:: Workshop :: @!#?@!? [Q*Bert of course] ;-)

[DarthNuno]

Following this Exxxxxtreme road trip' 



...it's time to bring this game back to life and ready for playing 

Ok, this cabinet was originally and looooong time ago ...a Q*Bert cabinet.

Although it looks like the original USA Q*bert cabinet, this one has few differences...

Because this not an USA one, it's a true EURO/French cabinet *under Gottlieb license 



...manufactured by DASCO, serial 1604.

I'm very happy this is an Euro version, it makes this cab very special  By the way, I don't remember playing Q*bert on a dedicated cabinet back in the days, and I didn't know about a dedicated Q*Bert euro version?! But here it is... this cabinet 

Ok, when the previous owner got this cabinet, it was already transformed into a jamma cabinet. The original control panel wasn't present and he started to build a new control panel for Q*bert, but he didn't use the correct joystick orientation (and why these ugly holes?!), not the correct buttons, and the overlay wasn't good, so I got from US an original & complete Q*Panel (hhen I ordered it, I didn't know I have a euro cabinet).

And here's the first difference between this Euro/French version and the US one... the size of the control panel 



On top, the 'scratch build' control panel on my Q*Bert... see the difference size.

Other view :



Ok, I'll have to do a other control panel!

Funny, you can open the back door like a fridge (or a simply door)  Inside the cab, Jamma loom... and remains of the previous control panels : two joysticks, buttons, ...



Now, here's an other difference ... the T-Molding size!

The size for this cabinet is approx. 17mm 



Arghh... I cannot find this strange size on usual website shops. Any help on this? 

[Muerto]

great, looking forward to the finished result!
... cant you order the T-molding in 18mm and sand it down? or order some in 16mm, i guess you can´t see a ½ mm on both sides...

[DarthNuno]

great, looking forward to the finished result!
... cant you order the T-molding in 18mm and sand it down? or order some in 16mm, i guess you can´t see a ½ mm on both sides...

16mm would be fine I guess. Do you know a place to order it?

[scr33n]

16mm would be fine I guess. Do you know a place to order it?

http://www.t-molding.com/store/home.php?cat=2

5/8" = 1.5875 cm

or

http://www.t-molding.com/store/home.php?cat=23

11/16" = 1.74625 cm

you can try  11/16"

[Muerto]

16mm would be fine I guess. Do you know a place to order it?

Well, im a carpenter, so i order it through the company i work at, and get it in 25 meter pakages... the 16mm looks like this:
its 16mm from edge to edge when it bent like the pictures below..

[old school]

By the way, I don't remember playing Q*bert on a dedicated cabinet back in the days, and I didn't know about a dedicated Q*Bert euro version?! But here it is... this cabinet  Tongue Kiss



Neither am i

I talk with my friends and they  remenber Q bert in arcade but not a dedicated cabinet !


But here it is !!


Good luck for this restauration but i'm not frightened about this one
i know you will made it   

[DarthNuno]

I've orderer 5/8 T-molding... because I already have 11/16 and it's too big 

OK, now let's have a look at the Q*Bert boot pcb I got.

As you can see, the original wiring has been modified into a jamma loom :



Note also the two 'lame' joysticks used during that conversion :



Fortunately, I got the Q*Bert to Jamma adapter with the board, so let's try to boot ... the boot 



The game starts but the quality picture is not very good. All the pots from the monitor are not working (or some condo are dead) because I cannot have a good image setting...



Ops, the marquee is also a little bit damaged...



Let's try to play a game... no sound ... and ... the games seems to freeze when I'm putting credits...

There is a special credit boards installed... maybe something is wrong with it 



Because there are too many incertitudes on that Qbert cabinet : Does the power supply is good? Does this credit board is still working? Does the speaker (or its wiring) is ok? .... I'll try the board on an other Jamma cabinet I can trust 



Well, still no sound... but the game doesn't seems to freeze so often... or at least he doesn't seems to freeze when I'm pushing credit... strange 

OK, let's check the sound problem... ok ... got it ... a wire was disconnect on the adapter 



Sounds are back 

Here's a view of the board... and the documentation that was inside the cabinet  :



Back on the Q*Bert cabinet, let's remove that shitty credit board...I'll by pass it to insert credit and see if the game freezes or not...



An other problem now... after few minutes in activity , the monitor dies Got this picture (with or without the board plugged)



Not a problem, this game deserves a good monitor. I'll replace it of course 

[scr33n]

this game deserves a good monitor. I'll replace it of course 

That's for sure  , great game  so brand new Tv/Monitor 

[level42]

What monitor is in there Bruno ?

[italiandoh]

this game deserves a good monitor. I'll replace it of course 

That's for sure  , great game  so brand new Tv/Monitor 

Putting in a brand new TV is certainly easier, but the Hantarex MTC-900 is a very good monitor if in working order.
I personally prefer to restore them instead of putting in a CRT TV. At least don't throw away the parts  
Nice Q-Bert anyway, congrats !

Matteo

[DarthNuno]

Nope, I use to keep parts I'm removing, especially monitor chassis because I know I may help others collectors 

I'll go for a working CRT, via SCART connector, RGB signal of course.

Let's prepare the jamma to scart adapter... items of the day :



Ok, the adapter is working ...



...but not the board. The game freeze after few seconds, or simply don't pass the boot sequence. In addition, there is a display problem. 'odd' and 'even' lines on screen are slightly moving  I suspected a too high voltage on the SCART pin 16 (too high because I'm sending 5V and I should send max 3V) but I've tried other jamma boards and I do not have this display problem. I've already check all the voltage, and they are all perfect (I'm using a brand new power supply).

Well, in order to continue on this project while I'll send this board for repair, I'm preparing a test 'dos advance mame setup'... of course 'arcade accurate' 





As you'll see in the coming pictures, there will be a lot of work regarding the cabinet 

[Muerto]

great! - fortunately theres something called Christmas holiday atm 
don´t know how it works in Belgium/Holland/Germany but in Denmark, i start at work on Monday the 4, of January.

[Superully]

jan 4 + 1 week 

[level42]

great! - fortunately theres something called Christmas holiday atm 
don´t know how it works in Belgium/Holland/Germany but in Denmark, i start at work on Monday the 4, of January.

Yeah jan 4 for me too, but it's the first employer I work for that I have the company closed during the holidays.

[aganim]

Great job for the adapter!

One question: this cab is not the orignal version of Qbert? 

[No More Picture]