Roku Remote is In

Finally got the remote control for the Roku. I am now able to configure the unit to connect to my wireless network and get stations that broadcast over the internet. Pretty cool stuff!

Bullwinkle - No cleaning today

Was tired of cleaning so that was out for today. However, I was tired of trying to figure out what the display was saying as it was in Spanish. So, I was determined to get the thing to display in English. Thought there was a switch that would change the language. Nope...none to be found. Nothing in the manuals. Hmmm....perplexing. Finally figured out that it is in the code located in the e-proms. Downloaded some new code, burned some new proms, and away she goes. Now the display is a little easier to understand!

Rocky & Bullwinkle - Day 2

I now have most of the playfield torn apart and cleaned. Have a little more cleaning yet to do. Then 2 or 3 coats of wax before reassembling. I will order a rubber ring kit for this game as most of the originals are cracked or broken. Starting to shape up nicely.






So that I can remember where everything goes, I take lots of pictures of the playfield and then I lay parts on two different tables. Here is where most of the metal guides are.










On this table is where most of the ramps and plastics are.










Upper half of the playfield. Almost done cleaning it.














Lower half of the playfield. Done cleaning but needs waxing.














Full view of the playfield. Looks a little less crowded now...doesn't it?

New Project - Rocky & Bullwinkle Pinball

Now that the SeaWolf is out of the house, I was able to start on the next project. I was looking forward to this as I love working on pinballs. As I started to open things up, I noticed a few things that I missed when purchasing this game. I already knew the game was dirty due to the playfield glass being gone. I was told that the CPU board was missing. Ok...so I bought a spare cpu to repair for it. Turns out that it was a power supply board missing...not a cpu. Ok...had to find a replacement power supply board. Done. This was all before I had even opened up the game. I finally open up the game and see that there are a bunch of cut wires. Nice. Thank God for schematics. Found where the wires were supposed to go, crimped on new ends, and placed them into a new socket. Plugged the socket into the proper board. Discovered a missing transistor on the driver board. Ordered the part. Ok...other than the transistor, everything looks proper and in its place. Time to power up and see what happens. Unbelievably, the pin sprang to life! Sweet! Time to disassemble the playfield and clean it up. I always take pics as I go along so that I can remember how to assemble everything..... Lots o' parts! As I am taking the playfield apart, I find that there is a missing motor to an important section. Dogs!!! Will cost me around $75 to replace. Looks like everything else is there. The flippers and assorted kickers don't work. Probably due to the missing transistor. Not worried about that yet. Overall, I am very happy with this pin. Time to continue on cleaning.








Cut wires... New power supply board on the left. You can also see the missing transistor on the board at the lower left. You can click on the pictures for a larger view.

















Pin powered up!


















Stopping after disassembling about 3/4 of the playfield. Time for dinner. You can see how dirty this thing is. Not for long!

Bon Voyage Seawolf

The Seawolf arcade game is now on its way to a new home in California. North American Van Lines pulled up in front of the house mid afternoon. The driver, Dennis, has been with the company for 15 years and has made stops here off and on for the past 5 years. He still remembers the Guzzi's!

Farewell Seawolf....enjoy California!

Roku Lives Again!

Finally got the parts in that I needed to finish repairs on the power supply for the Roku Soundbridge Internet Radio. I ordered the parts off of Ebay but didn't notice they were in Bejing, China. So, it took a little while to get here. The return address is from Ding Dong Feng. I swear...you can't make that stuff up! After working a bit and replacing parts, I finally powered up the radio. It lives once again! The only downside is that you need a remote control to program the unit. Fortunately, the Roku company sells them for $20. Not a bad price....so I ordered one. In the meanwhile, I will be able to listen to AM and FM stations just using the radio panel controls. Sounds pretty darn good! Thanks again to Chris "Kid Guzzi" Galardi for pulling it from a neighbors trash and giving it to me!

At Home Sick....But Still Busy....

Thursday night I came down with a nasty cold / flu bug that has really hit me hard. However, today I am starting to feel a little better. So, whilst I am moving slow I am still able to do some work on arcade boards. I have a few that will be going up for sale on Ebay this weekend. So far I have a Ms Pacman boardset, a Phoenix boardset, and a Popeye boardset. Tomorrow I hope to have a Donkey Kong boardset and a Gunsmoke boardset ready to sell as well. Maybe more...we'll see.

Also have to pull out the snowblower from the shed in the backyard as we are to expect some 2" - 4" of snow tomorrow and upwards of 8" on Tuesday. Not looking forward to that!

Sea Wolf finds a new home

Ever since I sold a Sea Wolf video game to a friend it has haunted me (see January 29th post). Came back to me after a week and has been here ever since (3 months now). I give up. Every time I fix one issue another pops up. Only the 2nd game to ever defeat my repair skills! I had it close to working and my friend finally said, "Just sell it". I put it on ebay not expecting much and a prospective buyer offered a nice sum of money to buy it direct. So, It will be on its way to California shortly. I wish it a fond farewell. My next projects are a Ms Pacman cocktail arcade game fresh in from Clermont, Florida (already fixed and working...just needs cleaning) and a Bullwinkle pinball machine. Looking forward to some pinball work....always fun for me! I will post pics of both soon.