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Author Topic: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)  (Read 18868 times)

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Neverending Project

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Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« on: December 11, 2008, 01:45:26 am »
I picked up a new cabinet tonight. The ad stated it was a Galaga, but she had the board to convert it back to a "Galaxy" as she stated in the ad. She said it needed work, maybe the wires got moved when she moved the cabinet. But she said the cabinet was in good shape.

It turns out it is a Galaxian cabinet converted to a Galaga. It has the Galaga board, a Galaga CP (or something close to that), and a Galaga bezel and marquee. BUT, she also included the original Galaxian PCB, Galaxian control panel, Galaxian marquee, Galaxian bezel and almost never touched Galaxian service manual. And as a bonus, when I got home, I found she also included a brand new, never installed double Jamma adapter from mikesarcade.com. The original Mikes Arcade invoice was even in the box!

It turns out someone did quite a hack job on the wiring of the Galaga board. They soldered wires (long ones) directly to the edge connector, I believe as a makeshift Jamma adapter. The video is jumbled, although it booted to attract mode with garbled sound briefly in her garage.

Originally I was planning on painting the cabinet black and adding Galaga art, since that was the game I thought I was going to see (and Galaga is really the game I wanted in my collection). But considering its roots are Galaxian, maybe it would make more sense to restore the Galaxian art, but leave it a dual-board system. Anyone have any opinions on how I should proceed (right, like anyone has any opinions on this board  ::) )?

Oh, did I mention that I got everything listed above for $200?
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 02:06:23 pm by Neverending Project »

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2008, 01:46:50 am »
Some more pics of the rest of the stuff included in the sale.

orion

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2008, 09:38:13 am »
I think you should keep it as a Galaxian, if people keep converting Galaxians to Galagas, there might eventually be none left. I have a Galaxian, and trust me it is a lot different playing an original Galaxian than in Mame (the sound isn't right in Mame) Besides in my opinion the Galaxian cab looks a lot cooler than Galagas, and I think it's just as fun to play as Galaga.

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2008, 10:16:52 am »
All you have to do is part swap, so I'd just "restore" it to Galaxian. Sell the Galaga parts on ebay and you could get a good amount of your money back. Heck, Id make you a deal on that Galaga bezel if you wanted to get rid of it... :D


Also, you have a Gallag board in that cab, not a Galaga. Sorry to say there is very little chance of repairing that board. I couldnt find anyone with info on that particular bootleg when I needed mine repaired.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2008, 10:18:58 am by Mauzy »
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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2008, 10:20:47 am »
Also, you have a Gallag board in that cab, not a Galaga. Sorry to say there is very little chance of repairing that board. I couldnt find anyone with info on that particular bootleg when I needed mine repaired.

The ROM chips have a Galaga sticker on them...?

Edit: OK, after a bit of googling, I see that the Gallag PCB has a daughter-card, and so does mine. So it appears I have a Gallag board. Still may be worth it to install both boards in this cab, though.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2008, 11:04:22 am by Neverending Project »

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2008, 01:36:39 pm »
Definitely go with Galaxian.  People have done nice conversions of Galaxian to Galaga, but the purists will notice the difference in cabinet shape.  Since you have everything to convert it back go with Galaxian.  If you can get both boards working, add in two Jamma adaptors and you can use the Jamma switcher that came with it.

My current collection:  Arkanoid^3, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong w/DIIK, Frenzy w/Berzerk multi, Galaga, Galaxian, Gyruss, Mappy,  Missile Command, Multi-Williams, O'Boyles Arcade (Mame), Pac-man,  Sinistar, Star Wars, Tempest, War Gods

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2008, 04:29:50 pm »
Oh wait on second thought forget what I said earlier! I have just the idea for ya!

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/tag/916036314.html  :laugh2:

OMG! The natives in my part of the world are apparently goin crazy!!!!! :dizzy:

Mauzy

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2008, 05:13:35 pm »
Also, you have a Gallag board in that cab, not a Galaga. Sorry to say there is very little chance of repairing that board. I couldnt find anyone with info on that particular bootleg when I needed mine repaired.

The ROM chips have a Galaga sticker on them...?

Edit: OK, after a bit of googling, I see that the Gallag PCB has a daughter-card, and so does mine. So it appears I have a Gallag board. Still may be worth it to install both boards in this cab, though.

That and Galaga board sets consist of 2 boards of equal size. They're essentially the same game, the only difference you'd see is the title screen (assuming it has the factory rom set ((if they say galaga i'd assume it doesn't)) would say "GALLAG" instead of "GALAGA" and "1 9 8 2" instead if the Midway or Namco copyright logos. You might want to check KLOV if you want screen schots of the differences...

If you could repair it, I would definitely do a dual board (Galaga/Galaxian) type thing. Just remember that Gallag ISN'T JAMMA and Galaga ISN'T the same pinout as Gallag. There are sites out there that say they are, they are flat out WRONG. I used a JAMMA adapter when my Gallag worked. I suggest you do the same if you want the dual board set up. Actually, to use that dual board thing you have, you'll need JAMMA adapters for both.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2008, 05:16:30 pm by Mauzy »
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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2008, 05:29:16 pm »
Galaga is for sissies. Galaxian rules !

What's the serial nr. ?


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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2008, 05:58:35 pm »
What's the serial nr. ?

Serial Number 814, why?  ???






Just kidding...  :P it's 18655 according to the stamp on the wood next to the PCB.

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2008, 06:00:48 pm »
Oh wait on second thought forget what I said earlier! I have just the idea for ya!

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/tag/916036314.html  :laugh2:

OMG! The natives in my part of the world are apparently goin crazy!!!!! :dizzy:

Wow, for only three grand, I too could have a "Multicade arcade style game featuring 48 classic and remade games"! Sweet!

opt2not

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #11 on: December 11, 2008, 07:42:12 pm »
Serial Number 814, why?  ???

Just kidding...  :P it's 18655 according to the stamp on the wood next to the PCB.


I think if you said 30,001 or something above 30k, it would blow Level's mind.  ;D

RayB

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2008, 11:46:49 am »
Hey do the math numbnuts! It's only $62.50 per game!
NO MORE!!

Level42

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2008, 02:07:26 pm »
Serial Number 814, why?  ???

Just kidding...  :P it's 18655 according to the stamp on the wood next to the PCB.


I think if you said 30,001 or something above 30k, it would blow Level's mind.  ;D
Actually, no, because they made 30,000 and they started with serial nr. 101.
Keep focussed !     :laugh:

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2008, 05:37:27 pm »
Quote from: Level42
Actually, no, because they made 30,000 and they started with serial nr. 101.
Keep focussed !     :laugh:

Sorry sir! I'm slipping in my old age! :D

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #15 on: December 24, 2008, 11:48:15 am »
Just wanted to say, sick score!
I'd kill for a galaxian, let alone the other stuff!

--Dave.
Own: Pac-man, TMNT, P.O.W.

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2009, 04:31:22 pm »
I need to clean up this mess of wires a bit:


Basically I want to take out the slack and reconnect the jamma connector in a more appropriate position. Does anyone have any suggestions for removing and reconnecting the connector? I thought about cutting the connector off now leaving a couple of inches of wires, and then re-soldering to the wire harness putting shrink-tubing around each one. But this seems like a long and laborious task, not to mention one that would require working in a difficult workspace (i.e. soldering inside the cabinet).

Anyone have any other suggestions?
« Last Edit: March 24, 2009, 04:33:51 pm by Neverending Project »

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #17 on: April 27, 2009, 01:25:55 pm »
To save a few bucks I decided to make my own JAMMA adapter. I bought the parts for $6, where the cheapest ready-made Galag-JAMMA adapter I found was $25. I probably wouldn't have bothered with the time required to save less than $20, but A) lizardlick (where I found it for $25) wasn't taking new orders and B) I need a Galaxian adapter also. So saving $38 was worth it to me. Here is the thread on making your own adapter.

I am glad I made my own, because the Galag boardset has a separate video harness coming from the video PCB which apparently sometimes is soldered to the PCB edge connector, and sometimes is in its own connector. If I would have used the wiring on the existing boardset, it would not have matched the wiring on the replacement boardset (working) I picked up for $40. Since they can be soldered to the edge connector in any order, I would have had to modify a ready-made jamma adapter anyway... so enough said.

Well my DIY solution worked, and so did the replacement boardset. Galaga now plays, although with no blue. I am pretty sure this is a monitor-needing-a-cap-kit issue, since I traced my adapter wiring and the blue video wire looks to be correct. If a cap kit doesn't bring the blue back, I will need to look a little more into it.

Next up is to get the Galaxian board installed, and make a jamma adapter for it also. Then I can install the 2-1 switcher and have both games playable. Then I can clean up the harness mess, and get it looking a bit cleaner inside. For the cabinet, I will replace the Galaga CP with the original Galaxian, along with the bezel and marquee. For now I will have to live with the artwork, since I can't see pony-ing up $200 for replacement side-art and kicker.... for now.

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #18 on: April 27, 2009, 02:26:03 pm »
Do you plan on selling the Galaga bezel? What condition is it in?

Mauzy

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #19 on: April 27, 2009, 04:41:42 pm »
All you have to do is part swap, so I'd just "restore" it to Galaxian. Sell the Galaga parts on ebay and you could get a good amount of your money back. Heck, Id make you a deal on that Galaga bezel if you wanted to get rid of it... :D


Also, you have a Gallag board in that cab, not a Galaga. Sorry to say there is very little chance of repairing that board. I couldnt find anyone with info on that particular bootleg when I needed mine repaired.

Do you plan on selling the Galaga bezel? What condition is it in?

Watch it there, bud....
 :cheers:
"Son, all hobbies suck. But if you keep at it, you might find you managed to kill some precious time."

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #20 on: April 27, 2009, 05:11:32 pm »
Watch it there, bud....
 :cheers:

Oh, woops, guess I should take the time to read more. Sorry 'bout that. I hereby withdraw my interest.
 :cheers:

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Re: Galaxian/Galaga Restoration (which one?)
« Reply #21 on: April 27, 2009, 05:14:00 pm »
Hey no prob. If he is willing to sell and it doesn't work out for me I'll make sure you have the second shot.
"Son, all hobbies suck. But if you keep at it, you might find you managed to kill some precious time."

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #22 on: April 28, 2009, 02:10:50 pm »
OK, I just realized that I will need to modify the Galaxian PCB to allow for DC voltages to make it JAMMA compatible. I already have the switching power supply in the cabinet which will work great for the Gallag, but I am reluctant to modify the Galaxian board. So now I am wondering this: what if I make a custom Galaxian JAMMA adapter that omits the DC power pins. These instead will be wired directly to the AC transformer. This way the switcher can switch between the boards, but the Gallag PCB will get its DC voltages from the switcher (through the JAMMA harness) and the Galaxian will get its AC voltages from the transformer. Will this work?

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #23 on: April 28, 2009, 07:59:10 pm »
Don't modify the PCB. You can get a Galaxian PCB to JAMMA adapter for 12.99 here.

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #24 on: April 28, 2009, 08:21:11 pm »
You can still use the DC switcher just fine without having to mod the board.  Your PS will just run a little hotter is all.

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #25 on: April 28, 2009, 09:14:27 pm »
You can still use the DC switcher just fine without having to mod the board.  Your PS will just run a little hotter is all.

Now I'm confused (nothing hew here). If I use the switcher set to 5V, the board will see less than 4 after the voltage drop across the diodes. If I crank up the switcher to something like 7VDC to see 5VDC at the board, I won't be able to use the same switching power supply on the Gallag board, used in the 2-1 JAMMA switcher. Right?

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #26 on: April 29, 2009, 06:59:34 am »
That's correct.  Sorry, I didn't realize you were swapping boards.  What I described is only for the Galaxian.

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #27 on: April 29, 2009, 11:28:38 am »
You can still use the DC switcher just fine without having to mod the board.  Your PS will just run a little hotter is all.
And waste precious energy !  ;) Mod the Galaxian board, it's only two little wires, it's not like hacking it all up....

And you can keep the PS at 5V for the Galag board....
« Last Edit: April 29, 2009, 11:35:07 am by Level42 »

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #28 on: June 08, 2009, 11:58:00 am »
Does anyone know the "Speaker -" pin for the Gallag board? I am looking at the pinout here and it is not listed.

Also, is there a DIP setting list somewhere? Anyone know how to set free play?

Thanks.

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #29 on: June 08, 2009, 12:22:49 pm »
I found info on the pinout here. I will try this, but it looks like no Free play. Now on to the speaker wire...

Code: [Select]
GALLAG (Galaga Clone)
Manufacturer: unknown
Year: 1982
Class: Bootleg - Genre: Space
Orientation: Vertical
Conversion Class: See Pinouts
DIP Switch Settings:
SW#1
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION                           1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8
--------------------------------------------------------------------
COIN/CREDIT
COIN #1            1C/7P             ON  ON  ON
                   1C/6P             ON  ON  OFF
                   1C/3P             ON  OFF ON
                   1C/2P             ON  OFF OFF
                   1C/1P             OFF ON  ON
                   2 COINS           OFF OFF OFF
--------------------------------------------------------------------
BONUS              20K,60K                       ON  ON  OFF
                   30K,80K                       ON  OFF ON
                   20K,50K                       ON  OFF OFF
                   20K,60K                       OFF ON  ON
                   30K,70K                       OFF ON  OFF
--------------------------------------------------------------------
# LIVES            1                                         ON  ON
                   2                                         ON  OFF
                   3                                         OFF ON
                   5                                         OFF OFF
--------------------------------------------------------------------


SW#2
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION                           1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8
--------------------------------------------------------------------
DEMO SOUND         YES                           ON
                   NO                            OFF
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SCREEN STOP        NORMAL                            OFF
                   STOP                              ON
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STAGE SELECT       NORMAL                                OFF
                   STAGE PROCESS                         ON
--------------------------------------------------------------------
RANK               A                 ON  ON
                   B                 ON  OFF
                   C                 OFF ON
                   D                 OFF OFF
--------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #30 on: June 08, 2009, 12:48:25 pm »
If you get the Galaga Enhancement Pack, it will add free play as well as changing the title screen from Gallag to Galaga.
My current collection:  Arkanoid^3, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong w/DIIK, Frenzy w/Berzerk multi, Galaga, Galaxian, Gyruss, Mappy,  Missile Command, Multi-Williams, O'Boyles Arcade (Mame), Pac-man,  Sinistar, Star Wars, Tempest, War Gods

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Re: Galaxian Restoration (Galaga/Galaxian switchable)
« Reply #31 on: July 09, 2009, 12:21:11 pm »
I finally took a little time to make a Galaxian-to-Jamma adapter, so I could hook my Galaxian board up and see how she did in her own cabinet. (Remember that when i got this cabinet there was a Jamma harness hacked in, and the Gallag board was installed) So I followed the pinouts from Mikes Arcade (link) and wouldn't you know it, the PCB works great! The pinouts shown in the link above even short the diodes together, so I didn't need to modify the board at all to run on DC powre. It was fun to play Galaxian after all this time on Galaga - it is such a tougher game to play!

Now here's my current dilemma. I have a Mikes Arcade Jamma 2-1 switcher, but when I hook it inline with my game boards and their jamma adapters (Galaxian and Gallag) the coin/start buttons don't register. The video displays fine, however. But if I remove the 2-1 switch and plug my adapter directly into the cabinet harness, the game plays fine and all the buttons/coins work as expected.

I am pretty sure it is a wiring issue, and not something wrong with the 2-1 switcher. Any thoughts on a good place to begin trouble-shooting?