Rough Deluxe Space Invaders restoration

eBayfreak

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Hello all,
I've been out of the video arcade world for a while, though I have a couple long-term pinball projects. However, my dad texted me pictures of this found on the curb waiting for trash pickup, and I stole over as fast as I could to load it up.

It is very complete, lacking only the back door. However, it had just been rolled out of a damp shed and has water damage to the top panel and lower 10" or so of the cabinet. I think I can save it; especially considering the $0 price of acquisition. I'm kicking off this thread to keep myself motivated and organized. Let's see how it goes!
 

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I love this cabinet; too bad it got wet. If nothing else, you might find a decent empty donor cab to transfer parts over to. Good luck with the restore.
 
now thats some water damage! you'll be cutting new pieces for the back & bottom, try to save the sides if you can - the front is made from particle board so thats probably toast
 
now thats some water damage! you'll be cutting new pieces for the back & bottom, try to save the sides if you can - the front is made from particle board so thats probably toast
The front on this one is plywood, and it's the most solid part of the cab. The top is particle board and will unfortunately have to be rebuilt. I see a lot of time with the table saw in my future.

Current status: pulled the damp, rusty transformer out of the bottom, assuming it would be quite ruined, but it works like a champ after a good drying out and cleaning. Next, I checked the PS voltages with boards unhooked, and everything was spot on except the reset circuit which was sky high, so rebuild kit is on order. Monitor powers on with no smoke or fire, so I'm hopeful there. Black light even works!

Next steps: I will rebuild the PS and clean/inspect the boards before trying it out. Getting it functional will be good motivation for cosmetics, as well as ensuring restoration is financially viable at this time.
 

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this may be some help

 
this may be some help

Great thread, thanks! Surprised I didn't find that when I searched previously. Very relevant to where I'm at.
 
Update time!

I worked on the electronics enough to know that the monitor seems to be okay and this should be worth the trouble. Now, it's time for cabinet work to make it nice enough to move inside out of the garage. I didn't photograph the gory details, but the entire bottom was rotten, and about 8" of one side and 14" of the other. Now, after a sheet of plywood, lots of screws, nails, and wood glue, the cab is more or less in once piece again!

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So far, lots of wood filler, a coat of primer, and a couple coats of Rustoleum. I think it's going to take quite a few more coats with sanding in between to get a decent finish.

Any suggestions on replacement side art, with an emphasis on as cheap as possible? This will never be a museum piece, rather a rescue that was literally minutes away from landing in the garbage truck.
 
Shortly before Halloween feels like a good time to resurrect this thread from the dead.

I made the cabinet somewhat presentable and found that the game wouldn't boot. Rebuilt the power supply, no luck. Put in a switcher, and got rug patterns but no boot. Got busy, had more children, and the game went and hid in a basement corner. Four years later, I finally sent off the boards for repair, and voilà, a working game!
 

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