Centipede Restoration - It's Alive!!!

[tafische]

Hello All.  I'm a new member, so I thought I would introduce myself and share my experience starting on a Centipede Restore.  This is my fifth cabinet (Zaxxon, Vanguard, Defender Cocktail, and my homebuilt Galaga mame) so I am starting to have a little fun....I typically like to get as original as possible.

I have always wanted a Centipede.  I happened to be visiting relatives and one of my cousins just got divorced.  She told me she had a old arcade cabinet in her garage from her X she wanted to get rid of.  As luck would have it - A CENTIPEDE!  Folded up a couple of the vans seats and stuffed the kids in with it.  Fun for 8 hours, but we made it!

Cabinet is in pretty good shape overall.  Sideart is good but some edges are jagged, serious burn-in, needs a new overlay, interlocks and power switch cut and removed, ground pin cut on plug.




Games has the following problem:

- White monitor when power first applied
- After 5 minutes or so, test mode comes on.  Shows rom error #2
- In game mode, resets like crazy and coin counter increments (like #3 error)
- Wavy monitor with occasional black bar moving across the monitor
- Very susceptible to outside power changes (ie - turning on/off worklight causes resets)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/v/BI9iLmBwLjM&hl=en&fs=1"[/youtube]



My initial thought is a power supply problem.  Took a look at the input voltages, and all look good but the +5v. 



YUCK - that is horrible.  120hz AC noise dropping all the way down to 3.28V.  Not TTL friendly.  Looks to me like a problem with Big Blue and it is not able to hold the waveform.  About to order one with the hopes it will fix all it's woes. 

Comments, criticism or suggestions welcome.

[SirPeale]

Clean the edge connector on the PCB, as well as the PCB itself.  Recap the AR2 power supply. 

That's for starters.

[Singapura]

Welcome to the forum! I love to see methodical postings like yours. They should make a program like American Chopper where they restore old arcade cabs. 

[Mauzy]

Other than the jagged edges, that art looks nice! Where did that image showing the input voltage come from?

[Level42]

Welcome and what a great looking Centi !

Yes, Big Blue at the minimum. Also check the diode bridge and fuseholders and fuses (condition and values).

Also re-cap (at least) the AR-II board.


Looks like the monitor also needs a capkit. If it's the original monitor (which looks like it by the burn) it's a G07.

All stuff available through Bob Roberts.

Check out my Centipede restoration thread for more info

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=63654.0

[Lutus]

I would also replace the connector and pins that plug into the gameboard.  And check the gameboard "fingers" for burns/corrosion.

So did you get this machine for free?

[JeepMonkey]

Nice looking cab.  A great place to start.  Good luck.

[ChadTower]

Dude!  That thing doesn't need a restoration.  It's already really good.  Make it reliable and leave it as is, I say.

[shred5]

Yes change out the big blue...  Next clean the edge conectors on the main board and on the audio regulator and place any burnt pins...


Dave

[tafische]

Thanks for all the comments/suggestions.

I have a big blue and a cap kit for the AR2 on order from Bob.  I am going to start there and work around to the main PCB and connectors as needed, but they appear in pretty good shape.  I have done a first pass cleaning of the main PCB, but it needs more after I have the power supply rebuilt and know if it is ok.   From there I am going to the monitor and cabinet.  I am probably going to also go in and replace all the interlocks and power switch and try to go 100% original on this one.

I didnt get it for free, as my cousin really needs some funds after her divorce.  I am going to pay her a fair price for it.

As far as the image, I am fortunate to have access to a Fluke 123 scope meter.  It is really handy for this type of work.  Here are some screen shots directly from the unit:


Another view of the +5v problem


A beautiful -5v

As far as the buggered up bottom where it was drug along a floor, what have you all found works best for cleaning that up?  It is about 1/2" up from the bottom.  I am thinking about  making a straight cut along the bottom to clean it up.  After that, I might take some type of black vinyl strip and run it along that line to make it clean.  Other suggestions?

[Level42]

Darn, a Fluke 123 is nice....wish I had one....

Could you take a close up pic of your CP ? I'm asking because of the color of the artwork on it....

Thanks.

[CheffoJeffo]

Darn, a Fluke 123 is nice....wish I had one....

Me too ...

Oh, and welcome tafische!

[Mauzy]

Wow. Thats a several hundred dollar tool that I now really want. Guess I can add it to the list...

[Q*Bert_OP]

Wow. Thats a several hundred dollar tool that I now really want. Guess I can add it to the list...

Several hundred? WTH are you smokin'? Those cost $1000+...I thought I was lucky to have a Fluke 111

[tafische]

I think the new ones are about $1,200, but I have seen them on Ebay for $400-$700.

I am fortunate to have access to one and use it on everything from my A/C units to game machines.   It also does a great job of trend plotting.  It has an opto-isolated serial connection to the PC, which is really nice for logging and screen prints. 

If you can afford it, it is about the best meter on the market for this type of work IMHO. (oh - and just plain fun)

Level42 - here is the high res pic - it is 10 mp so I will only include the link.  Let me know if you need any additional photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/tafische/CentPics/photo#5221534381841432642

[Mauzy]

Wow. Thats a several hundred dollar tool that I now really want. Guess I can add it to the list...

Several hundred? WTH are you smokin'? Those cost $1000+...I thought I was lucky to have a Fluke 111

Ha! I looked at ebay for prices, though Ive seen as high as 1500 whilst google searching.

[BUCKETHEAD]

This is my fifth cabinet (Zaxxon, Vanguard, Defender Cocktail, and my homebuilt Galaga mame)

Hey, Let's see some pictures of the other machines!   

[tafische]

FIRST OF ALL



I have game!  Got my power supply parts today from Bob, did a little work, and I have what appears to be a working PCB!!

It appears someone tried to hack around to get it working.  I have wiring issues with player buttons, messed up trackball wiring, possibly a bad high score circuit - but we appear to be up and running - the rest I can deal with

I am going to spend some time tonight hopefully getting it to a marginally playable condition so I can have a little fun!  (that is what it is for isnt it).

Also - I did something I thought was pretty cool today.  My trackball bearings were a little rough - I could feel a few rust spots when I moved the ball around.  Put some 3-in-1 on them and attached them to a Dremel tool mandrel.  Gave them a pretty good spin  and they are as smooth as ....well you get the idea.



Buckethead - here are the other games.  These are early pics - cant see the sideart, but it is about 90% on both.  The one in the middle is my homebuilt Mame.



Also -- Defender

[BUCKETHEAD]

Wow! Those are some nice looking machines!

I Love ZAXXON and VANGUARD. 

Used to play those at SKY CITY in the lobby.

When my grandmother made me go shopping with her!

Love GALAGA too!

I'm lucky enough to own it.

Thanks for the pictures!

[Level42]

Thanks for that pic. It looks like the US version. You can get silk-screened repro's for it.

I first thought it had the lighter ribbons like the mamemarquees repro I got for my Centi.

I'd be interested to see the "after" graph from the Fluke now you rebuilt the PSU. That would be nice to see

[tafische]

Sure 42 - here are a few pics from this weekend --

OH - BTW - thanks for all the great tips on your restore project.  I had a bad LED on one of my start switches.  Did your little mod and I now have two blinking lights.


Yuck! That is nasty in there.  Looks like it may have had a coke spilled in it at some time - note the old quarter marks on the bottom.


A clean Centipede is a happy Centipede.



Here is an image of the output from the rectifier.  Odd the one side is not going down to 0, but that is ok since we smooth those out anyway.  Might replace sometime in the future.



Beautiful - a nice +5.  The TTL circuits are bathing in happiness.   I intentionally left it a little low (4.9v) until I see how the sense circuit reacts over time.  I hate to jumper it.




All this and my son and I still had time to catch this yesterday --- 

[Level42]

Hey thanks, great to actually see why we replace caps on Atari Power Bricks and AR-II's Always nice to see some proof of what we all assume

Good work on the LED's. They don't often go bad Nice to know someone else benefits from documenting stuff like that.

Nice catch

[Lutus]

I usually go ahead and do the sense mod on all my ARII boards (have 2 of them, dig dug and missile command)

Nice fish!  Mmmmmm, I love fish.

[Level42]

O no.....I feel a big sense-mod discussion coming up................KLOV forum is full of it :

The sense mod is like putting a bigger fuse in a circuit because it's blowing all the time. Does it stop blowing ? Probably. Did it fix the problem ? NO !!

There is no need for the sense mod if your board connections are OK. THAT is what should be checked and maintained.

[SirPeale]

O no.....I feel a big sense-mod discussion coming up................KLOV forum is full of it :

The sense mod is like putting a bigger fuse in a circuit because it's blowing all the time. Does it stop blowing ? Probably. Did it fix the problem ? NO !!

There is no need for the sense mod if your board connections are OK. THAT is what should be checked and maintained.

Agreed.  When I picked up my Centipede R27 blew right away.  I capped the board, replaced R27, and cleaned the heck out of the board edge and connector.  Presto!  No more problem.

Now I just have to fix the board.  It either needs new ROM sockets, new ROMs, or both. 

[tafische]

I have not researched that much on the Sense Mod war (and dont want to start one!!), but I would think it is a personal preference.  There are those that just want to play the game.  If that is the case, a replacement power supply or a hack/mod is just fine - enjoy your game!  For others the thrill is not only playing the game, but restoring it to original condition. 

I am sure there are these same type of discussions in car clubs, gun clubs, etc, etc, etc

[RayB]

O no.....I feel a big sense-mod discussion coming up................KLOV forum is full of it :

The sense mod is like putting a bigger fuse in a circuit because it's blowing all the time. Does it stop blowing ? Probably. Did it fix the problem ? NO !!

There is no need for the sense mod if your board connections are OK. THAT is what should be checked and maintained.

Well if you think about it, doing the sense mod will result in voltage dropping if the connections or board edge traces get too dirty or corroded. That drop in voltage will cause the game to stop working or appear defective.  It's like a built in "time for maintenance" alert, whereas without the sense mod the board just keeps upping the voltage to the point of burning the edge trace right off.