Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: level42 on October 14, 2011, 08:49:35 PM

Title: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on October 14, 2011, 08:49:35 PM
So...thought I'd open a separate thread about the restoration of my Ms.Pac because I had been posting pics in the thread about the Ms.Pac side-art (choosing between stencils and decals).

So I guess this thread really starts here: https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1722.msg40426#msg40426

Tomorrow they promise a sunny day and although I would have loved to do some other arcade related stuff like picking up a cab it's impossible, so I will make use of the last sunny days of the year by continuing work on the Ms.

The program:
-remove monitor and all other hardware still left inside
-more sanding
-bondo here and there
-more sanding
-if possible paint the black and blue parts

As always, the coffee is hot, and the yard door is open so anyone who is bored is welcome ! :) Not that I really need any help, but it's more fun with friends :)
Car thieves, tough luck, my wife is out with the car for the weekend :P
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 14, 2011, 08:53:00 PM
By the way, does anybody know what those plastic things (broken) were meant for ? Were they factory ? Maybe a holder for the mains cable ?

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7414/web.jpg?ver=13175924770001)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Robinholland on October 14, 2011, 08:56:07 PM
Yes it is a holder for the mains cable
My galaga have this also
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 14, 2011, 08:56:46 PM
Unfortunately i have other (also nice) obligations, so i cannot drop by  :'(

But Goodluck anyway !  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Belike on October 14, 2011, 09:16:29 PM
I will watch you from a spy satellite. ;D
off topic mode on:
Otherwise, there will the Night of Pinballs tomorrow,  I will be there for the whole 24 hours. ;)
Live stream here:
http://flipperklub.hu/
off topic mode off ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 16, 2011, 08:22:53 PM
Could spend less time then expected but still made some progress. COMPLETELY disassembling a cab is still much more work than I thought. Until now I don't think I ever really completely emptied a cab until there was only wood left....

Anyway....some pics for you:

Power board & wire harness removed....
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7444/web.jpg?ver=13187887780001)

More stuff....
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7445/web.jpg?ver=13187887890001)

Coin buckets, the ideal place to save all small parts...
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7446/web.jpg?ver=13187888010001)

The lady BARE naked...
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7447/web.jpg?ver=13187887600001)

More indecent pics....
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7449/web.jpg?ver=13187887480001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7451/web.jpg?ver=13187886680001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7448/web.jpg?ver=13187888230001)

 :roll: :roll: :roll: The Ms. "blood on my hands...." a nice tint of green from the blue and yellow...
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7452/web.jpg?ver=13187887360001)

There she is, completely sanded, dust removed, vacuumed and every inner part rubbed with a wet cloth....
I put her in the front of my house because there was still a lot of sun there to let the inner side dry.

It's amazing how light a bare cab is, it almost dropped from my cart when I was bringing it back into the game room !
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7453/web.jpg?ver=13187888440001)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on October 16, 2011, 08:46:02 PM
Ha, de kop is er af.

That's a nice start André, I will follow your progression and I'm very anxious to see how it will work out wih the decals.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 16, 2011, 09:04:17 PM
CP work:

The CP doesn't look that bad at first sight:
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7462/web.jpg?ver=13187908750001)

But as so often, the details tell the true story:
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7476/web.jpg?ver=13187908820001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7463/web.jpg?ver=13187908930001)

Inside, rust spots too..
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7465/web.jpg?ver=13187909060001)

A pic for PuckRock: Here's your Puckman joystick :) Please note, the top washer is missing !
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7459/web.jpg?ver=13187909170001)

Mmmmm...P1=original leaf, P2=Micro Switch. Conclusion=MS gotta go, even though it's only a start button...
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7458/web.jpg?ver=13187909280001)

My favorite part of the hobby: COMPLETELY cleaning the kitchen desk after doing work....with a reason.
30 years of American hairs, nose drops and more stuff you don't want to know about ;)
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7470/web.jpg?ver=13187908450001)

Punk, I gave everything a good basic cleaning. As you can see, rust rust rust. Highly suggested to get rid of all the rust and paint the joystick base.
The grommet is not torn.
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7471/web.jpg?ver=13187909440001)

Then it's time for another kitchen hobby: CPO cooking !

A last sunny look at the repro CPO:
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7466/web.jpg?ver=13187908520001)

It works great and not so great. The great part comes first. The repro (2bits?) CPO comes off VERY easily. And underneath is still some of the original CPO.
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7467/web.jpg?ver=13187908680001)

There is the repro, it came off in one piece !
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7468/web.jpg?ver=13187908590001)

The original CP is a whole different story. Even after heating to the point where things really started smoking badly it was very heard to get of the remains and glue....gonna re-think my strategy....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 16, 2011, 09:17:58 PM
Great start !

About the CPO, bring it to the powdercoater, and ask if the can sandblast it while they're at it  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 16, 2011, 09:23:19 PM
Do you have a cheap address ? The guy who did it before for me was pretty expensive...

I was planning to spray paint it myself...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 16, 2011, 10:06:26 PM
What is the size, i can ofcourse ask the guys here who do powdercoating and sandblasting what the costs are..
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 16, 2011, 11:02:36 PM
Size ? Well...CP size ;)

I've learned that is doesn't really matter much if you give them 1 or 10 parts, the set-up is the most work as I understood, so doing more usually doesn't raise cost. Some are not to keen on really small stuff.

Ully's powdercoater is really cheap IMHO. I paid like 75 IIRC for just one coin-door (because it had to become grey). Then a number of smaller parts and CP also cost me 75 because of all of them had to be done black.

Anyway, although powder coating is definitely the best way, it's also pretty expensive to do ....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 30, 2011, 12:44:14 AM
Not much time today but still a little thing done. Cleaning the Transformers board:

Before
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7480/web.jpg?ver=13199276840001)

After:
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7487/web.jpg?ver=13199277700001)

Some details when still dirty:
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7483/web.jpg?ver=13199277290001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7484/web.jpg?ver=13199277380001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7481/web.jpg?ver=13199277820001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7485/web.jpg?ver=13199277520001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7486/web.jpg?ver=13199278240001)

(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7482/web.jpg?ver=13199278100001)


During the cleaning etc. 2 wires came loose, 1 from a transformer, 1 from a fuse block...Resoldered those and tested all other solderings, still fine..

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 30, 2011, 08:03:03 AM
Looking good after some cleaning!

Quote
(http://gallery.me.com/andre.huijts/100723/DSCF7486/web.jpg?ver=13199278240001)

Now tell me, since its your grail, did you fill that hole, or was that part still stuck to the bottom of that transformer ?  ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 30, 2011, 11:12:13 PM
Yes it was still stuck under the transformer. It looks like some stuff they use for transformer isolation was leaked onto the board or maybe it leaked during use ?

I wonder if it would be a good idea to give these old "paper" transformers a new "potting" to make them survive the future ? I saw some people doing it

Anyway the part still fitted perfectly in the hole and it's invisible once mounted so no need to fill it.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Superully on October 30, 2011, 11:35:29 PM
nice, andré! don't we all just love those before and after shots? :-* :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 31, 2011, 05:34:57 AM
I have a theory; (don't shoot me , its just a theory  ;D)

I think its not isolation that leaked, but just some grease

many time metal has a very thin film of oil or grease to prevent rust.
now the ptansformer is build out of many layers, and they all have this protection from the factory
so i think during years of use and thus years of heat the oil has "melted" and made its way to the bottom

there it collected on that spot into the wood, and it came loose when you removed it from the wood.

does that make any sence  ???  don't know, just thinking here  ::)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 31, 2011, 12:19:21 PM
Size ? Well...CP size ;)

I've learned that is doesn't really matter much if you give them 1 or 10 parts, the set-up is the most work as I understood, so doing more usually doesn't raise cost. Some are not to keen on really small stuff.

Ully's powdercoater is really cheap IMHO. I paid like 75 IIRC for just one coin-door (because it had to become grey). Then a number of smaller parts and CP also cost me 75 because of all of them had to be done black.

Anyway, although powder coating is definitely the best way, it's also pretty expensive to do ....
I have called, and you are right, they calculate the startcosts which includes parts untill a certain size.
if its more then you pay more, but always the startup costs..  which where 82,50 where i asked..  :(

it always includes sandblasting since it needs to be absolutely clean for the powder to stick good to it.
the final price also depends on the ammount of sandblasting, as you can imagine the grid they use cannot be recycled once there is alot of old glue through it..
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: gyruss on October 31, 2011, 01:31:32 PM
That's pretty expensive for just the ms pac man. That means i'll have to dismantle all my coin doors (and Etienne's crazy kong stuff) and bring them at once.  >:(
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on October 31, 2011, 02:02:17 PM
I think the best is to collect alot of metal for a "group powdercoat"
That way we can split the costs  :D

Oh, and insert old bolts in holes with threads..  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on October 31, 2011, 02:57:07 PM
Oh, and insert old bolts in holes with threads..  ;)
Hmm, sounds like you have experience with that ?   ;D ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on April 19, 2013, 08:23:46 PM
Time to dig up an old thread.

Getting this baby ready for the side and kick-art installation.

Still need to paint the inside black (just one new layer, it wasn't half-bad) and the blue of course...

Now....do you guys thing I need to completely paint the sides with....the blue ?

Or would the stickers cover completely and not let shine through any remains so that I can only paint the edges ?

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Superully on April 19, 2013, 08:40:34 PM
Now....do you guys thing I need to completely paint the sides with....the blue ?
Or would the stickers cover completely and not let shine through any remains so that I can only paint the edges ?

it depends on the thickness of the vinyl, e.g. you have to paint the cab underneath if you're suing the DK vinyl set from rich. i don't think that the stickers are die-cut, are they? because if they aren't, i'd simply cut off a small piece from the edges and test it on a spare piece of wood!

btw, good luck with the "operation"
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on April 19, 2013, 08:41:50 PM
pics on page one dont work anymore ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on April 19, 2013, 10:54:48 PM
You know very well why Etienne..... ;D

Thanks Ull...no they're not die-cut....good idea, however I dropped an e-mail to Darin from Phoenix and he advised to primer it because it will offer more "grip" for the adhesive (which makes sense).

So it will be primer and sanding and maybe a bit more primer and sanding....



Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on April 20, 2013, 10:33:22 AM
You know very well why Etienne..... ;D

ofcourse i know, but that was not what i ment   :P

what i wanted to say was :  fix those pics in the first page  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on April 21, 2013, 10:54:22 AM
I lack the time. I'll upload them to Flickr and post them again here, not sure what they all were though....

OK...I decided to do _another_ sanding session yesterday, by hand and with fine paper.......still found some spots I need to fix with bondo.......
Then I'll do the primer and then the inside black (should be just one layer, did some fine sanding there too, the black was actually still in pretty good condition.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on April 21, 2013, 10:13:59 PM
Cool, i like it when reading back a topic that the pics are also working  ;D

You have 2 more weeks to make that baby smoorth as a fether  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on April 30, 2013, 12:45:06 AM
A final look at the remains of the original artwork.......bye bye  ::) ::)

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0935.JPG)

Nice fresh layer of black on the inside. Cheap-o paint is covering great and works fine. I only had to lightly sand the black area and did one layer.

All the rest (except the bottom) is now in gray primer. I can see some "not-perfect" spots now. It was really hard to spot them with the old artwork still there.
May need to redo some spots with polyester putty (often called Bondo) when it's dry...

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0940.JPG)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on April 30, 2013, 09:14:32 AM
So, only a few more days for this lady before she will a nice new and shiny look. Can´t wait for the tons of pictures that you guys undoubtedly will make during the process.

I still have stencil sets for my pac-man and ms. pac-man, but so much hesitation to use them. I saw the great result of Robinhollandd´s pac-man with the sticker applied, and want to know how your ms. pac is going to look. Might just turn me over to ditch the stencils and go the easy way with stickers also.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on April 30, 2013, 09:25:31 AM
Maybe we can film the process  ::)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Belike on April 30, 2013, 10:34:41 AM
If I had a Ms.Pac, I would leave at least one side original with the wears of the last 3 decades. :D
It is true for all classic cabs. :-*
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on April 30, 2013, 11:00:58 AM
Yeah......I thought about that too. When i started in this hobby I wanted everything to be returned to perfect as much as possible. F.I. I was seriously thinking about replacing my (US) Galaxian's side art but I didn't because there is no repro that is printed on the same (structured) vinyl. And I'm happy about that now. The artwork is still fine as is, yes it has some scratches but indeed this kinda "belongs" to it.

However, there is sometimes something that makes the balance go the other way.
For me, my Ms.Pac was too far gone to keep it like that.
The fact that the side-art (and colors) are all-over the cab was a serious factor in that decision.
First I bought a stencil set (like Erik) but I concluded for myself that I would never have the patience to actually use them...
The stickers are the only alternative and well, they look great whatever way you look at it...

That's nice about the Namco Galaxian. I don't even have to think about that since there's nothing available....:)

@Etienne: I thought about that and I'm fine with it as long as I stay out of picture but that's going to be very hard....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 04, 2013, 08:31:47 PM
We've been half successful, more about that later but here some pics already:

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0941.JPG)

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0942.JPG)

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0945.JPG)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on May 04, 2013, 09:07:13 PM
I´ve been thinking about you, Etiènne and your challenge a lot today, and from the pictures I must say that the result is looking good so far.  :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: atarimania on May 04, 2013, 10:10:51 PM
Very nice result!!!  8)

How did you find the "right" blue for the paint?

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 05, 2013, 12:55:50 AM
Well Franck, you're not going to believe it ...

There's a store not far away from me that is called the "Verfkoning" or "Paint King" in English....

If you enter the store, you get a feeling like getting out again ASAP....it's not a "neat" store, there are pallets stacked all over the place etc.
They sell ..... "less known brands" of paint and at prices you get a smile from on your face :)

So...I went up there with my Ms.Pac stickers under my arm and asked if they could scan the color.......

"Uh, no we don't have a color scanner, but let's see if we can match it....by the way, what on earth is that you have there..." so I explain about it and they get really enthusiastic about it and really love what I was doing as a hobby.

So, out come the RAL color samples and I am standing there thinking : "This is NEVER going to be a close match".....

So we look a bit and I point to a sample that is close but the guy says....naaahhhh, I think it's that one (Right next to the one I pointed).

So we walk outside to some natural light and sure enough he is right and I was wrong.

He mixes up the color, a paint brand I had NEVER heard off before and I pay something like a couple of Euro's, I have no idea how much but something like less than 1/3 I would pay at a regular DIY store...

The paint has been waiting pretty long....and well used it two days ago first time.


I must say, I also bought some primer from them and I was not too happy about that. It was OK, but it took VERY long to dry for a primer....however the blue paint was really GREAT. I had said I wanted their best stuff and well it was absolutely top-notch stuff. It rolled and covered very well !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Superully on May 05, 2013, 07:53:02 AM
wow, at least on the pics the paint looks like a perfect match - fantastic andré! and the vinyl looks amazing as well, so much easier than a stencil job! i'm NOT looking forward to what's coming up with my ms pac-man. btw, would it be possible to get hte RAL code of that blue you used?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: joeks on May 05, 2013, 08:53:42 AM
Looking good Andre!
If you want to share the blue RAL color that would be great. Have a stencil job coming up somewhere in the future too.

About the blue color, I was always a bit confused.
You see them with kinda dark blue and baby blue like Donkey Kongs.
But considering your sideart, you got a perfect match.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Robinholland on May 05, 2013, 10:15:11 AM
Looks great !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 05, 2013, 11:41:43 AM
I´ve been thinking about you, Etiènne and your challenge a lot today, and from the pictures I must say that the result is looking good so far.  :)
Thanks Erik !

About the day: Because I was sick for a day last week I didn't finish the preparation completely. We still had to do sanding of some bondo spots. However, this also quickly removed the primer and thus made the original artwork re-appear with sometimes interesting results.....a little "monster" appeared :)

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF0944.JPG)

Anyway, we sanded everything (again) until everything was as smooth as a baby skin.....at least we thought.

One thing we definitely learned was that just hands and eyes can NOT be trusted to judge wether a "bondo spot" is absolutely flat...... I really think I have to use something like a metal ruler on it's side in the future to check this, hey I'm an amateur when it comes to woodwork...

The result was that if you look across the final result (from the flat side) you will notice some spots that were bondod, simply because they weren't as flat as we thought....

I was warned by someone that you would see every little uneven spot under the stickers and I really took this advice by heart but it was even worse than I thought.

The reason is that the stickers (at least these) are very very very very very thin. I was pretty surprised by how thin really. Of course previously I had only done CPO's and black vinyl which are immensely thick compared to these stickers...

Following this, indeed you will see every uneven spot HOWEVER, that is only when you look "across" the artwork, not when you look straight on it.
We did manage to get absolutely no "speckles" under the artwork which would really show worse...

We did a lot of measuring and checking how to position the side art. During this process we noticed that the pictures of the flyer and the one's in the Ms.Pac manual have a lot different side-art than the actual machine has (had).

Compare:

The flyer. Notice that the letters of the Ms.Pac-Man name are yellow compared to pink. There are also more "edges" around it. There is blue on Ms.Pac and the big ghost has a much larger pink part.

Here's a picture of my machine when I got it:
(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/DSCF7412.JPG)

so it's clear the art that "arrived" on the machines was a lot different.

We also noticed a small size error on the repro: The Ms.Pac Man name part seems to be a bit too small. On the original the top of the M is closer to the top yellow/pink band, the elbow of the small Ms.Pac is closer to the band's end and the far right top of the N should extend further to the back of the cab than the yellow/pink band does.

However, this is all very very minor and doesn't bother me at all.

About the installation process: we closely followed Rich's/This Old Games' excellent tutorial video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RNrYnhHR-c

The only difference was that we put the cab on two beer crates to have it a bit higher up to work on. (Used folded blankets under and on top of the crates to protect the side of the cab and the floor...

We didn't trim any of the vinyl before starting because there is not that much to remove really because of the Ms.Pac cab shape.

Everything else we did the same. We used Rich's great squeegees which he kindly to me ! :)

It was really good we were with two guys though, we both worked up the art on one side of the cab this makes it a lot easier.

Did we install it without creating any bubbles ? No.

It seems close to impossible to do so even though we went really slow. However they were not that big and I decided to leave them alone because I've learned from CPO installs that they go away "magically" over some days. Rich says you can carefully heat the artwork and pull it back a bit to get rid of bubbles and that may be true for his products but I would really not advice to do that on this stuff because it's so thin, and if you heat it and pull it too much, the colors fade immediately (as I learned later, but that was while doing the edges. The stuff is so thin, we were going very very careful because we were scared to go "through" the stuff if we pushed too hard on a part that was not on the side of the cab yet...

Anyway, the further up we came, the less bubbles we got. We also learned that you should go in a more or less constant motion. If you pause half-way you tend to get bubbles earlier than if you don't.

So, after reaching the top it was time to trim the edges. I really liked Rich's idea of heating the edges and than folding it around the edge of the cab using a heat-gun.

This actually worked very well and was very easy to do. The main thing is set your gun to low heat, keep the gun at least 40 cm from the artwork, it gets soft very quickly and then it's really easy to fold it over the edge and stick it there.

Luckily the Ms.Pac is a really easy shape for the edges.

As an expirement I heated some of the blue excess artwork and pulled "too hard" on it to see what happens. Well you get a "white" spot if you that so you do have to be very careful.

Than I cut all the excess material in the T-molding groove and we were done.

All in all, this is again one of those jobs that you only learn by doing, it's not as hard as you think.

Most of the bubbles have already pulled away and I'm sure in a day or two all will be gone...


Now, we only finished one side because two reasons.
1) Etienne had a serious problem with one eye which he may talk about later here.
2) I wanted to re-check the sanding/bondo/primer of the other side and the kick-plate to check if I can get it as flat as I possibly can.
The somewhat uneven spots don't bother me that much on the first side we did, after all no cabinet was ever perfect when it left the factory, but there's no harm in taking a bit more time and trying to do even better....



Now Joeks, about the blue color:

Here's a pic of from Phoenix' website of the installed graphics:

(http://ftp.opdenkelder.com/Level42/PA310166.JPG)

On this picture I'd say it's much more "baby" blue than it is in reality. Remember that a lot of different camera's and maybe software enhancements may be used on pictures on the internet. There is also a lot of difference in light situations so, no two pictures will show the same blue I guess (and your computer monitor probably already looks different than mine ....etc.

Anyway, I tried to match the paint to the stickers because of course there was no other option ! :)

If I compare the color of the stickers to the original paint on my cab I'd say it's slightly darker HOWEVER that paint is 30 years old and very faded, if you notice how much the pink was gun you know that it has had a lot of sunlight....

So, there is never a way to be 100% accurate on colors when doing repros.

Joeks, there's also a "Verfkoning" in Breda (same company) and the paint I got is:

Hermes Vakverf
Zijdeglans (semi-gloss) PU lak
Basis Z

There doesn't seem to be a RAL code on the tin, I'll check if I documented it earlier in this thread....


Concluding, I do not regret selling my Stencil set at all ! The result is absolutely great !!!







Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: atarimania on May 05, 2013, 10:55:04 PM
Nice story   8)

NowI think that I'm going to do the same with my cab  :) Bye bye stencils....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Belike on May 06, 2013, 09:31:03 AM
Nice is nice. :D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: gyruss on May 06, 2013, 09:36:20 AM
Looks absolutely fantastic!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 06, 2013, 08:32:34 PM
Thanks guys ! :)

Now, I need a bit of help......how do I get those bondo spots as flat as possible ??

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Belike on May 06, 2013, 09:07:55 PM
This one? ;D ;D ;D
(http://www.alapvetomegoldasok.hu/UploadedProductFiles/1_12816820.jpg)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Superully on May 06, 2013, 09:16:03 PM
orbital sander!!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 06, 2013, 09:29:15 PM
orbital sander!!!

Yeah OK that's for the "big" work....I'm talking hand-sanding after the big work.... I think I already found a way to check my work...
Got a nice small metal ruler that is guaranteed to be totally straight...

(http://www.gadget.co.za/imageLib/HomePage/SeriousHardware/apple_magic_trackpad_11.jpg)

:D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on May 07, 2013, 11:11:54 AM
I got some advice but it won't make you happy :( :(. Next time don't use bondo on these spots.... Bondo is really hard, so great for corner repair and working on metal like cars. I this case the bondo is much tougher then the surrounding wood so when you are sanding  you will always loose more surface material on the surrounding wood compared to the bondo. In this case a softer filler would be best.

But thats for next time now move forward with an orbital sander..... Take your time  :'(


Just mho of course.

Still it looks great, would love to see it up close in the near future ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: joeks on May 07, 2013, 12:31:56 PM
Your Ms Pac-Man is looking good Andre! :)

I would sand the bondo spots with sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. So you get a nice big flat surface to sand with, making it easier to flatten things out.
At least that's what I am doing with my DK restoration at the moment, works well.

I don't feel the need to use an orbital sander yet, I didn't apply large blobs of bondo so it's pretty easy to sand it in my case.

Thanks for the paint colors tips!
I already removed the handgrips from the backside of the cabinet, revealing (probably) unfaded and brighter blue.
The yellow and pink will be harder to match, it's all faded pretty bad and touched up even worse, Bob Ross style.
Might use the marquee (plexi! is it a repro?) glass bezel or control panel overlay for color reference.
They're really bright, although not an exact match between the three.

The CPO and glass bezel have slight differences in line width.
And since the CPO is in perfect shape, I assume it's a repro.
Maybe someone can shine a light on that.

Oh, and the monitor is probably not the original monitor that came with the cabinet.
Look at the (light) burn. It's a horizontal game with 4 horizontal bars and the words "Game over" in the center of the screen.
Thought it of being the runningtracks of Hyper Olympics or Hyper Sports orso, but that's different.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4132210/mspac1.JPG)

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4132210/mspac2.JPG)

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4132210/mspac3.JPG)

 
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on May 29, 2013, 10:17:43 AM
Work is going on slowly but surely on this one.

I redid all the sanding, redid the primer on back panel, side and kickplate.

I also put a 2nd layer of blue on the top. Stupidly I forgot to do the insides of the kickplate but luckily this is just a very narrow area, better to do that with a small brush anyway.

I did do the back panel in blue too now so that's finished.

I think I've got about half the can of blue paint left so I promised that to Joeks, nice to be able to do something in return for the great coin door I got from him :)

Next steps is lightly sanding the side and kick area and then it's ready for the decals.

I also have to redo the CP. I have never had so much struggle with a CP as with this one and the belt sander was pretty harsh on it (or I was too clumsy), there are some visible dents. My experiences with the bondo and sanding will come in handy to make this a nice straight CP again...


Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 01, 2013, 11:13:44 PM
I need some help guys.

I've been re-installing some smaller parts and the power section and harness today. I remember most of the stuff but some I've forgotten how it's exactly installed.

If anyone has/can make some good detailed pics of the inside from about all angles that would be great. I've got a couple myself (and I should make more next time) and these were done with my sucky camera phone:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 01, 2013, 11:18:07 PM
...I especially would like to see how the harness to the CP and coin door is running.

Also need to know where are the big yellow grounding leads go to....

Thanks !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on June 02, 2013, 12:16:09 AM
Would pics of the inside of a Pac Man help?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 02, 2013, 12:22:25 AM
Not sure, the cab is a bit different of course....worth a try, on the other hand I guess then I could also have a look at my Bally-Midway Galaxian :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 02, 2013, 12:42:53 AM
Found the solution !

(http://www.retro.co.za/arcade/images/Clearpac.jpg)

LOL :P

Regretfully not too helpful either even if it "shows everything" :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on June 02, 2013, 02:25:20 PM
I just came out of my dark hole were I took some pics of my ms. PM. I hope that these are of any help for you


(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040493_zps6e7fc991.jpg)



(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040491_zpsc3d20d96.jpg)



(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040490_zps5ed9ace9.jpg)



(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040494_zps4a1e7f94.jpg)



(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040495_zpsdeb98050.jpg)



(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/ckong65/ms%20pacman/P1040496_zps9eebb53d.jpg)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 03, 2013, 10:17:38 PM
Great Erik, thanks !!!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 07:54:05 AM
Yes.....finally had some time yesterday.....

I guess my pics won't add much to Rich's (from www.thisoldgame.com) excellent video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RNrYnhHR-c ) but here they are anyway:

First you put the side-art on the cab.....Etienne had left a note with measurements and I triple checked them all.

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/9001267370_c170695ff8_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001267370/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001267370/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

during measuring and positioning you use 1 clamp, when it's OK, put on 3. Of course it's smart to put some folded paper-towel between the clamps and the artwork....

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9000084723_bcac45a621_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000084723/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000084723/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Then you'r ready for the application. Rich was so kind to send me a selection of "squeegees" as they're called in the US. The Dutch and German word is "rakel" if you want to google but note that Rich prepared them especially for our goal. Rich told me (and he mentions it on the video) that he was going to sell these on his site www.thisoldgame.com

The yellow one has a (rather thick) felt layer, the blue one has a thin layer of (IIRC) cotton. The pink one is for "tight inside corners" (IIRC) so I haven't used that one yet.
The roller I already had and I used that successfully for the black vinyl I've done so far.

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/9000085713_afd2404e2c_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000085713/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000085713/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 08:24:21 AM
OK next you pull back "a couple of inches" of the artwork. This is pretty hard to do alone because of the thinness of the artwork, it's really much easier when someone helps you through the process.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8268/9001270448_88678ea3f4_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001270448/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001270448/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Next cut off the backing....

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/9000087405_b1bc4859d2_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000087405/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000087405/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Fold back and CAREFULLY stick the uncovered part to the cab. You can see I already got one bubble. If the bubble is really close to the "edge" you can still try pulling back the vinyl a bit, but sometimes I felt it was to risky to do.

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5343/9000088131_6c2ac47eef_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000088131/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000088131/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Now removed the clamps....no way you can change directions anymore now so you're either scoring or fucked ;)

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2818/9001273002_07179ac834_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001273002/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001273002/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Next step is rolling back the artwork and putting a tube under it to keep it clear from the cab. We found out that a rectangular one works just as well, it will slide backwards automatically during the process.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/9000089911_4051919c95_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000089911/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000089911/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Next I tried to go up slowly alone, but it just didn't work well and for sure not easily. Got lots of bubbles. So I asked my wife for help. Pretty rare occasion because we didn't even get into an argument during the process.

It went better as we were at about 1/3 of the cab. Wilma used the squeegee with felt. It didn't seem to make any difference in result, both seem to work well, the cotton covered one my give a bit more "feel" of what you're doing though.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8134/9000090713_a9e2ce244e_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000090713/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000090713/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Still we had plenty of small bubbles which psyched me out pretty much...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/9000091415_970bb76597_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000091415/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000091415/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

BUT, I found a fool-proof solution.

Here is one bubble:

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/9001276146_695d3697af_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001276146/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001276146/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Following a tip I got from my dad when doing wall-paper and how to remove bubbles, he said to punch a tiny hole into them (and then inject with some glue, but we skip that here of course). There were so many bubbles that I simply had no choice but to try it:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/9000092937_ef6df084e2_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000092937/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000092937/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

.....and gone ! Absolutely totally invisible !!!

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8540/9000093621_165b70163f_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000093621/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000093621/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

No more fear of bubbles ! :)

Took quite some time to do them all but succeeded in doing them all.

Next I got out the heat-gun, on low setting and a fair distance from the vinyl. Then carefully pull on the edges and make a nice fold over the edge.

One word of warning: If you have artwork that is printed with colors up to the edges of the cab DO NOT OVERSTRETCH THE VINYL. It didn't happen to me, but I tried it out on a scrap piece and you will get a light (white) spot if you do it.

Go VERY easy with the heat-gun, never hold it still pointed to the artwork, always keep it moving and point away when you're folding.

You can stick the vinyl to the other side of the cab without problems, as long as you don't press it down it will come off very easily.

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9000094671_733cd0c0c7_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000094671/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000094671/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Then comes the easiest part, trimming it:

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9000095487_d74ec5d86e_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000095487/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000095487/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Do yourself a favor and don't save on a blade for your X-acto knife, use a new one every time. They need to be razor sharp to work well. It's not that important in the T-molding grooves but it is on the backside where the backdoor goes, you want a nice clean and straight cut there. (I also suggest to start there because of this).

This X-acto knife holder I bought at Action by the way, the holder is great and it comes with some blades, but I buy the original X-acto blades because that's the important part.

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9000095487_d74ec5d86e_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000095487/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9000095487/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Make it nice and tight as possible, on corners you can't avoid this effect, but since we're covering with T-molding it won't be a problem. Make nice sharp folds like on the right side of the picture, the middle part is still too "loose" here.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/9001280228_dfeb495ccf_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280228/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280228/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

And that's it !

The end result is EXTREMELY rewarding if I may say so myself. I did a much better job on sanding away the bondo and getting this as straight as possible. There may still be some uneven parts but hardly visible and well, I bet the wood wasn't always perfect fresh from the factory either.

I am very very pleased with it:

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9001280982_7a5d1bf391_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280982/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280982/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on June 10, 2013, 09:24:40 AM
Thanks for the documentation and explanations, Dre!
Now I feel like:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 10, 2013, 09:31:58 AM
Great job !

Installing with the wife is a challenge, but many times woman have a bit more feeling to this kind of job.

I remember that i freaked out when installing wallpaper, while my wife and a friend, just relaxed and put it on like they do this every day  :D

Looking great Dre !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: anunaki on June 10, 2013, 09:37:46 AM
Great result, nice tutorial

 :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on June 10, 2013, 10:31:43 AM
Saw the finished product on FB, and indeed it looked good! :spaceace: - only, now it´s not original anymore.... ;)
But each to his own, I can perfectly understand why you did what you did!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 10:36:32 AM
Thanks guys. Well, considering how I did my last wall-papering job (which I decided was the last time ever) we managed great with the artwork ;)

A little bit more about the bubble removing:

I made the hole on the "lowest" part of the bubble and then "squeegeed" from the top down, in other words you move the air towards the hole. Makes sense I guess. The hole on the bottom was my idea in case there would be any visible damage from the hole, but I really cannot see any, even with reading glasses You don't have to use any forced on the knife. At least not with this artwork from Phoenix Arcade

On the picture I have the knife in _WAY_ deeper than I did on the other pubbles because I held the knife with one hand, the other operated the camera. Even so, it was 100% invisible when done.
I just needed to "touch" the vast majority of the bubbles with the point of the knife to get a microscopic hole, which is enough to let out the air.

If you look at the pictures this may seem like a quick process, but because I don't do this everyday it takes a lot of time.

I spent a lot of time making 100% sure about the exact positioning. Also, as Rich's video's show....go slooooooooowww during the actual application.

Next up is the kickplate...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 10:44:15 AM
Saw the finished product on FB, and indeed it looked good! :spaceace: - only, now it´s not original anymore.... ;)
But each to his own, I can perfectly understand why you did what you did!

Yes, that's a never-ending discussion I guess. I always weigh my decisions. In the case of the Bally-Midway Galaxian, the side-arts show some wear and on one side even scratched in initials. However, the overall look was still great and I didn't see any need to replace it.
However, on this Ms.Pac the sides were really worn on the usual spots (hand-on-cab-during-play) AND (and I see that on almost every Ms.Pac) the pink had really faded badly. There was no doubt in my mind IF I would re-do the artwork, only how (I actually had stencils here, but was lucky that Ully wanted them :)).
I have no regret at all. This one will look factory fresh. Yes it's not original but even if you stencil it that would still be not the factory paint if you catch my drift....restoration = compromising. Sometimes more than other times.

So far I haven't done any rigorous restorations like this. Overall I've been very lucky with the condition of most of my cabs and none needed a full-rework (some still do, but the one's I restored so far didn't).

However, when you see it look "factory fresh" like this in real life, it does also give a very special feeling...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on June 10, 2013, 10:51:24 AM
Saw the finished product on FB, and indeed it looked good! :spaceace: - only, now it´s not original anymore.... ;)
But each to his own, I can perfectly understand why you did what you did!

Yes, that's a never-ending discussion I guess. I always weigh my decisions. In the case of the Bally-Midway Galaxian, the side-arts show some wear and on one side even scratched in initials. However, the overall look was still great and I didn't see any need to replace it.
However, on this Ms.Pac the sides were really worn on the usual spots (hand-on-cab-during-play) AND (and I see that on almost every Ms.Pac) the pink had really faded badly. There was no doubt in my mind IF I would re-do the artwork, only how (I actually had stencils here, but was lucky that Ully wanted them :)).
I have no regret at all. This one will look factory fresh. Yes it's not original but even if you stencil it that would still be not the factory paint if you catch my drift....restoration = compromising. Sometimes more than other times.

So far I haven't done any rigorous restorations like this. Overall I've been very lucky with the condition of most of my cabs and none needed a full-rework (some still do, but the one's I restored so far didn't).

However, when you see it look "factory fresh" like this in real life, it does also give a very special feeling...

Youre right my friend, the discussion will always be there, and as you say, restoring is about compromise - but like i wrote, each to his own. You cant please everyone because there are so many different opinions, but all in all, its your cab, so youre 100% in charge of what should happen to it!  :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 10:56:43 AM
Yup :)

I'll dig up some pics of how it was when I got it and post them next to the restored one's.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on June 10, 2013, 10:59:20 AM
Hi André,

Well done, it looks great...... I find these cabinet art jobs nerve wrecking. I 've still have to man up and do one myself one day.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 11:07:41 AM
Hi André,

Well done, it looks great...... I find these cabinet art jobs nerve wrecking. I 've still have to man up and do one myself one day.

Believe me, I went through it all ;) But someday you just....have to do it :)

I went pretty Berzerk when I noticed all the small bubbles we had produced on the first 1/3 but you simply can't stop going. Although Rich suggests to use a heat gun to pull back the vinyl a bit, this may work on his vinyls, but I would definitely not do it on this....I am sure you'll end up stretching (and thus totally ruining) it.

That's another tip: keep going. We already learned that when Etienne and I did the first side, when you pause, there is much more risk on new bubbles....if you keep going slowly at the same pace everything seems to go best.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 10, 2013, 03:02:37 PM
Did you paused here and there ?  i remember when we put it, only the botto start part was bubbling and the rest was pretty straight forward afair ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: joeks on June 10, 2013, 03:19:23 PM
It looks great Andre!
Almost makes me doubt between using stencils or vinyl for my Ms Pac-Man.

Good work! :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Reboot on June 10, 2013, 03:32:37 PM
Very nice done, always nerv wrecking to do something like this
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 03:40:30 PM
Did you paused here and there ?  i remember when we put it, only the botto start part was bubbling and the rest was pretty straight forward afair ?

Yeah the funny thing is this time the bondo was all nicely sanded away and I re-did the primer.

Had problems when "flipping over" after I had done the very first inches on the base and also after that because I tried it alone. Maybe it's my physics but I couldn't manage and I also like freaked out a bit......even screaming for your help Etienne  ;D ;D ;D

I also didn't put the beer crates under the cab this time and I regretted it later, it really is a lot easier to work on it on that level instead of your knees.....

Barry, wait 'till you see it for real ;) The only serious drawback is the Namco copyright on it IMHO. That stings a bit but as mentioned, compromises have to be made :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 10, 2013, 04:00:00 PM
Yeah, working on the crates gives a perfect height which also makes you move more easy around it.

anyway, it turned out really well, and dont worry about the little punctures you needed to do to let the air out, even professionals do it like that.


I have see a episode of how do they do it on discovery when they wrapped a whole car with vinyl, and the also used that to remove the last bubbles.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 04:25:53 PM
Great, I feel a pro already  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on June 10, 2013, 05:28:32 PM
That ms. pac-man is looking superb André, you must be very relieved now that this can be removed from your to-do list. And the tutorial is nice, I will sticky it in my favourites.  :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 10, 2013, 06:08:15 PM
Well there's still the kick-plate which has it's own challenges. Like making a "plug" for the coin-door hole and of course the inside corners.

And still plenty to do.

- install the kickplate protector
- install the t-molding
- most of the harness is in OK but still some small things to do
- restore the coin-door. It looks like I may have found a friend from a friend who does spray-painting. I have at least three coin-doors in need (Ms.Pac, LL, Berzerk), I hope he does sand-blasting too :)
- redo the black paint job on the CP and install CPO and joystick and buttons etc.
- reinstall the monitor. I guess that may be very quick because I want it gone from my attic
- fix the Ms.Pac board
- install the 99in1 kit on the board

...and I probably forgot something....

BUT, it's working "upwards" now :)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on June 10, 2013, 06:44:15 PM
Well there's still the kick-plate which has it's own challenges. Like making a "plug" for the coin-door hole and of course the inside corners.

And still plenty to do.

- install the kickplate protector
- install the t-molding
- most of the harness is in OK but still some small things to do
- restore the coin-door. It looks like I may have found a friend from a friend who does spray-painting. I have at least three coin-doors in need (Ms.Pac, LL, Berzerk), I hope he does sand-blasting too :)
- redo the black paint job on the CP and install CPO and joystick and buttons etc.
- reinstall the monitor. I guess that may be very quick because I want it gone from my attic
- fix the Ms.Pac board
- install the 99in1 kit on the board

...and I probably forgot something....

BUT, it's working "upwards" now :)



99 in 1 kit?? Never heard about that one..
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 12, 2013, 08:25:12 PM
Sorry it's a 96 in 1 kit: http://home.everestkc.net/mdoyle/multipac.htm


Oh and Before and After shots.....

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8407/9025582183_c4b0ea9987_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9025582183/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9025582183/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9001280982_7a5d1bf391_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280982/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9001280982/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

It's when you look at the new vibrant colors you realize it's not just the pink that has been faded like nuts......
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: gyruss on June 12, 2013, 08:47:00 PM
wow, stunning!  :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Superully on June 13, 2013, 06:59:58 AM
that looks AMAZING, andré, obviously very well worth the effort and the money. vinyl really IS a great alternative to a paint job! btw, i've notived there's a difference in the copyright message under the ms pac-man label, but can't read it. what does it say compared to the original?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 13, 2013, 07:28:36 AM
Yes that's one of the drawbacks Ully, it says Namco....

Also, if you look closely you can see that there are some size errors in the artwork. It's something you'll never notice when you look at it "just like that" but if you're going to compare like the two pictures above you'll see it.

Still, yes I think it's a serious alternative. I know I wouldn't have done the stencils yet, but this I can manage (took long enough already)....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on June 13, 2013, 08:44:33 AM
I am going to stencil my ms. pac-man somewhere later this year, but I won´t hesitate to buy the decal set if the result is not satisfying. Your cab looks amazing and I think that it is a good enough compromise.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 13, 2013, 09:08:49 PM
I only see the "after pic", anyone else got that problem ?

I know how the result looks, i have seen it in a best close up as possible (a few centimeters in real life  :D )
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 13, 2013, 09:36:10 PM
Yeah had the same problem, I put the link in again, seems to work again now.....weird....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on June 14, 2013, 07:03:13 AM
I think it looks great, clean and crisp. Well done.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
Indeed !

Not to be negative, dont get me wrong, it looks fantastic, but lets start a little game of find the differences...

Perhaps i can fix those in a vector file..  ::)

Lets see:
1. the curves are not the same
2. the pink part is wider that the repro and also a bit shorter from left to right
3. the copyright looks different
4. the mrs is bigger on the Original
5. same as 4, the ghost and mrs are bigger in the Original, and look at the left pink blob on the ghost, its bigger on the Original.
6. same as 2, its wider on the Original and almost at the edge

again dont take this as negative, just looking for the differences.

Like you say, when you do a comparison next to eachother you see it, if you just see the cabinet, its very beautifull !

(i remember you almost freaked out when i was at your place and you did the comparison...)

we should have scanned it before sanding..  oh well, just enjoy it like it is now, it looks 10000x better than the worn out Original !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 21, 2013, 12:01:33 AM
You're absolutely right Etienne, but indeed, no issue when you don't put it next to an original one. My guess is they reduced some sizes a bit to reduce the possibility of misplacing the artwork.

Anyway....next step. The Kickplate !

It's hard to tell how much time I spent for all these steps. It's because of doing this all for the firsts time. However, there are also decisions to make AND to measure, place, measure again, replace etc. etc.

Of course I've seen Rich's great video on how to install kick-art: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaO2fH9upIU

However, I had no clue what size I had to cut of on one side. Of course it should be centered, but still it was hard to position it like this.

Another reason was that I don't have a metal ruler to cut straight along with...

In the end, I decided to go with basically the same method as the side-art, so not from right to left but from bottom to top. I fixed the artwork with two clamps on the top. I could move around the artwork near the bottom a bit like that.

I had cut off almost all of the excess (white) material on the edges to have the smallest piece possible to work with.

I figured I could just as well bend the inside corners and "hit" them with my squeegee to get it well into the edge while going "up".
Note that I may have been helped by the fact that it was both pretty warm and humid today here, so that may have made the vinyl "adjust" a bit more easy.

Anyway, here we go:

I used the "hard" side of the yellow squeegee this time because this piece of art is masked.

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/9096666402_d40e37a90d_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9096666402/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9096666402/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

The inside corners go really well, the small pink squeegee works really well here:

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/9094439115_9434521573_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094439115/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094439115/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Went up to the top without many problems. I used a plastic "soda" bottle instead of the tube this time, a little bit smaller is better here.

Then it was time to remove the masking: Didn't have a plant-sprayer at hand, so I used a wet sponge to make the masking a bit moist to get it off easier.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/9094439963_970df4a32e_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094439963/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094439963/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Hello there Missy ! Yep, still got bubbles...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7419/9094440783_9029ca71f7_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094440783/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9094440783/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Removed all bubbles and cut out the coin door hole. I didn't use a plug (I got lazy), and because of going up, this is also less of a problem...in fact I hadn't any problem with it.

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/9096669532_cc058165cf_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9096669532/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9096669532/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Now, where did I leave that kick-plate protector rubber strip ?? ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 21, 2013, 07:48:54 AM
Looks great !

Is this also as thin as the other, or is it different vinyl since it has protection over it ?

I can imagine it is more sturdy because of the protective layer.

All you need now is the coindoor installed and then it looks like a brand new cabinet !

Great Job  :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 21, 2013, 08:48:15 AM
Well, there's plenty more to do actually (see list a couple. of posts back).

Yes this vinyl is definitely thicker than the sides. No idea why there is a difference. It was better regarding the coin door because the thinner stuff would have sagged much more I think...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on June 21, 2013, 09:19:03 AM
Looks great!! :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 23, 2013, 02:26:46 PM
T-molding installed.

PCB and monitor back in.

Time for a power up to see if the Ms. is still OK....

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/9114120215_2f07d5505c_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114120215/)
Camera Roll-434 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114120215/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/9114121065_23d97669b0_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114121065/)
Camera Roll-435 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114121065/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/9114121833_5c7f8518a7_c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114121833/)
Camera Roll-436 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/level_42/9114121833/) by Level_42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/level_42/), on Flickr

Yes yes yes....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: joeks on June 23, 2013, 04:16:00 PM
Looks stunning Andre! Good work!
It seems like you cleaned the inside really thorough too.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 23, 2013, 09:14:52 PM
Thanks Barry !

Yes, that is the very start of all my restorations, getting the dust and dirt out of the inside. Nothing worse than having to work in/with a dirty cab. I even get out the full harness and wash it. I don't drop it in a bucket of water, but I use kitchen paper and glassex, spray glassex on the kitchen paper and then run it along every wire. Yes every individual wire. Where possible I move the ty-raps a little bit to get between every wire. I do the outside of the connectors the same way. Never let glasses (or compatible cheaper stuff) run into the connectors though...

After all the sanding etc. I had to redo the removal of dust of course...

Anyway, I think it looks great to have a clean inside and clean and "fresh colored" wire harness.

I have a little problem: The power switch on top is defective, will need a new one. I powered the machine up by bypassing the switch temporarily...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 23, 2013, 09:22:04 PM
Looking at this pic :

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/9114120215_2f07d5505c_c.jpg)

you have the proof that the Original was spray painted  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 24, 2013, 10:29:41 PM
Just had to try....


http://youtu.be/Q-sWt7Nn6GU
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on June 25, 2013, 09:21:28 AM
Its alive !  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c)

(http://www.telecoms.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/08/its-alive-lab.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Luigi on June 25, 2013, 02:07:55 PM
André, that cab looks awesome!

Do you already have a kickplate protector? I need one, maybe we can join our forces  ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 25, 2013, 05:58:56 PM
Sorry already have one.....that is to say.......I should have one.

I should have:

CPO
upper marquee retainer
Kick plate protector
Multi 90 in 1 kit

........And I have no clue where I all left it. Sounds like I made some box to put this all in but where it is.....??

And I thought I was really organized this time. Had all screws neatly in one bucket and most parts stored in the cab itself.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on June 26, 2013, 05:54:30 PM
...short question: Want to reinstall the coin-bucket holder to the kick-plate.

I've got: carriagebolt-washer-nut. Do I put the washer behind the metal or between the wood and the metal ?


Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on July 27, 2014, 01:14:53 AM
Jezus, over a year since I worked on the grand'ol lady !!

But....some nice progress today !

I ordered brand new carriage bolts so these will be replaced still for the finishing touch...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on July 27, 2014, 10:05:10 AM
Nice.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on July 27, 2014, 10:45:37 PM
Can't wait to see this baby in full glory.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 12:58:21 PM
Any tips on what paint to use to touch up the glass bezel ? some of the blue parts are damaged.

I also need a new power switch, would really prefer the push down version as it is original.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 01:22:51 PM
Coin door work...first picture before final transparant layer...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 06:02:50 PM
So uhmmm I figured I'd turn the lady on (muhaha) again to have a look and I was greeted with a load 50 Hz hum and wavy picture.....checked what is most suspect in that case and what do you guys think.....might this have something to do with it ? ;););)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 03, 2014, 07:49:21 PM
Looks you need to do this :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb1YOtWotVg&list=PLEE1EE3CF96A9D290

I dont know if you have the cupper tape, i have some if needed  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 08:19:21 PM
Well........The problem that I have with that fix is that you actually recreate the original situation, which means that the whole corroding/charring/burning process starts again. Yes you can argue that it will take another 30 years to become that bad again, and you can claim that cabs at collectors don't make the hours like they did in the arcades BITD but still......there is simply too much current running through that edge connector.

I am more tempted to make an external jumper connector with nice thick wire and connectors that can handle the load. did this for the Linar Lander already and it works like a charm.

However, I WILL replace the old edge connector on the harness and brighten up the edge fingers just as well...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 08:20:53 PM
By the way, did you see what actually happened ? the foil had become "loose" and it was folded over when I reconnected the PCB.... ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on August 03, 2014, 08:29:57 PM
Coin door looks perfect! Spraypaint or powder coating?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 03, 2014, 08:37:24 PM
Thats ofcourse better, or both  ::)

Happens manytimes to traces that are hot, they come loose from the board.

same for solder islands where you heat too long / much when soldering
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 08:38:21 PM
Thanks, and the pictures even don't do it justice !

Air can spray, but mind you, the most expensive I could get my hands on:

http://www.action.nl/spectrum-spuitverf-400ml-neon-groen

but then in black of course......new for this one was using a transparent layer (same shop) as the finishing touch, I really like that as the coin doors were actually pretty shiny when factory new (just check the video ;) )

This spray paint is simply good quality for a great price !

Oh I do have to note that I have had this (and the LL and another midway coindoor) professionally sand-blasted and these guys were kind enough to put on an awesome layer of stuff that looks like a "grainy" primer. It gives a perfect look with the black paint and transparent layer over it ! :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 08:42:00 PM
Now I'm waiting for a new tool to get all the metal parts of the coin door nice and clean.....;);)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 08:49:18 PM
This guy has tested the Action paint outside for a year and 7 months.....

There is also a nice picture which shows the effect of the transparent layer....

http://www.oldtimerautosite.nl/action_spuitbussen_test.htm
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 09:13:59 PM
While I have the board out anyway.......

This is something that I see on a lot of boards....

There is one or maybe two heatsinks on a RAM chip on that board. Isn't that strange while there are 4 the same RAM chips ? yes it is.

I'm pretty sure they didn't leave the factory that way....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on August 03, 2014, 09:45:34 PM
Thanks, and the pictures even don't do it justice !

Air can spray, but mind you, the most expensive I could get my hands on:

http://www.action.nl/spectrum-spuitverf-400ml-neon-groen

but then in black of course......new for this one was using a transparent layer (same shop) as the finishing touch, I really like that as the coin doors were actually pretty shiny when factory new (just check the video ;) )

This spray paint is simply good quality for a great price !

Oh I do have to note that I have had this (and the LL and another midway coindoor) professionally sand-blasted and these guys were kind enough to put on an awesome layer of stuff that looks like a "grainy" primer. It gives a perfect look with the black paint and transparent layer over it ! :)
Nice!
I pay my Rustoleum cans about 6 or 7 € for 1 piece!
Your stuff does the job perfectly and the grainy primer is just the cherry on top.
Curious about the transparent layer, never tried that.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on August 03, 2014, 09:47:53 PM
Now I'm waiting for a new tool to get all the metal parts of the coin door nice and clean.....;);)
Yeah, I bet you must be tumbling in your bed at night while waiting  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 10:22:50 PM
Wow that is a very good price for Rustoleum, IIRC I paid about twice that price .... I might actually switch to Rustoleum for that price because that stuff IS awesome.

Waha, it should be delivered tomorrow afternoon my friend I hope they deliver to neighbors too because regretfully they used UPC for the shipping...

Back to the RAM heatsinks....I bought some of them at my local electronics dealer some time ago.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 03, 2014, 10:28:22 PM
...and this is how it looks installed. It also shows the problem with the spring clips...the chip on the left is different and there is not enough room under the chip for the pins of the spring so it will never be on tight. The others are tight enough. However I talked with Robin about these some time ago and he said I could just as well buy a small u-profile aluminum at the local DIY store, saw that in small pieces and glue them with contact glue on the back of the chips. Maybe a cheaper solution if you need to do a lot of these for sure, and I think I'm going to glue the ones I have now anyway because it will be a more permanent and fixed solution.

And yeah these ones look a bit like overkill compared to the original one, but in case of heatsinks bigger is always better :):)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2014, 07:38:20 PM
Coin door plate work:

Get some nails with a nice round and shiny head. They also need to fit of course :)

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189231&d=1407518807)

Mark where you will need holes on the repro coin door plate using the door (from the back). Drill the holes with a Dremel

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189232&d=1407518834)

Remove the backing and position the plate using the nails, then press hard to activate the glue

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189233&d=1407518849)




Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2014, 07:41:48 PM
Oops, the nails extend too far on the underside...can't have that for the coin mechs so

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189234&d=1407519029)

Cut the nails back a bit

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189235&d=1407519040)

Put a bit of construction glue on the nails. Insert them in the holes and hammer them in carefully, use some protection for the heads of the nails

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189236&d=1407519064)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2014, 07:42:50 PM
Remove the protecting foil

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189237&d=1407519179)

Done. Nice. Not 100% authentic but damn close and looking sweet. Better then SCREWS that some people use......not mentioning any names though...... :D

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189238&d=1407519192)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on August 08, 2014, 07:43:11 PM
You drilled from the bottom to the top? Why not the other way around? Looking nice by the way.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 08, 2014, 09:42:12 PM
Looks legit !  :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2014, 10:01:44 PM
I didnt want to mark the good side, although it should have been OK because it still had the protection layer...
Worked fine though

Next up....derusting coin mech holders.....if the chrome paint works well the coin return buttons will be painted as well. Those things are a bitch by the way....one of them was completely stuck out of the "guide". Had to use some force to get it back in. If pushed too far they still get out of the guide. Meh.....who's going to push them anyway....

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 08, 2014, 10:11:04 PM
Ow fuck.......I just discovered something........not all Midway coindoors are equal.....


See I swapped coin doors.....I still had a very nice condition coindoor which was almost identical to the door that was originally on my MS.pac. That coindoor was dented at one of the coin returns but I had it sandblasted anyway because it went for the same price.....

Now I just tried installing the coin mech holders......no dice.There is a "bump" on the front of them which this door doesn't have room for......can't mount them.....

Not a problem....the only thing is I now have to try and remove the Midway coin plate again....or maybe it's better to order another...sigh...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Nic-fryer on August 09, 2014, 03:07:11 AM
The photos at the top of this page don't appear
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 09, 2014, 08:39:42 AM
They sure do here....anyone else having this problem ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: anunaki on August 09, 2014, 09:59:37 AM
same here, do see them
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on August 09, 2014, 10:06:19 AM
Same here in the Ardennen. Are there any arcades or gamerooms in this area by the way :P
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 09, 2014, 12:33:07 PM
Maybe he means the first page instead of top page, they dont work indeed.

All pics on this page work fine.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 09, 2014, 02:37:58 PM
Ardennen Leo ? PM sent !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Nic-fryer on August 10, 2014, 05:37:49 AM
No, I mean this page. The only photo I can see is the photo of you de rusting the coin mech. Maybe it's because I'm down under
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: mumboking on August 10, 2014, 05:51:51 AM
No, I mean this page. The only photo I can see is the photo of you de rusting the coin mech. Maybe it's because I'm down under
It's not just you. I can't see them either.
It's because he's linking the images from arcade-museum.com and you have to be logged in there to view them. :-\
I can't be bothered to make an account there just to see images...

I'm just lurking...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on August 10, 2014, 06:10:22 AM
AHA that explains it !

I'll have a look into it as soon as I can...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on August 10, 2014, 07:26:04 AM
now i cant seen them anymore.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 17, 2014, 11:46:15 PM
Big box of goodies arrived from my uncle & aunt in the US just before RGE 2014.

A lot of great stuff in there, one of them....new Ms.Pac CP bolts and screws.

Before and after....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 17, 2014, 11:48:27 PM
CP finished !

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 17, 2014, 11:52:41 PM
There was also a kick-plate protector in the box. Gotta install that next. Looking for the best way to cut it and install it:

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?p=2877368#post2877368
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 19, 2014, 09:14:35 PM
OK cut it with a sharp knife and a straight metal guide. That was easy enough.

I tried to glue it.....but I don't have much confidence in that working. It's a weird thing, nothing is straight on the back side so the glue barely touches the "wood" I am afraid....we'll see when it has dried.
Else I will go with Thorsten's solution, drill some small holes and use good old fashioned nails.

Something else...does anyone happen to have one of these coin door plates ?

(http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189233&d=1407518849)

I have come to the conclusion that I won't be able to use this coin-door after all. Although it really looks very much like the original one, there are some parts completely different on the inside as to where the coin guides and coin mechs go. Impossible to adept it all so I will have to fix up the original coin door now.

But gonna need another Midway coin door plate like that....don't think I'm going to get that one off nicely....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 20, 2014, 08:06:20 AM
Kickplate protector install succesfull. Used hard Plastic glue by Bison.
Sometimes it's nice when it actually works despite you don't expect it too :)



Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on September 20, 2014, 08:09:33 AM
Also re-installed all the CP clamps and side supports and the CP.

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on September 20, 2014, 08:52:56 AM
Kickplate looks cool !

i can print a coindoor plate on alufoil, dont know if that helps ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on September 20, 2014, 08:54:14 PM
Kickplate looks cool !

i can print a coindoor plate on alufoil, dont know if that helps ?


If it helps,  and if you do,  then please for me also some.  :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Laszo on September 21, 2014, 09:55:36 AM
Under the kickplate i see these rubber leg plates.... Where did you get these? I need some.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on November 16, 2014, 08:13:39 PM
Uh....only read this now......no idea......I think they are the Teflon kind.....

Butuhhhhmmm....looky what I found back today........finally !


 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on November 16, 2014, 08:20:40 PM
Multikit?? Which games are on it?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on November 16, 2014, 08:28:02 PM

Ms Pac

Ms Pac Plus

Ms Pac Attack

Ms Pac no exit

Piranha

Caterpillar

Eyes

Mr. TNT

Cookiemon

Mr. & Mrs. Pacman (new!)

Pengo

Alien Armada (Space Invaders)

Group 1:

Pac Midway

Pac Bell

Pac Shuffle

Pac Speedy

Pac Crunchy

Pac Electric Cowboy

Pac Sil

Pac Snake Eyes 1

Pac Richmond

Pac Mr. Roboto

Pac Hangly Maze

Pac Xens Revenge

Pac Circles

"All mazes in sequence"

"Random Mazes"

Group 2:

Pac Monte Carlo

Pac Bel Air

Pac Monza Spyder

Pac Corvair

Pac Malibu

Pac Biscayne

Pac Vega

Pac Impala

Pac Z-28

Pac Stingray

Pac Chevelle

Pac Caprice

Pac Nova

Pac Laguna

"All mazes in sequence"

"Random Mazes"

Group 3:

Pac in Ms Pac Maze 1

Pac in Ms Pac Maze 2

Pac in Ms Pac Maze 3

Pac in Ms Pac Maze4

Pac in Ms Pac Attack 1

Pac in Ms Pac Attack 2

Pac in Ms Pac Attack 3

Pac in Ms Pac Attack 4

Pac Junior1

Pac Junior2

Pac Junior3

Pac Junior4

Pac Baby1

Pac Baby2

"All mazes in sequence"

"Random Mazes"

Group 4:

Pac Plus Midway

Pac Plus Bell

Pac Plus Shuffle

Pac Plus Speedy

Pac Plus Crunchy

Pac Plus Electric Cowboy

Pac Plus Sil

Pac Plus Snake Eyes 1

Pac Plus Richmond

Pac Plus Mr. Roboto

Pac Plus Hangly Maze

Pac Plus Xens Revenge

Pac Plus Circles

"All mazes in sequence"

"Random Mazes"
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on November 16, 2014, 08:29:56 PM
Mmm, that's only 73 and the kit is called 96in1..... :)


http://home.everestkc.net/mdoyle/multipac.htm

Most important for me:
Pac and Ms.Pac
Eyes, Pengo.

The point is that I bought this kit a LONGGGKGGG time ago......and I had no idea where it was for.....years ;)

Maybe this will give me enough spirit to return working on the Ms.....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Muerto on November 16, 2014, 09:32:49 PM
Thats.... A lot of games.... Imo only pac man games should be in a pac cab, I have Mark Spaeths six-pac in mine, it plays Pac Man, Pac Man Fast, Ms Pac Man, Ms Pac Man Fast, Pac Man Plus and last but not least, can you guess it, Pac Man Plus Fast.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on November 16, 2014, 11:40:01 PM
I hate any fast Pacs. Main reason is Eyes, brilliant game.

And Pengo is cool too.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 16, 2014, 07:57:39 PM
Can't believe it, I actually did some arcade stuff since Eurocade/RGE !

Replacing the edge connector....very necessary on any (Ms.)Pac....
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 16, 2014, 08:25:13 PM
....and before it gets lost again....lets' install the kit. Easy peasy.....

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on December 16, 2014, 08:50:02 PM
is that a burn mark at the edge connector ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 16, 2014, 10:39:59 PM
Nah....,thats a trick of the light.....I fixed the edge connector with the thinnest layer of solder I could and it reflects differently. The strange thing is that I couldn't  pull off the edge "pins" anymore ! remember they were fold over at one point in time ? can't do that anymore .....weird ! So I figured the thinnest line of solder would do.

The new edge connector should do the rest...


Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 17, 2014, 12:57:00 AM
Works great !!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Q*ris on December 17, 2014, 07:49:42 PM
Yes! You found back the multipac!
Hope you'll like it  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on December 17, 2014, 09:22:59 PM
nice !

i was thinking it was burned up like the pole positions many time do..

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 17, 2014, 10:55:37 PM
:)


Mmmmm, I set it up to "set up" all the games by setting all dip switches off and 6 to on but I broke off the configuration last night because it was bed time and now DIP 6 doesn't seem to have any effect anymore (doesn't go into the settings screen). I know I should be able to get there with the service switch but the coin door is not ready yet....

Geez I had to push on that new edge connector SO hard.....I really liked that....means _firm_ contact :) The hum I had before is GONE ! :)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 29, 2014, 05:53:44 PM
Guys, if you ever have a Pac or Ms.Pac wit following symptoms:
- hum (50hz.)
- black diagonal stripes over screen
- PCB acting garbled (well mine with the 96in1 kit did)

Then.....check the 7V fuses, both of them !!!

I had this and I thought it was a ground problem but it was simply one fuse gone bad. You don't think of a fuse because the game seems to be "working" mostly....

The reason for this is that the PCB still gets some voltage, but in fact only "half" of what it normally gets.

Replaced fuse and was back 100%.
Configured the 96in1 game settings but for some games I still have to figure out Free Play.
Board and kit work great.

Final steps: restore and re-install coin door, re-install monitor (it's not perfectly straight), hook up ground strips and replace the power switch.....must finish before end of year ! :
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: GoRetro74 on December 30, 2014, 08:24:47 AM
Fascinating work Level42! The cabin turned out really nice. It was very interesting following your work on this project.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 30, 2014, 10:21:42 AM
Thans GoRetro......in these days of über-rare Nintendo machines, huge Japanese machines and container loads full of games a Ms.Pac seems to have become a rather "boring" machine....,

It's weird, because when I started out in this hobby, a Ms.Pac was extremely rare in Europe (AFAIK they were never officially imported here) and I never dreamed I would own one...

Of course it took me insanely long to restore it but that's how it is for me.....doing other electronics repairs on arcade hardware, co-organizing Eurocade/RGE, my other hobby and of course Real Life make me probably one of the slowest restorers here.

But I love the result. I played Ms.Pac SO much back in the 80s...and It still love the game. Been playing it quite a bit yesterday and it is simply awesome. I love the intermissions, especially the music....the set-up of the speaker gives it such a great bass-sound.

I adjusted the mounting of the CRT in the frame yesterday so that the picture is now perfectly straight. During the process, I had removed the tinted plexi and when I looked at the picture it was SO fantastically bright.....I was thinking....why would I actually re-install it ? The thing is, I have installed one of the NIB WG monitors that we got from Ireland and this had a dark tinted tube. The reason why there is a dark tinted plexi over the screen from the factory is to "hide" the fact that there is a CRT there....but in a dark gameroom like mine you will never see that anyway combined with the dark CRT. Also the colors are much richer without the plexi.

That plexi also makes that you turn up the brightness on the monitor (too) high. The result is pretty clear, look at how burnt my original CRT was, and most Ms.Pacs suffer from it.

So I decided to leave it off. Of course I'll keep it around but I will run the cab without it for sure.

I also played Eyes, what a great and challenging game. Pengo is cool too but DAMN what a hard game it is !!! I guess I'll be setting that up on the easiest setting to make it a bit more fun to play. It's pretty amazing how the sound hardware of the Pac board handles the Pengo music and sound by the way. There are differences for sure but they are not annoying and the music actually sounds correct.

I really like the high score saving of the kit....this always makes for a nice challenge and is sorely missing on the original hardware. It's often seen as a "small" feature but it is probably one of the most useful ones of a kit like this.

The one thing that still puzzles me is where those yellow ground straps all go to. The one for the coin-door is obvoius enough, but the longest one, where does it go ? I don't see any use for it to go to the PCB, there are not metal parts that need to be connected there.....and IIRC from that largest strap there is another one running towards the top of the cab, probably to the marquee but where to hook it up ?

If anyone has a Ms.Pac with these straps correctly connected still please let me know :)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on December 30, 2014, 01:14:35 PM
Maybe on the ballast or the marquee retainers ?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: ckong on December 30, 2014, 01:26:54 PM
Maybe it was used to ground the filter board?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 31, 2014, 05:29:23 PM
I can't believe it.........FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 31, 2014, 05:30:31 PM
...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 31, 2014, 05:32:25 PM
Did it take ages ? Hell yeah !!!
Am I proud of her ? HELL YEAH !!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...
Post by: level42 on December 31, 2014, 05:34:40 PM
The only thing that could still be improved would be a nicer bezel....this is the original that came with the monitor and I haven't worked on it...maybe I'll find a NIB one one day ? ;)






Next up:


Q*bert !!!!!
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: jcp on December 31, 2014, 06:09:28 PM
At last  (http://img.xooimage.com/files1/e/e/eek-1e6fb.gif).
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: ckong on December 31, 2014, 06:29:21 PM
Congratulations.   :)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: DarthNuno on December 31, 2014, 06:44:41 PM
...just un-boxed!   :o

...and right in time for 2014... CONGRATULATION!  :)

 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on December 31, 2014, 07:58:01 PM
Looks great !
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: GoRetro74 on January 02, 2015, 07:32:42 AM
She is smoking hot!!! :P :pac:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: atarimania on January 02, 2015, 09:11:08 AM
Really fantastic job!!!  :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Digimon on January 02, 2015, 09:29:07 AM
Amazing!  good Job
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Laszo on January 02, 2015, 10:09:45 AM
Well done real looker, super sweet. So any picture of your gameroom?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 02, 2015, 10:18:49 AM
Thanks friends ! The best thing is that I was really pretty hooked on Ms.Pac again....it's good to discover I still love the game :)

And I forgot: a fantastic 2015 for everyone !!!

I'll try to make some pics today Leo, still a number of unrestored cabs and some monitors and boxes around but I'll take pics anyway.

Also plan to move the Q*bert out of the far corner so it'll be a bit easier to work on.

I also didn't forget about your monitors Franck and I now have easy access to the Gravitar so it's a bit easier to hook them up for testing....I'll let you know this weekend about condition etc.
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 03, 2015, 02:31:44 PM
I just LOVE the  bright and crisp picture of the NIB WG monitor.....as always it is VERY hard to capcture that in pictures, but these are my best try:

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 03, 2015, 02:37:08 PM
Note that the difference in color is NOT there for real, it's an effect of the scanning of the monitor and the camera...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 03, 2015, 02:38:26 PM
---

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: DarthNuno on January 03, 2015, 03:08:16 PM
CRT rulez!  :-*
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 06:18:16 PM
Mmmm-mmmmm......I think I forgot some details...... ;)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on January 09, 2015, 06:22:48 PM
Noted  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 06:31:44 PM
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 07:14:15 PM
Found some pics from when I just got the little Ms....CKONG should recognize the place ;)

Do I dare to post the date ? march 8, 2010 (!) Well I did have the cab running for quite some time before I started actual restoration....

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 07:15:57 PM
Note the total absence of any purple in the marquee.....I'm still puzzled if this was simply let out during the printing or turned completely white during the years.....in any case, I owe CKONG big time for his Ms.Pac marquee WITH the nice purple !

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 08:28:09 PM
Mmmm-mmmmm......I think I forgot some details...... ;)



Ow...........FUCK !!!!!!


(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=5770.0;attach=8001;image)


OWWWWWW FUCKKKKKK......: https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=5770.msg84414#msg84414


HOT DAMN.....I sold that plate ........thinking it was for the Galaxian...........>AAAARARARGGHGGHGHGHGH<

Dear CKONG....did you already install it ? Do you still need it ?



 :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 09, 2015, 08:29:53 PM
O....Wait .....no-no wait.......that one WAS for the Galaxian....that one is real metal and must be mounted with the nails.....the one on the Ms.Pac clearly IS a label, note the peeling on the right corner AND especially the staples through it......


phew.......OK no problem then buddy, enjoy the plate  :) :D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: ckong on January 10, 2015, 08:18:23 AM
Noted  ;)

A set for me too, please  :)  Or did I already order that?
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on January 10, 2015, 09:48:10 AM
Noted  ;)

A set for me too, please  :)  Or did I already order that?

There are 3 of these in your order:

(https://www.easywebshop.com/shops/arcadedecals/3905952-1.jpg)

The other i need to create / check if i have it, it looks like this though:

(http://www.easywebshop.com/shops/arcadedecals/4203055-1.jpg)

Only this is a compliance decal, and the one on here is a non compliance, should be an easy creation  ;)

the mini decal under it i have in the "OK for Shipment"  set : (at least a version of it)

(http://www.easywebshop.com/shops/arcadedecals/4226826-1.jpg)

Vinyl or paper, whatever people preffer  ;)
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 10, 2015, 10:55:40 AM
AWESOME :)

I guess vinyl lasts longer...
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on January 16, 2015, 11:11:08 AM
Mmmm-mmmmm......I think I forgot some details...... ;)



 ;) http://www.easywebshop.com/arcadedecals/detail/4622863-midway-fcc-decal

(http://www.easywebshop.com/shops/arcadedecals/4622863-1.jpg)

Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on January 17, 2015, 12:19:39 AM
 :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on February 05, 2015, 01:02:19 AM
Tonight arcade history was written.......




......well for me at least ;)


For the first time in my life I actually reached the Junior stage ! :)
And I cleared the first one ;)

Died at the second and had around 80000 points.

I never could reach that far in my youth and even now I needed to practice pretty hard.

Yes I'm a lame player but I don't care...I was very excited when I finally saw the Junior intermission on the real machine.

(I've reache "junior" on the Lynx version but that may have been using the cheats.....and it doesn't count anyway. One of the best conversion by the way on that little Lynx :))
Title: Re: Ms.Pac gets a facelift and more...FINISHED !!!!!!
Post by: level42 on May 26, 2015, 06:14:25 PM
Aftermath:

I had noticed that the sound regularly produced a "scratchy" sound...pretty faint, but annoying enough for me.

I took a guess to what was causing it and I had ordered a new volume pot from Twistywrist together with all the Q*bert parts,

Just installed it: crystal clear sound :) (ok there's some very faint hum,,but that is how it's supposed to be :) )

Bas contacts and bad pots people....they are more common then bad caps, yet all the focus goes out to those....