Is it worth repairing?

JiFMike

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Hello,

First time poster. :)

About a year ago my wife sent me a message at work about a free arcade game on craigslist about an hour drive away. I've always wanted to build one of the arcade machines with a pc inside it, so a free arcade cabinet to use was a great start. Low and behold it was a Tempest game, the craigslist ad made no mention of what it was. I think you refer to it on the list as a Tempest(tubes).

This unit sat for years without use. Unfortunately it was a bit damp in the area it sat and there is some corrosion, but not enough to make me think it could never work again. At this point I don't dare to even plug it in, as it's also pretty dusty. Is it worth trying to get this thing working? If so should I look for some kind of pro? I do have experience fixing electronics and I figure the first place to start is with the power supply. Is there some place I can get the schematics for this thing? I did get a bit of paperwork with it, including some drawings but they weren't overly detailed.

Considering I only have the cost of gas invested in it. Is it worth attempting to fix?

I'll post some pictures of the inside tonight.
 
Take some nice clear pics and post them so everyone can get a idea of what you have to work with, inside and out would be good. That way we can see if everything is there. Good luck and welcome.
 
Unless the cab is just crumbling into nothing, Tempest is ALWAYS worth repairing. It's just not always easy to do so.

Manuals and schematics can be found here:

http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Arcade_Atari_Kee/Tempest/

You have two power supplies in Tempest. One is the main Power Brick on the bottom with all the fuses and the Big Blue capacitor. The other is the Audio Regulator PCB (ARII) that produces your main voltages for the game board.

Then you have to check that the game pcb is working. You may find a fellow collector nearby with the same game that will let you take it over for testing. If it's not working, it'll most likely be easier to let one of the Tempest experts fix it for you.

Then there is the color vector monitor - the Wells-Gardner K6100. This monitor was a failure point in Tempest due to a poorly designed low-voltage section of the deflection chassis. There are upgrades now that fix that issue. Monitors are completely different animals than regular electronics repair, and it may be something you'd rather let someone else tackle for you, although we'll be glad to offer advice if you wish to try yourself.

As far as condition of the cabinet - if it's a pretty sturdy cab, all the artwork can be replaced to make it look like new again. It's not cheap to do so, but it can be done...
 
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Wow that is some great info!

I will def post some pictures tonight. Thanks for the replies!
 
OK, Here are some pictures. It's in rough shape. I'm limited to 5 images. So I will have to split it over a few posts. Each image is linked to full size.

1 (backside)


2 (PS?)


3 (PS with cord curled up)


4 (Guessing this is main board)


5 (Guessing this is main board)
 
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6 (CRT)


7 (board on CRT)


8 (guessing part of PS)


9 (PS)


10 (front)
 
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11 (back side of coin door)


12 (from front)


13 (inside of coin door)


14


15
 
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Got a little damp, but it's certainly 100% complete, very much worth fixing.

I'd let it dry out real good; clean the heck out of everything while it's drying; unplug, clean and re-seat every wiring harness connector; check for any blown fuses in the bottom power supply and the monitor chassis, clean all of the fuse holders..... fire it up and see what happens.....can go from there.
 
It has sat for about a year in my barn. So it's plenty dry!

I will clean it up. Cleaning the fuse holders and reseating the connections is a great idea. That rusty transformer has me worried. Can I isolate the power supply and check the voltages on it before I hook other stuff up?
 
A little rust on the outside of a transformer is nothing to worry about. Unplug all the edge connectors on the large cards and the power supply card. Fire it up and check the voltage outputs on the transformer. Once you are sure they match the specs in the manuals, power it down and reconnect the power supply card (leave the large boards unplugged). Check the voltages on the output of the power supply card. Repair orr replace if it is not to spec. Once the DC voltages are correct, power down and reconnect the large cards and power it up.

This is basically the way to power up any game that has been sitting for years.

If you need help at any point, post here and somebody will be able to help you out.

ken
 
I'll give that a try thanks.

I cleaned up the fuses tonight, but didn't have a small enough brush to clean the holders. I'll have to pick one up tomorrow.

Here are some more pics of things I found as I cleaned and looked more closely.

16 (top, I didn't know this opened!)


17 (these are on some metal, part of the CRT)


18 (better pic of CRT)
 
Very, very nice score! Yes, it needs to be saved.

You've got one of the tougher monitors to work on, tho (G08 as seen in Star Trek, Space Fury, etc. takes the cake) but it's possible.

Give it a shot - Tempest is greatness.
 
I would put my money on the monitor being the original issue with this game.
Buy a full rebulid kit for a WG6100 from Bob Roberts and an LV2000 or LV 6100 kit off the net. Install them and the monitor should work great (at least for a while).
Those chassis transistors need to be replaced regardless.
 
Nothing majorly bad I see, except for those rusted deflection transistors on the monitor. Have you tried powering it up yet? The monitor probably won't work (spotkiller LED will probably come on), but you may get your start buttons blinking (meaning the game is basically running) and pushing one may give you sound (good sign).

In case you don't know, there is a white switch mounted in the back on the left side right where the back door would attach (if you have one). This is a safety interlock switch, and you'll need to pull it out before the game will power up with the back door off. There is also a power switch on the cab that is accessible with the back door on.

As was said, check the fuses (probably pull and clean them too - remember which goes where), make sure the connectors are all on firmly (especially on the main board), and try powering it up. It would probably be a good idea to pull the main board out and push down on all of the socketed chips before trying it with power, as it may maximize the chances of the board working.

Oh, and don't store it outside (or almost outside) anymore...
 
Working on the CRT scares me. I was in the Navy for 6 years as an Electonics Technician. I had a lot of nice tools back then for working on this stuff, but now... not so much! I decided to search for someone on the web that might be able to take a look at it in my area. Came across the website www.myarcaderepair.com. She is somewhat local so I sent her an email and linked this topic for the pics. Maybe she can help me out with the CRT at least!

If I can find a small wire brush to clean up the fuse holders tomorrow I may plug it in for the first time! I tested all the fuses as I cleaned them and they are good. I'll keep you all informed and thanks for all the great suggestions and info. Lets hope I don't let the smoke out! ;)
 
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