Space Invaders Restoration Project

[wmba]

Hi all.

Picked up another cabinet this weekend. This time it is an original Midway Space Invaders cabinet.   It appears to be complete other than a monitor. The seller told me that he tested the board and everything works and should be all set once I find and hook up a monitor.

My plan is to attempt to get this running on original parts/equipment, and then restore the outside of the cabinet (repaint original graphics with stencels, new control panel overlay, new bezel, etc).

As I am new to the arcade hobby, any tips specific to this game are welcome.

Also, I am looking to buy a working monitor for this game if anyone has one.

Below are some pics of the cabinet when I got it yesterday.
Thanks for looking!
Bill

[Neilyboy]

Lookin' good man! I'm excited to see how this one goes.. I can totally vouch for thisoldgame repro work..  http://thisoldgame.com/thisoldgame/new_page_2.htm

You can find everything you need to make your cab beautiful directly from him. Its the best quality repro art you will find anywhere!!

Neil

[ChadTower]

That doesn't need a full repaint.  Clean it up, some new T molding, and you'll be surprised at how good it looks.  There isn't a bigger bang for your buck improvement than new T Molding.

At worst that visible side just needs some minor touchup.

[wmba]

Chadtower...    These pictures don't really show the condition of the paint.  All of the sections of the cabinet that are white (front panel and part of the sides) have little black paint spots splattered all over.  Looks like someone was painting something else near this cabinet at some point and it sprayed.
So it just make the white sections look very dirty. 

The blue areas aren't too bad... but lots of chips in the wood that should be filled in.   I just figured that repainting the entire thing with exact artwork stencels would be a good idea.  But perhaps this decreases the value of the cabinet.  Any opinions on this?

Thanks for the comments!
Bill

[ChadTower]

Chadtower...    These pictures don't really show the condition of the paint.  All of the sections of the cabinet that are white (front panel and part of the sides) have little black paint spots splattered all over.  Looks like someone was painting something else near this cabinet at some point and it sprayed.
So it just make the white sections look very dirty. 

Give a shot to removing that black paint before you strip the side.  There are many possibilities that would allow you to just remove the black stuff without harming the original art.

But perhaps this decreases the value of the cabinet.  Any opinions on this?

Don't bother with value - you're going to spend more doing it right than you would ever get selling an SI.  You either want a minty fresh SI or you want to make a profit.  Odds are very low of doing both.

[wmba]

Well.. my intent at the moment is to just have a very nice looking SI to keep in my house.  The only reasons I can think of at this time that I would sell it is if I were suddenly desperate for the money, or if I just tired of the hobby someday.

I guess I was just worried about ruining the value of the cabinet for other collectors by redoing the paint (incase I ever do sell it). Not looking for profit...  just don't want to ruin anything.  Did that even make sense?

[ChadTower]

It makes perfect sense.  There are plenty of people who come into this hobby thinking they can make money restoring cabs.  Those days are mostly gone.  Unless you get top tier titles cheaply, and have pretty much maximized your efficiency in restoration, the best we can all hope for is a break even.  Often you'll "lose money" on a restoration.

Making money isn't your goal so that's not a concern.  I don't think a repaint devalues the game to collectors if it substantially improves the cabinet and if it is done right. 

Are there SI stencils out there?  Or would you have to go with vinyl repros?  I don't remember seeing SI stencils but I haven't looked for them either.

[wmba]

Ok.. I have a technical question about this cabinet:

Right now it has no monitor as I mentioned above.  Everything else looks to be complete and hooked up. I was told the boards were tested and working.  When I turn on the cabinet, I can hear a typical little "click" from the speaker... so I know it is getting some kind of signal.   But... if I wait a few minutes, and then try to trigger a credit and start a game... I never hear anything.   I was told by the seller that I would not hear anything and that he didn't think the game would run at all until the monitor was also plugged in.

So.. can anyone confirm this?  If there is no monitor plugged in to an SI cabinet... should I still be able to hear the game running?

Thanks!
Bill

[wmba]

Chad...   yes.. there are stencels out there for the purpose of repainting this particular model of SI cabinet.  I have heard good things about them... and I think someone else mentioned them in this thread too.

[ChadTower]

  I was told by the seller that I would not hear anything and that he didn't think the game would run at all until the monitor was also plugged in.

I don't know the schematics for an SI but it is definitely possible.  I'm working on a Tank II right now where the CP, the audio, and the gameboard power supply all go through the monitor harness.  That b/w monitor is a 19" Motorola XM501, if that helps.

[wmba]

Thanks.   Makes me feel a little better.  I am hoping to just find the right monitor someday... plug it in.. and have everything work.  I know that it is always a gamble with machines these old...  but I have no reason not to believe the seller when he said that everything worked correctly.

Now I just need to find that monitor at a reasonable price....   

[ChadTower]

If you end up finding one that doesn't work, my Tank II thread has some useful notes on working through a b/w monitor.  The test harness I built is especially useful.

[wmba]

Well.. I certainly like taking on projects (such as working through a monitor)... but I am VERY new to all of this. I have a little bit of electronics knowledge.. but only the basics. Haven't used a soldering iron since high school (probably around 20 years... although I think I will pick it up again with a little practice).  But I have no equipment....  so I will be starting from scratch if I do something like this.  I am not opposed to it at all.. but I will certainly need lots of advise and instrution!  Lol.

[ChadTower]

Everyone starts somewhere... 

[wmba]

This is true... and what a fun project to start on!   Actually.. I have a few other cabinets I am working on: 

Donkey Kong - I have restored the cabinet.. and now need to find a boardset and harness.

Pole Position II - Working.. but colors on monitor just got all funny. I am guessing a cap kit is needed from what I have read about them.. but never done one before.

[ChadTower]

Pole Position II - Working.. but colors on monitor just got all funny. I am guessing a cap kit is needed from what I have read about them.. but never done one before.

FYI - PPII may be the worst designed arcade PCB of all time.  They were hugely unreliable right out of the factory.  Many repair places won't touch them, and the one that will, won't warranty them at all.

[wmba]

Yeah.. I learned about Pole Position II and it's problems the hard way.  When I got that cabinet.. I was just getting into this hobby... and I had not read about the machine at all.    A friend called up and said "I found a non-working Pole Position cabinet for $100".  So I went to go look at it.. and the seller said it had been working fine for years and then just started to crap out after it ran for 30 minutes... and then finally stopped completely (just a colored mess appeared on the screen).   Being new to all of this.. I thought $100 was a great price.. and that if I couldn't get it working.. I would just find another working boardset somewhere (did I have a lot to learn!!) I would just make a MAME cabinet.

So I bring it home and, not having any idea what to even do with it... I just unhooked the boardset and cleaned the connection a little bit.  Plugged it back in and it fired right up! Was working perfectly. I couldn't believe it.   

And it would do just what the guy said... sometimes it would work just fine for hours.. other times it would freak out after 10 - 20 minutes.. and sometimes it wouldn't boot at all.   But any of those times... if I just jiggled the connection to the board.. and tapped on some of the chips... it would start working again.    So I think I lucked out in that the boards do work.. but there is a bad connection or something.  I will eventually figure that out.... but my current problem is that the last time I turned the game on.. the colors were all whacked out.  And adjusting all of the various knobs on the monitor will not get it back to normal.  So something blew or went bad.  All of the graphics still look fine... just the colors are off.   Hopefully it is just in need of a capkit... if I can figure out how to do one.