bavacade To-Do List, Part 2

bavacade_to-do list part 2

I was pleasantly surprised to realize I’ve worked my way through all of bavacade To-Do List, Part 1, so I guess it’s time to start on Part 2. In fact, I’ve already knocked a few items off this list over the past week, such as #18 with swapping out the switching power supply in Asterock. Although, as detailed here, I didn’t end up removing the switching power supply, I simply made sure the game runs off one AC plug and put back the heat sync. I also can cross-out #10 given that when I swapped the G07 chassis in Dig Dug with that in Bagman there were no more screen issues for either monitor, so no need to replace pots. I just need to try my hand at another G07 capkit for the original Condor chassis I started parting out for pots. I was also able to add the high score save kit to Galaxian so that takes care of #14. Finally, I did try #20, swapping the Hanterex Polo chassis in Cheyenne with a spare I have, but as already noted the horizontal sync issues that resulted means the monitor issues persist.

Galaxian High Score Save Kit

So, that leaves only 8 items to attend to on this list, and 3 of them (#s 15, 16, and 17) are installing high score save kits, which may be simple or a royal pain in the ass depending on how complicated the kit and whether the chips to be replaced are socketed. Moon Patrol and Elevator Action look pretty simply like Galaxian, but I think Pac-man is more involved. So I’ll work through those three tasks this week and see where I land.

Moon Patrol Board with socketed Z80 for high score save kit…YES!

Task #9 is simply getting ready to send boards out for repair. Right now I know I need to send out both Moon Patrol for throwing garbage and Bagman for sprite issues, but I want to find a way to test Venture and see where the original Cheyenne board is at with the audio issues. I also have a bootleg Gyruss and Yie-Ar Kung-fu I could send, but given this might be an international job, I’ll have to limit the board repairs given shipping costs. So holding off on shipping these until I know everything I need and then make some choices.

80s advertisement featuring the Venture cabinet

Task #11 is also a bit of a place holder given work on fixing up the Venture and Dig Dug cabinets won’t happen until Moon Patrol is worked on, and that is still a waiting game. So this is definitely in the pipeline. But I do want Venture to look like new as shown above once everything is woking—hope springs eternal.

Tasks #12 and #13 are related, and after the work on Defender yesterday, I might have an idea why the Joust FPGA board (task #12) is acting up. [You can read more about that Defender repair over on yesterday’s repair log.] Anyway, the Joust FPGA is definitely something I want to return to given that game is currently using the original boards, and there is a line along the top that’s annoying, but by no means a dealbreaker.

That brings me to #13 which is the Williams transformer for Joust when I mistakenly plugged the 120V AC into a European 220V socket. I know, I know! 

Anyway, I currently have the transformer from Stargate in Joust and the converted DC Voltage readings coming from that transformer into the power supply board are crazy. They don’t match those on the Stargate or the Joust schematic at all, so I’m only using the isolation transformer to power the monitor and marquee, and added a switching power supply to Joust and will do the same for Stargate here shortly. The transformer outputs for the Williams power supplies are inconsistent at best, and crazy at worst. After Stargate every Williams game in the bavacade (there are 6) will have a switching power supply…hallelujah! I have a hunch the power supply in Moon Patrol was the reason behind the board having issues, but that is not something I can confirm until it is fixed. In fact, getting these original Williams power supplies refurbished is something I am considering given I do want the original pieces working even if I am bypassing them for reasons of preservation.*

I mentioned the high score save kits early on in this post, so the last thing is to return the Asterock boards Antonio Nati of Arcade Story—the godfather of 80s classic arcade games in Italy—lent me in Spring to test an issue I was having. He’s been super mellow with letting me hang on to them, but I’m gonna plan a trip to go to his warehouse this month and return the boards and also see if he has any games I might be interested in for bavacade 🙂 I did see a pretty nice Wizard of Wor and is that an Italian knock-off of Centipede from Sidam called Magic Worm? Another for my collection of Sidam games?! 🙂

Sidam’s Magic Worm

One more thing I need to add to this list is fixing the coin door switches for changing settings in Robotron. I am hoping this will be easy after my work with Defender in this regard, but we will see.

Anyway, the work is coming along, I just need to shore up some of the low-hanging fruit before I lock back into Venture and Cheyenne. In fact, I know I have some local help for the monitor chassis issue with Cheyenne, it’s the power supply for Venture that has me most concerned, I guess I might just have to reach back out across the pond for some help—or ask Antonio if he has any ideas, or maybe Roberto can rebuild that power supply….I guess we’ll see. The game is in the journey!

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*In fact, the Exidy power supply for Venture is a perfect example of a game I wish I had a switching power supply for, but seems like they don’t make them given that is using both HI and LO -12V and +12V, which I finally researched this, and it means that -12V DC is running at both 1 amp for LO and 3 amps for high, and they are separate lines, same for +12V DC. Crazy, so the Venture power supply will most likely need to be rebuilt again 🙁