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December 31, 1999
The weather was so nice that I spent several hours today patching and sanding the bottom of my Defender cabinet. It's almost perfect and ready for priming. I have a couple more spots left to fix. I also picked up a gallon of oil based primer and a foam brush. I originally wanted to air brush the entire cabinet but I think I'll try a brush instead. I took quite a few photos but I left them at home. I'll post them soon.
December 30, 1999
I just received the electronic pachinko machine I won from e-bay a couple of months ago. I haven't had much time to look at it but I did put up some photos.
I stole a copy of the Pachislo manual and put it here in case the link ever changes. I want to have a copy for myself. I also added some "stuff" about my MP3 Jukebox Project.
December 29, 1999
You may have noticed that I joined the arcade cabinet web ring in hopes of getting more information and feedback to other passers-by. I tried to put some sort of title up. If you look closely you can see some busted up arcade cabinets in the background.
December 28, 1999
I vacuumed the remaining rat/mouse droppings from my bowler scoreboard and made a diagram of the door panel components. In doing the diagram, I realized that I'm missing the relay that's used for rotating the hundreds scoring dials. I'll have to try and get that from the seller. I'd recommend taking a look at the door component diagram for the sake of curiosity. Remember that this thing is entirely electro-mechanical but is able to run/score a 6 player game of bowling.
I also added some info and a picture about the home grown spinner I'm working on. Its been stalled for a while because I have too many things going at once.
December 28, 1999
I changed the poll because I haven't done much else. I appreciate the response on the old one. The poll is here for our amusement, not just mine. If you have suggestions for one then please let me know. On the new poll, selecting other allows you to type in the name of a game. I tried to guess a few that might top the list.
I'm not sure where the past few days have gone but obviously I haven't been doing anything to get my arcade machines restored! I have played my slot machines quite a bit and realized that I could use some more tokens. I'm still waiting on a pachinko machine with a video face on it. I won it from E-bay about 2 months ago and I'm still waiting for it. Of course the seller already cashed the check!
To keep you entertained, I'll refer you to a site where someone else has made their own keyboard encoder. He added some interesting features which I'll probably steal for my new design. His site is www.spaceinvaders.uk.com
And oh yes - I've remove Santa from this page!
December 23, 1999
Things seem to be getting even slower. It must be the holidays. I put a couple of new photos up on the Space Invaders and Defender sections. The photos are of the PCB's for Space Invaders and Wonderboy. I have a 3 day weekend starting tomorrow so I expect to be getting back to the arcade!
December 21, 1999
I've been slacking lately if you haven't noticed. Yesterday I received the light reflector and ashtray for my Taco Slot Machine. The ashtray was missing a metal hold down bracket so I'll end up making one.
I posted a conceptual block design of my arcade controller. I think I have the features and architecture complete. The code will be a killer though!
I also received the light bulbs (for the slots) from Happs. Unfortunately the order got screwed up. I ordered 2 boxes, each with 10 bulbs. Happ's thought I wanted just 2 bulbs and rounded it up to 10 (1 box) because they only sell full boxes. I also ordered 2 boxes of another bulb thinking that they also came in boxes of 10. Happ's sent me 2 bulbs. They're fixing the problem but I'm still scratching my head on this one.
December 20, 1999
I worked on the design of my new arcade controller. I also found the schematic of my keyboard encoder.
December 17, 1999
There's not much new to talk about. I oiled the solenoids and most of the mechanical parts of my bowler. I also blew out a fuse by putting a connector in the wrong place.
I did get a shipment of Pachinko balls in the mail. Unfortunately they were supposed to be Pachislo tokens! Now I'm waiting for a re-shipment of the tokens, an ashtray and light reflector and some replacement light bulbs.
December 16, 1999
I finally got my bowler to power up! After installing the new transformer and fixing the last connector I was able to make it light up. I've updated the bowler page if you want to know what happened.
I fixed the image sizes on all of the remaining pages. Viewing them should be bearable now. I added some text regarding my home made keyboard encoder. I'll follow this up later with some photos. How about that poll?? The turnout is pretty sad but at least the majority agrees with me!
December 15, 1999
I replaced the transformer in my bowler today, only to find out that there's no AC power coming in on one of the leads. I didn't test this and didn't think about it because there's a 2 prong plug on the machine that tests fine at 110v. Somehow the voltage is getting lost between the plug and the transformer.
Today I placed an order for light bulbs for my slot machine. Happ Controls has them in their gaming catalog (which I also have). This morning I managed to test the transformer I picked up for my bowler. I'm hoping that tonight I'll get to fix the last connector on the bowler and replace the transformer.
December 14, 1999
I cleaned up the bowler page and the cap kit install page by re-sizing all the pictures. Now the page should load in a decent amount of time. I'll get to the others soon!
I didn't work on anything arcade related today. It was a busy night and I sat down to relax and play Phantasmagoria. It's an old game but I just recently bought it. Because I waited so long, it only cost $10.
December 13, 1999
I found an online Pachislo Manual if you're interested. I also ordered 500 tokens for $55 (incl. s/h) and a reflective lens and ashtray that I was missing for the Taco Slot. The ashtray and lens cost $35 total.
I disassembled the coin hopper for one of the slot machines and cleaned it. I did the same to the other coin hopper the other day. All the plastic was washed in the dishwasher. I managed to fix a problem with the machine not recognizing the hopper - there was a switch on the back in the wrong position. Now both machines work perfectly!
December 12, 1999
Today I stopped out to get the other slot machine. It had the same problem as the first one did and its become apparent that really need to get a manual for these. The machine is in excellent condition. The counters say that its been played 5.8 million times!
December 11, 1999
I picked up 2 slot machines today for $225! These are the same machines being sold on e-bay for around $200 each plus $60 s/h. I put up photos of the first one and tomorrow I'll be picking up the second machine and putting up photos of it.
I used smaller pictures for the slot machine and I have links to the full size pictures. I'll be converting everything here real soon. My apologies for the long load times on other pages.
I also got a new transformer for the bowler. The one I have isn't putting out (so to speak). I'm not sure if it works either but I won't get around to checking it until tomorrow.
December 10, 1999
I've been having problems with this web site provider so you may have noticed the bowler pictures being down. I think I found a workaround so you can try the pictures again if you like.
I added a poll to this page just for fun and I'll be re-working the pictures in the near future so you don't have to wait forever to see a page. I didn't realize this problem until I loaded the page at my house through a 33.6 connection.
December 9, 1999
I worked on the bowler connectors again today. I soldered on 2 connectors and I have 1 left to fix. The last connector was damaged so badly I couldn't figure out where to put the stray wires. I'll have to look at a "spare" bowler to figure that out this weekend (at the persons house who sold me the bowler). I also put the bowler together and powered it up. So far nothing happens! I've added many new pictures of the bowler if you'd like to check it out.
I'm still looking for some graphics to complete a banner for this web site. Does anyone know where to find a wrecking ball photo???
December 8, 1999
I've already received the shipment from Happs. Now that's quick! Today was a day of rest because my lower back was killing me. I think bending over for an hour or two with a de-soldering tool had something to do with it. I did get a lead on some local slot machines and I'll be checking those out on Saturday!
December 7, 1999
Today was VERY cold and my machines are outside. I decided to work inside for a while. I de-soldered the wires from some replacement connectors for my arcade bowler. It was much harder than expected! My de-soldering tool just wasn't hot enough. I also labeled the wires on one of the broken connectors in preparation for soldering the new connector on.
December 6, 1999
I needed a break from all that patching and filling so I started playing with monitor placement in my defender to MAME cabinet. I'm trying to fit the monitor vertically and will end up moving the shelf down to accommodate this. In the meantime, I've cut the sides from the monitor brackets so it will at least fit vertically.
December 5, 1999
Patch, fill, patch, fill... Repairing rounded and split corners from the bottom of a cabinet can be really time consuming! I'm obviously not ready for priming and painting as I thought I would be!
December 3, 1999
Could this weekend bring another MAME beta release? If they keep up the recent pace then Saturday should bring us a new beta. I'll need to find some more disk space soon!
Ordered some miscellaneous parts from HappControls which included leg levelers, t-molding, a bowler puck, key-locks and a burnishing tool. I expect to be filling holes again tonight in my defender cabinet. After this weekend I hope to have the cabinet ready for painting!
December 2, 1999
Revised this web site to look a little nicer (imagine how ugly it was BEFORE!) and added some photos of the Williams Arcade Bowler.
Continued patching my defender cabinet in preparation for a weekend sanding. I'm using rock hard water putty as suggested on other arcade restoration sites. The putty has proved to be easier to apply than plastic wood. The best thing about the putty is that you can mix it to whatever stiffness you need. This has worked well in fixing the corners and ends of my cabinet where the wood has been splintered and broken off.
