Personal computing discussed
Moderators: askfranklin, renee, emkubed, Captain Ned
Convert wrote:This just keeps getting better, thanks for sharing SS!
If you need to get a new tube, how do you source that? Just used ones that are still in good shape?
I googled around and came across this article: https://gizmodo.com/as-crt-supplies-van ... 1792968855
I've thought about building an arcade cabinet before, but I always assumed it would be an LCD. After googling some side by sides and watching the video at the end of the article, I can't see myself using an LCD.
The Egg wrote:There is no money to be made with repairs. Video Games is a niche market at best in this day and age. I don't know about Galloping Ghosts, but the days of walking into the arcade is very much behind us. It's all about plopping some quarters in at the Dave & Busters while waiting for your food or playing some air hockey at most.This is making me more curious about the details of how places like Galloping Ghost handle their display issues. Some of their displays are clearly in need of repair, but at the same time, the majority of them are not, so they must have a fairly robust method for repairing old CRTs on a large scale (they're at 708 games now).
Also, you would expect someone, somewhere to consider making small numbers of CRT displays again to meet pent-up demand (and make a nice premium doing it).
BIF wrote:toki wrote:I always see people talk about a tron game that you stood up to play, but the tron game I remember is one that you sat in it to play. Tron man, tron! lol
Battletech had a clustered set of pods you could sit in and play against others. There were screens high and low in each pod and they had sound wired in each. Literally, you would sit INSIDE of these and shut the door behind you.
The only place I saw them was at Dave & Buster’s. But there were 6 or 8 pods, and you had joystick and throttle controls, as well as the ability to form teams and do battle with each other. Great fun!
The Egg wrote:This is making me more curious about the details of how places like Galloping Ghost handle their display issues. Some of their displays are clearly in need of repair, but at the same time, the majority of them are not, so they must have a fairly robust method for repairing old CRTs on a large scale (they're at 708 games now).
Also, you would expect someone, somewhere to consider making small numbers of CRT displays again to meet pent-up demand (and make a nice premium doing it).
FireGryphon wrote:You can still buy CRT televisions on Amazon, so not OEM equipment, but you could probably substitute if necessary.
SecretSquirrel wrote:FireGryphon wrote:You can still buy CRT televisions on Amazon, so not OEM equipment, but you could probably substitute if necessary.
Yeah, there are a number of options. Eventually, one of two things will happen. There will be enough demand that someone makes a replacement, or more and more will switch the LCD replacements. LCDs don't have the same visual feel to them, but they aren't horrid either. If someone does start selling replacement displays, I can guarantee that they will cost as much as the entire rest of the cabinet put together.
--SS
FireGryphon wrote:You can still buy CRT televisions on Amazon, so not OEM equipment, but you could probably substitute if necessary.
Captain Ned wrote:FleaBay has several 19" CRTs available.
thegleek wrote:FireGryphon wrote:You can still buy CRT televisions on Amazon, so not OEM equipment, but you could probably substitute if necessary.Captain Ned wrote:FleaBay has several 19" CRTs available.
it's not as cut-n-dry as you think. Just because arcade games use 19"monitor's doesn't mean you can drop and replace.
Most common (90%+) crt's used in pac-man games were Electrohome G07-CBO's and Wells-Gardner K4600's and K4900's. These tubes are rarely found in home-consumer TV's.
There are many factor's to consider: size (19"), chassis mount, filament voltage, socket adapter, G1 voltage, bias, and yoke resistance. Just to name a few...
This site was created to match up the internal tubes with others: http://tubular.atomized.org/
Also, I would procure a TPG (Test Pattern Generator) from CraftyMech's site ($89). Best tool ever used in monitor repair => http://craftymech.com/
SecretSquirrel wrote:If all the above match, then you can just drop in the new tube. If everything but the coils match, then you have a decision to make. If the difference is small, maybe 10-20%, you might get away with it. You might also blow a horizontal drive transistor. Once you get too far out, you have to re-use the original yoke. This adds to complications. First, the physical geometry of the tube neck and yoke have to match. Otherwise you'll never get a good picture. Second, you get to deal with purity rings and dynamic convergence. Yuck.
I'm actually picking up a few donor TVs to check out. Maybe I'll hit the lotto. If not, I'll probably stay with the current tube for now. If I do have to do a tube only swap, I'll definitely be getting a test pattern generator. The white test grid in Ms Pac is good enough for adjusting color balance, and you could do convergence with it in a pinch, but proper tools for the job... --SS
just brew it! wrote:Given your location, if you like good burgers you need to hit Burger Antics if you haven't already.
The Egg wrote:just brew it! wrote:Given your location, if you like good burgers you need to hit Burger Antics if you haven't already.
It should be criminal, but I only just finally went there today. A tad expensive to eat regularly, but they do make one hell of a burger.
The Egg wrote:Also had quite a few interesting beers on tap, which I had to keep distracting myself from, due to being on the clock.
SecretSquirrel wrote:Since original coils are unobtainium,
I'm going to have to fabricate a replacement. At one time, I had a collection of scavenged parts, including every manner of inductor and coil.
I did some internet scrounging last night and have sourced 1/4" straw coil forms and 1/4" ferrite tuning slugs. Both are on their way, along with some 24AWG and 25AWG magnet wire. I need to do a little
testing to see which is more appropriate. I have winding parameters for both. The original coil wire looks like Litz wire and I might actually try and count the strands. My initial go is going to be with solid
wire though as it is much easier to come by.
thegleek wrote:SecretSquirrel wrote:Since original coils are unobtainium,
I'm going to have to fabricate a replacement. At one time, I had a collection of scavenged parts, including every manner of inductor and coil.
I did some internet scrounging last night and have sourced 1/4" straw coil forms and 1/4" ferrite tuning slugs. Both are on their way, along with some 24AWG and 25AWG magnet wire. I need to do a little
testing to see which is more appropriate. I have winding parameters for both. The original coil wire looks like Litz wire and I might actually try and count the strands. My initial go is going to be with solid
wire though as it is much easier to come by.
Not true. WG K4600's were made in the millions. It's one of the top 3 most common made tubes (others being K4900, G07, EZ-20) in the entire arcade industry.
And you can buy replacement coils 24/7 for around $20 without going thru hours of effort with no ROI. Just dish out the $20, sometimes buying schnitt is way easier then reinventing the wheel.
https://www.arcadepartsandrepair.com/pr ... dth-coils/
thank you
SecretSquirrel wrote:Find me a 9A2795-003 width coil. None on that site. While 9A2838-003 is likely a compatible coil, electrically, it is not physically.
I checked the original wire. Its 10/35 Litz. Ordered a spool of 16/36 as it is available and of similar cross section -- equivalent to 24AWG. --SS