!

torez · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2007, 10:55:01 pm »

Lol, I meant Namco. Just a quick fly-by post that I made. I know the Puck-man was the original name, but it was made by couple of companies for different locations, so it's probably licensed and with original boards. If we could see the logo more clearly (if it's a logo). In the other link cocktail table Namco Puck-man has a Namco logo on it, but it's possible it came out bit later than the standup.

Donkey_Kong · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2007, 11:15:45 pm »

That thing is bloody awesome!

torez · « **Reply #9 on:** August 14, 2007, 11:44:10 pm »

Level42, never post bids in advance, as there is always going to be someone who will "nibble" on your bid with incremental bid increase. Always bid (your maximum bid) in the last seconds (snipe) to save $$$.

Level42 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 15, 2007, 03:12:57 am »

Quote from: torez on August 14, 2007, 11:44:10 pm

Level42, never post bids in advance, as there is always going to be someone who will "nibble" on your bid with incremental bid increase. Always bid (your maximum bid) in the last seconds (snipe) to save $$$.

Hey Torez, you think I'm stupid or something

Read my initial posting again....

I STOPPED bidding because it had reached my max. At this point in time I can't afford more, and also will have a problem with my lovely wife ....... Also, this is not a true bidding site in the sense of Ebay (although Ebay did buy this site). This site is more like an "advert in the paper". There is NO obligation to make the deal when you've bid....happens a LOT.
Anyway, I'd rather see one of my fellow Dutch/Belgian/German friends on this board get it then anybody else...so I'd still have a chance to at least see it/play it once in a while.

~~This is definitely a real Namco cab. It has exactly the same profile as the original Galaxian cab.~~ [Comment: this turned out not to be so when I actually got the cab]

I won't mention what I think i't's worth, but it's a LOT.

Level42 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 08, 2007, 04:36:48 pm »

O my God....... I cannot believe myself.........

Pucking.....uhmm Picking it up tomorrow

Neilyboy · « **Reply #12 on:** October 08, 2007, 04:51:50 pm »

AHHAHAH heck yes way to go level did you get it for a reasonable price??

Neil

shardian · « **Reply #13 on:** October 08, 2007, 04:56:58 pm »

...so does your friend storing the cockpits have room for your cot too, or will you have to sleep inside one of the cockpits?

Level42 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 08, 2007, 05:10:26 pm »

Whahahaha, well I'm going to move all my uprights to my loft/attic pretty soon. Won't be using the stairs though, because they don't fit through the bends....

That indeed leaves my cockpits......I am thinking about completely disassembling the cabs, but I'm also really scared to do that.

Thing is, I will be lifting the cabs up with a ladderlift. Don't know how you guys call it, but it looks like this:

The uprights will fit through the window (that I can remove completely) but the cockpits won't fit through for sure...

About the Puck: I'm now not sure if it's original Namco. However, I compared the profile of the cab to the Japanese Namco Galaxian cab and it looks exactly the same. However, all the arwork is compleltely different.

I also tried to identify the PCB but the picture is really blurry. However it looks pretty much like my Galaxian PCB and the regular Midway Pac Man PCB, which could mean it's original....

We'll know more tomorrow at this time, also wether or not my wife will finally divorce me...

Level42 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2007, 03:06:11 am »

Look at the logo on the marquee !

NAMCO !!

So it's NOT a boot-leg !!!

The other logo indicates NSM. This is a German cab/game builder that still exists today !

http://www.nsm.de/

Level42 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 09, 2007, 03:59:20 am »

http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=3286

But the upright looks like that last picture I put on.....the one I'm picking up today seems to be in a "real" Namco-Japan shaped cab..... weird.....

zorg · « **Reply #17 on:** October 09, 2007, 10:24:29 am »

level42 please check pm

Level42 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:25:51 pm »

Puckman is rescued

The seller got it from a friend who owned a bar in the place where he lives. It's been in storage for a long time, but he claimed it worked not too long ago (yeah,yeah).....

The cab is actually somewhat smaller than the Midway cab. I'm not 100% sure if it has the Japanese Namco dimensions....check the pictures.

The seller thought that the cab would NEVER fit in my car....... HA ! Little does he know that I've already transported a much bigger Centipede in it !!

Fits easily AND the lid closes easily as well

Level42 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:27:37 pm »

More pics...

Right side and close-ups...

Level42 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:28:14 pm »

More...

Level42 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:29:17 pm »

More...

Remarkable: English instructions !

Level42 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:30:32 pm »

2nd pic: Dutch game importer sticker.

3rd pic: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww !!! THAT is SO gonna move !!!!!!!!!! YUGH !

Level42 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:31:45 pm »

And more....

The artwork on the CP seems to be directly silk-screened on it

Level42 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:33:29 pm »

Inside:

Hantarex monitor with a HUGE PCB set !!!! It's a motherboard with all kind of module-pcb's attached.

The CRT has been replaced according to a note..................in 1981

!

RobinHolland · « **Reply #25 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:34:28 pm »

Cool

shardian · « **Reply #26 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:34:53 pm »

Dang! That stick isn't going anywhere with all of those bolts.

Darth Nuno · « **Reply #27 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:38:17 pm »

Great André

I'm happy it's on your hand now

See ya soon my friend

Level42 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:39:14 pm »

PCB...no brand or anything. Just Pac M... (PAC

!!!!)

Level42 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:40:19 pm »

Thanks guys !!!

O and I paid €175,-

Level42 · « **Reply #30 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:54:45 pm »

Quote from: shardian on October 09, 2007, 01:34:53 pm

Dang! That stick isn't going anywhere with all of those bolts.

O yes it is, it's going OUT !

Don't you understand, those extra bolts are there to catch the diagonal pressure on the stick...........

Level42 · « **Reply #31 on:** October 09, 2007, 01:56:05 pm »

The PCB looks a lot like a regular Midway Pac PCB, but there ARE differences.....

There was a page that listed all Pac Man and bootleg PCB's, anyone still got the link ?

Thanks !

Level42 · « **Reply #32 on:** October 10, 2007, 12:26:29 pm »

The Puckman has the same connector (no. of pins) as my Galaxian.

I know that Midway Galaxian and Pac Man PCB's can be exchanged, with the limitation of sound and some controls changes.......

I wonder if I will be able to try the Puckman PCB in my Galaxian cab....

Gotta check carefully what goes where before trying....and I have no time until the weekend

Level42 · « **Reply #33 on:** October 11, 2007, 04:32:22 am »

Monitor has been identified as a Hantarex mtc90.

http://www.vernimark.com/arcade/archive/monitor/mon_rc_mtc90.pdf

Thanks Grantspain !

Level42 · « **Reply #34 on:** October 17, 2007, 04:06:54 pm »

Well finaly had a chance to hook it up. First it was completely dead....then it powered up, I hear a loud hum in the speaker, and all kinds of incorrect "game" noises, squeeks, rattles etc.

Tried to do some basic measuring power seems OK. Monitor is completely dead. Main fuse on it is OK.

I took the PCB home, and was tempted to try it in my Galaxian, but I checked some PCB traces and compared to this: http://mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/spies.cgi?action=url&type=pinout&page=Pac.html
The power connections seem to be the same, but already at pin E I have a trace connected to a LM340T5 which is the same thing as a 7805 power regulator, while the schematics say it should be not connected.....maybe this PCB is capable of running both AC and DC ? I've gotta check more before I blow up something, but I'd sure like to see what the picture is showing....

Level42 · « **Reply #35 on:** October 30, 2007, 02:15:22 pm »

Interesting....at work we have an EPROM programmer, so I brought some PCB's today to read the ROMs, (at least, the one's I could get out without breaking pins !) and examined the results with a HEX editor.

The Puckman ROMs show the name PUCKMAN in them.....not Pac Man. But there's no NAMCO anywhere, as far as I can see....

Will need to compare the ROM files to the one's that are "floating around" to see if these are anything like the real thing....more later.

Mauzy · « **Reply #36 on:** August 17, 2008, 12:23:35 am »

I know this is a very old topic, but whatever came of this cabinet?

Level42 · « **Reply #37 on:** August 17, 2008, 07:00:54 am »

Quote from: Mauzy on August 17, 2008, 12:23:35 am

I know this is a very old topic, but whatever came of this cabinet?

It's still in storage waiting for it's turn on resto....

Level42 · « **Reply #38 on:** March 15, 2009, 07:29:18 pm »

OK. The plans for this one are as follows:

I'm going to 48in1 it. Yes. At least for the time being.

I need to have at least one cab with that 48in1 in it as I want to be able to play a couple of games I don't own on it.

Also, everything in this one is bust. PCB, monitor. I think I will ask my friend Andreas to have a look at the PCB (bootleg or not) so I won't be doing irreversible things to it.

Main thing that I need a Pac cab to at least play Ms.Pac as I love that 100x better than the original.

Anyway, I've started some work on it. First was to drill out the lock (standard work) to open the coin door. Next I wanted top open the CP. Turned out this was mounted with four bolts instead of the usual two bolts and a hinge. However the bolts and the wingnuts had _completley_ grown together by rusting terribly. No way I could remove them normally. I used my dremel to cut off the bolts. Finally I could remove the CP. I was glad to see that they did use a molex connector for the CP.

Next was to remove the monitor. I removed the ancient (and from what I've heard, nightmare) Hantarex MTC90 chassis from the side of the cab.

Next was the tube. It's a "usual" slide-in set up but locked again by a completely rusted bult and nut. Again the dremel and some hammering got rid of that and I could remove the tube easily.

For the 48in1 board I found a great little power supply: one from an Atari 1040ST. Kinda funny to use that one. The 48in1 only needs +5V and doesn't require much power. This one can deliver enough amps for it and its really compact and cheap (has been in my spare parts section for a LONG time

Tested it and runs fine.

Now, of all things, that "joy"stick has to go. I discovered that this probably was not the original stick. The stick was mounted with the bolts that are "diagonally" placed. The one's on top, bottom left and right were not used at all by the stick. The holes for the new joystick had been drilled but they didn't bother to get rid of the drilling rests, so there are some really sharp metal edges there. The other holes are very neat. So this made me think it's not the original stick.

To my horror, I discovered the folowing text on the stick:
STC Rotterdam.

I can't believe that this POS comes from my beloved Suzo...... but it's true.

Must have been the budget model.

Anyway, pics:

Think I did most of you guys a favor with removing that joystick:

The buttons are a really weird color, kinda red/pinkish. I first thought they'd been discolored by the sun, but the holders are the same color (!) and _still_ are the same color without getting any possible sunshine....:

A dark page, in the history of Suzo:

Proof:

So, at least we know now why there were so many mounting bolts. I was looking at replacing the stick with another (great) Suzo Inductive, but the hole pattern doesn't match.....

Anyone got an idea about the mounting holes of a real Midway Pac joystick ?

The CP artwork is definitly silk screened onto the CP directly.....gotta scan this and I hope someone can touch up the artwork to make a repro.

I really think I will put a button at the big yellow dot between the ghosts (looks almost like it's supposed to be there.) for the games that need jump/fire.

Spyridon · « **Reply #39 on:** March 17, 2009, 02:07:52 pm »

I'll get moving on my pac-man restore so I can get a joystick out to you ASAP.


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