Star Wars - Should I do It?

[Neverending Project]

That would be the festering wound that won't go away on my right ankle... $655.00 in bills, 4 doctors visits,  and that is the result thus far.  Tasty, eh?

It looks like a picture of one of those experiments where they grew an ear on the back of a mouse.

[m_mcgover]

All of this is just stall tactics...did you pick up the cockpit or not?!?!?

Or...are you in process and don't want to comment for fear of the self-kibosh?

[FrizzleFried]

Hehehe...still on the fence...still can get it...it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

[FrizzleFried]

Alright...finally...pictures have come in on this bad boy.  Also,  the terms have changed.  What I thought I could get for $50.00 is actually $130.00.   Still,  after seeing these picture,  even with the little room I have,  I am SOOOOO tempted.

Questions: (A) It has a 25" tube...I assume for an Amplifone.  Are the chassis hard to come by or is it the tube that is hard to come by?  and (B) How hard is it to retrofit a 19" WG in to this bad boy?

Here are some pictures.  Opinions?   Should I pull the trigger?

[shardian]

That isn't gutted - the boards and chassis are gone. It appears that everything else is still there. The Yoke is repairable, and is probably worth the asking price in its current condition.

The only question left is where in the world do you plan on putting this thing? You have ZERO room left!

[meany]

Buy it.  You couldn't build that for $130.  You'll figure out the details after you get the cab.  You should keep it as a 25".  Do not gut your stand up, just find parts for the cab.

[ChadTower]

I'd pay $130 for that and spend the rest of the weekend staring at it in shock and awe.  $130 for a really nice grail cabinet, with the tube and with the very expensive yoke, is almost grand theft.  Part with a couple other games if you need the space.  This is the difference between a nice gameroom and a holy eff gameroom.

[FrizzleFried]

That isn't gutted - the boards and chassis are gone. It appears that everything else is still there. The Yoke is repairable, and is probably worth the asking price in its current condition.

The only question left is where in the world do you plan on putting this thing? You have ZERO room left!

THAT,  my friend,  is the problem.  I figure since I will be losing the SW upright I will then have to compensate for 2 additional cabs.  So basically I lose 2 cabs to this thing... maybe!

I have an idea on how to arrange the room where it will take up only the same "space" as the upright + space that is currently open space.  The room will be a little more cramped,  but it should work.

I am about 80% there...  

EDIT: Wife not happy... but not a deal breaker kind of not happy...

I just shot the guy out an email. 

[Level42]

Go Frizz !

You won't regret it. Playing SW in a cockpit is 10 times more fun then the upright.

Yes that looks like an Amplifone tube. I regularly see all needed parts (deflection board and HV board) on the bay. Definitely stick with the Amplifone ! Not only does it look better, it's SO much more easy to repair and get stable.

The only expensive thing missing is the board-set. Those are not very easy to get and at least 200 bucks.

The yoke seems to have a wrong sticker on the cover.

[ChadTower]

The yoke seems to have a wrong sticker on the cover.

Firefox strikes again!  Call RayB!

[FrizzleFried]

I am guessing a working AMP is going to cost me an arm and a leg...I'll likely drop the WG in there for now and patiently keep my eyes open for an AMP.

I'll worry about the boardset once I get the cockpit completed...then I'll re-focus on the upright.

[FrizzleFried]

BTW:  The guy responded...it's a done deal.  He's even going to deliver it (for some gas money).  All i got to say is this guy (his name is Chad) is straight up doing me a solid.  He recently raided a local warehouse and pulled a bunch of cabs.   This was one of them.  He figures he's not going to restore it,  but he wants to play it so he's giving it to me for what he paid for it.  Props to him for being a real stand-up guy.

[ChadTower]

Niiiiiice!   

[FrizzleFried]

...but sheesh...I need another project like I need a hole in the head.

Anyone want a Defender project for $75.00?

[TheShanMan]

Friz, that is awesome. Star Wars is cool as an UR, but the cockpit is super cool. It's been at least 20 years since I've played in one, but I recall it being a much better experience! Congratulations!

If you're short on space, time to buy a new house! That's a source of motivation for me and my wife. She sees me actively pursuing cab purchases (nothing coming together so far however), and she is complaining about our current lack of space, as well as "what are we going to do with it when we are ready to stage our house?" I tell her "I'm sure I can find friends willing to keep a cab at their house for a month or 2!"

[FrizzleFried]

Actually,  I've expanded in to the 2 car garage too...but that doesn't have the "ambiance" that the "gameroom" which is in the 1 car garage side has.  I have room,  but gameplay in the "garage" side doesn't feel quite as cool as in the gameroom side.  I have measurements and I think i will still have to lose 1 cabinet to get this in the gameroom side... it looks like the ole' Super Mario Bros will end up out in the garage...or perhaps the Multipede will...

[CheffoJeffo]

Wait a minute, I thought that there weren't any cabs in Idaho ... 

You are an excellent example for folks who keep saying that they can't find cabs where they are -- it always starts like that, but then snowballs until you can't find space for all of the cabs available in your area.

REALLY nice grab. 

[FrizzleFried]

Networking... it works (so it seems).

[ChadTower]

Networking... it works (so it seems).

Took me two years to get that down... eventually you get to the point where you can get a generic cab any time you want and a decent game easily... so you start waiting on stuff like a Star Wars cab or the Berzerk I'm working on now.

[RayB]

Real nice!  Time to start stacking games!

Keep the Amplifone. From what I've read, the tubes are higher resolution, giving sharper lines than a  WG.

[Level42]

Frizz, I've seen deflection boards go for around 50 bucks and HV boarrds a little higher. It's worth every freaking penny, even if you have to replace the HVT. I can talk you through ALL the work to be done. Besides, you'll need to sell the WG in the upright, right ?

If you're not going for it, I'll buy the 25" Amplifone tube and you can ship it together with the Defender project cab (hey I need a cab to put that new non-emulation multi Williams board in !)....

[FrizzleFried]

I did it!  It's here!

Here are some photos...

[FrizzleFried]

Frizz, I've seen deflection boards go for around 50 bucks and HV boarrds a little higher. It's worth every freaking penny, even if you have to replace the HVT. I can talk you through ALL the work to be done. Besides, you'll need to sell the WG in the upright, right ?

If you're not going for it, I'll buy the 25" Amplifone tube and you can ship it together with the Defender project cab (hey I need a cab to put that new non-emulation multi Williams board in !)....

If you're telling me i can get an amplifone up and running for under a couple hundred total,  I am interested in talking.  First off,  I need to determine if my tube is an amp compatible tube...and how burned it may/may not be.

[TheShanMan]

Frizz, glad you decided to get it. Looks nice! Even though I don't have a Star Wars, I have the luxury of being able to play it at the retro Ground Kontrol arcade in Portland. But it's a stand up. I bet you'll enjoy the experience a whole lot more in that cockpit!

[Level42]

Deleted.

[FrizzleFried]

I'm on my way!  W00t!  I've decided that rather than gut the upright to get the cockpit going I am going to restore the cockpit separate from the upright then sell the upright.  Well,  I managed to source working amplifone PCBs yesterday.  They cost me a fortune ($325.00 shipped),  but they are guaranteed working and from a reputable source.   The 25" amp compatible tube I have in the cabinet is in decent shape but with about 1/8" burn in the middle... Not terrible,  but still sucks a bit...I think I will live.

I also have sourced a working set of SW PCB's but the guy wants $300 shipped for them.   A bit steep.  I am trying to locate working boards for closer to $200 or so.  I also found someone who wants the upright when I am ready to sell.

When all is said and done I should have a working cockpit instead of the upright for about zero dollars....I may even make a couple bucks on the deal in the long run.

[ChadTower]

Awesome.  I'm hugely jealous.   

[spacies]

Congrats Frizzle!

[RayB]

It needs a set of wheels and headlights.

[FrizzleFried]

It has wheels... no headlights though.



This has been a great week for me.  I managed to find working Amp PCBs....a working set of SW PCBs.... and a working 19" medium resolution monitor CHEAP (for an A.P.B. I have sitting here)...

[FrizzleFried]

Updates:

THE GOOD -

Star Wars boards arrived and they work!  I pulled my SW/ESB boards from the upright and dropped the newly acquired SW boards in...fired right up!  Good news!

The Amplifone pcb's I bought arrived and they came with a few extra's!  The guy was supposed to send me JUST the PCB's...he'd wanted $50.00 more + shipping than what I paid total for the whole monitor,  but I'd talked him in to sending just the boards (since that is all I needed (so I thought...more later on this)).  Well,  the package arrived and it was BIG...and HEAVY.  The guy sent the whole monitor.  As I was digging through the packaging peanuts I came across much more... about 20 sticks of ROMS/RAMs, etc,  some sockets,  and even the aluminum mountings for the 19" to be used in a SW cockpit (I think that is what they are)!  I immediately emailed the guy asking if he'd sent a bonus and thanks for the tube/yoke, etc.  Well,  from the best I can gather,  he already had this thing packaged up for some time.  He said he FORGOT the other items in there,  but "As long as there's not a check for $10,000 they are yours".  W00t!

Yesterday the ARII-02 arrived.  $30.00 for a freshly rebuilt one shipped wasn't bad.

After cleaning up a mouse nest,  a decent amount of mouse ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- and piss I proceeded to install everything...and the good news is that the game fired right up.  "May the Force Be With You!" I hear....good!  Now I check the screen ad we get to...

THE BAD -

The screen is jacked.  By jacked I mean all I can see are the trace lines in green.  Period.  Then the screen shuts down.  I turn the game off,  adjust the screen pot as low as it can go (counter clockwise) fire it up...and the damn green tracelines appear again?!  The screen pot won't actually turn the image completely off.  So I test the HV which comes in at 14,500 volts...low.  Using the AMP FAQ I adjust the over-volt protection to mid-range then adjust the HV pot...strangely all the way counter clockwise is 18,000v +/- and as I turn clockwise the voltage DECREASES?!

I adjust the color pots and the green color does nothing...this is what makes me really worry.

There seems to be three problems...one the color isn't responding on screen. Two, WTF is up with only the trace lines appearing and three WTF is up with the screen not being able to turn the image completely off?  There are a couple other minor issues like why HV maxes at 18,000v,  but i digress..

I figure the tube may be shot so I go grab the 19" tube that was sent (oh thank god it was sent!)...I plug it all in and I get the same trace line issue but the colors of the lines change with the color pots!!  That tells me the 25" tube is fuxored,  no?   Well,  I then turn off and figure I will re-test this boardset in the upright to make sure something didn't happen to the Z-band (is that what it's called) as it seems to be completely missing.  Knowing the boardset is in the cage nice and tight due to Mark Spaeths SW/ESB multikit I figure I will pull out the boards a 1/2" or so and then re-test.  Glad I did because all of a sudden I had COLORS and the trace lines almost went away!  W00T!  After adjusting the chassis a bit I got a beautiful picture out of the 19" tube!   Now to see if the 25" tube is jacked (as I expect it to be).  I pull the anode off the 19" and guess what,   the friggin' anode clip came about 90% loose.  After some inspection it appears the damn wire actually broke right at the clip.   It was getting late so today I get to desolder the broke wire from the clip then re-wire the clip to the wire and then test out the 25" tube.  Because the trace lines on the 19" changed color with the turn of the pots and the 25" stayed green I think I am screwed with the 25".  I also think it was an intervention of the arcade gods that had the seller send me the 19" tube when I didn't really buy it!

Oh yeah,  there is also a very loud HUM coming from the speakers (which I can hear sound from too)...that says to me that a couple wires are touching somewhere....but that's minor.

I HOPE to have a 25" cockpit rolling soon...but I am thinking in all reality I will be rolling with a 19" cockpit...but at least it will be a 19" amplifone cockpit,  right?

[Mauzy]

I can't wait for my day to find a seller who "forgets" theres a bunch of extras in a box... So far Ive only gotten a free Pac Man marquee with a dead Ms Pac set, and that was a year ago. I'm about due...

[ChadTower]

Can you really solder the anode wire?  I'd be nervous about that, worried that it might be too HV a junction for solder.

[shardian]

Can you really solder the anode wire?  I'd be nervous about that, worried that it might be too HV a junction for solder.

Dude, if your anode cap is getting hot enough to melt solder then you have bigger problems. You know, like plastic insulation melting and the rubber cap melting...and your house burning down.

[ChadTower]

You're probably right.  I tend to err on the side of caution in instances where one can burn the house down.   

[FrizzleFried]

Can you really solder the anode wire?  I'd be nervous about that, worried that it might be too HV a junction for solder.

Dude, if your anode cap is getting hot enough to melt solder then you have bigger problems. You know, like plastic insulation melting and the rubber cap melting...and your house burning down.

Worry not Chad...how do you think the anode clip is attached to the anode wire?   That's right...solder.  I surely didn't cut the wire in half and solder it midway and black tape it up.  I clipped off about 1/4" of the end of the wire,  exposed about 1/8" of the wire...desoldered the remaining wire/solder from the clip...inserted the wire in to the anode clip through the hole that's there to hold it...re-soldered...good as gold.

Worry not Shardian... I broke the clip off from removing and installing the damn thing back and forth between tubes about 4 times.  Force broke the wire/solder...not heat.

I've fixed the wire...but it seems my 25" tube is shot.  I am going to try to rejuv it,  but frankly,  it's looking pretty good I will have to go with the 19" amplifone tube.  Here is a shot taken AFTER I repaired the anode wire (again,  chad,  how did you think the clip was attached to the anode wire if not soldered?)...both monitors...I think the problem with the 25" is apparent.  >grin<



EDIT: And yes...believe it or not,  the shot of the 25" tube is with the screen pot turned ALL THE WAY DOWN!  Obviously Houston,   we have a problem.

[ChadTower]

I figured it would be crimped on, actually.  A crimp is a better physical connection.

[FrizzleFried]

I figured it would be crimped on, actually.  A crimp is a better physical connection.

It's both...sort of.  There is a small eyelet then you solder the wire through the eyelet.

Not actually crimped though...at least not this clip.  When I broke it off I just about ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---,  but the folks over at KLOV were like "just solder it back on dummy!"

[shardian]

No need to worry - I never suspected heat was the problem.

I also thought it would have been crimped though.

What I don't get though is why you are swapping a 19" and 25" tube? Are they really compatible outright with the same chassis? I thought you had to do some fancy readjusting to pull that off?
Forgive me if this is explained somewhere else in the thread.

[ChadTower]

I did some research into this a couple of years ago as I wanted to try a 27" or even a 32" tube for a vector monitor.  What the vectorlist guys told me was that if you found a tube with the same deflection angle you could do it with a chassis that could handle the power requirements.  Problems were that the vector monitors used a slightly different deflection angle from most televisions so it would be hard to find one that way, and it might require a little custom wiring on the neckboard connector as they likely won't be pin compatible.  I seem to remember them saying there was probably only 1-2 chassis that would make good candidates for a larger tube but don't remember which one it was at this point.  And that you'd probably shorten the life of an already hard to get flyback.