The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Arcade Collecting => Restorations & repair => Topic started by: 8BitMonk on March 05, 2017, 04:33:57 pm
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Posted this over on klov, thought it might be of interest to restorers here as well...
In the middle of a couple of restorations (Asteroids Deluxe upright and cabaret as well as a Missile Command cabaret) and thought a visual comparison of some of the replacement options I tried for blue gel and bronze tinted plexi might be helpful to others.
Blue Gel Replacements
Adorama.com (http://adorama.com)
Rosco Roscolux Sea Blue, 20x24" Color Effects Lighting Filter (https://www.adorama.com/ro71.html)
Lee Filters Light Blue 24x21" Gel Filter Sheet (https://www.adorama.com/le118s.html)
Another I ordered to try but was backordered.
Lee Filters Lagoon Blue 24x21" Gel Filter Sheet (https://www.adorama.com/le172s.html)
One observation about the blue gels from Adorama is that they are paper thin which makes them tricky to handle and prone to a small crinkle here or there if you're not careful. Any small creases didn't seem to affect the image quality though and both colors seem to be a suitable match.
(http://www.eightbitmonk.com/shared_images/Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret/blue_gel_comparison_zpsrqzjk1kr.jpg)
(http://www.eightbitmonk.com/shared_images/Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret/099C4C1E-8692-4A80-BF6D-424BCD46BAD8_zps2tie1jjb.jpg)
Bronze Tint Plexiglass
OneDayGlass.com (https://www.onedayglass.com/types-of-tempered-glass/tinted-glass/)
estreetplastics.com (http://estreetplastics.com)
Apparently Atari used different tints for plexi, probably one for vector monitors and one for rasters? The Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret version is darker than the Missile Command cabaret version.
Atari originals are the large pieces, darker is from the AD cabaret and lighter is from Missile Command cabaret.
The 4 same sized squares are from OneDayGlass and the smaller square is Bronze Plexi from estreetplastics.com.
The estreetplastics bronze is a nearly perfect match for the darker Atari original but the dark gray is a close alternative and would probably hold up better. The bronze glass seems to be a close replacement for the lighter original bronze plexi for the Missile Command cabaret.
(http://www.eightbitmonk.com/shared_images/Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret/F10CF377-EA96-4BB8-8DF1-6016BFD627DB_zpsj1yfgyks.jpg)
Close up
(http://www.eightbitmonk.com/shared_images/Asteroids Deluxe Cabaret/bronze_tint_comparison_zps2anpj6gc.jpg)
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Thanks for posting this. Which gel did you go with for your AD?
I used one from Wizzes.
http://www.wizzesworkshop.com/cart/product.asp?intProdID=23 (http://www.wizzesworkshop.com/cart/product.asp?intProdID=23)
I'm not sure if theses are still for sale or not.
As you say they are very thin. I had trouble keeping any creases or "bubbles" out of mine.
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Thanks for posting this. Which gel did you go with for your AD?
I think I'll go with the Light Blue which is (despite the name) bluer than the Sea Blue. That's why I ordered samples and posted pictures, it's nearly impossible to tell from the naming or online color samples how it compares. I'll post a picture of Lagoon Blue if/when I get it, it's been on backordered for awhile now.
I used one from Wizzes.
http://www.wizzesworkshop.com/cart/product.asp?intProdID=23 (http://www.wizzesworkshop.com/cart/product.asp?intProdID=23)
I'm not sure if theses are still for sale or not.
As you say they are very thin. I had trouble keeping any creases or "bubbles" out of mine.
I ordered from him and then cancelled when I found Adorama's were half the price. It's my guess he's buying gels from a similar camera source and just cutting them to size, slapping some double-sided tape on them and reselling them. I emailed him and asked about whether his were a better match, thickness or quality and here was his response:
It’s all the same theory, the monitor white shows thru the color of the gel. It’s all about matching the color and the cost really. On a BZ you have to buy two sheets, a red and a green. I’m precut to the original size and include the two sticky pads the original one had. For AD, I think mine might be a little thicker, but if you find a color you like that’s cheaper, it’s up to you.
Based on your experience it's sounds like his are thin as well, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets them from Adorama. Still tempted to order from him just for comparative purposes but it seems like a total waste of $22 just to satisfy my curiosity. :D