Ah yeah, you win some, you loose some....

[Level42]

Such a shame:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300189353337&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching
 

I went up to €215,- That was what I could justify with the wife and my already big stock of waiting restorations...

Shows how rare these beauties are here, but of course this was a red one....No side art and defective monitor though....pretty high price IMHO.


But I _did_ win this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=190188115140&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI

OK, untested, but it's complete. If it's not working, it's nice for the spare parts. There's fluid/water spill rests on all three boards, hope to clean it up nicely. Seller told me he wouldn't be surprised if it would actually work.....we'll see when I try it on the SW cab.....

I guess I could get some nice money for it if it's fully working and reconditioned.......

[ChadTower]

Nice pickup on the boards, but I'd be shocked unconscious if they actually work. 

[patrickl]

You want to be the new King of Kong eh?

[Level42]

Man my red Mario Cab. is haunting me........

Wouldn't it have been absolutely great to pair it with the red DK ?

I love all the Mario art, I even like the game, but there is also a VERY strong desire to convert it to a Kong.......

King of Kong ? Let's say King of Cabs in the Low Lands 

Chad: I don't expect it to run. But this guy had no means of testing it. I was already surprised that it was complete (all 3 boards AND all IC's on them). I think the 4 Pokey's alone are already worth the money, let alone the TI speech chip.......

Some pics:



The worst part, lower right.....   :









Soundboard: (fluid spill on the left lower part)



I also won two PCB sets from the same guy. One should be a Ms.Pac Man bootleg, the other a Crazy Kong (according to MSpaeth):

[ChadTower]

Chad: I don't expect it to run. But this guy had no means of testing it.

They all say that.  The boards do look good, though.

[Level42]

I know, but he never claimed that it _would_ be working. He just said he wouldn't be surprised if it would still work to me when I picked them up. (Belgian friendly guy).
He was selling a whole bunch of PCB's, Indiana Jones (went for little), DK/Popeye bootleg etc. The extreme rarity of SW cabs here (and collectors) probably got me this nice price.

I can't test it before the weekend I'm afraid.

Should I test it before cleaning it or the other way around (I could damage something by the cleaning).

[SavannahLion]

Should I test it before cleaning it or the other way around (I could damage something by the cleaning).

Interesting Q. I would say clean it first, you'll be able to more thoroughly inspect the boards while cleaning. Powering the board before inspection might result in more damage. But what do I know, my recently acquired boards are covered in chicken ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, I don't have a choice. 

[Level42]

Yeah, I washed the Konami GT set because I didn't care much for it in the first place and thought I had little to loose.... worked without problem after it..........

[ChadTower]

You can probably power the boards without cleaning most of them but you'll definitely have to clean off the edges and connectors first.  I'd reseat and clean all of the socketed chips first, too, and maybe the dips.  Dirt in any of those can easily cause problems... so by that time, you may as well clean the whole thing and get it over with.  If it causes a problem now it will cause a problem later.

[Level42]

Yeah, guess I'll clean the worst parts first.
I have a feeling about this that it actualy works. Don't know, just a feeling (Had it with my SW CP as well )


Guess, it's just not my day for e-bay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=140197024140&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI

Didn't want this as bad as the DK though. I'm just not too big of a Defender fan and obviously this would take a PCB set, a CP and probably some more things to restore. Still, quite rare here.....

[ChadTower]

Personally I don't think you sure ever clean PCBs unless what is on them is going to short something out.  If you decide to do it, be sure and dry the boards thoroughly.

If you're going to actually work on them you have to be able to read the layout and component markings.  You have to be able to read the traces, too.  Can't do that when they're covered in 20 years of dirt.

[Level42]

If it was just dust/dirt it wouldn't be that much of a problem. I haven't cleaned any PCB by washing except the Konami. All others I simply cleaned with some paper towel etc.

Not sure what it is on these SW boards, but it looks a lot like chalk that was left over after the spill dried.
Chalk is pretty nasty stuff, it will eat through almost anything in time. You can see it clearly on this picture:

I'm afraid this will damage the PCB tracks or the chips if I leave it this way (if the damage hasn't already been done). I just tried some very careful cleaning with a mild detergent on some spots, but that doesn't really get rid of it. Could I use some alcohol ?  If so what kind ? Or that stuff that my wife uses to get rid of chalk stains ?

[polaris]

they sell this in the uk

[ChadTower]

Level42, you and I just talked about this man!  Use The Book!



You're not going to find a better authority on how to clean a Star Wars PCB than Atari, right?   

[Level42]

Cleaning dust/dirt will probably will work fine with the Atari method Chad (I guess that Formula 409 stuff is some general household detergant stuff, I used something simular) but it doesn't do much for this residu.

You think I haven't read the book ? _I_ clipped that part and put it up somewhere here !!! 

I've used Atari's method with success on the Konami GT PCB. Worked without a problem.
But that one was just filthy.

This residu is a lot tougher. I think the alcohol (thanks for that link Polaris !) will work.
(Here's a list of FAQ about that stuff:http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ITAG=FAQ&ModuleNo=28994&doy=18m1#faq)

I'll pick up a bottle of it this afternoon at my electronics-parts dealer (www.dil.nl ,  I'm a regular customer now )

I'm still careful with the washing method. I know it works, but if there is no real need, I avoid it. However, chips on a PCB are not going to be damaged by water. You _DO_ have to remove the IC's that are not directly soldered of course. Also, I wouldn't wash PCB with lots of other components like pots etc. (F.I. monitor PCB's. IMHO the water can get in parts on those kind of circuits. The only "risky" parts on a game PCB are the one's Atari mentions and the caps maybe. And the dipswitches I guess.

So......no, I do not want to completely bath the SW PCB's prior to testing them. I _do_ want to remove the worst parts of the residu before testing however.

[ChadTower]

1 - says to beware of getting components wet.

It's easy to use a light stream of water and avoid getting the larger components wet.  That board doesn't have many larger components, such as filter caps (as specifically mentioned) on it.

Plus you're going to replace all of those caps if you really want it working well.  They are 25 year old electrolytics.

[shardian]

I can't bring myself to use the dishwasher either, mostly because I don't like the idea of high pressure water hitting the board. I prefer to use the "battery acid cleanup" method to clean boards. Vinegar is a great and natural cleanser. Douse the board, scrub with a toothbrush, rinse with distilled water, then rinse with 90% rubbing alcohol. Board will be clean, will dry out quickly, and you can avoid problem areas with no problems.

[ChadTower]

Who mentioned the dishwasher here?   

I usually clean with something like Formula 409 and a toothbrush, then run it under a small stream of water in the sink to clean it all off.  Then I dry off with a hair dryer and let it sit for at least a day or two before powering on.  Most of the time I'm working on it right after cleaning, anyway, so it's not going to get powered for quite a while.

[shardian]

Who mentioned the dishwasher here?   

Heh, I guess this thread blended together with the million other washing boards threads I've read. It always comes up some time or another.

[Jess--]

a cheaper solution for cleaning the board up would be Lighter fluid (for zippo type lighters)

I have used this a lot of times (normally on mobile phones that have been killed) and have never had it cause any damage, basicly just squirt it on and then scrub with a toothbrush working from the centre towards the edges and then off the edge onto some paper towel. you dont have to worry too much about leaving it on the board in liquid form as it evaporates off fast

dont smoke while cleaning with it though

[Level42]

Nice pickup on the boards, but I'd be shocked unconscious if they actually work. 

Chad......go lie on the floor before you get this shock:

I just went to see my beloved cockpit again to try the "new" set. It works. 100%. Cleared all tests.

This was one hell of a deal ! 

[ChadTower]

I just went to see my beloved cockpit again to try the "new" set. It works. 100%. Cleared all tests.

This was one hell of a deal ! 

Holy crap.  Very nice!