The Chronicles of Coldfire: Chapter One - Ms. Pac-Man Madness

coldfire

New member
Joined
Jul 20, 2004
Messages
35
Reaction score
0
Location
Pennsylvania
The Chronicles of Coldfire: Chapter One - Ms. Pac-Man Madness

Hey Everyone,

I'm new here, and I just started collecting arcade machines. Last month I was checking out craigslist and I saw a Ms. Pac-Man listed for $50.00 bucks. The ad said it was working before it was moved and that the seller didn't have the desire or time to research what was wrong with it but wanted it gone ASAP. Now, to be clear I know "zero" about arcade machines, but I more than hold my own in the computer field, so I figured, "What could I lose… it might be fun to see if I can get her working again." So I went to Lowes, rented an appliance dolly, and soon became the proud owner of a game I loved as a young boy. I didn't know it then, but I am quite certain that at that moment something changed in the universe and my life will probably never be the same again!

Alright, so here goes. Please keep in mind, I am a complete novice at this, admittedly, so if I do something wrong, foolish, backward, unnecessary, dangerous, etc. it wouldn't surprise me… and it shouldn't surprise you either. Pull up a chair, you're sure to get a good laugh. Anyway, this is how it all started for me. Chapter One: Ms. Pac-Man Madness.

Here are some pics I snapped of old Ms. P. as soon as I got her home. Note my high-tech workshop, which conveniently doubles as our basement food storage pantry.



001gz.jpg


002vab.jpg


The outside of the machine is somewhat beat-up. Lots of places where the paint is chipped, faded, and some places where the wood has splintered at the bottom and the top.

003pxy.jpg


005fh.jpg


006lox.jpg
 
The back has streaks of sticky petrified liquid stuck to it. After looking at the sloped top I get the distinct impression that quite a few people thought that they could set a beverage on top of this machine only to discover that it spilled behind the unit. This must have happened often… they should have put up a sign. Hey, I bet this machine had a previous life in a bar or a pizza shop, or something… maybe the bowling alley. Cool.

004gg.jpg


Hidden behind the secret duck-taped compartment on the back I found a little key! It opens the coin door. Sweet!

007vd.jpg


008mj.jpg


Somebody put a button on the front here. Free Play?

009la.jpg


010iba.jpg
 
Last edited:
Tags & Numbers... Excellent.

016di.jpg


017rf.jpg


Ah ha... motherboard-ish!

018mp.jpg


This looks like power (strange that this would be on the bottom.. what about water leaks, floods, etc.)?

019lt.jpg


Okay... even I know that without fuses she won't purr!

020bhd.jpg


Okay, I found the game manual online. That led me to the fuses and fuse panel... ordered! Tomorrow I'll post more pics of the next phase.
 
Last edited:
The monitor burn is a little rough, but you can live with that.
The cabinet is in average + shape.

By finding the broken fuse holder, you have just mastered the first basic electronic troubleshooting technique: a thorough visual inspection.

Nice find. You'll do just fine.
 
@kstillin Thanks for your encouragement. In addition to the broken fuse holder, there was at least one bad fuse. I bought a replacement set, so I could do them all at once.

@Spyridon I'm in the Harrisburg area.
 
Alright, here are some more pics to document the condition of Ms. Pac-Man when I got her. The art on the front is flaking off pretty bad.

021aof.jpg


Gouges and scrapes like this will need repaired.

022ap.jpg


A closer look at the damage to the bottom. I love these ghosts!

023aa.jpg


The pictures I've seen of other people's marquees show a lot more pink. Wonder if it's possible to fix that?

024ac.jpg


The controls look to be in good shape. The 2 Player Button is a little longer than the other one, and looks a little older.

[FONT=&quot]
025ah.jpg



[/FONT]
 
The speaker lives up here.

026aci.jpg


I found another tag inside.

027amt.jpg


New fuses and fuse holder came in the mail. Here it is installed.

028ai.jpg


Ah… she fired up! Music to my ears!

029ak.jpg


Image looks bent/folded over on the right side. My research says a cap kit would probably fix that. However, the burn-in is pretty bad… and that I don't think can be fixed. Sadly, I believe this monitor is going to have to be removed.

[FONT=&quot]
029aa.jpg
[/FONT]
 
I read the parts and operating manual cover-to-cover… it was fascinating! I love how they kept referring to your "serviceman." Most documentation today strives to be gender neutral. ;-) Anyway, the manual says there is a service button to test the board. Yes, here it is!

030af.jpg


Looks like a test grid pattern comes up with the service button switched on.

031ae.jpg


And the results of the test are displayed. Oh man, yeah that burn-in will annoy me for sure.

032az.jpg


033atr.jpg


Ok, this tag looks very official.

[FONT=&quot]
034ai.jpg
[/FONT]
 
So I removed the glass and the smoked colored plexi-glass that was covering the monitor. Let's get this monitor out of here. Oh, and I read for hours about discharging CRT monitors, then made my handy discharge tool. After working up some serious courage, I successfully discharged the old monitor and was ready to remove it. (Sorry, no discharge pics… I was so focused on not frying myself that I abandoned the photo-documentation for this stage.) Plus, it's hard to take good pics with one hand in your pocket and a rubber glove on the other one! ~lol~ ;-)

035ap.jpg


036ab.jpg


Have to undo some wires.

037ah.jpg


038ag.jpg


And some bolts need removed as well.

039ak.jpg
 
Alright, the monitor is out.

041ajh.jpg


Now, if you are a "purist" you should probably move onto another thread, because at this point I am about to begin making some modifications to the inside of this machine. I happen to have a 19-inch LCD flat panel monitor sitting around that is not being used. It will fit perfectly in here, but first I will have to build some sort of mount to hold it firmly in place.

I start by removing this great bracket from the original monitor, then repositioning it back inside the machine.

042am.jpg


Then I installed a power-strip inside, since my new monitor will need a place to plug into. I also plugged the original three-prong plug from the power supply into the strip, then added a heavy appliance-grade cord to run out of the cabinet and into the wall outlet.

043aa.jpg


Okay, after combing the house for monitor-mounting materials I settled on a heavy-duty baking pan which conforms perfectly to the shape of the flat panel monitor I will be installing. Don't laugh! ;-)

Several heavy metal screws at each end locked it in place very firmly.

044al.jpg


045aa.jpg


I suspect this is not a common way to mount a flat panel in one of these… but I'm willing to bet someone else here has done it too. Go on... confess! Elegant… not even close, but practical… absolutely!

Tomorrow I'll post pics of the next phase.
 
Last edited:
Now, if you are a "purist" you should probably move onto another thread, because at this point I am about to begin making some modifications to the inside of this machine. I happen to have a 19-inch LCD flat panel monitor sitting around that is not being used. It will fit perfectly in here, but first I will have to build some sort of mount to hold it firmly in place.


Man, you had the makings of a good restore going. Why ruin it with an LCD? The picture will look terrible compared to what it is supposed to look like.
 
My goal is to get this machine working so we can enjoy it here in our home. I bought it to fix it up so we can play it. It doesn't have to be "authentic" for me to enjoy it. Plus, I think there are some significant advantages to going with a newer monitor. First, the LCD is here, and it's free. Finding a replacement CRT and shipping it here is not. Likewise, the LCD will certainly outlast any replacement CRT I put into the unit. Also, it's more energy-efficient, and produces less heat inside the machine.

Yes, I get it; I can see that there are many people that think altering (or not accurately restoring) a machine like this is taboo. For me this is a non-issue. The LCD is crisp, clear, and completely operational... the condition of the CRT was far from that. Condition is better, and it's free: LCD wins.

As to the way it's supposed to look, I agree that there is something cool about playing on an old tube, I really do. But the LCD doesn't make it worse, just different... some people (hold your hats) might say better. This is just simply a matter of ascetics, preference, and opinion. I happen to be okay with it. Will I make the same choice in future machines... probably not, but for right now, and for this machine, I am doing a non-authentic rebuild, at least on the inside.

BTW: If the LCD bugs folks, you'll be really irked when you find out that I'm going to put a 60-in-1 board in it too. For the money and for our physical space limitations it makes great sense. We love these old games and will have a BLAST playing them all on this one machine. When we move in a few years, we'll have much more space and we'll grow our collection of games for certain. At that point, I might very well insist on doing classic, accurate restorations; with the additional space and experience it's definitely plausible. At that point, I might even convert the inside of this Ms. Pac-Man unit back to its classic condition. But, for this rebuild (at least for now) we're going to be changing some things. ;)
 
Last edited:
the LCD will certainly outlast any replacement CRT I put into the unit.

I would bet you that a properly rebuilt 30 year old arcade monitor will easily outlast your LCD. Have you seen the quality of these Chinese made LCD's. They aren't meant to last 30 years like the arcade monitors have.

And by the way:
Cap kit $5
Replacement tube from old TV $free
Information learned while rebuilding the monitor yourself $Priceless

Total cost to have a new looking monitor: $5
 
@Spyridon I'm not sure that we've established that I am using a Chinese LCD. Clearly you have a lot more experience here than I do. Try to remember that I *am* learning as I am going... and I certainly haven't avoided using a CRT because I didn't want to learn.

Hasn't all of this 'Classic vs. Non-Classic Resto" stuff been hashed out somewhere here in an official thread devoted to the subject? Do we have to debate this here?
 
Last edited:
Hasn't all of this 'Classic vs. Non-Classic Resto" stuff been hashed out somewhere here in an official thread devoted to the subject? Do we have to debate this here?


In the end it's your game and you can do what you want and what works for you. I was just trying to explain that the quality won't be the same with an LCD and that replacing the current monitor isn't that hard. Please carry on with your thread...
 
He's right- 19" donor TVs are usually cheap or free. Picture quality is subjective. I dislike the viewing angle limitations of LCDs.

If you're going to throw a 60-in-1 in there, I'll suggest a pac-to-jamma adapter so that most of the wiring can stay original even with a modern board in there.

Your 60-in-1 idea will get tons more play than just having Ms Pac in there.

Kerry
 
In the end it's your game and you can do what you want and what works for you. I was just trying to explain that the quality won't be the same with an LCD and that replacing the current monitor isn't that hard. Please carry on with your thread...

Thanks Spyridon. I am certainly not opposed to putting a CRT in there. But, with the burn-in so bad I just figured that the old one was toast. Recapping wouldn't fix that, right? Would an old computer CRT monitor work as a replacement? How would that quality be?

BTW: My timing is so bad. I have very limited space here, so I put the old monitor/chassis which I figured was beyond reasonable repair out with the trash. Sadly now it is gone. So I have to decide if I should put my 19" LCD (by the way, it's a Gateway... have to get the model number... not sure if it is actually Chinese, lol) or if I would be better off trying a computer CRT or an old TV monitor. Dang, now I might actually have to go with the LCD, which you guys have nearly convinced me I don't want to do any more. And after that great cookie pan mount I was so proud to have crafted. :)
 
Last edited:
He's right- 19" donor TVs are usually cheap or free. Picture quality is subjective. I dislike the viewing angle limitations of LCDs.

If you're going to throw a 60-in-1 in there, I'll suggest a pac-to-jamma adapter so that most of the wiring can stay original even with a modern board in there.

Your 60-in-1 idea will get tons more play than just having Ms Pac in there.

Kerry

Thank kstillin. Yeah, I am committed to the 60-in-1 board... we will absolutely play it a lot more. I did get the Pac-to-Jamma adapter and the iCade 60-in-1 board. Excellent idea to keep the wiring inside original. That way, if I want to put the old Ms. Pac-Man board back in there at some point it won't be such a chore. I did know enough to not throw the Ms. Pac-Man PCB out. ;) since it seemed to work fine.
 
Back
Top Bottom