Asteroids Cocktail restoration

[csa3d]

So I finally purchased an asteroids cocktail table after searching online for one for some time.  I got a pretty good deal off craigslist for $125.  The machine is said to not work at this time, and I'm not sure why.  I was told it did before it was moved out from storage, so it could be something loose, could be worse, I have no idea.  I'll be asking a million questions to anyone who has insight.  I plan to fully restore this one.  I have a few projects that need to complete before diving into this one, but hope to get to it soon.  Here  are some "coming home" shots.

-csa

[GaryMcT]

Congrats! What an awesome game!   May it function soon.

[saleem]

i am envious.

we cant even get a gutted cocktail table never mind an intact one for less than around £200.man that would cost fortune over here in uk.

you americans,you got it cool.
 

[RayB]

Let me know if you need any parts CSA3D... I have one with monitor issues (working boardset though) and I'm considering parting it out...

[csa3d]

Let me know if you need any parts CSA3D... I have one with monitor issues (working boardset though) and I'm considering parting it out...

Awesome news.  Might take you up on that at some point.  Step one is gonna be to crack this puppy open and see what I'm working with.

-csa

[spriggy]

Always loved the look of these cocktails and the simple Asteroid artwork and underlay.  My simple brain likes simple things 

I'll be watching. 

[Silas (son of Silas)]

...we cant even get a gutted cocktail table never mind an intact one for less than around £200.man that would cost fortune over here in uk.

you americans,you got it cool.
 

Ain't that the truth 

Nice find. I look forward to seeing it live again 

[csa3d]

So last night I managed to finally start looking at this project.  I brought in inside and got it opened up (first time opened since acquiring it).  I was quite happy to see that it appears to have all the parts inside and no signs of rodents living in it.  First hand I noticed that the main boards were not securely fastened to the sides of the cab, and that the coin mech had a loose wire hanging from the coin switch.  It's dusty as all get out in there, and the overlay's paint is flaking off.  I'll be eventually worrying about cosmetics, but not until we're up and running.

The guy I bought it from told me it kept blowing fuses and that's about all I remember him saying.  I noticed that there are a bunch of fuses missing, but I suspect that if I just replace them without doing my due diligence, they will just immediately blow again.  So based on other posts I've read on the boards, I gather that my first job is remove all the main boards and give them a cap kit.  The power supply still has the original "big blue" cap.  No pictures yet, but I've managed to extract the main board, the audio board, and the power supply so that I can start cleaning them up and recap them as needed.

There are some dark spots on the one board around a few pieces of the same type.  I'll have to look them up and see what those are exactly.  I"m not sure if it's normal or not.  Hopefully pics will help and exact names of which parts these are will help others help me figure this out

My next order of business is to figure out what "recapping" this entire machine entails.  I haven't touched the monitor cage yet.  Even with vector monitors, am I going to need to do the thing where you insert a grounded screwdriver around the neck ? (the process name escapes me)?  Until I figure this out, those boards are staying in the cab.  Plus, I have plenty to clean/repair for the time being.  I'm assuming I should also recap those boards as well however.

This will be my first restoration, so any help will be super appreciated.

-csa

[csa3d]

So I've managed to take some shots of the boards I've pulled from the machine.  So that I only have to place one giant order and prevent myself from multiple orders like in Chad's thread, I was hoping that others could help me come up with an ordering list from Bob Roberts.

Power Brick

I know right off the bat that I'm going to need to order an Atari Big Blue replacement, and all fuses that go on this board, seeing that there are none in the main fuse block, and nothing in that black fuse container.

Questions:
1.)  Is the Big Blue kit I'm after called, "Atari 'Big Blue' Capacitor - (Transformer Assembly)" listed for $12.50 on Bob Roberts's Page

2.) Does bob sell these fuses, or should I just go to Radio Shack or Frys and pick them up locally?  I suspect I'll need at least two of every fuse, as I expect a few of them to blow while I'm learning how to fix this stuff (long time poster, first time restorer).

3.) Are there any other parts you'd order ahead of time for this guy while I'm repairing it?

4.) I've read that it's important to measure voltages out of this power supply after repaired.  Do I need to have all other components connected to the power supply when doing so, or can I leave everything unplugged for the time being until I verify that just this unit is working properly?  What is the protocol for testing voltages here?

-csa

[csa3d]

A/R Board

Here are some shots of the A/R Board.  Still looking at completing a list of parts from Bob Roberts, any help is appreciated.

I've read that this is another board which is recommended to have caps replaced.  I've located an, "Atari A/R Repair Kit (caps + Q2/3+R29)" listed for $9.00.  Though I've looked at the schematics (and noting that the digital copy I've seen so far is hard to read some of the identifiers), I'm not quite certain where R29 is.

There looks to be two fried resistors on this board.  One of them is just to the right and slightly down from J6, and the other is immediately to the left of J6.

Questions:
1.) Is the repair kit listed above the correct thing to order for this board?

2.) Can anyone help me to identify which resistors are fried?  I'll need to buy these either from Bob or Radio Shack.

3.) Should I be concerned about anything before repairing anything given those specified fried components?

4.) Should I order any additional parts other then previously mentioned?

-csa

[csa3d]

Main PCB

In general, I feel that the main PCB looks pretty good.  I suspect I need to order an, "Atari Asteroid PCB Cap Kit" listed for $5.00 from Bob Roberts Parts Page.  The portion of this board which feels sketchy to me is that the end connector looks like the very top pin could be slightly melted.  It appears that work has been done to try to fix this in the past.  There are also two components with obviously different solder marks then 90% of the board.  I'll assume those parts are working until proven guilty in a court of law.

Here are some shots of the board, with questions to follow.

Questions:

1.) Is the PCB cap kit mentioned above correct/sufficient?  What other parts would you pre-order?

2.) The melting of that connecting pin, what are people's thoughts on this?  Is it fine?  Should I try to smooth it out/make it flatter?  Should I be concerned that it even looks like that, and therefore investigate some other area of the board given someone's expert advice?

-csa

[GaryMcT]

This all reminds me how much I need to fix my Asteroids Deluxe that let out the good smoke a while ago.

Looks like you are having fun!

[csa3d]

PCB pics continued...

So in conclusion, my "To Purchase" list so far contains:

From Bob Roberts
1x    Atari Asteroids PCB Cap Kit
1x    Atari A/R Repair Kit (caps+Q2/3+R29)
1x    Atari "Big Blue" Capacitor (Transformer Assembly)
1x    PCB Edge Repair Kit 22/44

Local Retailer (Frys/Radio Shack)
2x    50v Silicon Rectifier 1N4001 Diodes (A/R Board, CR2 and CR3)
4x    3amp glass fuses
4x    7amp glass fuses

Please help and thanks for watching

-csa

[csa3d]

I've posted a link to this thread on the KLOV forums to get some additional eyes on this.  Thanks to JoshBrown80

... I do want to tell you that you need to ask around and find out what caused thosed DIODES to fail. The one component that is burnt in half and the other one that looks heat damaged on the A/R are diodes, which basically act as a one way gate for current flow....something had to have went wrong to fry those...and honestly I have not seen that type of failure...

The edge connector could have been put on backwards at some point, the Poer brick could have something going on...I just don have a chance to look at the A/R Schematic at the moment...but you will definitely want to ask around and abort any future testing until you at least find out what killed the A/R and repairs are made.

The edge connector on your board looks like someone used the solder trick to half-ass repair the edge connector issues that plague atari games. You are going to want to remove the solder from the traces and get a replacement edge connector from Bob Roberts, along with the appropriate pins to repair it properly and to prevent damaging your newly repaired A/R Board

I have discovered that I should look into repairing the PCB Edge, as it was hacked back to life.  It also sounds like this is a common Atari board issue.  Bob Roberts has a page explaining PCB Edge Repair.  I've gathered from his site that I have 7 pins in 1 inch of that connector, making my spacing 1.56, which means I need a "PCB Edge Repair Kit 22/44" for a cost of $7.50.  I've added this part to my running list of parts to order.

I've also been told that the two fried components on the A/R board are diodes, not resistors.  I'm still trying to identify which component IDs these diodes are on the schematic, so I can order the right thing.

EDIT:  I've located a better scan of the manual for an upright asteroids machine, which has much clearer part id numbers overlayed over the A/R circuit board diagram.  Also knowing that I'm looking for diodes, it's just my luck that there are only two of them on this board according to the parts list in the manual, and they both happen to be fried on mine.  Cross checking the diagram to this new info allows me to identify the two fried parts CR2 and CR3, which equates to being two 50v Silicon Rectifier 1N4001 Diodes.

I have updated the parts list to include CR2 and CR3

Questions:
1.) Would you add/remove anything from this shopping list?
2.) Does Bob sell the items listed under Local Retailer?  Am I better of finding those parts locally?  Are there any things to look out for when purchasing those items locally?
3.) On the A/R board, I don't see R29 in the parts list in the manual.. is something in a Deluxe or different board?
4.)  Should I go ahead and and replace CR1 (Which is between the two white jacks on the AR board, next to the fried CR2?  It's not fried, but was near the burnt component.
5.)  What about replacing any of the parts around the other burnt diode, CR3?

Any other comments and help on this are welcome.  Thanks again!

-csa

[SirPeale]

One piece of advice I'll give you is: get extra fuses.  Inevitably some will blow.  I would personally get two boxes of each rating (five fuses to a box).  Even if you get 100% lucky, eventually you'll need them for another project.

[Level42]

One piece of advice I'll give you is: get extra fuses.  Inevitably some will blow.  I would personally get two boxes of each rating (five fuses to a box).  Even if you get 100% lucky, eventually you'll need them for another project.

Better then keep blowing fuses is this from good ol' Bob:
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/cirbreaker.html

[csa3d]

One piece of advice I'll give you is: get extra fuses.  Inevitably some will blow.  I would personally get two boxes of each rating (five fuses to a box).  Even if you get 100% lucky, eventually you'll need them for another project.

Better then keep blowing fuses is this from good ol' Bob:
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/cirbreaker.html

I did run across that while scanning Bob's site actually.  So would you recommend getting a few of them or just one?  There are components with multiple fuses, and I'd hope that only one blows at a time, but who knows.  I'm new to this.

[csa3d]

It's been suggested that I check my Bridge Rectifier to ensure it's working on the A/R board, located at position (Q3).

I've read online that to test a bridge rectifier, it's just 4 diodes, which essentially restrict electrical flow to one direction. The test to check a diode is to set the meter to ohms, and ensure there is an infinite change in one direction, while the other direction stays around zero.  Correct?

I've pulled out my multi-meter to test for a bad bridge rectifier on the A/R board (Q3). Set the meter to continuity beep, red probe on the very top of the bridge and the black on the surrounding heat sink and got no beep. This is probably a good thing meaning that it was properly installed, since it's not touching the metal heat sink because of the pad under it.  However, if I put both probes on different parts of the heatsink, which in my mind I *expect* would make a connection, I get no beep. Therefore, my heatsink is either coated with something non-conductive, or my meter is weak, or the heatsink is non-conductive (which I find hard to believe), or lastly I just did something wrongly while testing.

Looking at Q3 which is currently attached to the board, I am puzzled on how I access these diodes. There are two nuts on the top which secure it to the heat sink, then two soldier posts underneath the location, along with two screws, which I assume are the posts for the nuts above. My bridge rectifier appears to have a thin rubber like surface between the base holder and the heat sink, and I assume the whole thing somehow pulls off. When it's off, I also assume I'll have access to the diodes.

Can anyone point me in the direction of testing the diodes and explain how this things comes off, or even if I need to take it off to test it?

-csa

[csa3d]

OK, last post is incorrect.  There is a 2N3055 transistor at Q3 on the A/R board.  Looking up how to test transistors, it appears that it is testing out correctly according to the guidelines I've found.  The bridge rectifier mentioned is on the Power Block.  I am now looking into how to test this to make sure it's ok.

At this point, I'm probably going to make an order for the parts mentioned above and see where I get.  Possibly this weekend I'll discharge the monitor and start that list of parts rolling.

-csa

[csa3d]

Just shot off an email to Bob Roberts ordering the following parts:

Quantity       Price      Part
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1           $  5.00     Atari Asteroids PCB Cap Kit
  1           $  9.00     Atari A/R Repair Kit (caps+Q2/3+R29)
  1           $ 12.50     Atari "Big Blue" Capacitor (Transformer Assembly)
  1           $  7.50     PCB Edge Repair Kit 22/44
  1           $  5.50     Molex edge connector with split pins, 22/44 Common on Bally/Midway games
  1           $  1.00     1N4001 50v Silicon Rectifier Diodes (5 pack)
  1           $  2.50     7amp 250v 3AG slow blow fuse (5pack)
  1           $  2.50     3amp 250v 3AG slow blow fuse (5pack)
  1           $  3.00     Circuit Breaker Tester
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shipping: $8.25
Total:     $56.75

Hopefully these parts once installed with get my cabinet at least up and running blindly.  Next on my list of things to do is start to figure out what needs done on the monitor, so I can place another order.  I figure fixing the above list will keep me busy for a bit.


EDIT:  Updated order to include proper harness adapter and pins, plus shipping costs.

On a side note, I've discovered a cold solder joint on the A/R board which I'll get into more when my parts arrive.  I've also cleaned all the parts mentioned earlier, so I'm ready to go when the parts arrive.

-csa

[csa3d]

Parts arrived from Bob Roberts on Thursday.  Everything was pretty straight forward, though the hardest part was recapping the PCB due to the close proximity of all the small components.  There was also solder on both sides of the PCB which was unexpected, but I quickly figured that out.  The PCB Edge repair went pretty well.  I removed all the old solder with a soldering braid to see how bad the damage was underneath.  Most of the pins were in good shape, except three of them which were largely cooked off.  Not really enough room to feel good about connecting straight to it, so I moved forward with the edge repair kit.  The AR Board was super easy.  Here's some photo updates of the repairs.

PCB

[csa3d]

A/R Board

[csa3d]

Power Brick

[csa3d]

Next on my list of things to do is to replace the wiring harness PCB connector with the new parts I've order, and test some voltages on the stuff I recently repaired.  I also need to discharge the monitor and see what's going to be wrong on the video front.  I expect at least a cap kit will be necessary.

-csa

[slasherman]

Nice a detailed project, hope you get the hang on the PCB board a well.

[Level42]

Looks very nice !

[csa3d]

Today I decided it's time to quit putting off monitor repair.  I discharged the monitor, though nothing popped.  Quite uneventful.  Looks like this isn't going to be a straight forward plug-n-play like I had anticipated.  I'm missing fuses, there are some burn marks, and at least one visibly busted component.  I have NOT located a manual for this monitor yet, so please excuse any misnaming of various parts.  This is my first monitor repair, so I'm looking for any expert advice anyone can offer.  And here are some pics to motivate help

Monitor

Q) Can anyone point me towards a manual or whatnot so I can locate which part is which?
A) Electrohome G05-805 - PDF found here

-csa

[csa3d]

Asteroids Monitor - Deflection Amplifier PCB

1.)  Is the black wire in picture #08 normal?  It looks suspect..
2.) There appears to be a badly burnt component(s) on R100 and R101.  Any advice on how to check/fix this issue?

-csa

[csa3d]

Asteroids Monitor - HV Board

Here's the second board found on the monitor.  It was the one the monitor is directly connected to, and was enclosed in a metal protective cage.  This board looks pretty good, except there is one component on it that looks broken (see image 17).

1.) Can anyone confirm what the broken part is, or if that looks not broken and should just work?  It looks suspect to me..
2.) Is the blackness on the part in image #16 look normal?
3.) What's the broken part called in image #17
4.) When I go to reconnect the scary cable to the monitor after repair, do I need some special goo?  It appears sticky under that suction cup cap..

-csa

[Level42]

Asteroids Monitor - Board 2

Here's the second board found on the monitor.  It was the one the monitor is directly connected to, and was enclosed in a metal protective cage.  This board looks pretty good, except there is one component on it that looks broken (see image 17).

1.) Can anyone confirm what the broken part is, or if that looks not broken and should just work?  It looks suspect to me..
2.) Is the blackness on the part in image #16 look normal?
3.) What's the broken part called in image #17
4.) When I go to reconnect the scary cable to the monitor after repair, do I need some special goo?  It appears sticky under that suction cup cap..

-csa

Well first: Board 1 is called the deflection board. Board 2 is called the HV board.
1) That is a potmeter. It's a variable resitor that you can set with a screwdriver to the desired setting. At least that is what it used to be. Check the value of R905 in the manual for ordering a replacement
2) I think this is the rather special diode that is on the G05. Judging from other pictures the blackness is normal.
3) see 1)
4) You mean the HV cup. In normal cicumstances, and if the cup itself is still flexible enough, you should not need any goo at all. In fact it could cause arcs to the dye if it's under the cup itself.
5) That wire you mention is normal, leave it there
6) The burned spots look to come from regular use. But it does look pretty bad. Are you in a hot climate (or has the machine been ?) The resistors themselves look good. They could still work OK. The tracks on the back look like the lost covering. Unable to see if there are any breaks or cracks from these pics though.


The best source for vector help is the vector e-mail list. You can register here: http://www.vectorlist.org/

Also, read this faq.
http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Monitors/FAQ%20Black%20and%20White%20XY%20Version%201.1%20dated%207%20Feb%2002.pdf

And then read it again. And again.

And the best accumated info for vector monitors is by my friend Speleo (Andreas)' site Here are some pics you can compare to:
http://andysarcade.de/data/picseries/vecmon_eh_g05805/overview.html

[csa3d]

Well first: Board 1 is called the deflection board. Board 2 is called the HV board.
1) That is a potmeter. It's a variable resitor that you can set with a screwdriver to the desired setting. At least that is what it used to be. Check the value of R905 in the manual for ordering a replacement
2) I think this is the rather special diode that is on the G05. Judging from other pictures the blackness is normal.
3) see 1)
4) You mean the HV cup. In normal cicumstances, and if the cup itself is still flexible enough, you should not need any goo at all. In fact it could cause arcs to the dye if it's under the cup itself.
5) That wire you mention is normal, leave it there
6) The burned spots look to come from regular use. But it does look pretty bad. Are you in a hot climate (or has the machine been ?) The resistors themselves look good. They could still work OK. The tracks on the back look like the lost covering. Unable to see if there are any breaks or cracks from these pics though.


The best source for vector help is the vector e-mail list. You can register here: http://www.vectorlist.org/

Also, read this faq.
http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Monitors/FAQ%20Black%20and%20White%20XY%20Version%201.1%20dated%207%20Feb%2002.pdf

And then read it again. And again.

And the best accumated info for vector monitors is by my friend Speleo (Andreas)' site Here are some pics you can compare to:
http://andysarcade.de/data/picseries/vecmon_eh_g05805/overview.html

Thanks so much for all this info!  Seems I have some more reading to do for sure.  I'm in Dallas, TX.  The machine has a state gaming sticker on it which makes me think it was in rotation in the Dallas area at least for part of it's coin-op existence.

So you think those burned resistors look normal?  I will pull out the meter and see if the traces are still in tact.  I guess worse case scenario would be to fill them with some solder or a jumper?  Someone on KLOV mentioned that they thought I might be able to replace them with some heavy gauge wire, as all they do is dissipate heat.  I'll have to check the monitor manual again, but I didn't see what they are actually called to tell if that's even a part I can special order to replace.

I also did not see a specific cap kit for this monitor from Bob Roberts, but I'd bet if I email him he'd have one.  I was able to locate a cap map for it on his site.

-csa

[csa3d]

Today I started reading and trying to put together a new shopping list for monitor repair.  I need some help figuring out exactly which trim pot I need to fix the EHT PCB.

This broken part here:

   

Measures out to fit the "Horizontal C Template" from Bob Robert's pot page:

   

According to the electrohome G05-805 manual I need a 4k7 Trim Pot.  Can somone take a look at Bob's pot page here and tell me which one I should get?  I'm guessing I need the next size up (Would that be 5k???).  If 5k is correct, which would be the best fit given the following Type C choices for 5K ( the P1033, the P1043, the P1051, the P1066 )?

Thanks!
-csa

[Level42]

Drop Bob an e-mail incl. your pic and ask him. He's great.

[csa3d]

Today I placed another order today to Bob for parts to fix the monitor.   My shopping list this time consists of:

Qty.       Item                                                     Price
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1x        G05-805 15" B&W x-y w/ x-sistors        $11
1x        T03 insulators (6)                                  $1.00
1x        2amp Fast Acting fuses                         $2.00
1x        5amp slow blow fuses                          $2.50
1x        5K Trim Pot, P1051                               $1.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------
USPS Priority - $7.00
Total - $24.50

Getting closer to getting this thing working.

-csa

[csa3d]

Today I did some cap repair on the G05 with the kit I ordered from Bob.  It was strait forward, but I realized that the kit did not include the two 6800uf 50v radial caps.  I also neglected to order a 1amp fuse.  I'll be submitting that order shortly.  I still need to repair the wiring harness with the new pins I've bought as well.  Then I think I'm ready to start plugging things in and hoping everything works.

Some questions:
1.) When I get to the point where I plug in the power supply and test voltages, do i want to have all the other components plugged in or do I leave certain parts disconnected until power is verified, etc?  Any advice on this topic would be great.

2.) I had to replace a trim pot on the G05.  Not that I trust that the other pots on the monitor boards aren't set incorrectly, but how should I go about adjusting all the pots should they need it?  I assume this is a "adjust as needed" thing, and there's probably a systematic way to go about adjusting one at a time until it looks right.  Any advice on this topic as appreciated.

I'm also curious how one adjusts a monitor in regards to it being powered on.  It has a scary warning sticker in there, and it seems possible that you have to poke around in there with tools to do the job.  How does one do this safely/correctly?

3.) There are 4 transistors on the bottom of the monitor which I've replaced with new transistor pads.  The old pads had white gunk around the pads, the new ones are clean and new.  I'm guessing that gunk was/is some sort of heat protecting cream?  Is this a gunk necessary and should I put an order in to get some for the new transistor parts?

Thanks so much!
-csa

[csa3d]

Last weekend I repaired the wiring harness with the new connector I ordered from Bob.  Placed another order with for the following parts:

2    6800uf 50volt radial caps for XY monitors - $10.00
1    1amp slow blow fuses - $2.50
1    7/8" cam lock - $3.00
1     tube heat sink compoud - $5.00
USPS Priority - $7.00
Total - $27.50

This parts list should complete all repairs for the "knowns".

The guys on KLOV suggested that I plug in only the power supply and keep all other parts disconnected while I test voltages.  I found a post here outlining how to test voltages.  Hopefully I the next post to the board will be of news where everything just magically works.  I have a feeling that I'll have some monitor adjustment questions seeing that I had to replace a pot on the HV board.

Till then
-csa

[csa3d]

Can anyone tell me what I incorrectly ordered here?  I was looking to replace the C100/C101 caps on the Electrohome G05 Deflection board.  The manual reads the description as, "6800uF 50v Elect."  I ordered the "6800uf 50volt radial caps for XY monitors" from Bob.  Pictured below are both parts.  I need the bigger part, with three pins.  I was shipped the smaller part with two pins.

Thanks
-csa

[csa3d]

So I emailed Bob with this confusion, and he set me straight with the following info:

You have the correct parts. Thirty-five years ago they did not have the
technology to make the physical size any smaller & therefore needed to have
a third leg for stabilization of the gargantuan container. Those caps are
long since obsolete, but the modern ones are much more efficient while
taking up half the real estate & do not need to be stabilized in any
manner.Disregarding the no connection (NC) leg you only need to determine
the + & - holes & fill in the NC hole with solder. The pic with the product
on my Parts Page http://therealbobroberts.net/6800-50.jpg shows the negative
stripe that goes to ground.... better yet, my Cap Map onsite shows where the
+ lead should be
http://therealbobroberts.net/g05802.html . Using modern caps is noted
throughout my Help Pages onsite in many of my ramblings.

Hope this helps someone else later down the line.  There's a lot to learn for a first time restorer!
-csa

EDIT:  Bob just sent me an email with an updated cap map diagram here, showing  how you swap out the big, older style ones to these new tiny ones.  Awesome!

[Spyridon]

I just picked up these:


All from Asteroids machines.  Let me know if anything will be useful to you.

[csa3d]

I just picked up these:


All from Asteroids machines.  Let me know if anything will be useful to you.

Hey thanks for the offer!  I think I'm good so far, but will definitely give you a shout if that changes.

-csa