NPs Paperboy Restoration

Arcade Collecting > Restorations & repair

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Neverending Project:
Well, have made some minor progress lately. Nothing to write home about, though.

I ordered some white vinyl and found the Atari System 2 sideart, so I ordered that as well. The vinyl came from thisoldgame, which happens to be right here in Oregon City! So I was able to stop by and pick that up. I haven't installed it yet though, cause I will need to do some bondo work first. I haven't heard back from the sideart yet, so I need to follow up on that.

And while I was at it, I decided to have a go at cleaning the CP again. It was so dirty that you couldn't tell the difference between the white, and the white with the "half-tone" to make it look shaded. And the colors were so filthy that you really couldn't tell what the original colors were. But the first time I tried to clean in I used some serious elbow grease, including tools like toothbrushes, scrubbers and scour pads. And I tried non-toxic cleaners like 409 and goo-gone. But in the end none of it made any difference, so I figured I would have to replace the overlay (That's when I started my tracing project).

But I had another go last weekend with a Magic Eraser, and talk about magic! It actually cleaned it so well that I am thinking about not replacing it at all! Or at least moving the priority of CPO replacement way down. It looks like someone did some black spray painting at one point, cause there are black speckles on it that won't come off. But all-in-all, I am going to file this one in the good-enough-for-now category. I have pics, but haven't dumped my camera yet.

I also checked out the controller again, and am going to replace the pots. The gameplay seemed funky to me, and taking a dmm to the pots showed me they are shot. So I will order a couple from mouser and replace those as well.

And that reminds me - anyone reading this who has a Paperboy controller, do you have much (or any) in/out motion in your controller. I am not talking about pushing forward to back to go fast/slow, but if you were to pull up on the handlebars, do they move at all? I might be missing a washer on the shaft, and I seem to have about 1/8" travel or "play."

Anyway, I will try to get CP before and after pics posted soon.

TheShanMan:
Look forward to the pics. I heard about Magic Eraser recently too, on KLOV I think. I want to pick some up and see just how good it is. Did you get some locally? If so, where?

As for the pots, did you try using some contact cleaner on them? Maybe you can get 'em working without having to replace them?

I knew ThisOldGame was here locally, but I've never been there. So I take it you got to meet Richard? I've had some online discussions with him but that's it so far.

Anyway, you may say it's nothing to write home about, but getting it all cleaned up is a big thing in my book. Congrats on the progress!

Neverending Project:
As promised, evidence of the magic of the Magic Eraser:

Oh, and you can find the Magic Erasers anywhere they sell cleaning stuff. I got mine at Home Depot even.

TheShanMan:
Very nice! I'll be picking some up next time I make it to HD.

Neverending Project:
Another small update. I got some replacement 5K pots from Mouser and replaced the two pots in the handlebars. I had to file my own flat spot on the shaft, so it wasn't exactly in the center - or more accurately, if you turned the pot to 2.5K, my flat spot was about 10-15 degrees off from the pots I replaced. Normally this wouldn't be a problem because it doesn't really matter at what angle I attach the small spur gear. But on one of the pots, it turned out to be a bad coincidence. The set screw would hit the mounting bracket in one direction, preventing full movement. Fortunately I was able to just turn the pot and spur gear and reinstall. Then I could run the calibration in the test menu and all was good.

I am happy to report that the game plays great now. Still left to be done:

* remove old sideart
* repair/bondo sides
* install new white vinyl (have it), then new Atari sideart (on order)
* replace handlebar grips
* *make new cardboard bezel
* *cap kit for monitor
* *replace CPO and handlebar overlay
* *clean up and repait coin door*Optional, and quite frankly may not be done for a long time...

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