Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Arcade Collecting => Restorations & repair => Topic started by: SirPeale on May 19, 2009, 08:54:22 pm

Title: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on May 19, 2009, 08:54:22 pm
I don't have any pictures of the cabinet yet, but it's dirty and rusty.  It was sitting in a barn for a number of years, just like all the other restos I'm doing right now.

I don't have any room @ my house currently for the cab, but I knew the board has issues.   Since the converted Galaxian cab in my boys room still has the factory harness I knew I could use that to at least display video.  We'll refer to this as BOARD 1

I'll doubly document the repairs on another Galaxian board I have.  I bought it several years ago from a BYOAC member.  We'll refer to this one as BOARD 2.

BOARD 1 had serious problems.  The corrosion I talked about?  Definitely on the board too.  The program ROMs I thought were just a bit rusty...nope.   Removed the ROMs to find legs missing and a lot of other legs just fell off.  Yikes.  Good news is that the ones on the other board are just fine.  So I've been swapping them back and forth between the boards when I try something. 

Removed the old corroded sockets from BOARD 1 and replaced.  Now I have the beginning of the startup sequence come up for just a second, with a red lined screen.  I can make out "BAD RAM #1" in the flashes.  I know that means I have to replace the 2114 RAM.  I already replaced the 245s.  I don't have sockets or RAM on hand right now, so that'll have to wait until I get them.

BOARD 2 is also problematic.  It appears to not be able to sync correctly.  According to the Galaxian Troubleshooting guide I should check out the IC @ 6H.  I really need to learn how to use my logic probe correctly.  The first time I used it only the green light would flash, but not on all the legs.  The second time I got both red and green to flash on all the leads, but one set read completely different from the rest.  Theorizing that the chip was bunk I cut it out, replaced it with a socket and cannibalized a replacement from a junk board.  It comes up with exactly the same result, so my problems lie elsewhere.  :(

I've tried tracing it out on the schematics, but can only find three of the four addresses on the schematics.   Of course, this may not even be the problem!  I've attached a picture.

(http://www.pealefamily.net/tech/images/P5170072.jpg)
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on May 27, 2009, 06:48:42 pm
I cut out the 2114 on BOARD 1 and replaced with sockets. I popped in some 2114 I scavenged off a Pac-Man parts board (since it's all I have at the moment) and powered up. Came up with garbage, lots of flashing characters. I double checked my work, found an apparent solder bridge between two pins, and fixed that. I knew the Z80 had a broken pin (that I soldered on a temp replacement) and since I had a replacement I swapped it out.

This time it came up yet again with "BAD RAM #1". But no flashing "BAD RAM #2" in between.

I triple checked my work, making sure my solder joints were sound. They are.

I removed the 245 for giggles to see what it would do, and suddenly I had starfield generation with a garbage screen, but it kind of looked like it was running attract. Swapped that out with another and back to the "BAD RAM #1" screen. Humph. Now what?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on May 28, 2009, 04:00:54 pm
Back to BOARD 2. Since I have a Galaxian board with working sync, I was able to swap back and forth a couple times to check difference.

Pin 6 on 6H is where the composite sync comes out. If I'm reading the schematics correctly it gets the VSYNC from pin 5 of 6F, a 7474. I can't tell where it's getting the HSYNC from. The schematics merely state that comes from the HRDWR CONTROL BUS, but I'm having trouble figuring that part out. Any nudges in the right direction?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: channelmaniac on May 31, 2009, 09:34:04 pm
That pic doesn't look like a sync problem but more like a problem with one of the 74161 chips.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on June 01, 2009, 08:54:36 am
Quote from: channelmaniac on May 31, 2009, 09:34:04 pm
That pic doesn't look like a sync problem but more like a problem with one of the 74161 chips.

If I remove all the EPROMs I should get a solid white screen, but I get a screen that's out of sync.  Also if I compare the outputs of pin 6 of 6H on BOARD 1 and BOARD 2, they're completely different.  On BOARD 2, with the logic probe, both lights flash simultaneously.  On BOARD 1 the flashes alternate.

I guarantee there are other problems than just sync, but I'm trying to tackle one problem at a time.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on June 01, 2009, 05:25:43 pm
Something weird is going on with BOARD 2.

Went to troubleshoot it with the logic probe, and as soon as I attach it to ground and +5VDC, the lights start flashing. That's WITHOUT touching the lead to anything.

I thought maybe I broke it somehow, but tested it on BOARD 1 and it works just fine.

So what would make the probe do that?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: channelmaniac on June 01, 2009, 05:36:34 pm
Bad power supply fluctuations or noise from bad caps. Use a scope to see how much trash is on the 5v line.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on June 01, 2009, 06:07:49 pm
Don't have one, but could certainly use one!
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 03, 2009, 08:19:33 pm
I swapped out my Centipede Mini into storage so I could start working on this cab.    Pictures when I take them.

I never did take a good look at the cab before now, wow it needs help.  Lots of rust (like all the other cabs from this haul).  Tiny bit of water damage on the bottom.  And FILTHY.  Man, it's gross.  Art needs a lot of touchup.  It won't take long to get this straightened out with concentrated effort.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Neverending Project on July 04, 2009, 03:32:15 pm
How do plan on doing the aet touchup? Mine needs a lot too, and I was thinking about buying a cheap airgun to spray on some touchup, but that would require a lot of masking.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 04, 2009, 11:03:56 pm
Acrylic paints and lots of trial and error.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 09:04:11 pm
Finally, some pictures.

Start off with left, front, right and rear shots before I've done anything to this unit.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126974;image)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126976;image)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126978;image)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126980;image)
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 09:09:09 pm
A shot of the bezel and coin door/kickplate.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126982;image)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126984;image)


A shot after I stripped all the wiring and the wooden mounting plate from the bottom and before I sanded/cleaned/vacuumed.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126986;image)


I touched up the black paint on the upper part.  Instantly improved things 100%.  I have to go over it again, it's got tiger stripes.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126988;image)

Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 09:14:39 pm
A shot of the now cleaned wiring (it was disgusting) and the sanded/vacuumed/mopped insides.  Nothing in there is permanent, I just couldn't leave it lying around, so I just tacked it down inside the cab.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126990;image)


Finally, a shot of some of the artwork before cleaning.  I experimented in a couple places to see what kind of chemicals I could use without it melting the ink.  The glass cleaner I use from Auto Zone works very well.  Yes, there is some flaking, but that's not due to the cleaner, it's because it was flaking already.  It all needs to be touched up anyway.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126992;image)

And afterward.  I only did 1/2 of it to give a grasp of the difference.  Picture doesn't show it well, but it's much cleaner.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=90051.0;attach=126994;image)
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 09:20:36 pm
I've got a lot to do on this.  99.99% of it is cleaning.


I'll add more as I can think of it, and cross off the list when I accomplish this task.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: King Nerd on July 05, 2009, 09:57:55 pm
It's filthy, but it looks like it's in pretty good shape.

Quote
And afterward.  I only did 1/2 of it to give a grasp of the difference.  Picture doesn't show it well, but it's much cleaner.
I'd say that the picture doesn't show it well because they're the exact same picture. Check the URLs. ;)
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 10:01:16 pm
Fixed!  Thanks.

Structurally, it's sound.  Definitely needs love. 
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: King Nerd on July 05, 2009, 10:14:03 pm
Quote from: SirPeale on July 05, 2009, 10:01:16 pm
Fixed!  Thanks.

Structurally, it's sound.  Definitely needs love. 

Definitely needs love, but looks like a great base to start with. Wood looks in great shape, no water damage or anything.
Just dirt and artwork, really. Looks a heck of a lot cleaner already, though.

I dunno where you guys find all of these, or find the money for all of these.

I'll be keeping my eye on the progress of this. Good luck.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 06, 2009, 03:34:52 pm
Going to start working on the coin door today.  I'll use electrolysis to strip it down.  I'm curious how quickly it'll strip this down.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 06, 2009, 07:14:17 pm
Okay, I haven't been feeling well, so I figured to start small.  So instead of the coin door I'm stripping the marquee brackets.  I added several more negative leads to the setup for a larger piece (aquarium stand) and as such now I can do multiple pieces at once now.  I need to get a new sacrificial piece of steel as the one I have in there has since swiss cheesed very badly. 
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 08, 2009, 08:25:52 pm
The labels for the fuses were brown after 30 years.  So I scanned them in and cleaned up the images.

Looked really good, and I printed them out.  Unfortunately my printer missed a couple dots here and there and needed to be reprinted. 

For some odd reason, I closed the program instead of saving my work.   :badmood:  So an hour of image cleaning, down the drain.

Unless someone knows the temp file that Paint Shop Pro 4 uses, and I could use that to recover...
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: RobinHolland on July 09, 2009, 11:12:04 am
i miss the fuses labels :-\
Have you a scan for me ?  :notworthy:
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 09, 2009, 03:03:10 pm
I rescanned them, but I'm cleaning them up.  I'll post here the images when I finish.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: RobinHolland on July 09, 2009, 03:33:17 pm
Thanks !!  :notworthy:

This is my galaxian http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=67413.0
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Mimatt on July 10, 2009, 12:26:00 am
I'm getting all antsy to see the artwork restoration process.

Galaxian's artwork looks so complicated. Even with stencils - repainting that looks like you'd need the patience of a saint. The white backround makes it even more tricky.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 10, 2009, 07:43:26 am
Quote from: Mimatt on July 10, 2009, 12:26:00 am
I'm getting all antsy to see the artwork restoration process.

Galaxian's artwork looks so complicated. Even with stencils - repainting that looks like you'd need the patience of a saint. The white backround makes it even more tricky.

I'm just going to do some touchup.  If it turns out looking too bad I'll probably stop.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 11:15:12 am
Mamemarquees does have the side art available.  2 big drawbacks - 1. Price  and 2. Inkjet

Edit :  Just checked the price and it's not as bad as I thought.  Only $63 for the sideart

For inkjet side art, it doesn't look too bad.  Here is a cab (not mine) done using it:
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/nutballchamp/galaxianSA.jpg)(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/nutballchamp/galaxian5.jpg)

I know Rich at thisoldgame was planning on doing this eventually, but who knows when that will be?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Neverending Project on July 10, 2009, 11:56:58 am
Quote from: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 11:15:12 am
Edit :  Just checked the price and it's not as bad as I thought.  Only $63 for the sideart

I saw that and did one of these:  :o  And then I double-checked, since I have priced it out before and did one of these:  :(. The $63 is for tp to 26"x18". If you want the original size (full-size) you need to add $115, which makes it $178 for the side art set. Add in another $40 for the kickplate, and it adds up quick.

Rich once gave me a quote for doing the Galaxian side-art on his solvent inkjet (I think it is the same as mamemarquees?), wihch would be plotter cut to the sideart shape so you wouldn't need to do the entire side. But it wasn't much less expensive than mamemarquees. He also said that the design is too detailed for stencils, and even if you did try it would be far too cost prohibitive.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 12:39:04 pm
Quote from: Neverending Project on July 10, 2009, 11:56:58 am
Quote from: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 11:15:12 am
Edit :  Just checked the price and it's not as bad as I thought.  Only $63 for the sideart

I saw that and did one of these:  :o  And then I double-checked, since I have priced it out before and did one of these:  :(. The $63 is for tp to 26"x18". If you want the original size (full-size) you need to add $115, which makes it $178 for the side art set. Add in another $40 for the kickplate, and it adds up quick.


Okay, that makes more sense.  I remembered it being $180.  That's a lot for ink jet.  Rich did sell the front kick plate, but I don't know if he has it in stock.  He was looking for the correct vinyl to do the side art.  That was the hold up.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Level42 on July 10, 2009, 05:20:26 pm
Rich sold out the kickplate. Quarterarcade still has them at higher prices......which is why I didn't buy it. That plust the vinyl is just not exactly right. If I spend 60 bucks (without shipping !) for just a kickplate I want it to be 100%.

So I will live with the scratches and stuff......

Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 10, 2009, 07:43:01 pm
I'm just trying to fix the machine up.  It won't be factory, but it will be nice when I'm done.

Rebuilt the K4600 today after my Mouser order showed up.  Box was mangled, and I was pissed, but the contents were fine.  It was thrashed - broken solder joints on the card connectors, dirty, rusty and of course original caps, I was surprised it actually worked.  I haven't fired it back up yet but will do that this weekend.

I also went to the hardware store and bought new screws.  The originals were quite rusty.   Two boxes (for the different sizes) cost me $14 and change, but I'm sure I'll use the extras on the next project - probably Burger Time.

I need to start working on the coin door.  I already started on the frame, but wanted to wait until I could properly photograph the rest of it.  I've done a dozen Midway coin doors, but on this one I want to try and duplicate the color of the Galaxian as closely as possible.  I've got an idea I think will work, I'll post here if it does.

With my Mouser order I got the one thing that's been holding me up: sockets.  So I'll start tackling the board issues again very soon.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Mauzy on July 10, 2009, 10:54:10 pm
Quote from: SirPeale on July 10, 2009, 07:43:01 pm
the next project - probably Burger Time.


!!
You sir are a madman.


Anyway, am I the only one who thinks that Galaxian with inkjet sideart looks TOO nice? Its lost all its character! I like my machines to look a damn sight better than they were when I bought them, but I also want people to know its a 20+ year old game that had a commercial life. For example, My DK3 has quarter scratched entries in the coin door. Sure those are relatively cheap to replace, but they add a little flavor. I think making a machine look nice is great, but absolute perfection seems a little over board unless the machine is something really rare or a grail I suppose...
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: orion on July 10, 2009, 11:57:13 pm
Quote from: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 12:39:04 pm
Quote from: Neverending Project on July 10, 2009, 11:56:58 am
Quote from: Spyridon on July 10, 2009, 11:15:12 am
Edit :  Just checked the price and it's not as bad as I thought.  Only $63 for the sideart

I saw that and did one of these:  :o  And then I double-checked, since I have priced it out before and did one of these:  :(. The $63 is for tp to 26"x18". If you want the original size (full-size) you need to add $115, which makes it $178 for the side art set. Add in another $40 for the kickplate, and it adds up quick.


 

Okay, that makes more sense.  I remembered it being $180.  That's a lot for ink jet.  Rich did sell the front kick plate, but I don't know if he has it in stock.  He was looking for the correct vinyl to do the side art.  That was the hold up.


I remember seeing somewhere that he had found a match for the vinyl but the deal was that it didn't have an adhesive backing. I wish he would make that available as its not that hard to get good results with spay adhesive.

SirPeale, If you are able to get decent results with acrylic paints could you share with all the other Galaxian owners all the info on the brand, mix ratios... ect that you used. In looking at mine it seems to me that testors model paint might be a good paint to start experimenting with. It looks closer to the consistency of the die that they used to me than anything else I can think of. Silk screen ink might be something to look at as well I suppose.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: Level42 on July 11, 2009, 03:03:46 am
Quote from: Mauzy on July 10, 2009, 10:54:10 pm
Anyway, am I the only one who thinks that Galaxian with inkjet sideart looks TOO nice? Its lost all its character! I like my machines to look a damn sight better than they were when I bought them, but I also want people to know its a 20+ year old game that had a commercial life. For example, My DK3 has quarter scratched entries in the coin door. Sure those are relatively cheap to replace, but they add a little flavor. I think making a machine look nice is great, but absolute perfection seems a little over board unless the machine is something really rare or a grail I suppose...
Mmmm, it depends on many factors. First of all, it's a personal thing. Everyone should judge for themselves. I was just very lucky that my Galaxian was still in such nice shape. Sure it has it's wear here and there and some scratches, but overall, and compared to many Galaxians I've seen, it looks very nice.
If it would have been as bad as Peale's I would have definitely gone the inkjet way. It looks like the colors are a complete match and Mamemarquees printing is as good as you can get inkjet-wise.

I have no problem using injets when it turns a completely shot piece of artwork to brand-new looking. If there are tiny details that are not perfect in the repro, I will live with it. Only I (and other collectors) will notice.

On the other hand, if (when?) Rich will finish the SW cockpit side-art I will definitely order it. From a distance, and on pictures, it still looks pretty nice on my machine, but when you're closer.....
A very big plus is that this will of course be 100% like the originals because he has the original films.
It will also give it the nicer American blue color which I like much better than the Irish one which is more pale.

Anyway, I have no problems if it is possible to have a cab look like factory new at all, in fact it's what I will always try to  reach, but I won't loose sleep over it when it's simply impossible...

So, I will follow Peale's touching up with much interest as would really want to give it a try too :)

Peale, how does Mouser ship their stuff ? USPS ? UPS ?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 11, 2009, 08:28:23 am
Quote from: Level42 on July 11, 2009, 03:03:46 am
Peale, how does Mouser ship their stuff ? USPS ? UPS ?

Pick one - FedEX, UPS, USPS.

I'll post what I'm going to use - regular acrylic paints from Wal-Mart from their craft section.   Mix ratios are useless because I'll be making such small amounts, and the difference between paint lots would toss that out the water.  It's going to be lots of trial and error.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 12, 2009, 08:47:59 pm
Another day of work on the beastie.  The electrolysis made the rust come off very easily, so I was able to strip down both marquee retainers, the coin door frame and whatever that metal piece is that sits in the back of the cab in no time flat.  Primed and painted everything but the frame.  Now waiting for it to dry/cure.

More work on cleaning the outside.  Very tedious, working in 6"x6" squares, but it's getting there.  I need to pick up a Magic Eraser.  I've heard they're good on cleaning up the white areas, we'll see.

Had to buy a tool, a "die" - what you would use to thread a hole, except I was using this to open the leg leveler threads back up.  The cab now has levelers again for the first time in a long time.

Got to work replacing the old rusty worn-out screws with the new zinc plated ones. 

Started investigating the wiring.  Oddly hacked in a few places, I'll have to see what's what.

Last night I stayed up until 4am capping, cleaning and adjusting the K4600.  It didn't want to work correctly.  Turns out I put two caps in the wrong spots.  Reversed them and now I couldn't get it to sync.  Okay, well...I have another K4600, let's see if the cards from that one can get it to display correctly...yes.  Okay, now we've narrowed it down.  XY card is fine on this, but the other, a P307 card, only accepts positive sync.  Crap.  Well, on Galaxian it should be okay, but I couldn't get it to display a proper picture without the one from the other game.

Placed a florescent fixture in the marquee area that I picked up from the thrift store.  It was one of those that didn't have a starter but you hold the on button down it comes on.  So I removed the button and soldered in a starter.  If I had a starter socket I would have installed that, but I didn't.

I think that's it.  More later.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 15, 2009, 06:32:52 am
Worked on BOARD 1 a bit yesterday.  Replaced the sockets on 7H and 7J again because I did a crappy job last time around.  Found a combo of problems ranging from missing traces to missing pads.  Rebuilt the traces as best I could.  Back to getting the BAD RAM #1 error (it had stopped before).  I've got to be more careful in the future.

I also converted the board to be able to use a DC switcher.  Easy conversion, as per here: http://www.arcades.plus.com/galjamm2.htm
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 15, 2009, 06:33:31 am
I really need to burn a Galaxian Test ROM.  One of those things to save up for.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 15, 2009, 07:53:49 pm
I got BOARD 2 to boot!  I converted it to DC and it booted right up.  Dirty power is a nasty thing.  It has graphics glitches, but I'm sure I can sort that.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 16, 2009, 04:33:06 pm
I just found something interesting under the logo plate on the coin door: black textured paint.  Like what's found on later coin door styles.  In fact, this door definitely resembles the later doors more than most Galaxian doors I've come across.  Plastic entry slot (though chromed, weird).  Black instead of grey colour.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: csa3d on July 16, 2009, 04:48:22 pm
Quote from: SirPeale on July 15, 2009, 07:53:49 pm
I got BOARD 2 to boot!  I converted it to DC and it booted right up.  Dirty power is a nasty thing.  It has graphics glitches, but I'm sure I can sort that.

Woohoo!  I'm rooting for board 2!   ;D
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on July 17, 2009, 10:51:41 am
They say that the electrolyte solution doesn't wear out.  Well, my last few pieces have taken ages to do anything, so I dumped it last night.  Man, it was nasty.  It was probably the power supply, it died and I need to repair it.  The solution needed replacing anyway.

I picked up washing soda at the grocery market a couple days ago.  Cheap stuff, less than three bucks for a decent sized box.  Compare that to the lye I bought, which was a tiny bottle for four bucks.

Dumped the old solution, scrubbed out the container and made new solution.  One tablespoon of washing soda per gallon of water.  Made sure the sacrificial piece was clean.  Hooked up the electrodes to the coin door and plugged it in.

Within seconds, thousands of tiny bubbles.  Within an hour the coating was all bubbled off.  I'll wire wheel it later today and repaint.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on August 01, 2009, 06:10:17 pm
Coin door cleaning/painting today.  Stopped trying to use my bench grinder and started using a 3" wire wheel attached to my drill. 

Then lots of detail work on the corners where I couldn't get the wire wheel with steel wool.

While I was outside working, one of my neighbors noted what I was doing and told me he does sandblasting and powder coating in his basement.  Three doors down from me this is going on, and I had no idea. 

I told him about you guys and said I'd see if anyone would be interested in mail-order powder coating.  I don't know about his rates yet, that's something to discuss.

edit: oh yeah, repainted the speaker grill today too. 
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on August 11, 2009, 05:07:42 pm
Any update is a good update, right?

I've had little time as any time spent with the cab also has to factor in unpacking it from the shed it's in along with the stuff around it, and repacking it back in when I'm done.

The other day I replaced the newly painted speaker grill and polished/sealed grill bolts.  I'd fully planned on spending a couple hours working on it, but then it began to sprinkle.  Since I knew it would take me a while to get it back in the shed it's being stored in, I started picking up immediately.  Put everything away.  It stopped sprinkling, and didn't actually rain until later that night.   :banghead:

But at least the speaker is back in place.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on August 30, 2009, 08:37:43 pm
Filled in pits on the control panel today.

http://www.pealefamily.net/tech/arcade/?p=371
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on October 02, 2009, 04:36:09 pm
Spidron gave me the idea to paint the return buttons.  Since they were really rusty I took a sanding disk attached to my rotary tool to it. 

The first one went without a hitch.  The second one...at first I thought there was some kind of gunk on the return button, so I went after it a little harder.  Then I realized that it was made out of PLASTIC.    Luckily I didn't do too much damage to it.   The other was definitely metal.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on October 02, 2009, 04:41:14 pm
I've also been thinking whether or  not to tackle touching up the sideart.  Truth is I will probably not be able to successfully color match, and that will look awful.  I might do black, but that's it.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on February 11, 2010, 09:48:12 am
I haven't updated this thread in a while, so I thought I'd bump it up.

I gave the boards to a guy in MA for repair, but he's not going to be able to do it.  So I need to get them back and tackle them again myself.

The control panel is a HUGE PITA.  Since most of the panel shows and is not being covered by an overlay I want it to look nice, you know?  But the damn paint keeps scratching so easily!  So there's always scuffs in it.  Any hints to combat this?  Yes, I'm using a good paint - Rust-Oleum Satin black.

Finally got Magic Erasers, and yes it did clean up the white areas on the side art nicely.  Still needs more work.

That's it really - I haven't worked on it because it's just too damn cold in the workshop to do any temperature related work (eg: painting, etc).
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: ChadTower on February 11, 2010, 10:26:58 am

Did you prime it?  I find I never regret priming but often regret skipping it...

Just skimmed this since I had forgotten where you are on this.  You can take the older of the two scopes I have if you want - it has been sitting there for maybe 3 years now unused.  Cannot guarantee it works but it's in great shape.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on February 11, 2010, 02:16:15 pm
Thanks Chad - I appreciate it.  Don't know when I'll get down that way though.  There are a few other collectors in 413 that have Fluke pods that I think can help with getting these diagnosed.

And yes, I primed.  Not that it would help with scuffing though.  I may just have to bite the bullet and get it powder coated.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: ChadTower on February 11, 2010, 03:06:55 pm

Is it scraping through the paint or the paint and the primer?  The primer should prevent easy scraping.  If it isn't then maybe it's just not the right pairing.
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on February 11, 2010, 04:16:56 pm
It's not scraping thru @ all, it's scuffing.  And its scuffing easily. 
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: ChadTower on February 11, 2010, 04:18:11 pm

How soon after spraying it on?
Title: Re: Galaxian Restore
Post by: SirPeale on February 12, 2010, 01:41:35 am
Quote from: ChadTower on February 11, 2010, 04:18:11 pm

How soon after spraying it on?

Days, usually.  I let it sit for a while.