Arcade Game Spring Cleaning?

FrizzleFried

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I was playing some Donkey Kong Jr last night when I noticed the screen a little fuzzy. Upon further inspection it appears the screen is just dirty.

It got me thinking... I cleaned this bad boy from top to bottom when I restored it ... back in 2007. Man... that's 4-5 years or so. I am guessing it's time to clean it again.

How often do you guys pull apart your machines for "spring cleaning"? You know... monitor cleaning, cab vacuuming, battery replacement (if necessary), etc?

I guess I am behind the times as I've not done that to ANY of my cabs once they were initially cleaned and put in their home (aside from the obvious exterior cleaning which oftentimes includes monitors, etc... but not with a DK cab).
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=1992997
 
I was thinking about this the other day as well while playing DK. I noticed the inside of the bezel is dusty which tells me it probably needs a good wipe down and vacuum. It's been almost 3 years since I restored it.
 
I clean my home consoles every three weeks to a month, and arcade cab (not delivered yet), I will clean it every day-week.
 
I only dust mine every month but it probably helps prevent issues to clean inside and out every couple years.
 
I am bad about actually vacuuming games out. I usually windex monitors every few months or before a party, whichever comes first. Beyond that, I am not super big on being crazy clean, but when I open a game up for work I always clean them out. Example, I go to do a cap kit and have to pull the tube, I will wipe down the ENTIRE tube to get rid of as much dust as possible.
 
Every time I get a game I clean it from top to bottom inside out. Before bringing it into the house. I clean marquees and bezels every couple of months

Andrew
 
Word to the wise: when you're vacuuming out a cab, never vacuum the circuit boards. The combination of airflow and particles creates a strong static charge that can and will damage them. If you're using something powerful like a Shop Vac and a brush attachment, it's even worse.
 
I will be just wrapping up my Pacman restoration this weekend. I installed a brand new WG D7700 Monitor about 2 weeks ago, fresh out of the shipping box. It was clean as a whistle. I just went into my Pacman cabinet yesterday to install the PCB and guess what? The tube around the anode side is already caked with a thick layer of dust. After 2 weeks. Holy shit, seems you gotta clean them every day.
 
Word to the wise: when you're vacuuming out a cab, never vacuum the circuit boards. The combination of airflow and particles creates a strong static charge that can and will damage them. If you're using something powerful like a Shop Vac and a brush attachment, it's even worse.

That's good to know. I'm too paranoid to do so. I always avoid vacuuming boards because I'm afraid chips will come off or something!
 
I clean the exterior before/after parties and the inside when the game goes down and needs minor repair. Unless I notice heavy dust build up or something.
 
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