Got the Millipede! -- Working! --

[shilmover]

Brought the Millipede home today.  I was told by the seller that it was a Power Supply issue, but when I plug in the cab and fire it up, I see random characters on the screen and the red LED on the PCB is on.  Did I get a system with a bad board or could this still be a Power Supply issue?

Update:
Talked to the seller and here is his response:

"My buddy the repair guy said that when it does that it is always the motherboard not getting enough power causing the game to light up and  not start .  Common problem."

[leapinlew]

is this a project announcement or .... what are you announcing exactly?

[shilmover]

is this a project announcement or .... what are you announcing exactly?

I am announcing that I got a Millipede that I will be restoring:

- Currently does not work
- Marquee Light does not work
- CP has to be rebuilt and needs a new CPO
- Needs a new Marquee
- One side has slight wood damage
- Art on one side needs to be touched up
- NOT being converted to MAME or JAMMA 

I am asking for help on the first item on that list...  getting it working.

Am I missing something?  Does this not constitute a project?   

[leapinlew]

You may have more luck posting the issue with the power supply in Arcade Miscellaneous and then lay out the solution/fix here. In this section - you see people ask for opinions, and post progress but you don't really see too much technical help occur.

Good luck on your project and lets see some pics!

[shilmover]

Thanks for the pointer...  I will post it there.

I will be taking pics today and posting them.  I am officially off work for the year, but have a huge "honey do" list to finish.   

[Level42]

yeah.....I've suggested an Electronics sub-forum here, but not too many people want it. This is yet another thread that would belong there, as SO many others......
 

[Zakk]

I'd like to see the pics of the progress though.  I always liked that millipede art.  Now mind you it's no 'pink fluffy clouds', but nice nonetheless.

[shilmover]

I agree.  I had forgotten how cool the side art was.  Took some pictures... will be posting soon.

[shilmover]

Some Pics:

From the back:


The Power Supply.  I replaced the big blue cap, but this is not a new one, but the one I kept from my Star Wars.  New ones ordered:


The boardset:


This is what I found connected to the PS when I opened the cab up.  They were connected in parallel.    .  When I removed the silver one, I noticed that it made some noise.  It sounds like a rattle.   

[shilmover]

More Pics:

Left side:


Left side damage by the CP:


Left side bottom (not bad considering the age):


Damage on the left side on the Millipede's body.  There was a sticker there that the seller removed, but it took the paint off.  Luckily, he kept the sticker, so I have the yellow pain to match from  :

[shilmover]

Still more pics:

The Marquee.  Again, it had stickers on it (a previous owner really liked his sporting team stickers!!!   )so it is in bad shape and will need to get replaced:


The Speaker cover.  The cover itself is in really good shape, but the speaker grill has a couple of dents on the left side and another freaking sticker on the right!   


The Control Panel.  The P1/P2 buttons light up.  They were very dim when I first powered it up, but once I replaced the Big Blue, they are nice and bright!  The trackball needs to be opened and cleaned.  and obviously, a new CPO:


Here is the damage to the side from the CP point of view.  Easily fixable:

[shilmover]

Yet more pics:

Here is the front of the cab.  Needs to be cleaned, but little touchup will be needed.   


Closeup of the coin door.  I will need to remove, strip and repaint:


A closeup of the bottom edge of the front.  Again, considering the age, its in great shape:


The Monitor.  It's filthy and the image looks a bit green, but works:

[Level42]

Interesting fire button. Black surrounding, white button. Is that standard ?

[shilmover]

Last set of pics (for now):

Right side of cab:


Top of the right side.  Notice how dirty it is, but it does not rub off (ie, its not dust).  Any suggestions on how to clean it?


Inside of backboard with original One Sheet instruction:


Closeup of the one sheet:


The top of the cab:


Outside of backboard (again, in great shape):


Overall, the cab is in great physical shape.  No water damage (like the SW had).

[shilmover]

Interesting fire button. Black surrounding, white button. Is that standard ?

The fire button does not seem standard (I believe it should be black).  All the pics I have seen online have had no surround:

[shilmover]

Okay... the Millipede is now running...

How did I fix it so quickly you ask?  I could say that I am just amazing at fixing old boards, but that would be a lie.  I ended up trading the bad board + a bit of $ for a working board.  While I would have loved to work on the board and fix it, I just have too many projects to do over the holiday (and most of them are not arcade related, but "keep my butt married" related.   

Colors are washed out a bit, the monitor will not properly focus, but I guess I can expect that from a 25 year old game.  I will order a cap kit and flyback in the new year. 

Also, I cleaned out the trackball (which barely moved) and it works better, but up down is crappy.  I will need to rebuild that too.  (wait until I post the pictures of the crap I found inside the trackball!).

[Level42]

That's cheating ! 

[hatrick]

To clean the cabinet, use one of those Mr Clean Magic Erasers. it's like a white sponge thing and it does wonders. Made the dirty parts of my Centipede cab look new. 

[shilmover]

That's cheating ! 

So is replacing you Centipede monitor with a TV!!!!    :-p

[shilmover]

To clean the cabinet, use one of those Mr Clean Magic Erasers. it's like a white sponge thing and it does wonders. Made the dirty parts of my Centipede cab look new. 

Cool!  Got one of those at home...

[Level42]

That's cheating ! 

So is replacing you Centipede monitor with a TV!!!!    :-p

Damn, he got me 

[shilmover]

That's cheating ! 

So is replacing you Centipede monitor with a TV!!!!    :-p

Damn, he got me