Robotron CPO: What would you do??

gregatron

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I have this delimma. My Robotron CPO is original and in decent shape except for the cig burns. I found an arcadeshop repro for a decent price.
However, I received it today and matched them up and they are not identical. They have different part #'s so it may be that AS reproed a different version. But now I am unsure if I want to replace the old one with the repro. Here are some pics

the original
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The new
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As you can see they both look great but the new one is slightly off. The lines are thicker in some spots there are a couple of color differences... Am I just being anal about it or what? What would y'all do?
 

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Neither of the pictures are showing up for me (I think you have to be a member of the forum they are hosted at in order to see them), but if the differences are minor, I would use the reproduction. I'll keep an original that is in less than perfect condition as long as there is no serious damage, but cigarette burns are a deal-killer for me if I want to restore.
 
Neither of the pictures are showing up for me (I think you have to be a member of the forum they are hosted at in order to see them), but if the differences are minor, I would use the reproduction. I'll keep an original that is in less than perfect condition as long as there is no serious damage, but cigarette burns are a deal-killer for me if I want to restore.


Oh, I didn't think about that. Hold on let me fix it.
 
Unless you are doing a full restoration I don't change an overlay that looks as good as yours.

I would hang onto it for awhile. Yours is still in great shape.
Change it when that one really needs it. Also, you never know when you luck into another machine free or cheap that may
really need a new cpo.
 
I would leave it alone, too; unless you're fully restoring the game. Mine has burns in it too. A quick reminder of the 80's no doubt.
 
Your original is far too nice to ruin. If those cig burns really bother you then you should look for another Robo CP that has a trashed overlay and use your repro on there. Then you can sell that original panel if you want to recoup some money (you won't have any problem finding a buyer).
 
It's a hog pile....I agree. Looking at the current one, it is still in great shape. My machines wear their war wounds with pride. These are work horses that made their money in the trenches and they are going to have some defects. I put my money and time and sweat into the electronics. I want the lights to light, the monitor to monitor, the coin mechs to work, the joysticks to feel right and the buttons to press smoothly and work every time. As long as there isn't a sharp edge cutting anybody and the cig burns aren't horrible, leave it. You know what they say about antiques, 30 seconds of elbow grease can turn a $6,000 antique into a $200 old thing.

Don't sweat it. Save the CPO until you need it. Or sell it to me for $20 for my Robotron...:D

ken
 
Hey Ken,
Yeah, I'm leaning towards leaving it the more I think about it.
I guess I'm gonna think about it for a week before I decide for sure. I partially went through the electrical and PCBs. I did a battery back up mod, I also did an experiment with some blue LEDs for the start buttons. (I wanted mine to be brighter) but it didn't brighten it up as much as I wanted. Perhaps I will use brighter LEDs. I just used some cheapies I had around the house. As far as the joysticks, they feel smooth but for some reason something tells me I can adjust the leaves to make them more accurate for diagonal shots. I also have some cosmetic work to do near the base in the front.
 
I'd personally leave it with the original panel, I like small war wounds and yours looks damn clean other than the slight cig burns (wouldn't bug me).

You could always hunt down a trashed control panel, buy it, install the new CPO and if you REALLY wanted to switch it out at that point then go for it.

If it were me I'd put that CPO in a nice safe spot covered on both sides in a closet and save it for years down the road when they're not available and yours is more weathered...
 
I tried with some 3 LED #44 replacements and they were a little better but the big problem is that they are highly directional where the old incandescent lights were omnidirectional and they put the sockets so that they got the light from the side and the front of the bulbs. I'm still experimenting to try and get a good light on the buttons. The red buttons seem to glow brighter than the blue ones.

ken
 
Well Ken, your right about the LEDs being unidirectional. I had an idea that I wanted to try out so I came up with these. You can bend them around to where you need them and the two sort of stradle the leaf. I put them right up to the base of the button at an angle. they work pretty good but I need to increase the brightness either by reducing the value of the resistor. (which I calculated using Ohm's law but I always run a little low on the current on purpose) Or by getting a higher MCD LED.
Oh, by the way, don't laugh it is just an experiment at this point.
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FT- Yeah you have a good point there man. I might just do that.
 

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Your original is far too nice to ruin. If those cig burns really bother you then you should look for another Robo CP that has a trashed overlay and use your repro on there. Then you can sell that original panel if you want to recoup some money (you won't have any problem finding a buyer).

i totally agree with Matt, if you really wanted to replace yours id find a replacement and sell yours. dont destroy an original in that nice of shape. i can also see how the cig burns would bother you.. i dont smoke and never have( well cigarettes anyway) and looking at those burns might piss me off a bit..
 
I have this delimma. My Robotron CPO is original and in decent shape except for the cig burns. I found an arcadeshop repro for a decent price.
However, I received it today and matched them up and they are not identical. They have different part #'s so it may be that AS reproed a different version. But now I am unsure if I want to replace the old one with the repro. Here are some pics

As you can see they both look great but the new one is slightly off. The lines are thicker in some spots there are a couple of color differences... Am I just being anal about it or what? What would y'all do?

I'd leave the original CPO on the game. Its still in very good condition for its age.

Matt
 
Oh, by the way, don't laugh it is just an experiment at this point.

I rarely laugh at others experiments. Some of mine have been pretty amusing as well. These are the bulbs I have been using. They are pretty bright when used in the coin door sockets, but for some reason the buttons don't just "pop" when they are plugged in. I may have to rig something to point directly at the buttons....

47led44.jpg


These are from Ablaze Lighting and sold by Centsible Amusements (http://www.centsibleamusements.com/pinball-led-44-47.aspx).

I like them because they will fit where a #44 bulb sits and they run both AC and DC voltages, so I only need to stock 1 kind.

ken
 
I tried with some 3 LED #44 replacements and they were a little better but the big problem is that they are highly directional where the old incandescent lights were omnidirectional and they put the sockets so that they got the light from the side and the front of the bulbs. I'm still experimenting to try and get a good light on the buttons. The red buttons seem to glow brighter than the blue ones.

ken

I used 6v BA9s-B Blue LED bulbs. They are not as bright as the 3 LED bulbs but they are not as directional either. Using blue instead of white helps quite a bit too. It really looks really good in the dark and unlike the stock lighing you can see the glow in full room light. I bought them here: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=755&cart_id=9228436.29496#BA9s-W4. They send them in standard mail right away and you have them in a couple three days.
 
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