A little Star Wars Upright advice

[horseboy]

I am going to check out a Star Wars upright here in a few hours, so I was going to try to get a little advice. This would be my first vector machine, so I am totally inexperienced in that regard. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for here? Is there anything monitor-wise that I should keep in mind? Anything that will let me know if the monitor will last for more that a week? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

[ChadTower]

It's not that different from a raster monitor physically.  The chassis will be bigger and probably more enclosed, but other than that, you're looking for the same types of things.  Screen burn, inconsistent display, etc etc. 

I guess as for how good the monitor is NOW, check to see if the vectors are stable (not wiggling), make sure all of the graphics are to proper scale, and make sure the center of the screen doesn't have the dot of death burn that happens so easily on vectors.  Pretty much everything is repairable except screen burn, just like a raster.

Oh, and check to make sure the drawn lines line up as they should.  The convergence on a vector can be a ---smurfette--- to get right sometimes if it is off.

[ArtMAME]

Power up the machine and leave it on for at least 10 - 15 minutes to see if the vectors start doing funny stuff like wiggling, fading out, acting funky, etc. 

I bought an Asteroids Deluxe cocktail that worked fine when we powered it up at the sellers house... got it home, don't work no more...  ...  Blew out the dust and moved it back into the house... worked for a minute, then the screen faded out...    sinking feeling too, considering how much I paid for the thing...

I have been able to revive it a few times by doing various things... but it still fades out eventually... 

Right now it is in the corner of my shop with a blanket over it... I do not want to mess with it right now, got lots of other projects to play with...

Still, with machines that old, you are pretty much gambling... as soon as you move it, strange things may begin to happen like it did with my Asteroids Deluxe cocktail... It is up to you if you think you will want to mess with it if something does go wrong...

But heck, if the price is right... go for it, even if you may have to invest some time and money to get it 100%...

Like a famous auctioneer once said:

"Ain't nothing in the world wrong with it that money can't fix..."   

[ChadTower]

Basically, Vectors aren't as different from rasters as you may think.  Most issues are the same with a few that are applied a little differently but only in what component on the monitor chassis you look at to correct what type of display issue.

[paigeoliver]

And also, sometimes you just have to be willing to spend the cash to send vector parts out for repairs. When my Vectorbeam monitor developed problems I sent the chassis out to a vectorbeam expert for repair rather than trying to tackle repair on a rare monitor myself. The expert repaired my chassis for $100 and sent it back to me. That was well worth the money.

In general everything related to vector games seems to be less reliable than raster games. Not just the monitors, since most vector boardsets themselves tend to be rather flaky. You hardly ever hear about a "Kangaroo" with PCB problems, but Star Wars machines with PCB problems are all over the place.

[ChadTower]

Kangaroo was only on location for a reasonably short time... Star Wars would STILL be on location if games really lasted 20 years.  Time on location definitely plays a major factor in what we find over the last 5-10.

[horseboy]

Ok, so I checked this thing out. The monitor looked great. I played it for about 25 minutes with no issues.

I did however notice a few curious things. Right when he turned it off, there was a loud buzzing that didn't stop. There appeared to be a little bit of of overscan or something. I didn't notice at all during gameplay, but the credit screen had the "L" from "Lucas Arts" cut off.  Also, he said a couple of years ago the screen went black on him. He said he called in some local arcade guy. The guy installed a new board on the monitor, and it has been good ever since.

Cosmetically it wasn't terrible. The guy was bragging to me about the wooden basket thing that he installed on the side of the cab to be a drink/dart holder. 

[ChadTower]

Sounds like a keeper if the price is right.  And the price for a working Star Wars is pretty high.

As for that buzzing when he turned it off, first thing I'd think of is the marquee light, second I'd check the monitor ground to see if it is discharging properly when powered off.  Especially if dude is one of those asslickers that cuts the ground prong off his cords.

[ArtMAME]

How much is he asking???

Tell him to knock off $200 and he gets to keep his awesome basket/drink holder...

[horseboy]

Sounds like a keeper if the price is right.  And the price for a working Star Wars is pretty high.

As for that buzzing when he turned it off, first thing I'd think of is the marquee light, second I'd check the monitor ground to see if it is discharging properly when powered off.  Especially if dude is one of those asslickers that cuts the ground prong off his cords.

Sorry, I was tired last night. I meant it happened when he turned it on.

[horseboy]

How much is he asking???

Tell him to knock off $200 and he gets to keep his awesome basket/drink holder...

Shoot, I should pay him $200 more for it. Think of the convenience. 

[ChadTower]

Same advice, check the light and check the grounding on the monitor.  I was wondering how it didn't stop quickly after he cut the power.

Now that we know it's when the machine is on, was the buzzing coming from the audio circuit?  That could mean an AR board rebuild is necessary.  That can be done with a $10 kit and novice soldering skills.

[horseboy]

I couldn't really tell where it was coming from, but my first thought was that it was coming from the back of it. That lead me to believe it was coming from the inside, but I am not exactly sure.

[ChadTower]

Can we assume you did not buy it since you're not saying "need to fix it" now?

[horseboy]

I am supposed to call him here pretty soon.


Here is a neat little side note on that trip.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64367.0

[ArtMAME]

Sounds like a keeper if the price is right.  And the price for a working Star Wars is pretty high.

As for that buzzing when he turned it off, first thing I'd think of is the marquee light, second I'd check the monitor ground to see if it is discharging properly when powered off.  Especially if dude is one of those asslickers that cuts the ground prong off his cords.

Sorry, I was tired last night. I meant it happened when he turned it on.

I have an Asteroids upright that has that loud buzzing, it does not affect game play... just a little annoying 

I have replaced the Big Blue Cap but that did not do anything.

I have the rebuild kit for the A/R board, but have not installed it yet.  Have not worked up the courage yet.


Still plays good.  The cabinet is in awesome condition and no burn on the screen.  I paid $500 for it.   

Did not get a basket with it though...

[horseboy]

Ok, so I bought it. I will be bringing her home Sunday. Thanks for all the comments/advice guys.

Just to show my appreciation, I will be removing the basket from the side and shipping it to ArtMAME. I will be expecting pics of it installed on the side of your Asteroids.

[ChadTower]

Niiice.  That game is a serious keeper.  Try and track down an ESB multikit for it... so worth having.

[horseboy]

Niiice.  That game is a serious keeper.

It is pretty much my dream game. Well, technically a cockpit version is the #1 dream game, but this is second place. Definitely will be my favorite.

Try and track down an ESB multikit for it... so worth having.

Ya, that was the plan. It seems tough to find. Apparently Clay isn't taking kit orders, so... If anyone knows where to get one PM me please.

[ChadTower]

It is really hard to find right now, Clay hasn't taken orders on that in a couple of years I think.  I have one but I also have a Star Wars project waiting for it.  I've had people offer me $200+ for it.  I don't follow RGVAC much but I have seen occasional rumbles of an updated one maybe pending.

[somunny]

Nice score, hb! 

[Havok]

Congrats! Best game evah!

(But I agree - a cockpit would be the best, but this score is definitely great!)

[shorthair]

Nobody asked how much you paid for it.  ?

[horseboy]

Nobody asked how much you paid for it.  ?

Nope. They still haven't. 

[shardian]

How much did you pay...

Are you happy now?

[kelemvor]

And did you get any pics?

[horseboy]

$450

No pics yet other than the one I already posted.

Oh yeah, and it works. The free shipping was $10. Unfortunately, though, it won't fit in my basement.

[ChadTower]

We asked for the asking price, and when you didn't give it, I assumed you weren't going to do so.

[horseboy]

I don't remember anybody asking. But no, I don't mind telling what I paid. Not a big deal, I don't think. It's not like you asked how much money I make or how I lost my virginity. All is well.

I can't wait to get it home. The only problem is that playing it will preference over any restoration work. Oh well. 

[Havok]

Hey horseboy, the guys were just wondering...

How much do you make, and how (if) did you lose your virginity?

 

[shorthair]

Hanh hanh hanh hanh hanh.  And, um, I could think of worse things than playin Star Wars.

[FrizzleFried]

Nice score at $450!   Wanna trade for a Joust?   

[ChadTower]

How much is he asking???

Tell him to knock off $200 and he gets to keep his awesome basket/drink holder...

Shoot, I should pay him $200 more for it. Think of the convenience. 

Dude, you even quoted someone asking the question.

[horseboy]

How much is he asking???

Tell him to knock off $200 and he gets to keep his awesome basket/drink holder...

Shoot, I should pay him $200 more for it. Think of the convenience. 

Dude, you even quoted someone asking the question.

I sure did. I guess I just missed that somehow? 

[SithMaster]

cough could you measure the cab for me cough?  id like to know the size of the shroud dimensions.

so are you going to keep the box where it is?

[Level42]

So what do we reacon is a sit-down with a dead monitor worth ?

[ChadTower]

19" or 25" monitor?  That makes a huuuuuuuge difference, as does about 45 other things like condition of the cab and the game boards.

[horseboy]

so are you going to keep the box where it is?

Sadly, we had to remove the box to get it down his hallway. I let him keep it, but I think I might end up regretting that one.

[melarky]

I'm looking for the measurments for the cabinet as well.  We need to get the star wars upright plans on Jakobuds site.  Ever since I saw pin_wiz_1's thread on his scratch built star wars upright (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=62824.0), I've been itching to build one.  I have collected a few parts (the monitor bezel and control panel, still need the yoke and the artwork and dimenisons).

I asked in that above thread for the dimensions, but never did hear back from him (not sure if it would be hard to convert his measurments for Jakobuds site since he uses the metric system).

If you are feeling generous Horseboy, we would love to get those dimensions from you.

[ChadTower]

I may be able to help with that as well... my Star Wars is completely open in the back as the roof and back door are gone from water damage.  I'm going to have to rebuild those pieces and maybe the floor as well.