Q*Bert Partially Working
Q*Bert October 22nd, 2009When I got this Q*Bert, it was missing a power supply PCB. I ordered one online. While waiting for it, I figured I should clean up the power block in the bottom of the cabinet, and test the components on it:
It was pretty corroded. My goal here was not to make it spotless, but just make it presentable and ensure everything was working. I cleaned it up with some wire brushes and steel wool, and checked all the fuses to make sure they were the right values and that they were working. I also tested the 2 bridge rectifiers. Everything tested fine. Here it is cleaned up:
I hooked this back up in the bottom of the cabinet and waited. I received the power supply PCB earlier today, and hooked it up. It shows some signs of life now:
As you can see, some of the wrong sprites are being pulled up. Where the spinning round discs should be, there are those green guys. Where the “Q*Bert” logo should be is a bunch of garbage. When Q*Bert moves up the board, his sprite changes to coily. Here’s a video of it in action:
It’s been a long day, so I think I’ll call it quits for now. When I get back at it, I’m going to go over the other boards to make sure everything is OK. I also need to work on the knocker, as it’s not firing.






October 23rd, 2009 at 8:47 am
Best of luck, you’ve done great so far. Looking forward to reading about the fix.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Is there any way to coat that brick to preserve the shine over time? Won’t that just dull back to some degree of what you had…just not as extreme since its in your home…
December 8th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Hi Jeff,
I think if you put a clear coat of poly or something similar on it, it would prevent rust/corrosion. I might do that if I end up restoring this completely. My goal with this one was to make it presentable and functional for now, but I would like to make it look new at some point.