Financial Analysis
27/05/03 16:41 Filed in: Klax
| Item | Cost | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Game (complete) | $50 | |
| Monitor Tube | $0 | On Hand |
| Cap Kit | $10 | QuarterArcade.com |
| Manual | $15 | |
| Shroud | $25 | Arcade Shop |
| Lock Set | $5 | |
| Cleaning Bonus | ($1) | It pays to be Neat |
| IC501 | $12 | Arcade Shop |
| Sold | ($200) | Cedar Rock Arcade's Second Sale |
I spent about 35 hours on this project, so I got paid about $2/hour. I do this for fun not for profit.
|
Success
09/05/02 01:50 Filed in: Klax
I have the top score at 232495 for a single credit
game. Some improvements could be made. I have a quarter
coin mech in one side which is a spare I had lying
about. The other coin mech is set to accept tokens,
this should be replaced.
The joystick for the right player lost the ability to move left. I beleive the solder joint is failing. I supported the joint with electrical tape and it seems to be holding. I will eventually replace the wiring with a nice new JAMMA harness. I would really like to get Molex connectors between the board and the control panel and coin door.
The control panel has plexi over generic artwork. I would like to replace or upgrade the control panel art or maybe the whole control panel with some Klax artwork. The sides are still painted with the Aqua fleck and I would like to get some Klax side art. I have not decided whether to strip the Aqua fleck off because I don't know how to repaint it.
The joystick for the right player lost the ability to move left. I beleive the solder joint is failing. I supported the joint with electrical tape and it seems to be holding. I will eventually replace the wiring with a nice new JAMMA harness. I would really like to get Molex connectors between the board and the control panel and coin door.
The control panel has plexi over generic artwork. I would like to replace or upgrade the control panel art or maybe the whole control panel with some Klax artwork. The sides are still painted with the Aqua fleck and I would like to get some Klax side art. I have not decided whether to strip the Aqua fleck off because I don't know how to repaint it.
IC501
29/04/02 21:45 Filed in: Klax
Upon the advice of Steven Gregory at ArcadeShop I
bought and installed a new IC501 (Video Oscillation)
Chip. The screen stopped rolling! Klax Lives!
The cabinet is in need of cleaning. I also purchased a plastic monitor bezel. I installed this behind the original Taito glass. This will better support the sagging card stock paper bezel graphics taht were included with the Klax Converison kit. I carefullly removed the paper from the back of the glass and cleaned the glass thoroughly.
I then mounted the paper artwork on top of the plastic monitor bezel. The plastic will support the weight of the paper and keep it from sagging. It also blocks glare by shrouding the monitor as it is molded to the monitor's curved surface.
The glass was mounted improperly. I had some trouble sliding it in the tracks on the cabinet sides. It seems the cabinet is leaning a bit because if I pushed the top of the cabinet the width changed.
I loosened the carriage bolts holding the montior support rails. This allowed me to slide the glass into the cabinet all the way to it's proper resting place. I was also able to slide the monitor bezel and artwork in the lower track to complete the bezel artwork. After they were installed properly I retightened the carriage bolts until they were snug, but not putting pressure on the glass.
I bolted the monitor back into place, closed the cabinet and moved Klax up to the game room and it is swallowing most of my quarters now.
The cabinet is in need of cleaning. I also purchased a plastic monitor bezel. I installed this behind the original Taito glass. This will better support the sagging card stock paper bezel graphics taht were included with the Klax Converison kit. I carefullly removed the paper from the back of the glass and cleaned the glass thoroughly.
I then mounted the paper artwork on top of the plastic monitor bezel. The plastic will support the weight of the paper and keep it from sagging. It also blocks glare by shrouding the monitor as it is molded to the monitor's curved surface.
The glass was mounted improperly. I had some trouble sliding it in the tracks on the cabinet sides. It seems the cabinet is leaning a bit because if I pushed the top of the cabinet the width changed.
I loosened the carriage bolts holding the montior support rails. This allowed me to slide the glass into the cabinet all the way to it's proper resting place. I was also able to slide the monitor bezel and artwork in the lower track to complete the bezel artwork. After they were installed properly I retightened the carriage bolts until they were snug, but not putting pressure on the glass.
I bolted the monitor back into place, closed the cabinet and moved Klax up to the game room and it is swallowing most of my quarters now.
Qualified Success
02/04/02 12:42 Filed in: Klax
The monitor powers up and the image begins it's slow
roll up the screen. Well, the tube works! It's time to
call ArcadeShop.com for a cap kit.
At this point I must mention the "New Monitor Option" that is very popular. A new monitor would take care of all these problems. No troubleshooting, cleaning, testing, Cap kit, or Flyback. I had the monitor "go" on my Centipede and took the "New Monitor Option" happily. My Centipede looks great! The new monitor will last longer than a refurbished monitor. There is no burn in. I can adjust the monitor front the front of the machine, while viewing the monitor, thanks to the remote adjustment panel included with most newer monitors. It was easy to swap out the old monitor and I was up and running quickly.
After all that praise, I wanted to fix this one. I wanted to learn how to fix these machines. There is more documentation, experience and advice available on how to fix the G07 than any other boards in the hobby (IMHO). It is the best place to learn and overcome the fear of "breaking something."
At this point I must mention the "New Monitor Option" that is very popular. A new monitor would take care of all these problems. No troubleshooting, cleaning, testing, Cap kit, or Flyback. I had the monitor "go" on my Centipede and took the "New Monitor Option" happily. My Centipede looks great! The new monitor will last longer than a refurbished monitor. There is no burn in. I can adjust the monitor front the front of the machine, while viewing the monitor, thanks to the remote adjustment panel included with most newer monitors. It was easy to swap out the old monitor and I was up and running quickly.
After all that praise, I wanted to fix this one. I wanted to learn how to fix these machines. There is more documentation, experience and advice available on how to fix the G07 than any other boards in the hobby (IMHO). It is the best place to learn and overcome the fear of "breaking something."
Glue Be Gone
01/04/02 21:39 Filed in: Klax
After the dust cleaning I tried to attach the PCBs to a
known working tube. No Luck! Too much glue remained in
the tube socket on the CRT board. I removed the glue,
attached the boards, connected the monitor and turned
on the game.
No power! No hum from the monitor, no glow in the tube neck, no blue amorphouse blob, no joy! I swear all I hear is a click, click, click. That means something to monitor experts, but not to me. I am new at this. Add one monitor chassis to the list of destroyed parts.
Now I am beginning to doubt my logic. Good boards + good tube = good monitor, right? Well, I can test that! I find I set of boards the I know need a recapping, but they will generate a picture that rolls. I quickly swap out the boards (no voltage on the discharge) and power up again.
No power! No hum from the monitor, no glow in the tube neck, no blue amorphouse blob, no joy! I swear all I hear is a click, click, click. That means something to monitor experts, but not to me. I am new at this. Add one monitor chassis to the list of destroyed parts.
Now I am beginning to doubt my logic. Good boards + good tube = good monitor, right? Well, I can test that! I find I set of boards the I know need a recapping, but they will generate a picture that rolls. I quickly swap out the boards (no voltage on the discharge) and power up again.
Burn Test
30/03/02 21:38 Filed in: Klax
Test the game. I got it to my basement workshop,
plugged it in and turned it on. The monitor produces a
blue/purple amorphous blob in the Right and Center of
the monitor. Not a good sign.
The blob bounces up and down by 2 inches with a regular rythym. I do not know enough to recognize this cycle as the AC rate, monitor refresh rate, or what. To me it's a broken monitor.
I do know enough that I want to pull it out of the cabinet and swap the tube with a tube that is known to be working. I pulled it, discharged the tube and began to remove the monitor PCBs (commonly called the chassis). I failed!
It seems that someone glued the neck board (that little one that hangs off the tube) to the tube. There being so much dust and me being ignorant of this practice, I applied some elbow grease to remove the CRT board. This, of course, broke the tube. I am now certain that the tube does not work and completed my harsh removal of the CRT board.
After cleaning up the glass, ceramic and glue, I removed the PCBs. I took them outside and cleaned them with a toothbrush (small head Reach is my favorite tool). I discovered and removed more broken bits of ceramic from the CRT board.
The blob bounces up and down by 2 inches with a regular rythym. I do not know enough to recognize this cycle as the AC rate, monitor refresh rate, or what. To me it's a broken monitor.
I do know enough that I want to pull it out of the cabinet and swap the tube with a tube that is known to be working. I pulled it, discharged the tube and began to remove the monitor PCBs (commonly called the chassis). I failed!
It seems that someone glued the neck board (that little one that hangs off the tube) to the tube. There being so much dust and me being ignorant of this practice, I applied some elbow grease to remove the CRT board. This, of course, broke the tube. I am now certain that the tube does not work and completed my harsh removal of the CRT board.
After cleaning up the glass, ceramic and glue, I removed the PCBs. I took them outside and cleaned them with a toothbrush (small head Reach is my favorite tool). I discovered and removed more broken bits of ceramic from the CRT board.
Acquisition
29/03/02 22:40 Filed in: Klax
I acquired a Klax Conversion in a Taito cabinet on the
cheap. I now have a victim for my first attempt at
restoring a video game. I feel justified in cutting my
teeth on this machine because:
I think it was a Front Line before Klax. I found the Front Line bezel instruction card lying in the bottom of the cabinet. Front Line was a Taito game.
The converter has "thoughtfully" painted the sides with a black and turquoise textured spray paint. If there was any side art, it is gone. The control panel has been redrilled (I see extra holes in the steel) and fitted with the 2 joysticks and 4 buttons that Klax has.
- It is a conversion
- No one, but me, likes puzzle games like Klax
- It is already broken
I think it was a Front Line before Klax. I found the Front Line bezel instruction card lying in the bottom of the cabinet. Front Line was a Taito game.
The converter has "thoughtfully" painted the sides with a black and turquoise textured spray paint. If there was any side art, it is gone. The control panel has been redrilled (I see extra holes in the steel) and fitted with the 2 joysticks and 4 buttons that Klax has.