When 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.

I’ve had a few requests for the paint color codes that I used to restore my Moon Patrol. These colors might not be exact, because I wasn’t able to bring the actual original colors in to the store to match. I guess they look pretty close, however. The paint I used was Behr paint from Home Depot. I haven’t had good luck with spraying Behr, and I’d recommend going with something from a paint store like Sherwin Williams. Here’s the codes from the top of the cans:

– click the image above to enlarge –

To do the color match, I took a picture of the cabinet before I sanded it down. I brought it into Photoshop, and tried to match the brightness to other pictures (maybe the flyer? I can’t remember). Here are the swatches I printed and brought in for the color matching:

Hey! Just got a load of old beat up joysticks on eBay:

I got a good deal on them. Most of them are pretty beat, but I figured I could use them for spare parts. I also figured maybe one of the black ones on that top step might be a good enough match for my Q*Bert.

My Q*Bert was covered with loads of grime. While I plan on sanding it down and restoring it, that won’t be for awhile. Seeing as it will be in the house, I scrubbed it down. I used a combination of Fantastick, Mr. Clean magic erasers, and Scoth Brite pads. It is now slightlty less digusting:

I’ve been getting lots of help and advice on this one from various sources – thanks to all of you. I managed to find a power supply PCB, which will be on its way tomorrow. I also found a bottom control panel overlay. I’m on the lookout for an original joystick and an upper control panel overlay.

I have yet to clean up the inside. I’ll probably get to that tomorrow night after work.

I had no keys, and the lower coin door was locked. I drilled it out, and found $.75. Maybe I can go get a Gordita with it or something. I better wash my hands first though!

Hey there! I just got home from picking up a free Q*Bert! Check him out:

Overall, its in decent shape. It doesn’t have any water damage, but has the usual wear and tear. This is definitely a candidate for restoration. I’d love to see if I can get it going, but here’s the main problem:

I missing the power supply board. If you have one for sale, please let me know by posting a comment here.

I’m off to clean it up a bit and look for a power supply PCB.

I haven’t posted in such a long time. I’ve been too busy as usual for much fun these days.

For those of you that read CoinOpSpace.com you may have already seen this:

I picked this up on eBay. I’ve been hunting for Mappy stuff on eBay for a few years now and its the first one I’ve seen turn up. I had a friend in Japan help do some translation for this. The front reads Mappy Character Manual. It appears to be an artwork guide, showing exactly how the Mappy logo and characters are supposed to be drawn, and in what colors. Very very cool. Here are the rest of the pages. If you click on them, you can see them on Flickr.com, in original size. You can also mouse over the Japanese text to see what most of it says.

I was at Walmart today with the wife and grabbed 3 cans of Popeye spinach as a topper for my Popeye. Check it out:

The other non Popeye stuff will be removed soon when I figure out a place to put it.

Hey! CoinOpSpace.com is running a restoration contest this summer. The grand prize is $200 in gift certificates to arcade part/art sites. You can read about it here.

If you are starting a restoration, you should post it on CoinOpSpace.com and take a crack at it.

I’ve decided to enter, and will be restoring my Mappy. Part of the contest rules requires that the restoration information only be posted on CoinOpSpace.com, so I won’t be discussing the actual restoration here. If you are interested in reading along, here’s my entry.

I was planning on taking pics of everything as I went along but in the excitement I forgot to. Here’s the gist of how this was made…

Parts from Walmart:

• 8″ white styrofoam ball
• Yellow woman’s top made out of spandex (need’s to be stretchy)
• Mickey Mouse (on clearance)
• Pacifier
• Black fabric paint
• Pink cloth
• Baby Sneakers

Other stuff we had lying around:

• Wooden broom handle
• Metal coat hangers
• Pins
• Thread & Needle
• LCD monitor stand
• Cardboard shirt box
• Finish nail
• Staple gun and staples
• Velcro

You can pretty much tell by the components how this went together. I severed the arms off Mickey (see last post). We made some tubes out of the yellow to go over the black dead mouse arms. I cut some wire from the coat hangers and used them to stick the arms into the foam ball. We made the legs the same way, stuffing them in the shoes and sewing them to the body.

The bonnet thing has a piece of cardboard we cut to shape, to make sure it would stick up.

For the nose, I cut the very tip off a broom handle and put a finish nail in the end. I wrapped the yellow cloth around the wood and stapled it to the bottom. Then I pushed it through the cloth and foam ball and it stuck pretty well.

I had an old LCD monitor stand that I never used and was saving for something like this. I used velcro on the back of her head to stick it to the stand. The stand has some velcro on the bottom to keep it in place, as does her sneakers.

Here’s a couple more pics:

I finally finished my Baby Pac-Man!

It took a long time, but it was worth it. Here are a few more pics:

I guess I’m off to work on the next game now. I’ll have to decide between Mappy, Donkey Kong, or Pac-Man. I think I may go with Mappy but I’m not sure yet.