What's News
September
28, 2000
Thanks
(again) to a friend of mine, I got a lead on a free Red Alert machine in
Alpharetta GA. I just got the machine in the house and added a page with
some initial info. Something interesting I noticed is that the monitor
is the same one I have in the Zaxxon machine I'm restoring. From
comparing the two monitors, I think that a daughter-board is missing from the
monitor in Zaxxon.
I
also talked to someone in Atlanta who has a Mr. Do's Castle PCB, control panel
and Marquee that I'll be picking up on Saturday. I've always wanted a
dedicated Mr. Do's Castle so I hope to do a conversion. I also have some
sideart coming for Mr. Do's Castle.
September
27, 2000
I
sat down with my Space Invaders power supply once again to repair it.
For the time being I'm just surveying the damage, testing components and
making a list of what I need to replace. The +12v and -5v seems to be
working fine. All I was able to replace tonight was a variable voltage
regulator.
I
took a little time to checkout the monitor on my Zaxxon machine. The B+
voltage is 172 which is way too high. The over-voltage protection is
kicking in and keeping the monitor from powering up. I'll try to obtain
a better schematic of the monitor tomorrow so I can disable the
over-protection. I'll also order a cap kit while I'm at it.
September
25, 2000
Today
I finished wiring the Zaxxon cabinet I'm restoring and powered it up with the
boards installed. Unfortunately it didn't work. No sound, no
video. The tube didn't light up and the speaker didn't get even
pop. I checked my connections and did a little troubleshooting on the
monitor. It has power and the fuse is good. I'll try swapping in a
different board later and putting the Zaxxon boards onto a known good monitor.
I update the Galaga/Zaxxon section and added some photos if you'd like to take
a look.
I
also received my set of Space Invaders PCB's and connected them up on a test
bench. They actually worked!! Now I have to fix the power supply
again or pitch it and re-wire the cabinet with a different power supply.
I'm still debating what to do. The boards I received from e-bay are
actually Space Invaders Part II. The difference seems to be a little
faster play and a color composite image. I'll most likely swap in a
different set of ROM's so I have the original Space Invaders.
September
23, 2000
I
disassembled the Zaxxon joystick to prepare it for painting and
re-wiring. I managed to locate a new LED assembly and holder at Radio
Shack. I polished the chrome trigger with some "Mothers mag &
wheel" chrome polish, making it look like new.
September
22, 2000
I
disassembled the Zaxxon control panel and peeled off the old overlay.
The previous overlay was not from Zaxxon and was ripped, scratched and
otherwise looked terrible. Underneath is a gray metal control panel
that's in great shape. After cleaning off the glue I'll probably mount
the controls back onto the panel and wait for an opportunity to pick up an
overlay.
