anyone collect full size arcade games?
 

i recently aquired the stand up game "GORF" for free :D
i'm searching for schematics for the board right now (tube powers up....game does not)
who else here has some games? i'll take some pics tomorrow of gorf.

bell,

I have a little experience working on these old things. Growing up we had a full-size Centipede and Pac Man in the rec room. There's really not that much to these old things.

When you say tube, are you reffering to the monitor, or are you saying that there are vacuum tubes in it? If it were me, i would take the board out, check the solder joints. Most of these old games were soldered by hand, so it's a possibility that perhaps a joint has come loose. You also would want to clean off any connectors with alcohol. (be sure to ground yourself to the board to prevent surges or voltage spikes.)

OT< but we also had an old pinball machine from the early 60's. It ran on dimes. This thing was pretty wacky. Keep in mind it was pre-transistor/IC, so the whole thing ran on vacuum tubes, solenoids and contact points! If it ever stopped working, you had to take off the bottom panel and clean/re-adjust the point gaps on it.

yes by tube i mean monitor :)
the game was released in 1981 (i was 9 :D) and this is an original example.....needs some tlc but everything worked with perfect gameplay a couple of months ago (it stopped working then was given to me).
cold solder joint sounds like a possibility, there are a total of 6 boards in this and it's humongous, makes you scratch your head.......... a pocket calculator has more computing power than this :D

If it were me, id just take it all apart, clean everything, check all the solder joints, test all the leads for continuity, etc..

i'm going to try to takle that this weekend........i want it in the corner of my apartment near the pool table :D

gorf manuals here: http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/manuals.html
Also www.spies.com/arcade is a great reference source.

For new replacement parts, I have used http://www.happcontrols.com/
Happ also sells replacement monitors.

And last but not least, check out :http://www.basementarcade.com/

If it was working recently, check power supply first, then connectors. If the power supply is bad, you can usually use an old PC compatible switching power supply as a replacement.

My Dad's got an old pinball machine, but it hasn't worked since I was about 12... It's also next to the pool table. ;)

If your pin is one of the older, non-computerized kind, it should be relatively easy to fix. Cleaning the electrical contacts will probably bring it back to life.

found the schematics :)
thanks for the links :D

Alan,

It's an old "Toledo" type. The problems with it are the rubber bumper rings etc. They've all deteriorated and perished. It's just a matter of nobody using it since the late-eighties and nobody really wanted it fixed, but it's pristine.

Adam, rubber readily available from http://www.happcontrols.com/ also, less than $1 each.

Really? Cool! Thanks, Alan. I'll check it out. We rigged the pinball so that you could open the little door at the front, press the button for more credits.

That was great fun. I seem to remember the stainless steel ball used to bang into the glass screen on the top. I was always worried it would break the glass.

[edit]I've just had a look through their catalogue. It's great. I'll have to spend some time looking through their dartboard stuff too. ;)

Bell, you might check the MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator)groups and look into converting the game into a MAME cabinet - that will enable you to program it to play hundreds of games. I've thought about doing it, but too many other projects beckon.

Emanuel

Oohhh, MAME! I've got MAME running on my PC and it's great fun! All the old games... :) That's a great idea! Throw an old PC into it and make it a MAME/MP3 jukebox!

I've had another (closer) look at the old man's pinball machine. It's a "Williams" with the "Toledo" theme. Some Spanish bullfighter dude dancing with this chick in the frilly dress. I always hated the design as a kid. I wanted the Rambo pinball machine, the one that'd always sprout out movie quotes as you played:

CHING! ZAP! CHING, DAK! "I'm-a your worst nightmare!" CHA-CHING "...to eat things that'd make a billy goat puke..." CHA-CHING "... killed in Jerkwater, USA"... etc. :D

I always wanted the KISS pinball machine with the "Destroyer" album cover shot. I hear they are worht quite a bit of money these days.....

One of them are you, Jared? :) A friend at work and her husband are huge fans, with 2 rooms of their home devoted to KISS memorabilia - they have that pinball machine, along with 2 others with KISS themes.

Adam, there are actual plans on the internet for converting any old game to a MAME cabinet capable of playing everything - they even include art graphics you can use. Plus you can buy them pre-built on eBay - just search on "mame cabinet."

Emanuel