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Atari Star Wars Cockpit Restoration


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Very nice read there Womble

 

The bottom of the screen issue (the squiggles problem, not the collapse) has been known to be:

  • bad header soldering
  • incorrect or counterfeit main Transistors
  • Incorrect MPSU transistors
  • Incorrect 2 x Large resistors, they need to be Non Inductive. Yours look original, so should be OK

 

The collapse problem will likely right itself now you have replaced transistors and re-flowed solder etc

 

:)

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Very nice read there Womble

 

The collapse problem will likely right itself now you have replaced transistors and re-flowed solder etc

 

:)

 

Cheers Dez. Really looking forward to powering it all up again.

 

If Toll hadn't lost two of the parcels from RS I'd have the HV board done now too.

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Cheers Dez. Really looking forward to powering it all up again.

 

If Toll hadn't lost two of the parcels from RS I'd have the HV board done now too.

Do you have the tracking no for your parcel which i can check for you today..Just pm me the tracking no.;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

On to the Amplifone High Voltage (HV) PCB - smaller board but bigger problems!

 

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The original bright red line output transformer (LOPT) was long gone, having followed most of it's brethren and let the magic smoke out decades ago.

 

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This board has been heavily modified to take a non-standard LOPT as availability of drop-in replacements has been very variable over the last 30 years. The use of silicone sealant on this one suggests it wasn't in great health either.

 

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Brutalising the board like this was probably the only economic option at the time to get the cabinet back up and running. Unfortunately it involved tearing up all the tracks, drilling new holes and throwing away the original drive transistor along with its heatsink. Rewiring it involved running wires all over the place, and using braided wire soldered between various points as anchors.

 

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It looks like a horrific bodge but from a physical mounting perspective a fair bit of effort was put in, it's just ugly and filthy.

 

Removing all the rework underneath, and one wire up top, released the transformer, leaving the focus assembly held by two screws...

 

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...which came off, followed by the harness.

 

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Looks like RS were involved in a repair here 32 years ago, going by the late 1987 date-codes on the caps, all of which test as perfectly fine for capacitance, ESR and DC leakage.

 

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Still looks horrific.

 

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After the desoldering the board got a scrub with iso alcohol to remove the flux residue, a wash with simple green and water (to avoid the small transformer and potentiometers) and a long dry in the sun.

 

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The harness...

 

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...met the sink for a more brutal scrub and dry.

 

The power of simple green and water on electronics never fails to amaze, but the main problem remains, all the missing track work.

 

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New direct replacements LOPTs are easily source these days, but with one dropped in there isn't a single pad I can solder it to on the board, and this one doesn't have a mounting bolt like the original did.

 

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It's fairly common on TV chassis to have a type of rivet fitted, instead of the usual plate through hole, for heavy parts that pose a risk of tearing free. These are available and individually very cheap, but only if you want to buy 5000. No one was interested in selling me 7 for 21 cents, so I made my own.

 

Normally a pop rivet doesn't have a central hole after it has been fitted, as the stem breaks off and is wedged in there for eternity, plus they are too long to grip the board thickness when popped. With some careful side-cutter action I could cut down the rivet, slide it off the pull-pin and reinstall the shorter section on the pin for fitting...

 

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...with just enough pull on the gun to roll the end over, but not enough to snap the pin or leave it jammed in the hole. The pin could then be removed and used again on the next one.

 

With a full set of rivets on board the LOPT is a pretty firm fit but I had no idea how easy these would take solder. I guessed they were probably aluminium which resists attempts to solder unless you polish the surfaces and solder under a lake of boiling flux to keep the oxygen out.

 

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Before the new LOPT goes in the board needed some work, which is easier without the bulky transformer and wiring in the way. This PCB was the later green revision, so the recommended diode mods were already there as part of the updated design. By the point Toll had given up and admitted they'd completely lost two parcels (both on the same truck - hmmm) and RS had sent another batch, so I could go ahead and fit the power resistor mod, which replaces these large power resistors that were flapping in the breeze (and burning up the board)...

 

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...with TO-220 resistors which can be mounted to the main heatsink.

 

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Time for some dremel drill-press action, for the mounting holes in the heatsink, and the through-holes in the PCB.

 

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With that done they went in alongside a pair of new 1.5A rated voltage regulators and were connected up with one leg the upper side of the board, and one connected on the underside.

 

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With the fiddly work out the way the capacitors got cleaned up and reinstalled, along with the MC1 - aka the Mystery Can.

 

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The cleaned-up focus stem went in...

 

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...followed by the LOPT, any concerns about the rivet solution evaporated, I'd forgotten to install the white heater wire before fitting the transformer. The transformer sits on top of the hole for this wire and has a slot in the base for the wire to snake out. As expected, solder didn't stick to rivets at all but it was a sod of a job to get it off the board as the solder coats the pins and mechanically locks them in place.

 

The only option to bridge the missing track work on the rear of the board was to run new wires, using an HV wire off a scrap TV chassis to make up the links, chunky wire, and even chunkier insulation!

 

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The last link to go in was the one to the BU406D transistor's heatsink at Q3, which had been removed during the old bodge mod and is probably rusting in a 1980s landfill somewhere...

 

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...the tracks to the transformer legs have lifted in this area but they are in good condition and will get soldered down flat.

 

Huge thanks to @dezbaz for donating an original heatink to the cause!

 

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It's an odd shape and I couldn't find a suitable replacement, I had one option that did physically fit, but it had separate legs which were crimped into the body, and as the heatsink actually forms part of the circuit (the tab on the BU406D is the collector and needs to connects to the board via the heatsink) it seemed like a bad idea to introduce two weak connections.

 

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Only the bare heatsink went in at this point, one of the stages of the suggested power-up process for unknown/untested Amplifone monitors is best done before it is installed. Without it the board won't generate the high voltage for the tube, making checking the the regulators and the 555 timer circuit output a lot safer.

 

With that done the missing 22nF 630 volt capacitor at C8 goes in...

 

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...the cleaned up harness is reinstalled.

 

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The modern replacement LOPTs use the standard casing so come with another set of brightness and focus knobs but these aren't used internally, so the old focus stem is still required.

 

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HV board done, and that's the last of the PCB work, I wonder if it all works.

Edited by Womble
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Time for something mechanical - the iconic Atari yoke controller

 

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This one has had a very hard life...

 

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... and has taken abuse from all sides, even some good old fashioned vandalism underneath.

 

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The metal cover is held on by four screws, and in keeping with the general theme for this cabinet only one was original, the other three were complete randoms shoved in. This really sh1ts me, if you take out 4 screws, how hard is it to keep hold of them and put them back where they came from?

 

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Under the hood it is dirty but in good condition.

 

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This section of the mechanism deals with the pitch up & down axis, which didn't work. The roll axis is handled by the section behind this, and the whole front assembly rotates on the mounting plate and turns the inner gears and the roll potentiometer inside the cabinet.

 

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Hmmm - that'll be why I have no pitch control.

 

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It looks like the teeth of the two white gears might be engaging very slightly, but...

 

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...nup!

 

You'd think the ring of teeth has just slipped off the hub,

 

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...but when pressed back onto the hub a crack opens up and the fit is pretty loose. Any attempt to use it in this state just causes the ring to ping off again.

 

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A look over the rest of the controller throws up a few more concerns, Mr Screw has been at it here too - original cup-head bolts in three of the four holes that hold the handles together...

 

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... and a wood screw in the 4th.

 

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Removing the whole assembly from the cab involves removing the 4 large nuts inside the cabinet, while someone holds the controller from the other side, so it doesn't just fall out. With it all out in the daylight it looks less nasty but a lot more beaten up.

 

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Inside the handles everything looked OK...

 

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... mismatched switches and some gloopy soldering but no major issues..

 

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... and it turns out the odd red button is actually the broken stump of the original glued to whatever the red plastic bit is, not a bad solution, just ugly.

 

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Tear down time!

 

The switch wiring needs to be desolderd so it can be pulled through the shaft, I'm guessing the scratched R and W signify which wire goes to which switch, red or white.

 

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Of the 8 screws that hold the switches in, two were the wrong type, probably metric M2 sized by the look of them. They are too thin and don't really engage with the threaded holes, so that switch was loose.

 

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The pitch pot comes off, the quality of the soldering on these made me suspect they were actually the originals, but it looks like they were transplanted with some of their original wiring from another controller as there are multiple joins in the harness. They might be originals, but probably not from this controller.

 

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This must be a later model yoke as it has two chunky bolts underneath each side, rather than a hard-to-remove pin to hold the handles on.

 

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They were furred up with dust, rust and gunk.

 

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Also they were an odd set, with one longer than the rest, and the three shorter ones had been cut from longer bolts by the look of it.

 

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With the handles off...

 

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... its a case of removing the cross beam that retains the springs...

 

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... the bolt on the gear wheel, and two large split rings that retain the main shaft. With that removed the brass bushings could be prised out. These are a tight fit and it probably rules out any dreams of powder coating this, as that tends to be a thicker coating than paint, so the hole would end up slightly smaller.

 

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To separate the two frames I needed to remove the three bolts fixing the rear shaft onto the front cage...

 

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...and here we meet Mr Screw's handiwork again.

 

The first was a long slot head screw, the second was a short cross head, and the third was this hot mess.

 

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A chewed up cross-head buried in a solid pile of what looks like varnish, it might be threadlock but I'm surprised you can pile it up like this, it could also be glue. I could barely get the bolt to turn more than a quarter turn. The central bushing is welded to the plate and you can't get direct in-line access to the screw head. The only option is to drive it at an angle but if I stripped the head or snapped the bolt I'd be in a world of trouble, there is no way to get in to remove the stump or drill it out.

 

Some light machine oil applied to both ends and a lot of rocking back and forth finally got it to turn fully and unscrew.

 

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Cheers Mr Screw - love your work.

 

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If these three non-original bolts are metric rammed in place of the imperial bolts then the threads in the shaft are almost certainly buggered.

 

With those finally out the two halves can be separated, revealing the sad remains of the rubber bump stops.

 

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What's left here is mostly the metal bushing, most of the rubber has turned to slime and dripped off.

 

The second potentiometer was the last part to release the wiring harness (filthy - am totally over washing wiring). Whoever was last in here made a pigs ear of fitting this one. The locating tab is supposed to sit in a hole in the chassis to stop the pot working loose and rotating itself, but this was crushed into the body of the pot bending the whole case as it was not seated in the hole before the nut was done up.

 

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It was easily fixed, with the can tabs straightened out, and re-seated it was back to normal.

 

Stripping down the rear section was simpler, the main gear comes off, and the spring retaining bolt is unscrewed...

 

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..and the final bushing comes off.

 

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The grooves worn on the shafts from the springs...

 

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...shows this controller has seen an insane amount of action over the years, but everything was more than good enough to reuse.

 

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Even the potentiometers, which were a concern especially if they are 35 years old, both tested perfectly fine.

 

Degreasing time, to get rid of all the clag that is coating everything.

 

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I half suspect someone used old engine oil on the springs, based on the colour and consistency. There's no way the oil would have gotten this dirty inside an arcade cabinet, so I suspect it came out of something else.

 

Most parts cleaned up very quickly, but the larger springs spent the afternoon stewing in a jar of degreaser.

Edited by Womble
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With that lot soaking I moved on to the frames...

 

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... both sections were pretty beat up, rusty and with sticky patches from where the rubber had dripped on to them.

 

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Nothing the sander couldn't deal with.

 

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The paintwork on the inside was in decent condition, so that just got a light surface sand, except the areas where the rust had travelled...

 

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...which were taken back to bare metal.

 

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The section that lived inside the cabinet had the tell-tale signs of mouse...

 

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...along with more rubber splats.

 

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So this part was taken back to bare metal entirely, and the crusty bolt threads cleaned up with a wire wheel in the Dremel.

 

All up they look much better...

 

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... and ready for some metal primer.

 

Masked up and ready, with some cardboard bent round the insides, to keep the primer off the main bearing surface and out of the innards where I'm just re-surface painting.

 

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Another reason to love Pringles! The BBQ ones make the best painting stands.

 

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The third piece of the controller is the metal cover, which was in one hell of a state - bashed up...

 

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...rusty...

 

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...and bent.

 

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It's possible to get a remade one of these, but postage is a killer and I wanted to keep as much of the original as possible. Just needed to straighten out the bent bottom faces and put the missing bend back in. I decided the simplest option is to use a $5000 metal bending press! :cool:

 

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I spotted this at a mates building site a few weekends back and got the OK to take it for a spin.

 

It's day job is bending Colourbond steel sheets for roofing and guttering projects, but by reconfiguring the blocks it is perfect to bend things straight again.

 

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Thankfully the steel is quite stiff and didn't need to be bend past straight to stay straight when the pressure was released. Once the flat faces were flat again I lined it up with the original score marks inside...

 

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... and put the slight bend back in

 

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Once it was the right shape and no longer a candidate for scrapping (had no idea how well it would reform) it met the sander and the primer spray can too.

 

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The final part was the handles...

 

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... I wasn't sure whether these were painted, or powder coated. The good sections looked like powder coat but the way they had worn in some areas...

 

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...looked like paint, plus powder coating these can be a problem on these as they are is cast metal and not a machined part. The slightly porous nature can cause bubbling in the oven stage of the powder coating process as the air escapes.

 

But my total failure to get any of it off with two rounds of paint stripper...

 

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... means it was powder coat after all. My only real option here is to get it sand blasted and re-powder coated.

 

At this stage I am past the point of nasty surprises, so the shopping list of parts is finalised - a replacement gear wheel, a set of 4 rubber bump stops and a new trigger. Oh and a lot of imperial bolts.

Edited by Womble
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  • 1 month later...

Nope, I haven't given up, or wheeled the cabinet into a corner of the garage for a 4 year siesta. I'm just a bit behind with the write up on this one...

 

The random selection of mismatched, rusted and knackered bolts meant the only reusable set was the 4 on the rotten rubber bump-stops, I guess Mr Screw hadn't taken the controller apart far enough to lose those. As this machine was made in the US everything is imperial rather than metric, and I'd need imperial bolts to fit into the imperial threads already cut into the shafts, handles etc, Bunnings can't help me here. Normally, finding out what the original parts were would be a problem, but being an Atari machine the service manual is amazing, and has a comprehensive parts list down to the type, size and thread count of every bolt and washer.

 

By my count I needed to source this little lot...

 

#2-56 x 3/8 inch Cross-Recessed Pan-Head Machine Screw 2x Switch mounting screws

#6-32 x 5/8 Inch Tamper-Proof Socket-Head Cap Screw 4x Handle cover screws

#6-32 x 5/8 Inch Tamper-Proof Socket-Head Cap Screw 3x Shaft retainer bolts

#6-32 x 1/4 Inch Tamper-Proof Self-Locking Button-Head Cap Screw 4x Controller cover screws

#6-32 x 5/16 Inch Tamper-Proof Self Locking Button Head Cap Screw 4x Handle shaft mounting bolts

 

Simple, except one thing stuck out. The four bolts that held the handles onto the shaft were listed as being #6-32 bolts, the same thickness as all the other ones I needed, but my mismatched set of four was much chunkier, and the holes in the handles for the bolt heads were massive, someone has modified these.

 

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The bolts that hold the rubber bumpers on were #10-32 bolts, one size up, so I could test those for fit, they engaged but were loose, so it looked like my 4 mismatched ones were actually the size above a #10, which is actually a 1/4 inch bolt, as the sensible numbering runs out of puff at 10.

 

I guess this was a modification done to beef up the strength of the assembly, or to deal with stripped threads. Replacement shafts are available online for eye-watering amounts, and they seem to have much smaller holes which look about right for the #6-32 bolts. If the handles were drilled out to take the larger bolts then it was neatly done, so it is odd that whoever did it suddenly got half-arsed with the bolts, unless this is Mr Screw losing the originals and having to resort to bodging it.

 

It also looked like whoever did this mod ran out of patience. On the left handle the holes that take the bolt head were drilled out, and the ones on the right handle weren't. Or maybe they were just to a smaller diameter. On that handle the bolt heads had been screwed in hard up against the metal edges, which was half the reason they were a sod to get out. It also means powder coating here is going to be a problem as there isn't any clearance when the bolt is grinding against bare metal.

 

To return this to stock would mean buying new handles and a new shaft, so I'd be looking at several hundred bucks for no benefit at all, the simplest option is to run with it, but replace the chopped down mismatched bolt set. I also opted to drill out the smaller clearance holes to leave room for paint or powder coat and non-buggered bolts.

 

The nuts and washers that were re-usable, looked pretty manky...

 

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... so they got a night in the vinegar...

 

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...and come out looking great.

 

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One final issue remained, of the three #6-32 threaded holes on the main yaw shaft, only one would actually take a 6-32 bolt, the others would just lock up. The threads were either mangled, rusted or had been flooded with threadlock. As the threads on two of the re-used bolts were damaged it is possible Mr Screw basically glued them in. Ramming a bolt in would likely just strip the threads totally, the only option really was to get one of these...

 

IMG_9747.jpg

 

... and re-tap the threads clear. Which worked like a charm, a shower of dust later all three threaded holes were usable again.

 

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Finding this lot of imperial parts turned out to be easier than I expect, there is a QLD based eBay seller who could supply the lot, with the correct heads, and in black oxide finish, as well as the correct ones for the spacers on the PCB which were also a bit of a mixed bag.

 

With that lot ordered, plus the other parts for the rebuild I got on with the painting, and here my luck ran out.

 

Both parts got a good couple of coats of primer...

 

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...and were rotated between coats to get full coverage...

 

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...before I moved on to the satin black top coat, which is where things went south.

 

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Looks good, except when I turned them over (after the 2 hour drying time) to do the other side the Pringles can left a dirty great ring in the paint. So after a few more hours drying time that side was lightly scuffed with wet-and-dry paper...

 

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... and got another light coat.

 

Same deal again, the already painted side ended up with dirty great marks in the finish from supporting the part. Thinking I needed to give a much longer drying time I repeated the process, being extra careful and propped the parts up again, for one last coat.

 

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Looks great again, but even after a week of drying time, the paint still would not hold it's finish.

 

This is the result of the part sitting on a clean flat surface for half an hour...

 

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... and this is it sitting on a clean dry tea towel for 10 minutes.

 

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The paint layer is falling apart, it's easy to scratch the top layer, you don't get down to the primer layer, but the surface comes off like a stiff wax. It survives handling but any continued pressure, over more than a few minutes dents tit. Pressing hard you can smear it as if it was candle wax.

 

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You can get this problem if the paint is applied when it is too hot, or too cold, but I was painting thin coats on few 20 degree day in a well ventilated garage, well within the 15-30 degree range, and well below the 70% humidity limit.

 

Turns out this paint (White Knight Squirts) is total garbage - it used to be fairly well regarded and I'd used it many times before. I had and old almost full can left over from other projects, which I used on the coin door. That was almost empty at this stage so I got this new can for the controller parts to avoid mixing batches on one job. It seems I'm not alone in having problems with it, the recent online reviews are full of trashed projects and furious people. Paint that never cures properly is one of the symptoms, as is satin paint that is overly glossy.

 

Painting over the top of such a weak coat would not end well, so my only option is to get it off, but sanding it was like sanding a candle, it worked for a 30 seconds or so before the sandpaper was totally clogged.

 

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After going through an entire pack of sander pads in 5 minutes I gave up, my only option was paint stripper. As I had painted the innards meant I had to bath the parts in it, and destroy the old paint in the fiddly hard to reach places that I had hoped to avoid working on.

 

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Also being old paint it took hours to loosen up, with some areas fighting to the last.

 

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The whole lot turns to a slimy greeny brown goo after a while, which seems to set back onto the metal given half a chance.

 

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Attacking it quickly with hot soapy water helped, but the metal was still left tarnished. Had I known what a battle it would be to get the old paint off I probably would have left the insides alone. The only way to make progress was to mop the goo off the metal with acres of kitchen paper and then wash the rest in very hot soapy water, and then sand it all again.

 

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I hadn't got to putting a top coat on the the controller cover yet but to avoid mixing brands of primer and paint I opted to sand that back to bare metal and start again.

 

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All up it was not a fun afternoon.

 

The shitty paint went back to Bunnings for a refund, and I picked up some Rustoleum primer and satin black, along with some mineral turps as the pieces still smelt strongly of paint stripper. If the fumes are still there then the paint stripper is still hanging around, so probably not a good idea to paint over that.

 

So they got a good soak in mineral turps and a wash off in hot water as per the instructions.

 

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Water plus bare steel is bad idea, so they needed to be dried quickly and dried really well. What better option that the tumble drier?

 

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On the shoe drying rack, tumbling these would be entertaining but I doubt the parts, or the machine, or Mrs Womble would be pleased. After 5 minutes they came out baking hot and very dry.

 

As bare steel, plus water, plus heat, equals rust, so all surfaces got another very light sand, a wipe down with iso alcohol to remove any dust.

 

Back to where I started almost 3 weeks ago - sigh!

 

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Re-paint time, primer coat one.

 

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At the 45 minute mark the parts were flipped and the undersides painted, and over the next few days all areas got a very light sand and a second primer coat.

 

Looks pretty sharp in Battleship Grey!!

 

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Time for some Empire Strikes Black!

 

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Two coats each side.

 

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Then a week of drying time before I was brave enough to flip them over and do the other sides.

 

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Ideally I wanted the paint to be rock hard cured before I started to re-assemble as I really didn't want a repeat of the last few weeks. Even after a few days the painted parts still smelt very painty, meaning the solvents that make the paint wet were still present. These will slowly leak out over the weeks and months as the paint reaches peak hardness, until it has no smell at all, but that will be a slow process. What I really need is the ability to bake the paint job to speed this up. A hot sunny day works wonders...

 

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...after a few hours outside baking in 41 degrees most of the smell was gone.

 

At this point I noticed that I was missing two of the trigger button springs. The controller would originally have had 2 per handle, but two of the micro-switches had been replaced with lever-arm switches.

 

IMG_9078.jpg

 

Out of the two springs I had I think only one is original, the other looked like it was cut down from a larger spring.

 

Spare parts for Star Wars cabs are are ridiculously expensive, and the asking price for a set of 4 tiny NOS springs was crazy. I could easily have bodged in some random springs but as I'm trying to put this back to original condition (and feel) it seemed daft to skimp on anything related to the controller.

 

For some reason the price of a full spring kit for the controller wasn't much more expensive than just getting the the 4 small ones. As the controller in this cab had a noticeable lean to the left anyway a new set seemed like a good option. The lean is usually due to springs that are no longer matched in terms of strength, either through age or abuse. You can get this when the controller is held off-centre for long periods of time, and if this cabinet was stuffed in a shed for a decade or two it is quite possible the controller had stuff hanging on the handles keeping one spring stretched for years on end. Plus there's less chance of a new ones breaking than one with 30 years of abuse on the clock anyway.

 

IMG_0895.jpg

 

The originals can retirement to the coinbox as spares.

 

The only part I was lacking were the handles which had been at the powder coaters for weeks. To be fair I had said I wasn't in a hurry, but the two weeks they quoted had come and gone. They eventually took 6 weeks, as they had to re-do the job a couple of times due to bubbles in the finish.

 

But in the meantime I'd been cracking on with the last part of the monitor, the CRT that was still hanging in the cabinet, filthily.

 

IMG_9285.jpg

 

IMG_9294.jpg

 

I'd found the causes for all the original faults except one, the lack of red in the image. This could be as simple as a bad contact in the wiring (which would probably never show up again after disturbing everything) but the worst case scenario was that it could be a bad tube. This would be a major show stopper, of all the parts in this cabinet a 25" vector tube is something that I almost certainly would not be able to replace. Even if I could find one it would need to be local as shipping one internationally and have it arrive intact would be a miracle in itself.

 

Converting a road kill TV isn't an easy option here either, the deflection coils on vector tubes are different to those used on raster tubes. Some hardy folk have converted 25" TV tubes to be usable on vector monitors by rewinding the deflection coils, or transplanting them, but that takes more witchcraft than I can muster, plus 25" tubes are a very uncommon size in Oz so finding a candidate would be a slog. The final nail in the coffin is that this tube has a much finer dot pitch than most TV tubes, technically it would be considered a medium resolution tube if it was a raster monitor, the concept of pixels is largely meaningless in vector-land, but basically the lines drawn should look sharper on this tube than on a standard tube converted.

 

Before the tube got any TLC I kinda needed to know if I was wasting my time with it, the ability to test it would be really handy.

 

Years ago I did own a BK467 Tube Rejuvenator, one that I found on eBay, but I never used it or even turned it on, and ended up releasing it back into the wild. I figured I was done with CRTs and cabinet restorations, plus it was a beater, missing knobs, crumbling cables, bashed up fascia, and an unhelpful collection of CRT neck adaptors. These units had a wide range of neck adaptors for all sorts of tubes, but the selection I had was a hot mess of of home-made bodges, none of which were the much desired CR23 adaptor which most arcade era tubes need, or even the CR3 adaptor the manual calibration steps need. The list for parts to fix it up was more than I paid for it, so I release it back into the wild. Shame, as I could really use one here as this is a bit of a crossroads moment in the restoration.

 

So I did a search on AA and instantly found another member with one up for sale.

 

IMG_9342.jpg

 

It was in much better condition than my previous one, for a start it was complete, and it had the CR23 adaptor I needed for this tube. Even though it showed all the signs of having had an easy life it was almost certainly faulty, because they all are. The one fault these all have is broken solder joints on the main PCB, lucky folk find theirs works fine when the bad joints are fixed, unlucky people find they have more work to do.

 

A set of 5 screws hold it in its case and with those removed it just lifts out.

 

IMG_9348.jpg

 

The PCB has two 24 pin headers that connect the PCB to most of the controls and the joints here were the worst I had ever met.

 

IMG_9346.png

 

With those resoldered I powered it up and initially everything looked good, I measured the heater voltage present on the wiring as per the manual and it was spot on. Ideally I wanted to test it on a junk TV tube but I didn't have the right tube adaptor for any I had. So I bit the bullet and hooked it up to the vector tube in the cabinet.

 

IMG_9957.jpg

 

The tube in Amplifone monitors is a 25" Rauland A63AAX00X, which needs a heater voltage of 6.3v and a G1 voltage of 50v. So with the heater voltage and G1 set I moved to set up the G2 cutoff and got ... nothing. None of the controls responded at all, moving the dial to Test gave me the following...

 

IMG_9956.jpg

 

... meaningless in the current state. I was expecting this tube to either be fine on all three guns, or to show red firmly in the bad range. A result of 3 bad guns makes no sense as I knew at least the blue and green were alive, even if they were unwell they should still read better than the red.

 

The only explanation is I'm not one of the lucky BK467 owners, the tester itself is faulty and I have more work to do.

Edited by Womble
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Getting inside these units is a bit of a battle, they are a rats nest of wiring and over the last 36 years the insulation has become very stiff. The board is labelled 1971, although based on the IC date codes mine is a 1983 model - exactly the same age as the Star Wars cabinet.

 

Basically you have to remove all the knobs, some of the potentiometer nuts...

 

IMG_9964.jpg

 

...and the screws around the mains cable. This releases the top plate and the three meters that need to be disconnected from the unit.

 

IMG_0095.jpg

 

The PCB should then be loose enough to remove slightly, enough to disconnect the A and B edge connectors. Except it wasn't the wiring was so stiff the PCB was bending and the wiring wasn't. Not wanting to push my luck I tested what I could with the couple of inches access I had.

 

IMG_9963.jpg

 

The service manual is fairly basic on these but it gave a list of things to check for a complete lack of G2 control response, voltages and a handful of parts.

 

First the voltages on the secondary side of the main transformer checked out, while the system was still in one piece. Transformer failures usually cause blown fuses or missing voltages, but I had all three present and close enough to spec.

 

273AC measured between B18 and B21

12VAC measured between A22 and A23

134VAC measured between A22 and B19

 

I could get enough access through the side to remove the two suggested capacitors, resistors (which needed to be measured off the board) and the two logic ICs

 

The massive orange capacitor C11 wasn't original and was a 60uF rather than the 47uF as per the documentation and it acually tested as 77uF, compared wth the 53uF on C12. As they are a matched pair, it is possible this is a problem, but the ESR on both was fine.

 

The two 470K 5% resistors at R41 and R43 also tested fine, both well within their tolerance.

 

R41 478.7K

R40 470.1k

 

The 7400 IC came off...

 

IMG_9966.jpg

 

...and was tested in my EPROM reader...

 

bad7400.png

 

... and actually was bad.

 

There are a few repair logs up for these and in one a bad 7400 was the sole cause of my issues. So I soldered in a 74LS00 (probably OK to replace a 74 with a 74LS) and put the other parts back on.

 

With the unit back together there was no change at all - full tear down required.

 

About half an hour of fighting I got the board out.

 

IMG_0001.jpg

 

These units are also notorious for out of spec resistors, blown diodes and broken joints, thankfully there is no mention of anyone finding a bad valve, there's nowhere near me to test it, and audiophiles have pushed the prices of these up enough to make just buying a spare a bit extreme. Plus these tester would have spent most of their time on the shelf, so the valve probably has a very low number of hours on the clock.

 

With the board out I desoldered the ICs again, to check whether the board had eaten them, which would have been a good clue as to where the fault lay, but they were still ok. These went back in, in sockets this time, as I may need to visit this area again.

 

IMG_9999.jpg

 

As I really didn't want to have to tear this down again I opted to check every diode, every resistor and all the electrolytic capacitors rather than spot fix issues as I found them. I drew the line at the ceramic and poly caps, for sanity reasons, as they are a very rare failure. Most parts can be tested on board, but when you get an odd reading e.g. a diode that looks shorted, or an unstable/bizare resistor reading it means other parts of the circuit are likely interfering. For those I desoldered one leg and tested it out of the circuit, and almost everything was totally fine.

 

In the end I found one diode at D29...

 

IMG_9998.jpg

 

...which had undergone a career change and was now a 49 ohm resistor, in both directions...

 

IMG_0991.jpg

 

...and three bad resistors (all in the G2 area of the circuit)...

 

1) R46 620K measured as 685K

2) R48 620K measured all over the place, pressure sensitive even holding it caused it to drift wildly, even ensuring I wasn't connecting myself across the probes as I'm about 1Meg Ohm myself.

3) R70 470K measured as 523K - this is probably the main fault as this would impact the whole of the G2 circuit, not just a single meter as each of the 620K ones would.

 

There are actually three 620K resistors on the board, one per meter and only two of mine were bad. I would have replaced the lot but the remaining one is physically different to the faulty two, slightly different body and thinner, neater colour bands. They were either a mismatched set from new, or the odd-one-out is a repair done long enough ago for the solder to look as old as the rest.

 

Jaycar doesn't sell 2 watters at all, and RS wasn't much help either. So I made a QLD eBay seller's day and ordered 3 resistors.

 

With those installed it worked perfectly and the tube got a clean bill of health,...

 

IMG_0097.jpg

 

... all three guns are firmly in the green and are well matched - no red fault here it seems. I'll guess I'll find out if it is really gone on power-up day.

 

With the tube now looking like a keeper it was worth working on, firstly it was filthy, even after a light sanding the mouse staining on the upper strapping is permanent, am not that fussed about that, it will be invisible when cabinet is back together.

 

IMG_0112.jpg

 

Secondly great lumps of the dag coating were peeling off.

 

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IMG_7807.jpg

 

A few small gaps is ok, but the underside was mostly all loose, plus the contact spring was badly corroded giving limited contact to the dag through the rust.

 

Aside it looking a mess, the missing dag may actually cause issues, it performs a couple of important functions in a CRT monitor, firstly it ensures a consistent charge across the back of the screen reducing the ability of external fields to distort the image, secondly it attracts any electrons scattered by the beam towards the back of the tube preventing a charge growing inside the tube itself which can cause image flashing. It is a rare problem to have, usually you have to scrub pretty hard to get this coating off, which some people do as they think it is just caked on dirt.

 

The tube is held on to two bracket bolts and is removed neck end first, but I wanted to clean the face of the tube before it gets sat on it face down, which means pulling the cabinet apart some more.

 

IMG_9296.jpg

 

With the controller off the CP and some bolts removed the CP is loose on its hinge, but you don't get enough clearance to drop the awesome looking pressed plastic surround off. This extends high into the roof of the cabinet and needs to drop a long way to clear the roof, which means the CP has to come off entirely. This only take a couple of screws...

 

IMG_9298.jpg

 

... but there is something going on here. It was screwed onto another piece of roughly cut metal, which is bracing some old cab damage, looks like someone had a tantrum and was so violent with the controller that it shattered the panel where the CP bolts on.

 

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With that removed the monitor bezel can be extracted and you are down to the glass, which just lifts out.

 

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The monitor shroud is in surprisingly good condition, but odd because other restorations show their bezel had sliver stripes on it whereas this is just matte black The part number printed on it matches the part code in the service manual so this looks totally original. Its just a bit bent from 30 years of gravity.

 

IMG_9305.jpg

 

It's only held in by staples, and when that's off you are down to the tube face.

 

IMG_9310.jpg

 

Aside from the burnt spot in the middle there is no other burn-in and the face was only slightly dusty, better than the rivers of dried mouse slash I was expecting to find.

 

Most vectors monitors have this central burnt spot, there is a spot killer system on the monitor boards that turns off the electron guns if the board isn't getting any deflection signal from the game board, but that can go wrong as much as anything else. With no deflection, a vector monitor will just fire the guns continuously at the central spot. It's the same as vertical and horizontal collapse simultaneously on a raster monitor. Thankfully it is next to impossible to notice when the glass is in or even when the game is running.

 

While the tube isn't that heavy, it needs to be removed from the cabinet neck first, only way to approach it would be from the neck-end as the cabinet wood work blocks any useful access from the front. As most of the weight in a CRT is at the front, lifting it solo at arms-length from the back, with the fragile neck facing you will end in tears. You also need a third hand to undo the bolts while holding on - it's a two person job.

 

IMG_0116.jpg

 

With it removed from the cab the extent of the failing dag is clearer, as is the dirt on the lower areas and sides.

 

IMG_0117.jpg

 

IMG_0118.jpg

 

The dark chalky band below the bald patches is a thick layer of dust.

 

IMG_0119.jpg

 

SD2069 again, hadn't spotted that one before, the same serial as the power brick, and both monitor boards, so its almost certain this was the serial number of the cabinet before the board started to acquire faults and parts got swapped around.

 

So what do you do with a filthy tube on a hot windy day? You drag it outside, soak it in soapy water, and hose it off. Then leave it for hours in a shady spot to dry in the gale.

 

IMG_0138.jpg

 

I had removed the cable ties from one side of the degauss loop so I could flip it out of the way, but retain an easy way to replace it in exactly the same position.

 

IMG_0140.jpg

 

About half the remaining dag came off in the first wash, and the few remaining patches didn't put up much of a fight. Unfortunately the stickers didn't survive, I think they have been wet before, I'd hoped they would come off in one piece but they just fell apart.

 

One naked tube!

 

IMG_0143.jpg

 

The coil assembly plastics got a very gentle going over with Jiff on a toothbrush to get them back to white, and it spent the afternoon sat on a chair on the veranda, in the 40 degree breeze but out of direct sunlight.

 

IMG_0153.jpg

 

It got a few weeks more in the toyroom while I got on with other things, but in the short term I had a dag problem. This turned into an even bigger problem when all the suppliers of the tried and tested options refused to sell it to me, either because they wouldn't ship to Australia, wouldn't sell to non-business or wouldn't deal with people spending less than $500 in one order - FFS this hobby would be so much easier and a lot cheaper if I lived in the US.

 

In the end my only option was to import a water based Aquadag-E solution from an eBay seller in the UK. Even though the coating on the back of tubes is always called Aquadag it actually isn't, that was a brand name of a very early water based type - the type that washes off really easily. More modern equivalents were solvent based but aren't available in Australia. Bloody annoying as if I was in the US or the UK I could buy a spray can of it from Element 11 for $14 and be able to do this the easy way.

 

The tube got a dust with a paint brush, a rub down with acetone, and half an hour airing to dry. Followed by some masking tape to masking up the correct pattern...

 

IMG_0476.jpg

 

...and some painting.

 

IMG_0479.jpg

 

IMG_0480.jpg

 

This stuff dries really quickly and the coating was rather thin, so it got a second coat.

 

IMG_0485.jpg

 

A few minutes back outside baked the rest dry.

 

IMG_0486.jpg

 

The surface is dull grey until you polish it, which brings up a deep graphite sheen, polishing the surface apparently improves (lowers) the resistance but I couldn't measure any difference, but it does seem to toughen up the finish.

 

IMG_0487.jpg

 

Only two issues left, firstly one of the three mounting stud for the deflection coil had let go.

 

IMG-0772.jpg

 

These were originally siliconed to the tube, so peeling off the old and squirting some new silicone back underneath fixed that issue. It spent the afternoon weighted down in place until it had set.

 

IMG-0773.jpg

 

The other issue was the dag spring, which was corroded and dirty. A wash fixed the dirt, and a good rub down (while on a wooden skewer for support) with emery paper brought it back the metal surface.

 

IMG_0149.jpg

 

With the degauss coil cable tied back in place and the dag spring hooked back on the tube is done.

 

And with the handles finally back from the powercoater...

 

IMG_0896.jpg

 

... I can finally get on with the controller.

Edited by Womble
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Ready and armed with parts, the service manual, coffee, and a tonne of photos taken during the tear down! Mymain concern was not mashing up the paintwork at any stage. In the end these had spent many weeks sat on the shelf since their day in the sun so the paint should be pretty rock hard.

 

IMG_0897.jpg

 

First up was the bit I was dreading, ramming the old bearing fixtures back into the housings, these were a sod to get off, and that was before all the painting had made the hole smaller. The steering section was easy enough as they press into the housing so I could lean on them hard to get them to go in.

 

IMG_0899.jpg

 

The yaw section was harder as they press in from the inside out, I had to hammer them home using using the shaft against an offcut on both ends to protect the shaft from the hammer.

 

IMG_0900.jpg

 

It eventually gave up the fight and went in.

 

IMG_0901.jpg

 

I'd gone as far as picking up some Nyogel 790 grease from the same source as the springs, this stuff is mythical in Atari cab restoration as Atari specifically reference it in their service manuals on their mechanical controllers acros most of their cabinets.

 

IMG_0902.jpg

 

It's actually more than just grease, technically it's a damping grease, with very specific properties. The purpose in arcade controllers is to give a smooth motion, with more resistance than you would get with just oil. It's used in a variety of applications, volume knobs on high end audio gear and on zoom lens assemblies to give a stiff but smooth free movement. The final reason for it is to stop the mechanism rattling as the springs jump around. The manual says to slap it on thick under the springs, so OK.

 

IMG_0903.jpg

 

Getting both springs on with their tail ends hooked into their holes on the underside took some fighting.

 

IMG_0904.jpg

 

Once they are in, you rotate the shaft to line up the holes then install the cross pin to pick up the two hooks, as you twist it from one extreme to the other. With that done the two giant cir-clips went on, followed by the nut to lock the 40 pin gear wheel in place.

 

IMG_0920.jpg

 

With that done the potentiometer and the new 14 tooth gear wheel slotted in.

 

IMG_0906.jpg

 

New rubber bump stops bolt on,

 

IMG_0905.jpg

 

... with a bit more meat on them than the old set.

 

IMG_0926.jpg

 

Handle time!

 

These just slide onto the ends of the shaft and two M5 bolts, to replace the mystery bolt selection, clamp them in.

 

IMG_0927.jpg

 

Looks much better than the rusted mess before.

 

IMG_0919.jpg

 

Onto the steering portion as there isn't anything else to do with the handles until both controller sections are reconnected together and the wiring is run through.

 

Bump stops go on first this time...

 

IMG_0913.jpg

 

...main shaft circlip and washer go on, with a healthy dose of Nyogel between the two.

 

IMG_0914.jpg

 

With lashings more grease the two main springs slide on loosely.

 

IMG_0915.jpg

 

... and with great difficult the cross bar was finally persuaded to engage with both loops. At this stage there is nothing on the shaft that I could use to turn it more easily to the full extent of the springs to get them to enagage.

 

IMG_0916.jpg

 

I could have fitted the gear wheel to help, but they aren't designed to take that kind of torque, only to turn a small pot, plus it was old and I'd rather not shatter it at this late stage. So with the cross bar pin installed the gear wheel can go on.

 

IMG_0917.jpg

 

A final application of the Nyogel under the spring hooks and it was done.

 

IMG_0930.jpg

 

Time to put them both together again.

 

IMG_0932.jpg

 

Locking bolts go in...

 

IMG_0933.jpg

 

...and here I hit a snag. They are too long, so long they meet in the middle and fight, so I guess the Atari doco has at least one typo. A quick order of some shorter ones and another wait for the postman and it was fixed.

 

Onto the business end, where the other potentiometer slots in loosly, before being tightened up when the gears are engaged.

 

IMG_0937.jpg

 

Rewiring time!

 

The original harness was in good nick, needing only a slight tidy up.

 

IMG_0938.jpg

 

The wires on the right handle have been replaced at some stage but the joints were well done and well insulated. I also know the Jaycar wiring I have instock goes stiff as a board after a year or so, not a good option for this application anyway. The great block of heatshrink in the middle I think is original, it's probably protection for where the wires go through the mechanism.

 

Getting the wires through the two shafts, past the cross bar and through the bolts was fairly easy. The lumpy sections were wrapped in masking tape and attached to a long cable tie pushed through the whole assembly...

 

IMG_0940.jpg

 

... and the whole lot pulls through.

 

IMG_0941.jpg

 

One bundle goes left, one goes right and one stays in the middle...

 

IMG_0942.jpg

 

... to be soldered to the Yaw potentiometer.

 

IMG_0943.jpg

 

Whoever rewired this in the past used a lot of wire, about twice as much as is needed even when being majorly generous. I chopped about 50% out as even then there was plenty to allow for slack and plenty of flex in the wires to prevent any movement at the solder joints. New switches go in!

 

IMG_0946.jpg

 

I had the trigger piece fitted loosely on its axel to check I had the switch the right way up.

 

To avoid needing two sections of wire for the common switch terminals I just cut the insulation and slid it along exposing a section that was soldered to one switch, before the rest of the wire continued on to the second switch.

 

IMG_0944.jpg

 

IMG_0947.jpg

 

I'd picked up a pair of machined aluminium replacement buttons for this as they are about the same price as plastic ones.

 

IMG_0948.jpg

 

Button and trigger refitted plus new springs.

 

IMG_0949.jpg

 

Closing time! Camera focus doesn't seem to like all that shiny black goodness.

 

IMG_0953.jpg

 

Same deal on the other side.

 

IMG_0957.jpg

 

Except on this side I couldn't get the two halves to close without jamming the trigger button enirely, in fact on checking the other side I found the trigger button was jamming at least half the time. The only way to fix this was to file away some of the powder coating in the hole for the buttons.

 

IMG_0958.jpg

 

With that done both worked fine, running a multi-meter over the connector confirmed all the switches and pots were working.

 

Only a few things left to do, fit the cable tie mount for the rear pot wiring and tie down the wire...

 

IMG_0959.jpg

 

...and to tap on the grounding clip and green wire into place round.

 

IMG_1021.jpg

 

After taking all the care with the paint job it's horrible to hammer a spiked grounding clip onto the edge so its teeth can tear through down to bare metal, but that's the whole point.

 

The last job was something I wasn't looking forward to - fitting this, the yoke artwork from ThisOldGame.com

 

IMG_0962.jpg

 

Scary stuff because there is no way back if it goes wrong. The glue on these is mental, leaving no way to get it off again without wrecking the decal, and probably trashing the paint work too. I could fix the paintwork in about a week with drying time, but getting new artwork could take months as TOG tend to be slow.

 

Some people use masking tape to keep the alignment while removing the backing paper, but as this needed to bend round so many sharp corners I opted to clamp it while I worked out the positioning (I doubt tape would have held up to the tension)....

 

IMG_0963.jpg

 

... and then clamp it extremely tightly midway down the first side...

 

IMG_0964.jpg

 

...leaving enough free that I could peel back some of the backing at the leading edge to lock it down.

 

IMG_0965.jpg

Edited by Womble
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Sh1tting myself here...

 

IMG_0966.jpg

 

...but it went on fine. The screw holes don't line up perfectly, they are close, perhaps they never were perfect even on original controllers. This Old Game use the original Artwork films so it is probably accurately inaccurate.

 

IMG_0968.jpg

 

A new set of button capped screws fit the cover to the controller body.

 

IMG_0972.jpg

 

It looks wrong to have the artwork part number on the top of the controller, but the yokes sit at a high angle when installed in the cabinet and the upper part of the back is pretty much out of sight.

 

With all four screws installed I can call the controller complete...

 

IMG_0974.jpg

 

IMG_0971.jpg

 

... and so is Stage 2.

IMG_1019.jpg

 

 

It feels so good to be finally putting things back together, can't wait for final rebuild day.

 

--- To Be Continued ---

Edited by Womble
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Fantastic write up and work done on this, really enjoy reading this.

 

Onl'y one suggestion (and probably not matter much having the cab inside) primer is not meant to go directly on metal.

Etch primer first (dust coat) it has the anti-corrosive agents in it, and also is the adhesion promoter for the primer that goes on top.

 

Like I said, shouldn't matter, but if it was a car and you went to wash it, then you'd have issues...

 

Looking forward to further updates..

 

 

 

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Thanks guys, rebuild is coming soon, very soon!!

 

The final stage of this project is the cabinet itself, now an empty shell...

 

IMG-0166.jpg

 

...apart from the marquee back light and a couple of speakers.

 

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Cosmetically it is in pretty good shape, the usual dings and bangs, and minor damage to the artwork, probably the most noticeable to players is the arse-damage to the left site seat edge where people have been sliding in and out for decades.

 

IMG-0167.jpg

 

It's hard to know how far to go with this stage, getting a 10/10 Fresh-Outta-Sunnyvale look would mean scrapping all the artwork, ripping off all the vinyl, sanding back to bare wood, filling and routing every edge, or just replacing every panel which is basically building a new one from scratch. The trouble with that approach is I would live in fear of the kids going anywhere near it, which somewhat defeats the purpose. I set out aiming to get a 8/10 cabinet, one that would be pretty indistinguishable from a well-looked-after original, so I don't need it to be perfect. It also isn't going to be displayed under a spotlight, so many of the minor marks and dings will be practically invisible when the cab is inside.

 

The most obvious damage is at the nose end, the rear panels around the electronics bay are bashed up, but nothing too major.

 

IMG-0187.jpg

 

I get the impression this cab had been faulty for a long while and these two panels have been constantly taken off and put back on by successive people poking inside, damaging the vinyl more every time.

 

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IMG-0177.jpg

 

The top roofing panel above the CRT isn't original, it actually looks like it was made from a old floor board.

 

A20-E4734-7-DF7-4-B0-C-A20-B-E92-EF0-D2-ED45.jpg

 

8-DAFE166-5-AB8-4-E2-F-B9-AB-79549596-EA77.jpg

 

The original panel would have an air vent on it, as well as holes to take the metal bracket that covers the leading edge of the perspex roof, all of which was missing.

 

I suspect that something heavy fell on this, smashing that panel inwards, breaking the roof perspex, the metal bracket and the air vent as all are missing. Either that or it ended up in storage with a tonne of junk piled on top until it all gave way. The fact one of the stringers that supported it had been screwed back in place kinda backs up this theory.

 

All I have left of my perspex roof is a single shard in the rear section, useful for colour matching but not much else.

 

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Tipping the cab on it's nose again...

 

IMG-0192.jpg

 

... gets a better look at the cabinet corners, which have the usual edge damage from a life on the move, the lower leading edges have damage from bumping down steps or getting dragged in and out of vans.

 

IMG-0189.jpg

 

IMG-0191.jpg

 

The t-moulding is trashed in a few places, where it has been dragged over things.

 

IMG-0190.jpg

 

One regret is I won't be able to put the correct thick t-moulding on the roof edge on as this is now long out of production and appears to be custom made for Atari. Rumour has it that the RAM controls guy bought the original extrusion mould and was going to get a batch remade, but then that debacle happened. What's left on mine is the torn inner sections of the original.

 

IMG-0170.jpg

 

I only had this tiny fragment of the original 1.5" width as most of the run had been torn along the various grooves.

 

EE2-BCB30-D918-4611-B3-D2-1-CDBB6-E25-A55.jpg

 

One good point is this cabinet has almost no swelling from water damage, so I won't be faced with weeks of gluing and clamping like I had with Vindicators. The only swollen area is on the seat speaker panel on the inside, where I guess someone once spilt a drink.

 

IMG-9788.jpg

 

This had been off since the great mouse-poo-vacuum marathon back in September.

 

IMG-9789.jpg

 

The seat edge bracket was pretty bashed up, with deep scratches, so it needed a date with the powdercoaters.

 

IMG-9777.jpg

 

The main side art is in fair condition, some damage from scuffs but I'm hesitant to do anything with that. Over enthusiastic paint touch ups often end up looking worse and a full replacement set of sideart runs to about US$500 with a potentially a multi-year delay (6 years for one guy in France). In any case the nicks and damage down in the death star area actually look like more spots of light in the image, rather than damage. I've seen other repair logs where people paint in a great slab of black here and it doesn't look good.

 

Most of the damage is limited to the very edges which can be repaired where major, or touched up and hidden where minor.

 

IMG-0204.jpg

 

This is probably the worst bit, at the rear inner right face where the cabinet took a major hit, splitting the panel and knocking a lump inwards...

 

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...and the similar story at the same height on the marquee end.

 

IMG-0204.jpg

 

The the bolt I had to cut on day one was still wedged in place.

 

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I tried oiling it and cutting a slot for a screw driver on the inside but it was totally seized. Thankfully this is just a tee nut under all that rust, and I need to get some of this size for the roofing bracket replacement. The staples came out easily...

 

IMG-0102.jpg

 

... and it was knocked through from the outside.

 

IMG-0104.jpg

 

The old foam backing from behind the monitor PCBs met the vacuum cleaner...

 

IMG-0111.jpg

 

... these are only there to prevent the boards wobbling about too much during shipping, but after 35 years they were just crumbling to dust and making an hell of a mess.

 

First job is to remove the T-moulding...

 

IMG-0194.jpg

 

... it comes off easily until I get to the foot plates.

 

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The screws holding these on look like they have no head left...

 

IMG-0198.jpg

 

... but it was just decades of impacted dirt.

 

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On to the other side, the holes were for the original leg levellers, long gone, along with their mounting nut.

 

The rear corners were totally trashed!

 

IMG-0205.jpg

 

On this side the T-moulding is trapped by this, doesn't look original and I'm not sure what purpose it serves. I suppose it might stop the leveller leg working loose if the player bounces around too much.

 

IMG-0207.jpg

 

The left side is much better done so may be original..

 

IMG-0206.jpg

 

... then again the bodge doesn't have 4 holes where one of these would have been fitted, so probably not.

 

Of the 5 screws only one put up a fight as the head was totally crushed in.

 

IMG-0211.jpg

 

So this clearly isn't original, it's part cut of a control panel from something else.

 

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Stripping the front was easier...

 

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...the split section at the front has clearly been a problem before, with an old repair under the T moulding...

 

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Hopefully it is possible to install the T-moulding on the side panels without pulling one of them completely off.

 

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All up I'm happier than I thought I would be, with it all apart, there doesn't look like a need for any major re-vinyling and most of the damage is superficial or easily fixed. Nothing too troublesome - should be quick and easy. Famous last words!

 

...To be continued...

Edited by Womble
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Aside from the wood work, paintwork and art work, there was a collection of metal work to sort out, the two brackets from the rear marquee, two from the roof section, the seat edge and the control panel itself.

 

When this cabinet arrived I still had Radirgyman's cab here and having the two together was really useful in working out what was missing on mine.

 

IMG-8143.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The wonky floorboard upgrade was clearly wrong but with a complete cabinet on hand I could see what should be there, measure up what I needed to make and take the original bracket to a metal fab shop nearby to get a replacement made up, which is the shiny one below.

 

IMG-0430.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The old paint work was beyond saving, spraying over the top would look crap and wouldn't stop the rust.

 

IMG-0451.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

IMG-0452.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

IMG-0453.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... so all three parts met the sander...

 

IMG-0460.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... and the primer spray can, along with the new bracket.

 

IMG_0506.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

IMG_0507.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The paint work on the old vent grille was falling apart, I'm not sure if this is the original paint de-laminating or a later re-spray that was letting go. Sanding it back to a decent surface wasn't fun. I also needed another vent for the roofing panel I needed to make and Prktkljokr came to the rescue and donated one to the cause - thanks again!!!

 

Top coat goes on.

 

IMG-0542.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... and into a drawer away from all the upcoming dustiness.

 

IMG_1077.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Onto the control panel, the original artwork was dirty, torn, faded...

 

IMG_0021.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

...with lots of corrosion starting...

 

IMG_0022.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... and great gouges out of it.

 

IMG_0028.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Plus signs of old graffiti.

 

IMG_0023.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

It looks like someone had tried to turn one of the bolts with pliers and slipped, ploughing a deep gouge in the metal.

 

IMG_0032.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The paintwork on the back face and edges was no better, with sections flaking off and rust starting creeping underneath, no option but to be stripped back to bare metal too.

 

IMG_0025.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Getting the old artwork turned out to be the easy part as it just peeled off...

 

IMG_0089.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... but problem was the acres of glue it left behind.

 

IMG_0090.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Scraping it off was hopeless, so I picked up some Goof Off spray, hoping it would make this an easy job. It did dissolve the glue, turning it into a thick sticky jelly, which I scraped off into a rag, but it just kept on coming.

 

IMG_0375.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Also as the solvent evaporated the jelly turned back into great globs of glue, leaving paper towel stuck all over it. The only way was to keep flooding it with the solvent, and keep scraping. After fighting with it for an hour I was still left with a thin sticky film that was now too thin to scrape off.

 

IMG_0376.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

After another battle with eucalyptus oil and a rag I was able to get the enough glue off to be able to sand it without the sander just squishing around the glue. After a 3 hour fight all up I had it back to bare metal.

 

IMG_0381.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The hinge section got some action with a wire brush which cleaned it up no end, before the underside was sanded back too.

 

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IMG_0391.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

I've no idea whether the sander had left the CP slightly magnetic, or 30 years underneath a CRT had caused it, but the metal dust from all the sanding was now firmly stuck in the hinge and held by the magnetic field. The only option I could think of to get all this out was a stronger magnet, one of those neodymium ball toys in an envelope hoovered it all out leaving it nice and clean.

 

IMG_0387.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Ready for painting except for the gouge and scratches around the bolt hole, which got some car body filler and another sanding.

 

IMG_0393.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

IMG_0395.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Painting time!

 

IMG_0398.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

IMG_0500.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Getting bored of painting, underside first...

 

IMG_0427.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

... so I could flip it over and prop it up on areas that are less important than the outer face, although on this part most of the surface will be hidden, it just needs to be perfectly smooth.

 

IMG_0429.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

I'd previously cooked the last paint job on a hot day to fully cure it and drive off the solvents, so this panel got some time in the sun on a 41 degree day.

 

IMG_0500.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

The end result was a surface that was slightly textured, so a wet sand and one more thin top coat went on.

 

IMG_0503.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==​.

 

Much better!

 

IMG_1076.jpgwAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

Doing all the metal painting first means it has weeks before it is needed, to fully harden, plus the chance of a few baking hot days to give it a nudge along.

 

Metal work done, onto the panel problems next.

Edited by Womble
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All up there were three panels to sort out, the missing roof panel, the tatty sub-seat speaker panel and the smashed kick panel underneath the CP. I already had a new set of roof perspex sat in the corner standing by.

 

I got a mate with a decent saw to cut me the missing roof panel out of some MDF I had left over from Vindicators. It's a simple rectangle but the leading edge has a 45 degree mitre cut that was longer than my saw could cope with.

 

IMG-0508.jpg

 

I'd taken some measurements from the other cabinet for the vent placement and the dimensions of the routed section that lets the perspex lay flat under the bracket. Jigsawing out the fan hole was quick and easy, with some holes drilled at the corners and one larger one to start the cut in.

 

IMG_0509.jpg

 

Routing out the inlay needed a guide with the correct offset...

 

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...lego is a really useful spacer for routing! Yep it was that chewed up before I started!

 

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I couldn't quite get the width so used some icy pole sticks between the edge and the guide to buy me the additional 3-4mm I needed to rout out.

 

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Test fit with the perspex on the cab...

 

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... and the metal work.

 

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Spot on, all it needed were some pilot holes for the vent screws, the roofing bolts and some holes for the fitting screws to finish it off.

 

The kick board was more of an issue, I'd considered replacing the whole board, but decided against it. Mainly because this is 1/4" board and the thickness determines the fit of the control panel. I doubt a millimetre or two makes much difference but I'd rather not find out later on that it did. Plus the vinyl was in great shape and I'd prefer to keep what I could. The board has a routed inlet where the hinge from the CP bolts on and either someone leant really hard on the controller, or the controller was hit by whatever asteroid came through the sun roof, but the downward force had shattered the edge of this panel.

 

IMG_0317.jpg

 

IMG_0318.jpg

 

An attempt had been made to glue it back together but it was weak and very crumbly, hence the metal bar that been bolted on to brace it.

 

As the thickness of the routed edge is less than the 1/4" by the thickness of the CP metal work I could replace that section with some standard Aussie 18mm MDF it would be bang on.

 

IMG_0337.jpg

 

My attempt to get the panel out without disturbing the stringers failed.

 

IMG_0342.jpg

 

To fix this I'd need to replace the lip section, but problem with splicing this bit of wood in end-on was that the joint had to be very strong. Lots of dowels and glue should do the trick but I'd need a perfectly straight edge on both parts. So after taking measurements and checking the fit of the control panel for reference (massive gap is normal it seems).

 

IMG_0523.jpg

 

... I clamped the board down with a straight edge and routed the damaged section off...

 

IMG_0529.jpg

 

... and cut a strip to replace it with from MDF with the jigsaw.

 

IMG_0703.jpg

 

The original edge of the MDF is the straightest of the two cuts so that will be the side that's joined with my routed cut.

 

The problem now was how to get perfectly straight and aligned dowel holes in the two pieces of wood. It was actually quite simple, if a bit time consuming. I marked up the spacing of the dowels keeping in mind where the three bolts needed to fit, placing a dowel 1.5cm either side of each bolt and a few more along the length. Then using the Dremel in the drill press I could drill pilot holes in the thin strip that were pretty close to perfect 90 degrees alignment in the small piece.

 

I could then hold the two pieces of wood together and using the Dremel freehand use those holes as guide holes to drill into the larger piece below. Once I had the two end ones drilled I could slot in some nails as pins to hold it in alignment while I drilled the other ones through.

 

IMG_0704.jpg

 

IMG_0705.jpg

 

Then it was a case of working though the drill bits going up a size at a time to widen the holes to the 6mm needed by the dowels, by stepping up slowly the drill doesn't try to wander off, even though I was drilling by hand.

 

IMG_0706.jpg

 

Add some dowels and wood glue...

 

IMG_0707.jpg

 

... and the whole lot taps together tightly with no gaps.

 

As I had a dowel near to the end I clamp those up to prevent any urge the wood had to split, and left it clamped up for a few days.

 

IMG_0708.jpg

 

The lower speaker panel under the seat was a bigger issue, in retrospect I should have totally remade this from scratch but the need to build a routing guide for the speaker grille inlays put me off.

 

The first problem was the grilles were not screwed or bolted on, they were riveted into the wood. Drilling them out didn't work...

 

IMG_0448.jpg

 

...as the back of the rivet was now a lot larger than the front as the wood hadn't put up any resistance when they were installed, knocking them out took lumps out of the board.

 

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Some worse than others.

 

IMG_0466.jpg

 

Fixing the burst holes was pretty easy, soaking the area in glue, and clamping the divot back in. It just took a while as I only have 2 G clamps and had 8 holes to fix.

 

IMG_0469.jpg

 

Using the old Vindicators triangle off-cuts, with the corner sanded round I could clamp the inner area up tight and get an almost perfect finish. Baking paper stopped the blocks getting glued in themselves. Beats using filler and then having to sand it!

 

IMG_0533.jpg

 

Could use a few more G clamps

 

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All the inner surfaces were now smooth, with the holes drilled out and painted they would be as good as before. But that Vinyl looks horrific.

 

IMG_0561.jpg

 

I was still contemplating saving the vinyl on this panel as it was a more visible section. Re applying vinyl would need clean edges on all the routed insets to trim any new vinyl against, and the edges on this were somewhat worn. So to re-vinyl I'd need a new panel, or I could just paint it.

 

Stripping!

 

IMG_0562.jpg

 

Looks fresher already.

 

IMG_0692.jpg

 

Having decided to go with paint I decided the vinyl on the upper back panel was also toast.

 

IMG_0682.jpg

 

The edges were crumbling, it had been slashed with something sharp in a couple of places and someone had stapled something to it in the bottom right corner. The break in the vinyl seal lets moisture in so those areas swell up, making the wounds look even worse.

 

IMG_0690.jpg

 

The burst screw holes on the speaker panel got the glue/clamp treatment...

 

IMG_0697.jpg

 

... and the back panel got a good sanding.

 

The last major damage was the only concentrated water damage on the cabinet...

 

IMG_0698.jpg

 

...on the inside of the speaker panel. I'm guessing someone spilt a drink while sat in the cockpit and it ran under the seat panel where it couldn't be mopped up. To fix this I need to flood the area with water glue and clamp the hell out of it.

 

Glue access holes drilled.

 

IMG_0699.jpg

 

Glue soaking before a damn good clamping.

 

IMG_0700.jpg

 

Two days later, rock solid.

 

7IMG_0710.jpg10

 

The last issue was how to refit the speaker grilles, revetting is an option as the holes were already stretched inside, plus I didn't have any massive black rivets and buying 1000 to use 8 seemed pointless. A neater solution is to use what Atari used elsewhere on the cabinet, tee-nuts and a suitable length bolt.

 

IMG_0715.jpg

 

Except the speakers need to lay flat and the tee-nuts would stick out. Possibly no big deal but it might end up causing the speakers to buzz after a while if things loosen up.

 

It would be neater to recess the tee-nuts slightly, by cutting a wide flat hole with a forstner drill bit.

 

IMG_0716.jpg

 

Job done!

 

IMG_0717.jpg

 

By keeping the old speaker vent panel I'd given up on the idea of re-vinyling, and then decided to paint it anyway. I couldn't find a Vinyl supplier locally (car vinyl wrap is far too thin as an option as you need to get a glass like finish before you apply it) secondly I need to repair areas of the main cabinet frame that these would butt up against, and I couldn't re-vinyl the whole inner faces without tearing it completely apart. Also how far do you really need to go for black areas that you will hardly ever see? Gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

Primed!

 

IMG_0745.jpg

 

Which was a mistake, I must have offended the painting gods somehow on this project, this stuff totally cocked up the smooth sanded finish leaving an uneven finish that was like sanding cheese even after 3 days.

 

In the end I had to re-sand it to within an inch of its life.

 

IMG_0784.jpg

 

Painted in satin black.

 

IMG_0786.jpg

 

Painting MDF is always a pain, the first coat always looks dreadful, but after a sand between coats with finer and finer grits...

 

IMG_0892.jpg

 

... the third coat can look quite good.

 

IMG_0836.jpg

 

The paint work on these needs a good few days to cure fully, its oil paint so until it stops stinking it will be somewhat fragile.

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Fixing up the main body of the cabinet was mostly an issue of corners and edges. There's no way to get this back to 10/10 factory fresh up close, but getting all the edges straight, smooth and black again will make a huge different optically.

 

The obvious place to start is the shattered edge by the rear door, I'm guessing someone tried to wheel it away from a wall by pulling on one end, so the section beyond the wheels turns into the wall and hits it. Pulling harder just puts the whole weight of the cabinet on that edge with inevitable results...

 

IMG_0549.jpg

 

... it has probably happened more than once as half of the damaged area has already had some body filler treatment, and the rest doesn't, so I'm guessing that damage is newer.

 

IMG_0550.jpg

 

Making it pretty again comes later, so to get some strength back in this area I flooded the cracked portions with watered down PVA glue while twisting the panel by hand to open up the damage. This gets the glue right into the wound which will hopefully seal it all up again.

 

IMG_0551.jpg

 

To protect the slots and give some structure while it was gluing I resorted to a trick from the last restoration. The coffee stirrers from the Vindicators repair were too thin for these slots but icy pole sticks were very close, after a slight squeeze they were the perfect fit. Without squeezing them they would probably have burst the slot if I had just hammered them in.

 

Yes this was very tedious, but it works.

 

IMG_0731.jpg

 

A few of these soaked in glue slotted neatly into the t-mould slot, which got the panel alignment correct and it also stopped the clamps from crushing the slot and causing more damage while the glue did its work.

 

IMG_0552.jpg

 

With the whole lot clamped up tight I was able to chisel the old gloopy body filler back to the correct level while the area was stabilised.

 

IMG_0555.jpg

 

48 hours later the area was solid as a rock, and more importantly was back to the correct thickness as the burst inwards section had been catching on the rear door.

 

There was similar damage at the same level on the rear panel, not as bad but the same lateral split in the wood from a wall strike.

 

IMG_0830.jpg

 

It got the same treatment.

 

IMG_0833.jpg

 

Fixing the rear corners...

 

IMG_0764.jpg

 

IMG_0765.jpg

 

IMG_0766.jpg

 

... was much the same.

 

I cut the vinyl back to the closest decent straight edge, taking out the indelible brown paint section at the same time...

 

IMG_0767.jpg

 

IMG_0769.jpg

 

... and rubbed a load of wood glue into the torn up ends. Once that was hardened body filler was used to rebuild the panel edge and clamped up to the correct profile to harden.

 

IMG_0770.jpg

 

The corners took some more squashed icy pole sticks and wood glue, to strengthen the whole area and guide the line of the corner.

 

IMG_0779.jpg

 

IMG_0778.jpg

 

Once dry more body filler was used to build out the profile. Ideally when fixing corners you would cut the corner out and glue in a triangle of new wood, but this would lose the artwork on the worst corners. I also had no source for 1/4" MDF, the closest I can get is 18mm which is noticeably too thin. This probably wouldn't be strong enough if this cab was going back to 1983 for a life on the road, but for home use it'll be fine.

 

IMG_0781.jpg

 

After some sanding and shaping...

 

IMG_0787.jpg

 

IMG_0790.jpg

 

... not too shabby.

 

The other end got the same treatment.

 

IMG_0738.jpg

 

IMG_0740.jpg

 

While one of the filler sessions hardening off, I moved onto the lower edges. There's no way to save the ratty vinyl edges so they got trimmed back with a knife.

 

IMG_0747.jpg

 

IMG_0748.jpg

 

More shaping...

 

IMG_0762.jpg

 

IMG_0761.jpg

 

... along the rear underside edge too.

 

IMG_0781.jpg

 

Dings where the edge was smashed in were persuaded back in line by forcing a blade into the edge to push it out, then filing the resulting gap behind with glue.

 

IMG_0730.jpg

 

... and sections where it was bent out got the glue and clamp treatment.

 

IMG_0760.jpg

 

The really bad areas on the edges needed a light resurfacing with filler then sanding flat with the surounding area.

 

IMG_0860.jpg

 

Looks ugly until it's painted...

 

IMG_0874.jpg

 

... and then it's hard to see the join, especially when it is back on it's wheels and not lit directly above. The most obvious sections are the lower edge, and you'd have to be lying on the floor to see it.

 

IMG_0923.jpg

 

It may seem pointless to put so much effort into fixing up the rear of the cabinet, but it was actually a trial run to see what worked before I tackle the coin door side, I'd rather make my mistakes on the rear side.

 

The worst sections of vinyl damage were around the access door and rear roof inner faces, very visible areas even when the panels are installed.

 

IMG_0855.jpg

 

IMG_0862.jpg

 

IMG_0857.jpg

 

More surgery required to cut back to a decent edge for painting...

 

IMG_0864.jpg

 

IMG_0872.jpg

 

I'd masked up where the stringer block goes as I wanted to glue the wood to bare board as well as the screws.

 

Vinyl edge masked up and paint goes on.

 

IMG_0873.jpg

 

Final coat on the outer edges while the cab was on that side...

 

IMG_0874.jpg

 

The main problem area on the coin-door side was the seat edge, the damage is actually minor, but the treatment was the same.

 

IMG-0828.jpg

 

The loose wood was scraped off and glue rubbed into the edges...

 

...and icy pole sticks glued in to re-make the slot and provide support during clamping...

 

IMG_0829.jpg

 

...then vinyl trimmed back and filler used to shape. The amount of filler used here is very small and the wood was in decent shape underneath so this should be strong enough.

 

IMG_0866.jpg

 

All this took a while with all the gluing and paint drying times, as everything got two coats to get a decent deep black.

 

Any trivial nicks and dings were sorted out with a black texter, it sounds like a horrible bodge but it works amazingly well. Especially as you can blend it in by smudging it before it dries, it literally takes the small damaged areas and makes them invisible.

 

No idea why I had left the old mat in for so long, it was well beyond saving, filthy, scuffed and with great scratch marks in it.

 

IMG_1022.jpg

 

It put up a fair fight, well glued and stapled along the edges and a single nail in the middle.

 

IMG_1028.jpg

 

I gave a few of the more borderline slot sections the icy pole treatment, and let them dry overnight...

 

IMG_1041.jpg

 

...before digging out the router and slot cutter bit.

 

IMG_1042.jpg

 

T-moulding annoys me with cabinet restorations, it should be far simpler than it is. There are at least 3 standards when it comes the thickness of the tang and the slot it requires, which combined with vague news from the folk who sell the stuff about the slot their stuff needs. Throw in people selling imperial stuff from the US as metric and its a mess. The 1/4" stuff I got from the US needs a 1/16" slot, or 1.6mm, the slots on this cabinet are very slightly wider, but it actually seemed tight enough when I tried it. Some areas of the cabinet had really rough slots, mostly the lower edges where I suspect they were subject to damp from the floor, or that the t-moulding took a pounding, grinding the slots loose over time. Basically if I could slot an icy pole stick in without no resistance then the slot was no good, so it got the stick glued in. Where I couldn't fit a stick I assumed the slots were going to be tight enough. I'll find out soon enough and if it turns out I really needed to glue sticks in s all the way round the cabinet then I can, but I rather avoid it if I can.

 

The hardest part of this is setting the depth of the cutter, so I did a very slight test cut on a section where I could check the depth by re positioning the cutter from the other side to see if I really was on the centre line. Ideally I'd have done a test cut on some scrap, but the only 1/4" I have is in this cab.

 

IMG_1056.jpg

 

Spot on - you can see the cutter has taken the middle out of the stick, leaving a thin layer of the wood top and bottom, effectively closing the slot very slightly.

 

IMG_1057.jpg

 

IMG_1058.jpg

 

Happy with that, the sticks don't put up much of a fight, mostly turning to dust, but they leave a nice rough edge in the slot for extra grip.

 

Almost at the point where this can start to go back together, so close now.

 

--- To Be Continued ---

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