November 9, 2008

I’ll cut to the chase.  I picked up a Super Pac-Man machine the other day (I believe it was this past Monday).  It’s in great shape with a few dings, but was not working.  I’m not sure how much cabinet work I’ll put into this machine, but I may try to patch the dings and do a little touch up painting.  The original sideart is in great shape so I don’t want to mess with it.

After I got the machine home, I cleaned out the dust and cob webs and tinkered around with the electronics.  For the most part, I just made sure everything was connected properly.  Basically, I just unplugged everything to make sure there wasn’t dirt breaking the connection.  However, I noticed one wire was hanging loose.  I tracked it down and determined it was a loose ground wire.  I screwed it down and fired up the machine.  After about 15 seconds, I was looking at a functioning Super Pac-Man, but the screen was sagging and blurry on one side.

It didn’t take long to determine the cause of the blurry image.  It turns out the inside of the bezel was just really dusty.  A simple cleaning remedied that problem.  However the screen is still warped, so I’m sure I will have to replace a capacitor or 2.  But for now, the game is very playable.

Here are a few pictures I snapped.  You can see there is bad burn-in on the screen, but it’s not noticeable at all when the bezel is replaced and the game is running.  Since it will be for my own use, I will refrain from replacing the monitor for now.  And my investment is already paying off.  I found a total of $2.51 ($0.50 is in the coin box) lodged in the back of the cabinet.

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October 19, 2008

I am gearing up for tax season.  I believe I have all my projects set.  That is, unless I run across another deal.

If you’ll look to the left, you’ll see I have 4 total projects listed.  The first, of course, was my restoration of an original Donkey Kong machine.  But, I also have a second Donkey Kong cabinet that I picked up a few months back.

Donkey Kong – Project II
This will be my next project.  I haven’t decided whether or not I will keep the machine once it is completed since I already have one in my game room, or sell it to fund my other projects.  I mean, who wouldn’t want a Donkey Kong machine upstairs and downstairs?

Popeye – Project III
I was torn between turning this machine into a Donkey Kong Jr or a Popeye.  I ultimately decided on Popeye.  It is a Super Mario Bros machine I picked up in town for $100.  Once I finish the above restoration, I will start on this one.

Donkey Kong Jr – Project IV
Or maybe I will move directly into this one instead.  I said I settled on a Popeye machine for the Super Mario Bros cabinet, but that’s because I fell into a deal for a Donkey Kong Jr cabinet.

Any way I go, I have my work cut out for me this winter.  As with my original Donkey Kong project, I will keep track of my progress, costs, and anything else that might pop up.

Here are the cabinets lined up in my garage.  By the end of winter, I hope to have them lined up in my game room.

June 25, 2008

Well, here I go again.  I’m in the initial stages of my second Donkey Kong restoration project.  I already have the cabinet and monitor on hand, with more parts on the way.

I’m not sure when I will start actual work, but if you’ll look to the top of the page and click on the DK Project II(new window) link, you’ll see I have already started with my initial assessment and cost estimates.

It’s going to be a lot of work, but like the last one, it should be fun.