latest addition: Atari Lunar Lander

gwarble

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hey all
picked up this Lunar Lander from Atari (1979) yesterday, very awesome!

I was stoked when another collector let me know he was going to purge this (and the Star Wars i got last weekend), I've needed some vector games for a while, and I've really wanted a LL since my early days of collecting, but pretty much gave up on it along with some other unobtainables because they never seem to come around...

its in great shape, really nice... one side is almost perfect, the other has some vertical slide marks and a busted corner, but artwork is overall nice... control panel looks incredible, marquee too... and i love the white walls... the inside of the side panels is white which i haven't seen before, looks very cool (early run perhaps? S/N badge is ripped down the middle where else is the S/N tagged?)

boots up with a flashing through the monitor and mission select bulbs... haven't investigated yet but hope to today

- gwarble

fixed 11/11/28:
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more pics...
 

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the inside...

start of diagnostics here, video in the first post shows problem at boot...
self test beeps: low low low high low low
according to the back door sheet:
Vector Generator RAM at R4 failed self test... damn i have to learn how to change soldered in RAM now? :(
any tips as i dive into this machine? hopefully that means the monitor is working fine...
thanks
- gwarble
 

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And when all else fails or you don't feel like messing around yourself with the board just send them to Mike(aka road.runner). :)

Oh yeah, GREAT pickup! Lunar Lander is a keeper for sure. Simple game play but keeps you coming back for "just one more game".
 
Thanks guys, i'm pretty excited about it

I'll see what i can do to continue diagnosing it and possibly socketing that ram chip, and see where it leads me... Nice to know there are pros i can rely on, but fixing em is part of the fun

- gwarble
 
Looks good man, congrats. I'm amazed when people find this game, since it's somewhat rare. I love the artwork on this game. The control panel is a thing of beauty.
 
Welcome to the Lunar lander club.

And yes those pads do lift off easily. I would clip out the legs of the IC on the board and pull the remaining legs out with tweezers and a soldering iron. I would use a BIG blue solder sucker to clean the holes. Alternating which holes you work on will keep the heat down. Good luck in your repairs.
 
Thanks guys, i'm so happy to have got this and cant wait to dive into it

Thanks for the tips on the pads, i'll be extremely careful and probably order a better solder sucker like you said
 
Sweet, i'll check em when i pull the boards, but the manuals points out they might not necessarily match the cabinet... I may never know

Anyone know how many had the white inside walls?

- gwarble
 
no serial # on the board i could find...

i desoldered ram R4 this eve and cleaned the holes as best I could... all the warnings are correct, the traces lift very easily... i was able to feel ok with it when done, but three traces lifted at one edge...

hopefully soon i'll receive my new ram chip and socket, but i may go to rat shack after work tomorrow if they don't show and get a socket so i can get it in

i sure hope this fixes it... or at least allows the self test to progress and tell me what else is wrong

- gwarble
 
I love LL....the bowling alley had one when I was a kid. The last one I saw in the wild was over at the Chabot Space Center over in Oakland. I think it's still there but I haven't been in a while so not sure.
 
yeah its a good one... last one i've seen in the wild was at the exploratorium last time i was there (and as long as i can remember since going there the first time)


i can't wait to play it... i hope its just this 1 ram chip!
- gwarble
 
Hmmmm, now you have me wondering if it was the Exploratorium that I saw it at. I don't think so though...but maybe.
 
there are at least 2 lunar landers out there.
the space center and the exploratorium.
My wife took the kids over to SF the other day and saw on in the exploratorium. Arcrevival confirmed with me that there is one in teh space center as well.
 
tronguy: thanks for the clarification...

i always thought it was "cool" that the exploratorium had one, and when i started collecting i got jealous of them


djw: thanks, and wow, that says a lot from someone with a collection such as yours! i know its up there in my collection already and i haven't been able to boot it yet

- gwarble
 
Cool to know that they do still exist in the wild.

Too bad you don't live closer gwarble. I know I have a few of those ram chips and sockets kicking around here.
 
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