Need advice with first cocktail tables

[whoshere]

New to the forum. Hi everyone!

I just purchased two cocktail tables. They're original 1980/1981 pacman and galaga cocktails. The pacman cabinet powers up and you can hear gameplay, but nothing appears on the screen. Basically, blind play. The galaga cabinet seems to power up and you can hear the speaker pop momentarily, but no audio is heard and the monitor is seen flickering with the "game over" screen. Both cabinets were in a single home for many years and haven't been turned on in about 8 years. The original owner says they were working the last time they were powered on but they've been sitting there untouched. What would you recommend on repairs and whatnot? Or where would be a good place to start? Any information would be appreciated!

[whoshere]

Also, I forgot to mention that we still need to drill the locks out since they didn't have the keys.

[kevin2me]

Hey,

I got one not used in 20 years and it worked but glass top in bits,
barely working, could make out game on screen.

Rebuilt it:
Sand blasted legs, lots rust,
repainted metal parts,
Redone a Control panel, basic but chrome LEDs.

But PC and 14 inch monitor inside, running Mame.
But is PC 14 inch monitors fitted in fine for me. Could use existing brackets.

Piece de resistance, mirror glass Table Top.
When machine is off, cannot see screen,
power it on and screens light aloud pass thru mirrored top and like hidden screen.

Makes it old and modern in one go

Small video here:


Hope this helps
Kev
 

[CheffoJeffo]

If you have monitor woes, they are easily repaired. Check Monitor/Video forum for details.

Would be the wrong move to just MAME them as kevin2me suggests (since they are complete cabs) without first trying to restore.

[matsadona]

I totally agree that the priority should always be on restoration (and preservation) of original cabinets. They will never be built again and every MAMEutation will lead to less number of originals.
Please do what ever you can to get them working again. There are plenty of people here that will help you.

[abispac]

Hey,

I got one not used in 20 years and it worked but glass top in bits,
barely working, could make out game on screen.

Rebuilt it:
Sand blasted legs, lots rust,
repainted metal parts,
Redone a Control panel, basic but chrome LEDs.

But PC and 14 inch monitor inside, running Mame.
But is PC 14 inch monitors fitted in fine for me. Could use existing brackets.

Piece de resistance, mirror glass Table Top.
When machine is off, cannot see screen,
power it on and screens light aloud pass thru mirrored top and like hidden screen.

Makes it old and modern in one go

Small video here:


Hope this helps
Kev
 

no ofense but this looks ugly, huge cocktail cab with such a tiny monitor.....
And as far as coverting 2 original cocktails like pacman and galaga, ill say keep them original....just clean everything and make sure all conections are in place, they should be fine...

[whoshere]

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for your input. I'm going to have to take them to someone local (So-cal) to take a look at them. He did offer to MAME them, too. I just want them working as intended. He also offered to swap out the monitor for me? Is it better to just swap out or to try and get the original working?

[RayB]

Have you ever done any wiring / electronics soldering? It could be an easy fix.

[whoshere]

Unfortunately, no. I've been researching online and it does seem like it could be a simple fix. But, I'm a complete noob when it comes to anything electrical. That's when my "girlyness" comes through.