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Arcade Collecting => Miscellaneous Arcade Talk => Topic started by: fixedpigs on February 01, 2009, 11:23:15 am

Title: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 01, 2009, 11:23:15 am
so i moved my robotron cocktail...it was facing east/west...but now it needs to be running north/south...

the problem is that when i rotate it ninety degrees...the colour on the right(east) side fades drastically...

am i going to need a degaussing wand or is there a better way to get the monitor back to normal...?

thanks... :cheers:
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: Kevin Mullins on February 01, 2009, 12:07:31 pm
Are you leaving it OFF for awhile before or after moving it ?

The auto degauss only works when it's "cold".
(if it is working at all)
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 01, 2009, 01:15:24 pm
Are you leaving it OFF for awhile before or after moving it ?

it was off for at least two months...
i then moved it to a new house where it was oriented north/south...
i turned it on to find that the right(east) side of the monitor was faded...
i then rotated the table ninety degrees while it was on and the colour returned...
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: Level42 on February 01, 2009, 02:43:04 pm
Anything magnetic next to it ? Speakers, other machines ?
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 01, 2009, 04:20:10 pm
Anything magnetic next to it ? Speakers, other machines ?

nope...not at all...

i was figuring that the magnetic poles were affecting it since the monitor lies flat... ???
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: Level42 on February 01, 2009, 04:58:57 pm
Yes it does have more effect.
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 12, 2009, 12:03:46 am
so here are some photographs of what i'm talking about...
running north/south and there is the fading on the right side...
running east/west and everything is dandy...
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: CheffoJeffo on February 12, 2009, 07:42:29 am
Looks familiar -- my Joust cocktail is the same way. If I would rotate it, even temporarily, it would end up needing degaussing, even after moving back. I used a corded drill waved in circular motion over the affected area when I didn't want to wait for the degaussing coil to kick in. Worked OK, although the drill has since died.

As the fates would have it, when I rearranged the games, it has ended up facing so that it had no problems at all.
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: themonk3y on February 12, 2009, 10:24:38 am
How did you degauss with a drill?
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 12, 2009, 10:38:44 am
How did you degauss with a drill?

exactly...!

how do i degauss this thing...?

thanks...!

 :cheers:
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: CheffoJeffo on February 12, 2009, 11:13:12 am
Place the drill body parallel close to the problem portion of monitor, start it up and move it in circles gradually increasing the diameter and distance from the screen. Can also use a soldering gun (not iron, but a gun).

Randy Fromm has some magic words that he recommends you recite during the process, but I don't have them handy.  ;)

Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: fixedpigs on February 12, 2009, 11:19:23 am
Place the drill body parallel close to the problem portion of monitor, start it up and move it in circles gradually increasing the diameter and distance from the screen. Can also use a soldering gun (not iron, but a gun).

Randy Fromm has some magic words that he recommends you recite during the process, but I don't have them handy.  ;)

move it clockwise...counter-clockwise...does it matter...?

should the drill itself be spinning clockwise or counter...does it matter...?

thanks again... :cheers:
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: CheffoJeffo on February 12, 2009, 12:57:24 pm
Doesn't matter -- you just need a moving, fluctuating magnetic field.

In theory you can do it with static magnets, if you can move them fast enough.
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: RayB on February 12, 2009, 05:01:22 pm
You can also stick small pieces of flexible stick-on magnet strips at key locations on the outside edge of the tube. (As was demonstrated by Mr. Rick Nieman of Nieman Displays)
Title: Re: robotron cocktail degauss needed...?
Post by: Mauzy on February 12, 2009, 06:24:50 pm
You could also place it wherever it is going to stay and lay a 19 inch TV face down directly over the tube of the game monitor. Turn on the TV causing it to degauss itself, thus degaussing the game monitor at the same time. I've done this a couple times and it always works nicely.