Tempest edge connector pins

Talon2000

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
2,745
Reaction score
169
Location
Princeton, Texas
For those who have rebuilt, or worked on the edge connectors. Do you pull the pins, re-tension them, and clean em with an eraser?

Or do you cut and re-pin them?
If you re-pin them what pins do you use to replace them.

Also is tinning the edge board with a smooth thin coating of solder work well or not? I'm not talking a glob, but tinning it, and then using a desolder gun to remove the excess leaving a nice shinny coating of tin/lead.
 
I have done what you ask on several games, including a Tempest.

For the edge connector you can replace the entire thing. Go to Bob's site, click connectors, then order the correct size from the "Molex edge connector housings with full compliment of split pins." section. Franky, I forget the size for tempest. :)

I believe Atari used molex from the factory. (Right now my brain is mush...) If the plastic housing is not crumbly from heat you should be able to re-pin the power and ground positions.
Molex split pins bag of 100 $8.00
Given age I would just replace it connector housing and all.

As to re-tinning the finger board. Well, some argue for it. If the trace if gone then there is nothing to re-tin. I have had traces burned so thin that they lift and flake off as soon as you touch them. If you do re-tin then that finger is thicker than the others. Frankly I won't test a board in any of my games with re-tinned fingers as I don't want to stress the pins in the edge connector.
I always do it this way.
http://www.therealbobroberts.net/pace.html
A good friend of mine had done an untold number this way...works like a charm.
 
Well I was trying to get a general consensus on what others have had success with.

The board edge isn't burned, but it seems with previous cleanings the tin has been worn down to the copper.

Thanks for the input guys.
 
Back
Top Bottom