Arcade Cocktail Tables Restoration

KeRbDoG

o1s1n wrote: »

That monitor is gorgeous, nice one

Definitely the step down causing interference. It's too close to it. I had interference on both monitors there recently and it was just the cabs being too close together. Had to move them apart.

Can you not just keep the step down external and extend the wiring?

Basically the monitor is within the magnetic field created by the large transformer within the step-down.

You could make a 'faraday cage' kinda shielding between the transformer and the screen, ensuring its earthed correctly.

I have this problem in the Egret3 which is at work, that UK seller just put a UK Naomi stepdown inside the base of the unit. Its too close to the monitor and causes a small wobble at the bottom of the screen. They work fine in the Naomi machines since the base of the unit is a metal box thats earthed, taking the EMI to earth before it hits the monitor.
Look at some images of the base of Egret2/3 units, you will see a metal mesh around the normal transformers for that reason.

keithgeo wrote: »

Do i need to earth that monitor in any other way or will that be ok? im worried because the 2wires with the american 2 prong plug doesnt have a ground wire like our plugs do..

Yes, put an earth wire (use a green/yellow wire for reference) to the metal chassis of the monitor, and basically anything in side that cab which can/will be touched by a person. The metal of the control panel, monitor chassis, you could even earth the legs by connecting to one of the bolts which hold the legs on from inside of the wooden cab.

Optimus Prime

The Last Bandit wrote: »

Did the monitor originally have an isolation transformer ? It may have a hot chassis so grounding it would be very bad..

Stupid question alert.. whats an isolation transformer look like?

Is it this?



The monitor has two boards hanging off it.. they are both in the end of the cocktail base now.

Optimus Prime

KeRbDoG wrote: »

Yes, put an earth wire (use a green/yellow wire for reference) to the metal chassis of the monitor, and basically anything in side that cab which can/will be touched by a person. The metal of the control panel, monitor chassis, you could even earth the legs by connecting to one of the bolts which hold the legs on from inside of the wooden cab.

Ive connected most of the metal inside the cab already using the ground wire coming from the jamma harness, is it as simple as just sticking a connector off that ground wire to the metal around the monitor too? Ive ground the legs too like you say by using a bolt on the inside of the wooden base.

The Last Bandit

Very hard to tell with out metering it, it could be a stepdown/isolation combo or just a stepdown.
To be on the safe side I wouldn't ground the chassis unless you can find out for definite its safe to do so, send a PM with the model number to yer man Grant on J+

most of the monitors Ive seen have had 3 pins for the mains in.
can you post a pic of where the mains goes into the monitor?

KeRbDoG

For some reason in the back of my head a little voice says that I wouldn't use the GND of the JAMMA harness as a grounding point to protect against shocks but to 220V leaking or static buildup. Open to correction I'm all about earthing anything that if something went wrong and it went live, could touch a person

The Last Bandit

Ah but if it designed with an isolation xformer in mind and installed correctly then there is no true path for any current to flow into anybody so it can spark and short out all it wants - can still catch fire though

In all seriousness though you can be dealing with lethal voltages so care is needed !!

Optimus Prime

Now im worried! haha..

Im not at home at the minute so cant take a photo where the cable is going.

To give you a better idea of whats going on..



You can see ive connected that earth wire to the metal bit at the front, and lopped that down to the coin slot aswell using another wire. If that black earth wire is on that metal, which in turn surrounds the monitor.. do i already have it earthed?

unky chop chop

Yeah II used the ground wire coming in from plug to attach to the monitor frame etc..
Just jump straight from it from the input part on the Jamma psu and loop it around to monitor chassis, coin slots etc

Optimus Prime

unky chop chop wrote: »

Yeah II used the ground wire coming in from plug to attach to the monitor frame etc..
Just jump straight from it from the input part on the Jamma psu and loop it around to monitor chassis, coin slots etc

I dont have a jamma psu in mine though, im powering the 60in1 using a harddrive psu thing i bought of ebay and the monitor is getting powered off the stepdown.

unky chop chop

Ohhh balls I see, never heard of one of them.
You did have a Jammu psu in it though did you??

Optimus Prime

unky chop chop wrote: »

Ohhh balls I see, never heard of one of them.
You did have a Jammu psu in it though did you??

I just tried to move the step down away from the monitor with a longer cable. Worked fine for a few minutes then smoke. Switched it off but now I'm getting nothing but white lines on it. Fecked it I think! Don't know if it was coincidence it went when I extended the wire or if I did something wrong.

Jesus man youre not having much luck,
where did the smoke come from?

Optimus Prime

haha i was in foul humour after it yesterday haha. It came from one of the boards under the monitor, the one the anode cap wire goes into. I extended the wire and it worked fine for a few minutes then i noticed the screen getting dull, then smoke coming from inside. so i switched it off.

I then removed the extension wire and put it back the way i had it before, it came on fine for about a minute and i thought all was good, then a crack and the screen went all white.

Ive been on to mitch and he can hopefully sort me out with another monitor next week, 230 this time..

Optimus Prime

Ill get an arcade monitor in here eventually, but in the meantime i bought a slg3000 and de-cased a lcd and stuck it in. it actually looks better than i thought it would once it has the plastic cover over the the screen off the crt.

Decased lcd before slg3000 is switched on.





SLG3000, the uncased one, cause im cheap that way :pac:



SLG3000 Switched on..



The tinted CRT Screen cover over the LCD



Wooden Lid sprayed and screwed back on top and a bezel i had stuck in the screen hole.



Works off old Irish 10p coins.



Control Panel.. I bought repros but decided to keep the originals as they cleaned up well and have a bit of history to them i guess considering they are older than me probably.



I just need to get the Glass top done now, eventually ill probably stick an arcade monitor in when i get one with no burn and working.

I think i have to respray the legs again as they took a few knocks and the paint chipped off, ill look at getting some sort of protective spray stuff too if it exisits.

Myrddin

Looks great Keith, well done

The Last Bandit

Looks very well Keith !!

eddhorse

Great job Keith, thanks for the tips

unky chop chop

Great Job Keith, I wish I had put half the same effort into mine.
It looks fresh as....

I sprayed my legs as well and after time its also going to SH**T, need to powder coat really.
You're on restoration overdrive at the moment..two cabs at once:)

CathalDublin

Looks great and I'm usually anti LCD but that looks great with the CRT cover and SLG

Optimus Prime

unky chop chop wrote: »

Great Job Keith, I wish I had put half the same effort into mine.
It looks fresh as....

I sprayed my legs as well and after time its also going to SH**T, need to powder coat really.
You're on restoration overdrive at the moment..two cabs at once:)

Legs are the worst part on these cocktails, might look at powder coating down the road.

Never again will i try do two at once, you end up doing a bit here on one and bit there on the other, takes ages to get them done!

CathalDublin wrote: »

Looks great and I'm usually anti LCD but that looks great with the CRT cover and SLG

Ill definitely get a CRT in there eventually, but for now this will do!

Jack burton

Nice job

The crt cover on the lcd looks great, nice bit of ingenuity.

Have a listen, you've earned it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOEe1uzurKo

Optimus Prime

Love some RDA!

I have the old cocktail glass at home, i might stick it back on top for now. I need to get new glass though.

Anyone have any ideas on the best way of putting the black underlay on the glass? I was thinking of taping up the screen hole and instruction card holes and then spraying the glass black on one side. I might ask too if the glass place can do that sort of thing themselves.

BGOllie

Jack burton wrote: »

Nice job

The crt cover on the lcd looks great, nice bit of ingenuity.

Have a listen, you've earned it
...

Surely you meant :

o1s1n

That LCD looks really great. I think the trick to getting the SLG3000 looking a bit better is to tint it alright. It takes some of the harshness off the edges. I put some car window tint film over a bartop before and with the SLG it didn't look half bad.

That CRT glass really does go one step further though.

How'd you remove it from the CRT?

Optimus Prime

Its not glass its just a plastic overlay thats tinted that goes over the crt, it came off a monitor i got off mitch. I have another one that was in this cocktail originally, its rainbow colored. This cocktail was originally a Black and White space invaders and this colour screen overlay was to give the illusion of colour haha..

Jack burton

keithgeo wrote: »

Love some RDA!

I have the old cocktail glass at home, i might stick it back on top for now. I need to get new glass though.

Anyone have any ideas on the best way of putting the black underlay on the glass? I was thinking of taping up the screen hole and instruction card holes and then spraying the glass black on one side. I might ask too if the glass place can do that sort of thing themselves.

I've seen lads spray them before, hard to get it perfect. It can be done though!

I'd say the glass place could sort something out, but it wouldn't say its something they run across much haha

Optimus Prime

Yeh i can see it getting messy. ill look into it a bit and ask in the glass place. I might have a practice run at it on the old cocktail glass i have.

Damien King

looking good there I must say.

Optimus Prime

Quick update, got some work done on this today and thought id post, especially since my website i had the images ive posted before on was hacked two weeks ago and i lost everything so all the image links previously will be broken now.

Anyways..

Finally found a monitor i thought might fit in, decased it today and gave it a go..





And it fits! Barely...



Here is two images comparing the screen with the SLG 3000 off first, then on.. someone asked why i needed one before, and honstly i wasnt sure i did, but it does look a lot better with it on. These pics dont really show what it looks like in the flesh, found it hard to get a decent photo of the screen.





The CRT is a lot better, the viewing angle is great, before looking at it at an angle on a lcd it lost all the brightness. CRT is great from an angle.



Extra pics, original parts cleaned up.







Just need to get the glass top now. im also really considering trying to get the legs re-chromed or dipped or whatever because the silver spray paint on them is useless, its coming off at the slightest knock.

Myrddin

Looks class Keith, well done on going for the crt...it makes such a difference

eddhorse

Great job on the monitor, where did you salvage that from?

FixitFelix

Looks quality mate,love these cocktail cabs,could be my next purchase:-)

Great job

Optimus Prime

Cheers, picked up the monitor on adverts, just stuck up a wanted ad, barely fits but it will do the job. Much better brightness than a Lcd and you need it to look well at an angle in the cocktail which the Lcd didn't.

eddhorse

keithgeo wrote: »

Cheers, picked up the monitor on adverts, just stuck up a wanted ad, barely fits but it will do the job. Much better brightness than a Lcd and you need it to look well at an angle in the cocktail which the Lcd didn't.

Nice, what size monitor do you need for cocktail cabs generally?

Optimus Prime

eddhorse wrote: »

Nice, what size monitor do you need for cocktail cabs generally?

13 inch, which is why it took me so long to get one that fits. Also if the neck is too long on it, it won't fit in either.

eddhorse

Ok thanks for the info, rare alright !

andrewsm

Hey. Just joined this as I too aquired a clapped out old Moonbase cocktail table. Would like to chat to someone in similar position as although I have a load of electronics knowledge and experience repairing old radios etc, Im getting a few conflicting problems with this cabinet.
Thanks
Mark

CathalDublin

andrewsm wrote: »

Hey. Just joined this as I too aquired a clapped out old Moonbase cocktail table. Would like to chat to someone in similar position as although I have a load of electronics knowledge and experience repairing old radios etc, Im getting a few conflicting problems with this cabinet.
Thanks
Mark

What problems are you having Andrew, once the CRT is working the others should be easily sorted

Optimus Prime

for sure, the crts, especially the old ones in these are a nightmare. at least mine was, i ended up taking it out and replacing it.

andrewsm

Hi. The problem lies within the main PCBs. Unit was dead when first bought but ive now repaired the PSU and the monitor. Had a bench one anyhow. After much fault finding the screen now displays a character 1 on the bottom right hand corner. First thought its a software fault as booting so far and stopping. Removed roms and replaced with a 27256 patched in to mimic the address map. Still got same result. I know the processor is fine and the ram too, so now im replacing chips on the IO board or MB3. Is the single character on the screen a error code or something? Its a moonbase zeta model.

andrewsm

Can any one tell me if the moonbase boards display memory errors? I have this board now running but it only displays a character 1 on the bottom right of screen. This happens with orginal roms as well as my made up single rom.

Using a little guesswork, I can only assume that the character 1 indicates that memory chips in bank 1 may be faulty. I have shorted pin 7 of the ram out and although all the others seem to display some change in the screen, the ones in bank 1 dont. Ordered two new chips but maybe someone knows about this?

Pipasawrus

We have a Cosmic Monster cocktail table game, its powering up but then nothing...can't see anything lose but any ideas? Used to love playing this with my son when he was small

Mitchomagic

Pipasawrus wrote: »

We have a Cosmic Monster cocktail table game, its powering up but then nothing...can't see anything lose but any ideas? Used to love playing this with my son when he was small

Can you credit up?,can you hear the game playing ? if you can and no picture monitor issue, if you can't hear the game play then power supply/board faulty etc

Hope that helps

I picked up this universal cocktail, the board was at fault. Really nice little table. I've since disassembled it, sanded down and resprayed the body, legs and vents, Legs were badly pitted after removing the rust and the chrome was peeling off so didn't want to sand too far. Ended up using a chrome spray and lacquer to clean them up. I remembered Ollie had found some nos artwork for these a while back so that went on. I Also replaced some caps on the monitor chassis, moved the transformer as far away from the monitor as possible to stop the wobble, converted to jamma and squeezed a moon cresta bootleg in there. All in all it turned out well and very happy with the results.

Absolute beauty .
Well done

The Last Bandit

Looks class !!

eddhorse

Wow fair play.
Mozie gets stuff done !!

CiDeRmAn

Just stunning, nicely done.

BGOllie

that's gorgeous ! well done!