Discs of Tron Upright Restore

[chessiv]

I picked up this DoT 6 years ago for 450 from a very good friend. It was a barn find. Back then I had to do some basic work to get it going and clean it up. It's always been on my list for a full restore. That started today.

The cabinet decals are scratched badly and peeling off. The cabinet sides are a tad rough on the edges. I'm going to bondo the edges and laminate the sides as a good base for new decals

The game board is full functional. The power supply is not.

I installed a switcher but kept the original power board. I'm going to work on it and hopefully get it back to original operation.

Most of the neon has faded. I did buy a replacement cover from ToG and will consider creative solutions for other areas.

There are 5 different planes of glass/plexi that create the cool layered arena.

The cardboard is all faded and sagging. I replace this with black picture matte custom cut to size.

 

[chessiv]

Most of the component have been removed. Wires, monitor, and old quarters next.

I did completely rebuild the CP a few years ago so that doesn't need any work. Parts stored on shelves.

Almost bare inside. I did pull the monitor and the chassis is in great shape. The crt has seen better days. There's significant burn and I will end up replacing the monitor with a rebuilt wg7k

Decals easily peeled off.

 

[wargamerhq]

i am doing one too

following your restore as i just picked up an upright DoT to restore also !

 

[chessiv]

more work. Starting on the sides. Three phases on this:

1) Sanding
2) Bondo work, rasp, sanding (repeat until solid)
3) veneer

I like to make sure there's a solid foundation for the bondo. If any part of the edges are crumbling I knock them down with the sander until there's solid wood. I will not that this game had t-molding on the front and top but not much on the back and sides. The front and top had no real wood issues. The back and sides did. After I laminate the sides I'm going to router a t-molding channel all the way around for protection.

After applying the bondo I wait until it gets firm and just loses the tackiness. Then I hit it with a rasp. This allows me to quickly get a square surface with minimal effort.

After the rasp work and usually a quick second coat of bondo where it may not be square I wait for it to harden more and sand it smooth.

The leg levelers were shot so I am replacing those. The bottom on the cabinet is in good shape, just dirty.

 

[Cashdog]

cant wait to see this

 

[markrl]

Looking GOOD! I like the idea of putting the tmolding all the way around. I do all of them like that. Are you going to use 7/8 told to cover laminate? I did that once and used that trimmer thingy to make it flush.

 

[Solmin]

Exciting

 

[chessiv]

Time to laminate the first side

The glue and tools I use. The contact cement is nasty smelling. Actually, I kind of like it...

Laid out the laminate for glue prep. Need to sand the cabinet smooth and make sure there are no particles on the backside of the laminate or cabinet.

Applied the contact cement to both sides. Waited about 10 mins until it was dry to the touch and applied it.

I use a laminate roller to make sure it adheres well. The router has the laminate bit and it ready to go.

The laminate trimming is easy but produces a ton of saw dust everywhere.

Swapped the laminate trim bit for a t-channel bit. Added the new t-molding channel to the bottom and back.

One side done. Flip over. Rinse and repeat for other side.

 

[chessiv]

Looking GOOD! I like the idea of putting the tmolding all the way around. I do all of them like that. Are you going to use 7/8 told to cover laminate? I did that once and used that trimmer thingy to make it flush.

The laminate is so thin you would hardly notice a lip. I thought of trimming as you suggest but I've been happy doing it with standard t molding.

 

[chessiv]

Tonight's update:

I decided to take a break from cabinet work to see if I could get the original power board working again. The board had significant battery damage. Someone in the past did a bit of work but didn't fix it.

The two main issues:

1) 5v section was weak.
2) The reset circuit didn't work.

The 5v section just needed to be rebuilt. After that was completed it's providing a stable 5v.

The reset circuit was a bit of a bear. installed a new 3900 and opto isolator. Also replaced a dead resistor on the supply side of the opto isolator that looked fried (included in second picture.) The pump charger was constantly high. I had the right waveform coming from the opto but it just ended up high out of the op amp. Traced it to a shorted .01mfd cap (pictured.) Replaced the cap and now am getting the proper reset pulse. The board isn't necessarily pretty but it does work and seems to be very stable. I'll test it in the game when I get it back together.

I didn't bother hooking up a new 5v battery as I'm going to install a 6116 ram for game data. No battery needed.

 

[chessiv]

Weekend work.

Cleaned and rebuilt power brick.

Completed the bondo work on the right side. There was a whole lot more side and bottom damage on this side.

 

[Jakewd]

Mmmmm very nice. I'm excited to see the finished product!

 

[Solmin]

Nice work!

 

[chessiv]

Thanks for the compliments!

The last two or so days.

Since the sides are done it's time to fill any visible gouges and paint all of the visible parts of the cabinet flat black.

First stage of filling. I filled, sanded, and painted about 3 times until it was good.

First coat of matte clear is on. I ran out of paint and the temp here is -40 with wind chill. Going to wait to run to the store for more.

Coin door time

Pulled all of the parts. Removed the rust and refinished metal parts. I'm also stripping the old paint off the coin door and coin door frame. Ordered replacement parts for things that were too far gone or missing.

 

[Sofitchin]

Awesome to see your process, thank you for sharing!

 

[chessiv]

More progress

Front and sides are done. Refinishing the top

Now I just have to tidy up the back

Cleaning every part. I did strip the coin door parts. Next time I will powder coat instead. I spent a lot of time refinishing these parts and powder coating is pretty cheap and quick these days.

Waiting for side decals then I can finish the outside of the cabinet. By the time they arrive everything should be ready for re-assembly. I do have to fabricate new shrouds but that's pretty simple.

 

[chessiv]

Just returned late last week from a business trip.

Current progress.

Coin door

Not the worst I've seen but not great.

After the teardown I removed existing paint, primed it, and then painted with a textured finish.

Cleaned metal parts. Added a buld and socket that were removed on the right. I do need a switch assembly for the right coin slot. I looked all over. Anyone know where to source these?

Constructed new shrouds for the game. This is the monitor shroud, old and new.

 

[chessiv]

More progress

I'm still waiting on the cabinet decals - week 4. While I'm waiting I started re-assembly of the lighter parts. There was rust on the blacklight reflector in front. I used McGuires rubbing compound and buffed it. Came out nice.

 

[Slotman2012]

That looks amazing. Can't wait to see it all done.

 

[jlpmauldin]

Looks great. Thanks for posting your process.