SO-CAL Arcade Restoration Workshop.

Repairs

Hello 2 cents. Welcome back to the hobby. If you get totally stuck on a board or monitor repair, in addition to all the great help here, there is a place in Sunland call the Game Doctor I've used a few times. Very nice folks there.
Marv
 
PacMarv said:
Hello 2 cents. Welcome back to the hobby. If you get totally stuck on a board or monitor repair, in addition to all the great help here, there is a place in Sunland call the Game Doctor I've used a few times. Very nice folks there.
Marv
Click to expand...

Hey thanks! Yeah I sometimes see his van driving around the valley. I actually work right across the street from a batcade in burbank and I sometimes see his van parked there too. It must be a sign! I will most definitely look into it. Thanks for the advice!

-J
 
DanoND said:
All you Cali guys just suck with all your game selections, auctions, warehouse raids and general "living within 10 hours of the nearest other arcade people" and the "hey welcome new guy, come check out my 'cade"-ness.

All I get is Chris25810 and Phet in MN, and in those situations I'm either getting yelled at or hit on. It's like an f'd up long distance relationship. Not a pretty sight.
Click to expand...

LOL..... Wow! Well I have not been on a warehouse raid yet. I suppose we do have it pretty good here in cali.
 
DanoND said:
All you Cali guys just suck with all your game selections, auctions, warehouse raids and general "living within 10 hours of the nearest other arcade people" and the "hey welcome new guy, come check out my 'cade"-ness.

All I get is Chris25810 and Phet in MN, and in those situations I'm either getting yelled at or hit on. It's like an f'd up long distance relationship. Not a pretty sight.
Click to expand...

The days of the good socal auctions are long gone, unfortunately. 2 or 3 auctions ago, there was a film crew for auction hunters or some such named tv show. When it gets shown of tv, you know the market is already dead.
 
Stuffmonger said:
The days of the good socal auctions are long gone, unfortunately. 2 or 3 auctions ago, there was a film crew for auction hunters or some such named tv show. When it gets shown of tv, you know the market is already dead.
Click to expand...

QFT. You want to add a lot of new people jacking up the price for stuff, make sure to create a reality show out of it and make it look like it's easy flipping.
 
So did you ever get someone to buy into the idea of a Games Restoration Workshop day?

I've got a passel of games with a variety of issues. I'd probably be willing to host a day at my house where I (or others if they'd like to join in) could demo techniques of debugging/repairing/restoring games.

Here are some things that are waiting to be done at my house that I could demo one or more of:

  1. bondo work on restoring my Star Wars cabinet (or Robotron if I sell off the SW).
  2. Side Art application on my Galaga (I'll need a couple of weeks of prep time to strip it and repaint it first)
  3. replacing a control panel overlay on my Frogger
  4. making up part of a wire harness - also for the Frogger CP.
  5. Wire harness debugging/hacking to install a coin button & get player 2 controls working on a 60-in-1 cocktail
  6. Debugging Robotron errors (My Robotron boots but doesn't play at the moment)
  7. More tracking down wiring/board errors (my project 720)

Some other things I could demo:
  1. using a monitor extension cord to test a monitor with a known working game (or vice versa)
  2. removing a monitor chassis (including the all-important step of discharging the anode)
  3. doing a cap kit on a monitor (I don't currently have a monitor that needs a cap kit, but if someone wants to bring a monitor that needs one (not dead, just needing a cap kit) and the caps, I could demo that.
  4. checking fuses, power cables, and/or wiring harnesses
  5. reading wiring diagrams to help you track down issues.
  6. testing ROMS & burning replacements
  7. removing and servicing joysticks, trackballs, etc.

If other people more experienced than me would like to come and demo stuff that I don't know, that would be great (I've still got a lot to learn). Here are some things I'd like to learn more about:

  • debugging problems with boards (I have boards ranging from semi-working to completely non-working if you want something to demo on)
  • painting cabinets (& stencils) with a paint gun.
  • Monitor problem debugging beyond simple shotgun replacement of caps/flyback/fuses.
  • weird analog issues - I've got new gears and pots in my Paperboy, but still can't get it to work right... do I have it installed wrong? Is there a board problem? Come teach me how to solve it!
  • X-Y monitor issues. The bottom edge of my Star Wars monitor is partially collapsed. Maybe I just need to replace the transistors (haven't tried yet). Could be something more. Could be a game board issue. Show me how to solve it!
 
Thought of another thing I could demo. If someone will bring over a rejuvenator, we could demonstrate rejuvenating a monitor tube. I have a tube that could be used for the demo. It has a ton of screen burn and I'm about to haul it away to the toxics recycling place, but it could be used for demo purposes first.

Let me know by posting here if you'd be interested in setting up a day some time in February - I can't do the 5th, but the 12th, 19th, or 26th would work. Also let me know which things you'd be (most) interested in seeing demonstrated, or if you think you could tackle one of the more complex problems that are stumping me.

Of course, everyone's welcome, whether you know how to fix stuff or not, and there would be much playing of games and consuming of pizza and beer and such.
 
ChaosJohn said:
So did you ever get someone to buy into the idea of a Games Restoration Workshop day?

I've got a passel of games with a variety of issues. I'd probably be willing to host a day at my house where I (or others if they'd like to join in) could demo techniques of debugging/repairing/restoring games.

Here are some things that are waiting to be done at my house that I could demo one or more of:

  1. bondo work on restoring my Star Wars cabinet (or Robotron if I sell off the SW).
  2. Side Art application on my Galaga (I'll need a couple of weeks of prep time to strip it and repaint it first)
  3. replacing a control panel overlay on my Frogger
  4. making up part of a wire harness - also for the Frogger CP.
  5. Wire harness debugging/hacking to install a coin button & get player 2 controls working on a 60-in-1 cocktail
  6. Debugging Robotron errors (My Robotron boots but doesn't play at the moment)
  7. More tracking down wiring/board errors (my project 720)

Some other things I could demo:
  1. using a monitor extension cord to test a monitor with a known working game (or vice versa)
  2. removing a monitor chassis (including the all-important step of discharging the anode)
  3. doing a cap kit on a monitor (I don't currently have a monitor that needs a cap kit, but if someone wants to bring a monitor that needs one (not dead, just needing a cap kit) and the caps, I could demo that.
  4. checking fuses, power cables, and/or wiring harnesses
  5. reading wiring diagrams to help you track down issues.
  6. testing ROMS & burning replacements
  7. removing and servicing joysticks, trackballs, etc.

If other people more experienced than me would like to come and demo stuff that I don't know, that would be great (I've still got a lot to learn). Here are some things I'd like to learn more about:

  • debugging problems with boards (I have boards ranging from semi-working to completely non-working if you want something to demo on)
  • painting cabinets (& stencils) with a paint gun.
  • Monitor problem debugging beyond simple shotgun replacement of caps/flyback/fuses.
  • weird analog issues - I've got new gears and pots in my Paperboy, but still can't get it to work right... do I have it installed wrong? Is there a board problem? Come teach me how to solve it!
  • X-Y monitor issues. The bottom edge of my Star Wars monitor is partially collapsed. Maybe I just need to replace the transistors (haven't tried yet). Could be something more. Could be a game board issue. Show me how to solve it!
Click to expand...

No real takers on the idea of doing an "Official Workshop" but a few kind members did offer to have me over for their usual weekend maintenance sessions. This weekend was a bust due to plans with my wife but I look forward to meeting up soon. If you'd be willing to to demo ANY one of these things I would be forever in your debt. Mid-February sounds great! Late Feb I'll be out of town on a possible business trip. I'll check in with the wife as soon as she gets home about those specific dates you mentioned. It would be myself and another buddy who's co-owner of the SW cab.

Thanks for putting it out there! If there is a way to get the word out to any other members besides this post that you know of please feel free to let it be known.

I wish I had some technical know-how to offer in return. But I'd be happy to pick up the pizza tab if that'll sweeten the deal? Or if you're if you've got a rate in mind for your troubles PM and let me know what number you had in mind.

Thanks again for putting the offer out.

-J
 
@Chaosjohn: I'd be more than happy to assist in demonstrating the proper method of loading a mint foodfight up for transport ;) kidding aside, its nice to know i'm not the only socal collector with a long list of arcade things to do... It seems neverending!

Tom
 
2-cents said:
I wish I had some technical know-how to offer in return. But I'd be happy to pick up the pizza tab if that'll sweeten the deal? Or if you're if you've got a rate in mind for your troubles PM and let me know what number you had in mind.
Click to expand...

Pizza tab would be fine. Mostly you'll just be sitting in on me doing things I'm planning on doing anyway, so no problem. I know I would have liked it if I could have looked over someone's shoulder when figuring out how to do some of these things.

Thanks again for putting the offer out.
Click to expand...

Sure, no problem.
 
fatherpain said:
@Chaosjohn: I'd be more than happy to assist in demonstrating the proper method of loading a mint foodfight up for transport ;)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't need that done right now. But you could demonstrate gazing longingly at one of your grails in another KLOVer's collection. That's a skill that I've mastered over the years as I'm sure you have. :)

kidding aside, its nice to know i'm not the only socal collector with a long list of arcade things to do... It seems neverending!
Click to expand...

No kidding. I can't tell you how many times I thought I had everything completely working and in full repair and "done." And then this game locks up in the middle of a party and that game has the monitor go on the fritz, and I buy a new project game, etc., etc., etc. The ones I mentioned were just things off the top of my head. If I really went through every aspect of every game and made a list, it's mind-bogglingly long.
 
I wouldn't mind meeting up with you guys if you guys are interested in getting together. I've only ever restored a ms pacman cocktail so far. Still working on it and my new upright cabinet.
 
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