Alternative to JROK Galaga Chips

Fudd

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I recently bought a used galaga board that has many corroded chips on it...to the point of they are breaking off left and right. Trying to save them doesn't seem like it's going to happen. I seen at mikes arcade they have the replacements for the 08xx, 07xx, etc. At a cost of $30 each. I know a lot of work went into making those but to replace six chips we are talking $180.00! The only other alternative i know would be to buy another cheap galaga board but that runs the risk of having more corroded chips as most galaga boards do. Whats my alternative?
 
Sounds like your chips are pretty bad so I don't know if this will work for you but I've soldered legs back on before just because of the $30 per chip cost. And I've also bought known defective boards just for the chips.

If your legs break off flush with the chip, I know some people chip away at the silicon until they have a bit of the leg to solder to. I haven't had to do this yet but I can see doing it in a pinch.
 
Doesn't make sense why they cost so much...i can exchange a whole galaga pcb for $135 but for 6 chips its $180?
 
Doesn't make sense why they cost so much...i can exchange a whole galaga pcb for $135 but for 6 chips its $180?

You can't exchange a whole galaga pcb for $135 if there are bad customs... they'll charge you for the customs...

I've got 04xx, 07xx, 08xx replacements too, FWIW.
 
yes i have a great alternative but i will prob get bashed for it
just buy a did dug board ( i forget which version)
it has almost all the custom chips you need for galaga
and dig dug baords go for like $10-$15 on ebay
 
yes i have a great alternative but i will prob get bashed for it
just buy a did dug board ( i forget which version)
it has almost all the custom chips you need for galaga
and dig dug baords go for like $10-$15 on ebay

Please buy the known dead ones or ones with bad edge connectors/missing all eproms before harvesting fully working ones :)

Dig dug is a lot more reliable of a board than Galaga ever will be.. mostly due to much better sockets.
 
Send me a list of what all you need, including part #s and quantity and I'll see what I can do.
 
You can't exchange a whole galaga pcb for $135 if there are bad customs... they'll charge you for the customs...

I've got 04xx, 07xx, 08xx replacements too, FWIW.

Pole Position has these as well.
Now, if only we could find a non-working PP board. ;)
 
i have a working and non working pp1 board...so for example if theres a 0213 chip on my galaga that needs to be replaced i can take a 0258 chip from the pp1 board?
 
i have a working and non working pp1 board...so for example if theres a 0213 chip on my galaga that needs to be replaced i can take a 0258 chip from the pp1 board?

Yes.

<10char limit sux>
 
Yes, but it's not needed.

Namco chips go off the first two digits and don't really care about the last 2.

02xx chips are compatible with each other

Same thing for 51xx chips - all 51xx chips can be swapped around.

There may be exceptions to this but I've never run into one repairing Galaga boards for people.
 
You can also repair your badly corroded custom chips...

Carefully remove the corroded chip from the board, keeping it as intact as you can. Dip it in Tarn-x for a minute then carefully wipe off the legs. Rinse with isopropyl alcohol.

Once dry, insert into a machined pin IC socket, and solder the all the legs into the machined pins. For the missing legs, if there is any stub left, break a leg off a junk chip of some kind, or use a piece of stiff wire - solder it into the machined pin socket and to the stub of the leg. For legs completely broken off, you'll have to file away at the plastic body of the IC a bit to get something to solder to.

Then just plug your chip/socket combination into the socket on the board, and you're good to go!

-Ian
 
You can also repair your badly corroded custom chips...

Carefully remove the corroded chip from the board, keeping it as intact as you can. Dip it in Tarn-x for a minute then carefully wipe off the legs. Rinse with isopropyl alcohol.

Once dry, insert into a machined pin IC socket, and solder the all the legs into the machined pins. For the missing legs, if there is any stub left, break a leg off a junk chip of some kind, or use a piece of stiff wire - solder it into the machined pin socket and to the stub of the leg. For legs completely broken off, you'll have to file away at the plastic body of the IC a bit to get something to solder to.

Then just plug your chip/socket combination into the socket on the board, and you're good to go!

-Ian

I have fixed dozens of them this way, works nice.
 
I had the same issue with my Galaga (as far as broken chip legs).

Luckily I had a DigDug board... so... yep. lol I don't know if the DigDug WAS working on not (picked it up when some guy cleared out his garage and gave everything to me)... but I know it's NOT working now. lol Had to take just about every custom IC off that thing...

I'll get around to fixing the original chips eventually... then the borrowed ones will go back on DigDug and everything will be fine.
 
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