Author Topic: GORF!!!! (Read 23639 times)

dmel75 · « **on:** June 05, 2009, 12:21:37 pm »

Suggestions?

I just obtained a near mint GORF machine from Midway, 1981. Has some slight glitching, random shutdown issues, some screen burn in. Thinking of what to do with it after I clean it up and test it. Any ideas? What is required to convert a standard GORF to a Jamma-compatible machine? Any advice is appreciated!! Thought of installing one of those 60-n-1 boards and modifying the controls a little but I know that is sacrilege to some.... =)

Thanks!

IG-88 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 05, 2009, 02:45:18 pm »

Mame it, paint it black and put a frankenpanel on it.

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #2 on:** June 05, 2009, 02:48:45 pm »

IG-88 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2009, 03:20:29 pm »

It's weird but my dad used to do that ^ to me all the time....

Spyridon · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2009, 04:04:00 pm »

Quote from: dmel75 on June 05, 2009, 12:21:37 pm

Suggestions?

I just obtained a near mint GORF machine from Midway, 1981. Has some slight glitching, random shutdown issues, some screen burn in. Thinking of what to do with it after I clean it up and test it. Any ideas? What is required to convert a standard GORF to a Jamma-compatible machine? Any advice is appreciated!! Thought of installing one of those 60-n-1 boards and modifying the controls a little but I know that is sacrilege to some.... =)

Thanks!

I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this. I did not read this.

dmel75 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2009, 04:39:09 pm »

ok. It's darn near mint. I can't gut it. However, there are pcb or monitor issues. It powers on, screen flickers and that's it. Anyone have any basic troubleshooting steps? The guy says it was working then sat in a hot garage for a while. I guess I should start by a removal/cleaning of all pcb parts and see what that does. Will post pics soon for a 1981 cab it's very clean.

retrofuture · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2009, 04:39:40 pm »

Give it to me and I'll buy you a 60-in-1 Jamma cab..

.

Benevolance · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2009, 04:51:53 pm »

Congrats on finding the cab. That sounds like a pretty sweet score.

I think what most people are trying to say is that this would make a better restoration project than a Mame project. Personally, if I had the room, I'd restore the cabinet. And then build a Mame cabinet with a PC inside to side beside it.

dmel75 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2009, 08:37:18 pm »

Yes, this is definitely going to be a restoration project, after thinking about it I just wouldn't feel right about killing it. I found a VERY good forum post about a guy who's already blazed this trail http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=80733.0 the only difference is that his machine was playable before he started. Just glancing around I don't see anything blatantly out of place but I have little experience. Here are some pictures of the 50$ gorf cabinet. I think it will be a fun project and was a steal of a deal! It will sit beside my Mame cabinet someday when it's running again. I'll try and keep a good photo log of my progress. Again, if anyone has any good advice on how to clean PCB's/Monitors I'm all ears.

TOK · « **Reply #9 on:** June 05, 2009, 08:49:16 pm »

Good call. Thats way too nice to MAME.

dmel75 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 05, 2009, 09:07:42 pm »

Yeah, it's going to be fun but MAN the PCB area in the bottom of the cabinet is FILTHY! I don't even know where to begin....

Spyridon · « **Reply #11 on:** June 05, 2009, 10:45:39 pm »

Quote from: dmel75 on June 05, 2009, 09:07:42 pm

Yeah, it's going to be fun but MAN the PCB area in the bottom of the cabinet is FILTHY! I don't even know where to begin....

Cleaning it is the easy part. Read through that thread you linked above and you can see how I did it. As far as diagnosing your problems, the first place I would start would be the verify that your voltages are correct.

dmel75 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 06, 2009, 07:35:15 am »

Guess it's time to go get a decent voltmeter. Do you know what points to measure on a gorf cab?

dmel75 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 06, 2009, 08:47:57 am »

I fiddled with the Gorf cab a little this morning. When I plug it in and hit the power switch on the top the monitor flashes white, then goes back to 'dead' looking. i hear a low hum and none of the lights on the cab work anywhere. Starting Sunday night I'm going to begin a tear down, anyone have any Gorf PCB sets they're willing to part with? I don't know that I need them yet but I bet I'll need to replace some of the internals before it's over with. I think it's time I close this thread and start a new one under 'restorations.'

cmoses · « **Reply #14 on:** June 06, 2009, 11:43:16 am »

Nice find, glad you are going to restore it. It looks very clean.

Can you answer a question I have. I am not familiar with this cabinet, but it looks to be pretty deep. Yet I notice it has plastic piece in the back that buldges out. I assume this is for the monitor, but it seems weird. That has to be a 19" monitor in there, why does it need the buldge?

I have seen other cabinets that look much smaller in depth and they have no problem with the monitors.

Spyridon · « **Reply #15 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:35:06 pm »

It is a 19" monitor. With the verticle oritentation, the back door wouldn't fit because of the monitor frame. I don't remember the dimensions, but I think the cab is slightly smaller than an average cab. I had the same issue with a Taito cab that I rotated the monitor on. Once it was rotated, the monitor frame stuck out the back.

Spyridon · « **Reply #16 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:37:32 pm »

Quote from: dmel75 on June 06, 2009, 08:47:57 am

I fiddled with the Gorf cab a little this morning. When I plug it in and hit the power switch on the top the monitor flashes white, then goes back to 'dead' looking. i hear a low hum and none of the lights on the cab work anywhere.

First thing to do is check the light bulbs. None of them were good in my cab.

Quote

I think it's time I close this thread and start a new one under 'restorations.'

Tht top thread in the restoration section is a place to post threads you want moved. Post this one there and they will move it over to the restoration section for you.

dmel75 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 07, 2009, 09:49:42 pm »

Ok, after more careful inspection it's clear to me that there are multiple electronic issues involved which I do not think I have the patience or electrical know-how to fix. I don't want to throw a "frankenpanel" on it and "mame it up" (I already have a mame cabinet for that) but what I do want to do is preserve the look and feel of the original Gorf if possible.* I've read dozens of articles/threads about restoring cabs and a recurring theme is dead or dying capacitors and transformers that are as old as the ones in this Gorf cabinet. I think it's inevitable that they are either bad or will die soon. In an effort to keep the look and feel, is it possible to power up an old cabinet like a '81 Gorf on new electrical equipment? i.e. Can the PCB cage/Monitor be run and or powered by a standard jamma-type power supply or ATX power supply?

*If it becomes apparent that the expense of tracking down all the arcane electronic parts in this cabinet will exceed the cost of replacing them entirely with another board set, then my only choice will be to somehow convert the cabinet while preserving as much as I can. If that comes to pass then you purists have my word that i'll buy a second hand Gorf panel and mod it, not the original and I'll offer the Gorf electronics up for sale.

danny_galaga · « **Reply #18 on:** June 07, 2009, 09:54:30 pm »

You can buy brand new power supplies for arcade machines. I have no links right now but i'm sure someone will soon (",)

Don't be afraid of doing things like replacing capacitors. thats quite simple work. Hey, if Chadtower can do it, YOU can

SirPeale · « **Reply #19 on:** June 07, 2009, 10:30:23 pm »

...or you can use this as a learning experience.

This thing is in excellent shape. With some simple tools, and a few learned skills, you may be able to get it back up and running.

dmel75 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 07, 2009, 11:52:29 pm »

Quote from: cmoses on June 06, 2009, 11:43:16 am

Nice find, glad you are going to restore it. It looks very clean.

Can you answer a question I have. I am not familiar with this cabinet, but it looks to be pretty deep. Yet I notice it has plastic piece in the back that buldges out. I assume this is for the monitor, but it seems weird. That has to be a 19" monitor in there, why does it need the buldge?

I have seen other cabinets that look much smaller in depth and they have no problem with the monitors.

I looked closely at the back panel tonight, the monitor mount protrudes just slightly enough to need the plastic basin on the back.

dmel75 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 07, 2009, 11:57:19 pm »

Quote from: danny_galaga on June 07, 2009, 09:54:30 pm

You can buy brand new power supplies for arcade machines. I have no links right now but i'm sure someone will soon (",)

Don't be afraid of doing things like replacing capacitors. thats quite simple work. Hey, if Chadtower can do it, YOU can

Wow, that would be great. I just don't know enough about these machines to know which pieces are proprietary for the machine and which can be swapped. I poked around some more in the electronics and tried turning it off and on a few times. After reseating some cables, using a brush to knock off some dirt I got a different result. I powered it on and the screen turned a nice even red color, it sat there for a minute or two and LO AND BEHOLD, I SAW GORF!!! It was flickering and looked to have some vertical hold issues but I could CLEARLY make out the game. I heard no sound whatsoever but I could see the game. Then, about the time I got excited, it went back to the red screen and nothing I did from that point got any other result. I'm beginning to think the power system is ok, it's powering on the monitor fully and I was able to see some game output so that leads me back to looking at something like the PCB cage, the RGB unit or some connection somewhere. Anyone have any ideas about a red screen?

Thanks for reading!!!

WunderCade · « **Reply #22 on:** June 08, 2009, 12:29:51 am »

What city are you in? There may be a fellow BYOAC'er or KLOVer in your area that may come and assist you. It happens all the time.

dmel75 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 08, 2009, 12:38:30 am »

Quote from: WunderCade on June 08, 2009, 12:29:51 am

What city are you in? There may be a fellow BYOAC'er or KLOVer in your area that may come and assist you. It happens all the time.

I'm in Jackson, Mississippi. Anyone out there?

IG-88 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 08, 2009, 07:58:05 am »

I was just just kidding in my earlier post. If you are this close to getting it to run you HAVE to restore. If nothing else resell it to a local BYOAC'er, putting anything else in this would be a travesty.

Spyridon · « **Reply #25 on:** June 08, 2009, 09:07:36 am »

As a first step, check the voltages coming out of your power supply. It's east to test on Gorf. If you unplug the cable going from the power supply to the board set cage, you can test it right there using the end of the cable. Each wire is clearly labeled (well, maybe not clearly depending on how much dirt) on the cage.

Match up the wires from the diagram on the cage, and plug the leads from your DMM into the harness wire to test.

If you find you aren't getting the correct voltages, you have two options. Repair the linear power supply with a rebuild kit from Bob Roberts, or replace it with a switching power supply. If you go with a switching power supply, you will need a Gorf power supply conversion kit available at Arcadeshop.com

Mspaeth on the KLOV forums also sells an ATX conversion kit (if you can get in touch with him)

SirPeale · « **Reply #26 on:** June 08, 2009, 09:37:00 am »

Quote from: Spyridon on June 08, 2009, 09:07:36 am

As a first step, check the voltages coming out of your power supply. It's east to test on Gorf. If you unplug the cable going from the power supply to the board set cage, you can test it right there using the end of the cable. Each wire is clearly labeled (well, maybe not clearly depending on how much dirt) on the cage.

Most power supplies need to be tested under load to be accurately measured. But you can still unplug the harness to see which wire does what.

dmel75 · « **Reply #27 on:** June 08, 2009, 09:41:02 am »

Quote from: Spyridon on June 08, 2009, 09:07:36 am

As a first step, check the voltages coming out of your power supply. It's east to test on Gorf. If you unplug the cable going from the power supply to the board set cage, you can test it right there using the end of the cable. Each wire is clearly labeled (well, maybe not clearly depending on how much dirt) on the cage.

Match up the wires from the diagram on the cage, and plug the leads from your DMM into the harness wire to test.

If you find you aren't getting the correct voltages, you have two options. Repair the linear power supply with a rebuild kit from Bob Roberts, or replace it with a switching power supply. If you go with a switching power supply, you will need a Gorf power supply conversion kit available at Arcadeshop.com

Mspaeth on the KLOV forums also sells an ATX conversion kit (if you can get in touch with him)

Thanks SOOO much for the info. I think I'd like to use a new power supply if I can, just to try and increase the life of the machine. Just for kicks, what is the proper voltage I need to be looking for? I've used a voltmeter but it's been a LOOOOOONG time ago and it was just for battery checking for RC cars.

RayB · « **Reply #28 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:14:15 am »

Quote from: dmel75 on June 08, 2009, 09:41:02 am

Just for kicks, what is the proper voltage I need to be looking for? I've used a voltmeter but it's been a LOOOOOONG time ago and it was just for battery checking for RC cars.

Dude, LOOK at the photos.

HaRuMaN · « **Reply #29 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:21:08 am »

Quote from: RayB on June 08, 2009, 10:14:15 am

Quote from: dmel75 on June 08, 2009, 09:41:02 am
Just for kicks, what is the proper voltage I need to be looking for? I've used a voltmeter but it's been a LOOOOOONG time ago and it was just for battery checking for RC cars.
Dude, LOOK at the photos.

forrealtho

dmel75 · « **Reply #30 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:21:22 am »

Quote from: RayB on June 08, 2009, 10:14:15 am

Quote from: dmel75 on June 08, 2009, 09:41:02 am
Just for kicks, what is the proper voltage I need to be looking for? I've used a voltmeter but it's been a LOOOOOONG time ago and it was just for battery checking for RC cars.
Dude, LOOK at the photos.

*SMACKS HEAD - HARD*
So, just connect the DMM to the 5v and GRND and look for 5v on the DMM right?

Sorry, pretty new to this part of arcade stuff.

SirPeale · « **Reply #31 on:** June 08, 2009, 03:57:17 pm »

You're not looking for spot-on numbers - they'll almost never happen. What you're looking for is acceptable ones. If your +5VDC is reading 5.18 volts, that's /quite/ acceptable. If it's only reading +3.4VDC, that is NOT.

And whereas you can check the voltage on the power supply as a first step, you should always measure your voltages on the board itself.

You'll always lose some in the harness and in the connections, that's to be expected. How MUCH you lose is a matter of course. If you read +5.2VDC on the power supply, and +5.1VDC on the board, that's acceptable loss. If you read +5.2VDC on the power supply and only 4.7VDC on the board, start looking for why there's that huge drop. Broken solder joints, oxidized connections, burnt headers - all reasons why that can happen.

The most valuable tool that you have in your disposal (besides your meter) is your eyes. Keep them open.

dmel75 · « **Reply #32 on:** June 09, 2009, 10:31:19 am »

I put the DMM on the PCB cage and got 5.14v in the places I expected to see it. I guess I need to start working up the chain now. Symptoms are still the same: Powers on, total red screen, no activity or sound, occasionally (1 out of 10 or so) on a power up I'll see some Gorf play but hear no sound.

SirPeale · « **Reply #33 on:** June 09, 2009, 11:00:14 am »

Other things to try is to reseat any socketed chips on the board. Press down lightly on them. If you hear them crunch a little bit, they've come out of their socket a bit. Do that for all of them. Failing that you may need to pop them out slightly and reseat them.

Use a jewelers screwdriver to pop the chip out at both ends. Do it SLOWLY. Do it GENTLY. I wouldn't pop it out all the way, just about 1/2 way, then push it back in.

RayB · « **Reply #34 on:** June 09, 2009, 11:48:16 am »

Don't do that with the power on.

dmel75 · « **Reply #35 on:** June 10, 2009, 10:10:03 am »

I spent some time cleaning the PCB/Cage last night, after checking voltages and finding them to be ok I though it was time to do a little cleaning. I used the sink and the sprayer attachment and just sprayed the PCB cage down and then wiped down all the PCB's. I set those aside to dry and I went back to try and find out more information on the monitor in this cabinet. From what I can gather it's a Wells Gardner K4605/6-5804. Since I'm only getting a solid red screen I thought I should inspect it to see if I could find anything wrong. I did find one thing that looked a bit alarming. In the picture below you can see a long, tan colored 'thingy' and nearby it on the top side of the board there is a bit of white discoloration across the PCB, almost as if it got fried sometime in the past. This 'thingy' is only connected to the PCB on one side, it's connected to the board on the bottom but the top of it is free and it can be moved slightly, but without removing the monitor I cannot see if that is intentional or if it's a break. Thoughts?

The first two pics are of the monitor item in question, the bottom pictures are the PCB cage after cleaning, what a difference!

SirPeale · « **Reply #36 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:30:46 am »

That's a resistor. A big one. I don't think anything burned, it just looks like heat over the course of 20 something years discoloured the PCB.

Original caps, monitor could use capping.

Let's see a picture of the red screen. I bet it's a gameboard issue.

After you washed those boards, did you do anything special besides hand towel them off?

I like to put them in an oven preheated @ the lowest possible setting, then turn the oven off and let it sit in there. Any residual water will evaporate.

dmel75 · « **Reply #37 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:53:04 am »

Quote from: SirPeale on June 10, 2009, 11:30:46 am

That's a resistor. A big one. I don't think anything burned, it just looks like heat over the course of 20 something years discoloured the PCB.

Original caps, monitor could use capping.

Let's see a picture of the red screen. I bet it's a gameboard issue.

After you washed those boards, did you do anything special besides hand towel them off?

I like to put them in an oven preheated @ the lowest possible setting, then turn the oven off and let it sit in there. Any residual water will evaporate.

Nope, I didn't really 'wash' the boards, I washed the PCB chassis with a lot of water, it came out really clean. The PCB's themselves didn't need much more than a brushing off so I used an old soft paint brush and went over them real well and then had a 'very' lightly damp soft towel and just dabbed at them a bit. They look clean as a whistle. (see pic below) I also took a pencil eraser to all the gold contacts on the bottom and cleaned those up. I used a hairdryer to thoroughly dry out the PCB chassis (lots of water came out) and then made sure to leave everything out overnight. This morning I checked for water and then plugged the PCB's into the chassis but I have not connected it to the machine again yet. I put the whole assembly back out in my shop for the day. It's pretty hot in Jackson, MS today so I figure any residual water will be gone by this evening when I plan to plug it up and try again. Is it normal for a resistor like that to only be connected on one side?

Mauzy · « **Reply #38 on:** June 10, 2009, 12:48:07 pm »

Quote from: dmel75 on June 10, 2009, 11:53:04 am

Is it normal for a resistor like that to only be connected on one side?

You mean one of the two legs is just hanging, disconnected? To that, I would have to say no, that isn't normal.

SirPeale · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2009, 01:03:11 pm »

Quote from: Mauzy on June 10, 2009, 12:48:07 pm

Quote from: dmel75 on June 10, 2009, 11:53:04 am
Is it normal for a resistor like that to only be connected on one side?

You mean one of the two legs is just hanging, disconnected? To that, I would have to say no, that isn't normal.

DEFINITELY not normal. Resistors have two legs. Maybe it did burn up a bit!


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