Kampcool's Defender Original Restore

[kampcool]

Here is my 1981 Williams Defender I bought at a yard sale.  Its Rough around the edges, but as far as I can see, it has been left alone from the mame-ers, and has all original equipment inside.  The Marquee floresent lighting was bypassed into a 15w appliance bulb configuration, and the power cord looks like it was cannibalized from an extension cord.  There is a mystery ON/OFF switch, and the back door toggle switch has been taped shut.  Im lucky to have retrieved the back door with paper diagram still intact, as they were obviously running without it.  The day I purchased it, the monitor glowed red in back, and the picture was irreversably skewed horizontally.
 
Since Ive had it home, Ive been reading, and downloading manuals/schematics and researching.   Originally, I told the wife I was going to build a mame-rom unit, but the more I read, the more I decided to keep it real.   As far as I can tell (skewed screen), It works.  I have been able to do the sound test, the color test, play and die (quick lol), I have hit the reset button inside on the board on power up, and I get all 4 leds blink twice.
 
I took a few electronic classes in college and I have been soldering since my teens (guitar player, automotive/motorcycle geek), but there is no denying the fact that this is my first Arcade Resto.  Im going to need a little help here, for sure.  My best friend and drummer has been a cabinet/wood worker all his life (he just restoed a pinball, btw) So I have help in that department if I get that far.  First we have to get this baby right on the inside.

[kampcool]

Heres that taped button switch for the back doors absenteeism

[kampcool]

Heres that funky powercord hack into the power supply

[kampcool]

Here is the after stock Marqee lighting change.

[kampcool]

Here is the hand picked loot I salvaged from the inside bottom

[kampcool]

Oh yeah, here is that on/off switch, that I have no idea where it belongs.

Also, there is some string there (if anyone knows what tag belongs here, I would highly appreciate)
Is this an orginal switch?  does it belong routed toward the coin door?  Any help would be highly appreciated.

[kampcool]

     I have some videos saved on photobucket with me doing a powerup/ and the 4 led's blinking twice, and another video of me actually playing (of skewed screen), but for the life of me I dont know how to post them yet.   So for now, I guess Ill just post some more pictures of this machine, and if anything stands out to anyone, feel free to comment.  Here is Inside Back Left and Bottom.

[kampcool]

Inside Back Left

[kampcool]

Power supply

[kampcool]

19" Electroholme G07

OMG The original cardboard is still on the back. <grin>

[opt2not]

Well, I posted this in your other post. Not retyping it, so here:

Saint's probably going go move this post to Restorations anyways, no need to spam multiple forums..

As for the cabinet, it looks to be in great shape already! Best defender I've seen pre-restore!
The artwork is really crisp and bright, and really, all you'd need to do is fix the bottoms and edges and youre good to go. great looking coin-door condition.  The bezel looks like it could use a polish.
Is it working? If it is, you probably don't need to put much effort into getting this to great condition.
Marquee light and power cord replacement is easy-peasy stuff. But what of the internals? Does it have the original linear power supply? Or a switcher?

Also, what was the offer you made that he sold it to you for?
I'm curious, cause physically it's in pretty good condition.

Looks like the original linear PS is in there.
That dangling switch is not stock. It's probably controlling the marquee lamp or something
As always, I suggest finding the manual and schematics online and give it a thorough read.

Welcome to your first restore. You've found a nice entry-level conditioned cabinet for it. Most of what you've posted seems very doable for someone getting into restorations.
Good luck and welcome!

[kampcool]

OPT2NOT, I knew you would be happy to see this one.  TYVM for trackin me down from the new projects thread.

[kampcool]

That switch toggles the machine On/Off after plugin.

[kampcool]

As long as the push button back door switch is taped closed.

[kampcool]

That is why I am REAL fortunate to have received this:

[kampcool]

As far as the coin door goes..... mixed emotions....

They are lit and I have the quarter/dollar/quarter  configuration, but none of them worked, till I reinstalled the spring into the leftmost quarter slot.  (the other two bays are empty)

[kampcool]

Ok, Moving along now internally here is my poor old G07 right hand side from the back.

[kampcool]

The Flyback is cool, no gooze or explosions noticeable.  Ive been trying to get on the virtual horn with Bob Roberts about this resto, to no avail.  I know it needs a cap and reflow (#1 before we do anything else).  I had some e-mail trouble last night contacting him.  Gonna try again right now.  (Im a night shifter in the midwest, so its hard to contact creatures of the day), and my laptop at work was not jive-ing with his contact info at all.

[kampcool]

   Opt2Not, as far as the sale........My wife and I were on my Motorcycle locally, and I had been exploring emulation on my PC to recover my Midway "OMEGA RACE" fix, when I discovered Mame rom. So, I was mentally on a cabinet search.  It was a "Moving" yard sale, and I totally turned my bike around, and my prescious cargo(my wife) was saying, "What are you doing"? I responded, "We a going to that yard sale". (I could feel her eyes rolling from the back of my helmet) We arrived, and the owners wife was in charge, and her husband was absent.  I was told that the only thing wrong with the machine was a power supply fuse, and outside of that is was fully operational.  The move upstairs from the basement must have finished off the caps in the monitor, because the screen presented was not what she was used too.  When I came back with my pickup truck, and 100 dollars, the sellers wife got on the phone and had an argument outside of the tent, and came back and sold it to me.  She promised me the keys, but the phone number she provided,and all my attempts were never answered.   I "accidently" stole this rig, but it was no easy feat.  My wife wanted nothing to do with it, and I really didnt know what I was getting in to (and I still dont), also. I know the sellers Husband was hot, because I never did get my keys to the coin door.

[kampcool]

 19" ELECTROHOLME G07 removal.

Disharged and anode removal at monitor.  I rubbered gloved and grounded my flatip screwdriver directly to a stake pounded into the ground. Also, I was off concrete and had the wife standing by with a 2x4. After it snapped, it took some loving before she would drop said 2x4.

[kampcool]

removed 4 carriage nuts and washers from underneath

[kampcool]

unplugged monitor here

and here.

[kampcool]

1/2 inch monitor chasis stop bar removal (3 wood screws) bottom of pic

[kampcool]

G07 Chasis removed (and here is where I made a super bad rookie mistake)  I had the monitor out, before i discharged the C904 Capacitor (the BIG grey one in within the monitor chasis)  I had the Chasis out free and clear and decided to blast it with my aircompressor before I carried it into the house. The C904 snapped hard, and blew its top.  I have been so angry at myself all day over this, because Bob Roberts forums (and many others) explain how to avoid this.  I fished thru all my late night operations and found THIS photo...

[kampcool]

That Dang thing was bad ANYHOW!   Here is what it looked liked after it snapped. (GRIN).

[kampcool]

I have owned this sweetheart for almost 2 years now.  Every oil change, Bike upgrade, Jeep repair.... Its been in the way.  I have got to get this unit out of the cold and away from the mice.  Not to mention I need some Validity of that purchase to proove to the wife i still have a great eye. I have never seen a C904 blow like mine.  Please someone tell me I am not doomed.

[cw]

you are not doomed...

[opt2not]

you are not doomed...

+1

G07's are fairly common, and there's a lot of places that carry parts. Grab yourself the G07 manual and look up what that Cap is, then get a replacement. Check bob roberts' site, or Mike's Arcade, or even Arcade Shop.
While you're at it, get a cap-kit for it.  I know Bob has a full Deluxe Kit, (which may be a bit over board -- but couldn't hurt) that has a cap-kit, a width-coil, flyback, regulator, fuses...you could probably find what you need for C904 -- just be sure to check the manual for the specs.

Since you're handy with soldering, you should be fine with getting this game running in tip-top shape.. I probably have waaaay less soldering life-time experience than you do, (I took half a semester of Electronics class in High School, but switched to Home-Economics 'cause there were way more chicks in it) but I'm pretty confident with an iron now that I've got a few repairs under my belt. You'll be fine.

 

That switch toggles the machine On/Off after plugin.

Looks like they rigged it up so that you don't have to bend down to the bottom right corner to flip it on. There's  supposed to be a hole at the base of the cabinet in the back there, which the switch sticks out for you to access.

As long as the push button back door switch is taped closed.

From the looks of your picture, the holes it was mounted into looks to be stripped out. Might have to repair that area and re-mount it properly.

You're probably also going to have to get some new cam-locks for the back panel and coin-door. I can't remember the size you'll need, but it should be in the manual. Those can be found at the above links I posted.

As far as the coin door goes..... mixed emotions....

Naw, that looks pretty good. Those cracked Coin inserts can be replaced: Pinball Resource has NOS inserts you can get (under Williams Coin Door Parts).
What's that marred-goopy stuff on it?  Looks like adhesive from tape or stickers or something.  You can get that off with Goo-gone or any glue-remover, found at most hardware stores across this continent. Or, if they're scuffs in the metal, after a good cleaning, take a wire-wheel to it -- put it in your drill chuck, scrape it all away. This is the tried-and-true method for restoring most metal components. Cleaning up bolts is done in a similar manner. Put the bolts in your drill chuck, and run the drill while pressing the bolt down on sandpaper. Doesn't matter the sandpaper grit count, what I do is use some WD-40 for lube, and dip the bolt in that before sanding it down. They come out nice and shiny. A good idea is to clear-coat it after to protect it from rust...

Oh, and for $100, 2 years ago...this is still a freakin' steal! I'm jealous.

Here, check out this site: http://www.robotron-2084.co.uk/  There's some information on Williams hardware upgrades that you might want to consider later. Things like Ram upgrades (runs cooler , lasts longer) and Battery Mods (uses Lithium batteries rather than those AA ones).

I can already tell, this restore is going to get me fixin' to get on my Robotron Cabaret.

[kampcool]

Great links, thankyou.  I am doing exactly that atm...  I researched the G07 schematic and found  this:   C1904  E Cap   Qey0034-001   Its a 600uf 200v cap that has been discontinued.  So I dug some more, and guess whos name popped up?  Bob.     Neat little walk thru and a part upgrade.  HIGHLY dooable.    The original is replaced with a smaller 680uf 200v cap.
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/bplus.html.   

[kampcool]

I messed that link up with a period at the end.  Try this one for C904 cap replacement with much thanks to Bob Roberts.
http://arcadecontrols.com/BBBB/bplus.html

[opt2not]

Good find on bob's site. He's got a lot of great stuff and info on his site. He's invaluable to restorations IMO.
Check out his Williams battery upgrade tutorial too, it's very simple to accomplish.

Btw, you can press modify on your posts and edit stuff you already posted.

[SirPeale]

...and grounded my flatip screwdriver directly to a stake pounded into the ground.

That's not how you're supposed to do it.  The wire should be connected to the frame (ultimately it should be connected to the dag wire going around the tube, but the frame usually connects the two).

If you need a G07 rebuild kit, I sell complete G07 hi-temp cap kits, flybacks and other items.

[kampcool]

          Thanks Sir Peale, I appreciate.  I have been daunted by non game related tasks in abundance, recently.   Hope to order parts, and post soon

[kampcool]

    Right ON!   I am in the middle of my first cap job, and I am totally stoked.  This is SO enjoyable, I cannot describe.  This is pure fun to me, and I should have stayed the course in 1992, and finished my electronics degree.  Sure would beat working on that assembly line.....   Then there is the reward after the reward of having "COOL FACTOR x 10" in your basement.  I can solder after all these years, and it feels great. 
    It was my second night of swapping caps, and I came upon the C412.  No problems there, I was just cleaning up when I noticed an empty prong "leed", poking thru my chasis board, just north and to the closest edge of my C412.   The more I think about it, I am sure its just a stabilizer.  Since I am a total new guy to G07's, If anyone has any input here, It would be Highly appreciated.   Thanks in advance, here is some pix.
 

[kampcool]

    Here is another pic of the unsoldered leed right by the C510.  Should I just leave it alone?  Any input would be cool.

 
and..

[kampcool]

Hey guys, that unsolderd prong was nothing, just a stabilyzer.  Here is what happened today:

[kampcool]

Ive got the machine powered up, and the monitor tuned in, gonna let it sit and cook for awhile,  seems I have some control panel issues, the joystick isnt working, and the fire button isnt working.   I was playing blind before the cap job, and I remember that these were functional before.  I got to looking at those "CHEESY" connectors at the user interface board on the inside, and I dont like that setup at all.  Its those splice type connections where you slide the wire inbetween sharp points that cut the insulation "LAME"

[kampcool]

I think Im gonna pull that interface board, and do a reflow on all those connections, and see if that helps, after I ensure all the connections are good up top, at the wires....

[kampcool]

Here are some pix of my 1st Eltrohome G07 RESTORE Cleaned up, with a new Flyback, C904, and full capkit

[kampcool]

Many Thanks to Bob Roberts and his patience, for his help in getting me this far.  I totally clogged his email, with my questions and comments.  All I ever had to do was read his tutorials.  (Although, that weird unsoldered prong was a new one.....).     Thanks to all your efforts to the gaming community, Bob........   You Rock.