Destroyed an arcade game picture tube. Kill me.

[Sniderman]

Well, bought my first arcade game and managed to destroy it upon getting it home. Here's the tale:

Bought a TArg machine and wrestled it home. I manhandle the machine down the stairs and into the rec room. Now then, at one point, to turn a very tight corner, it's gotta be tilted at a nearly-upside-down angle. (Lay it on it's side, pivot, turn it, lift it, and when in the open, flip it back upright.)

KNowing this was a risking manuver, I checked EVERYTHING to make sure all is tight before attempting such a manuver. The monitor harness is fine, all the boards are nicely mounted, and it's only gonna be like 8 seconds in this awkward position. All is OK, so me and the mizzus, tilt it, pivot it, and slowly flip it around the tight bend.

(At this point, let's cut to a scene inside the video cabinet. Unseen and laying at the bottom of the cabinet is a loose coin acceptance mechanism - or what I like to call "a chunky, heavy piece of metal, when the cabinet is turned at the qwkward/nearly upside-down angle, it begin sliding along one of the inside walls. Nothing is in the way - except for the picture tube neck. We now flash back to the outside.)

As we turn it into position and just before flipping it back upright, I hear a noise that chills my soul - shattering glass. We hurriedly flip it back upright and I popped the back open to see what happened. The picture tube's neck is slashed/shattered. Ugh. Dead.

Question tot he arcade collectors: Nothing else was damaged during this - the neck board is still in fine condition and everything else seems OK. But the tube will have to be replaced. Never done anything like this. How expensive is it? Is it even possible to find a picture tube compatible with this game? And, if the tube is locatable, is this something someone with no real knowledge should even attempt doing?

I'm in a bind, as I just turned a $150 working Targ machine into a $30 plywood box with a busted TV set inside. Advice, direction, etc. would be sorely appreciated. (Also, anyone in Ohio who wants to make a few bucks helping me correct/repair this mistake would be appreciated too.)

Kill me. I'm in Hell. My first major arcade game purchase and I "F" it up within 5 feet of it's final resting place. Urgh.

[christianscott27]

its not the end of the world but it sucks...you should really hustle over to rec.games.video.arcade, pretty sure thats right. i've never had a question they couldnt answer, often mere hours after posting it.

try and find a collector/game restorer in your area to do the work, unless you plan on really learning arcade machines you dont want to screw around with tubes, high voltage stuff. most of the time you can find another tube, they're stock parts not one unique to the game itself...probably a wells gardner something or other...

good luck!

[weasel2htm]

First of all, major suck factor
If in a bind you might talk to some of the local TV repair shops in your area Not sears (unless that's all you got) I'm talking your local stores like "Steve's TV & Appliance" perhaps by luck you can get someone with more years of experience then you are old that might be able to help you. Take polaroids of the problem too anything you can without hauling the thing around town.

[Flack]

Here's what I know.

First of all, "most" monitors are interchangable. Targ uses a standard resolution monitor, so you're in luck -- so do 90% of the other games out there.

In theory, all you should have to do is unmount the broken monitor, and swap it out with a good one. You should be able to get a good monitor for max $50 (probably less).

That being said, remember that monitors hold enough juice to kill you or at least seriously get your attention, so be careful what, where, and how you touch.

Great information here:
http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_monitors.shtml

Flack

[Pantechnicon]

Might I suggest Happ? (http://www.happ.com). If price is an issue this may not be good suggestion, but who knows? Maybe they;ve got a returned monitor or something you can buy for less.

[maxlords]

About $50-150 used if you're lucky. Up to $300+ new. I've done that...to a vintage mint Joust machine! *sob* It's a painfully distinctive sound...one I wish never to hear again!

[nildem]

I'm going to attempt to swap out a tube on a Wizard of Wor cabinet soon. Here're some step by step instructions that I found helpful:

http://members.aol.com/rushpage2/tubeswap.htm
http://coinop.org/repair/Monitor_Tubeswap.aspx
http://chux0r.org/20EZ.php


EDIT:
Here's another link:

http://www.rcilink.com/arcade/TubeSwap.htm

[punkoffgirl]

Willie & I did something similar one time when bringing home an arcade game.
Except ours was laying on its back in the van, and when we slid it out, the back came off, exposing the monitor back. Somehow this managed to get caught on the seal for the backdoor of the van, busting it off. We didn't hear any breaking noises, just this wierd gas hissing out of the monitor tube. We never even got to play it :( I can't remember what game it was.

[Zaxxon]

I remove the monitor and power supply and whatever else I can before moving them. They're too darn heavy to move with the monitor inside. I wouldn't sweat it too much. You should be able to find another used monitor cheap, locally.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Sweet Jesus. If everything goes right, my first coin-op will arrive here in a matter of 24-48 hours...and while I don't like hearing these horror stories, it's giving me a laundry list of things to tell my friend who's transporting the machine to look out for.

Gritting my teeth, clenching my fists, and praying for fair weather and smooth roads.

[Zaxxon]

Congrats on the Kick machine. That's a great, underappreciated classic. I'd like to have one of those. There's an arcade nearby that has a Kick cocktail that I play everytime I go there.

[98PaceCar]

@Sniderman,

Where are you located? I'd be willing to help you out if you are reasonably close to Dallas. If you need resources somewhere else, I may be able to point you to someone.

98PaceCar

[Sniderman]

I'm in mid-Ohio PaceCar. I'll see you Saturday. LOL Seriously, if you know anyone in my neck of the woods who has game restoration experience who wouldn't mind me bending their ear for a bit, I'd appreciate it. And a house call at this point would be super.

[chadtower]

That rots. I just got my first cab (www.gis.net/~tower/pow). I actually put it on its side in my wife's station wagon, then took it out and hand trucked it through the bulkhead stairs to my basement... I guess I got lucky, no loose parts or anything and no problems from the process (and to think my main concern was the side art).

[maxlords]

Wow...you're lucky! Setting a cab on it's side is about the worst way to transport it there is. Very risky.

@POG: Usually when you pop a monitor neck like that, it makes a distinctive metallic/glass sound....like no other sound there is...and it echoes inside the tube for about 10 seconds. I've broken 3 of them so far and they all did that. Thankfully 1 was already a dead monitor, and 1 was a monitor that wasn't in a machine.

[Sniderman]

That's happened to me a few times :) What kind of monitor was in it (Electrohome? Wells-Gardner?) I *think* they took a standard 19" monitor, right?
Good memory! Yup, it's a Wells-Garner 19VK4604 (I'm going by memory here, as I'm at work). It's a "4600 series" I'm assuming, as I've read up on tubes on the past 24 hours. So, any 19 inch monitor will work?

Let your 'fingers do the walkin' and check with all your local amusement operators- you should be able to get one from them for cheap (or free). Nothing local, as the last arcade just shut down last month. Nothing else like it here. However, I work in Cleveland, so there's probably a lot of 'em up here. Not sure what to ask for though.

If you don't have any luck, I'm sure I can find one for you. Don't pay for than $50 for a used one- you can buy an entire (broken) game for that much, and then just part it out.Good advice and thanks for the offer. May take you up on it depending on how this pans out. Which brings me to my next question. Someone's gonna have to do it for me. Even if - somehow - I was able to replace the tube without shocking myself stupid or blowing up the old one, I still have no knowledge of adjusting the damn thing once in. Can a basic TV repairman replace the tube and adjust it or is this something that someone with actual arcade expereince is gonna have to do?

Damn, am I in over my head here.... :eek 2: All over 3 seconds of carelessness. but I really want to get this thing working, as Targ machines are not exactly "Donkey Kong Common."

[leonk]

sniderman:

Any 19" 15khz arcade monitor will work perfectly fine! And there are lots of them there..

You can either:

- Find the same monitor, and swap tubes. The actual casis (circuit board of the monitor) always dies long before the monitor. So you should be able to find the same one out there locally for free!

- Buy a 19" arcade monitor.

What ever you do, do not assume that any 19" CRT will fit in there.. that is not true. Different CRTs have different input/output requirements and different capacitance and resistance requirements.

While you're doing the swap, I would also put a new cap kit on that chasis.. unburned tube and new cap kit = brand new monitor. :D

Here's a very helpful guy: http://www.therealbobroberts.com/

[buttasuperb]

Damn, that sucks.

When I went to pick up my MK2 cab, I was hoping it would be in the guys garage or something, so there wouldn't be too much work. Well it turned out to be in his basement down a very narrow flight of stairs. That was a bitch to move, my forearms were swollen for a week. Anyways, after we get it all the way up the stairs and outside, we had to go down 2 more stairs. On the last stair, I hear a clanging noise. :eek 2: I had feared for the worst, but it turned it was part of the pcb that got loose, and it still worked fine.

Hope everything works out for you sniderman, do not mess with the monitor yourself unless you absolutely what you're doing.

[Flack]

I hate to even admit this, but I DROPPED the Heavy Barrel cab while moving it into my back room. I was using my small dolly and trekking across the yard when I hit a rut. I grabbed onto the top but it was already gone so I kind of ended up riding it down. The PCB came flying off and pulled off all the wires going to the monitor. After about ten minutes of looking with a flashlight, I was able to get it all back together. Still, it was pretty scary for a few mins.

Flack

[chadtower]

When moving mine, I had it strapped down as if I were going to move it by catapult.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

When moving mine, I had it strapped down as if I were going to move it by catapult.
So, in essence, you had your tube tied, is that what you're telling us?

[chadtower]

When moving mine, I had it strapped down as if I were going to move it by catapult.
So, in essence, you had your tube tied, is that what you're telling us?

nyuk nyuk nyuk.

[98PaceCar]

I'm in mid-Ohio PaceCar. I'll see you Saturday. LOL

Come on down!! I'm always up for rebuilding a monitor!!

Hmmm, nobody is coming to mind right away, but that could be from too much time in front of the computer today! If I can think of anybody, I'll let you know. Best bet might be to post out to rec.games.video.arcade.collecting and see who is in your area. What you are needing to do is really simple to do, but I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you are really comfortable working on monitors.

Wish I could help you out more, but I'm sure someone on rgvac will step up and give you a hand.

98PaceCar

[Pente]

Ever get this fixed?

[Sniderman]

<Looks up from yet another game of Targ>

Oh, were you addressing me? :D Yes indeedy, I did with the help of a fellow DP pal who hooked me up with a replacement monitor. (Thanks again, 'Stonic!) Brought it home, hooked it up, and after a bit of "tweaking," works just fine. Right now, I'm down tot he "cosmetics" as I repaint the cabinet's exposed wood surfaces. Next I plan to tighten up the joystick a bit, but that's about it!

In other words, yup, this game works just fine.

<damn the Spectar!>

P.S. FOund out that the enemy "Spectar" was named that way because it's a SPECial TARget for extra points!)

[Videogamerdaryll]

Man that sucks..Sorry to hear that happened..

[jammajup]

i have had simular problems moving my two uprights i own,ive chipped the side panels :embarrassed: but never broken a tube yet.

[DogP]

Well... if you ever snap the neck off another, you might want to try this: http://coinop.org/repair/Monitor_TubeSwap.aspx ... I plan on doing this sometime soon on some of my monitors with bad burn-in. I just need to find some old (even dead) 19" TV's.

DogP

[Ed Oscuro]

Would 'targ' be short for 'target' then? :)

I think I've heard the name of the game before...it's a retro one...yup...and maybe the Klingon Targ (wild boar + antlers more or less) came after it? I don't know...but it sounds fun all the same! :D

[Sniderman]

FINALLY! Here's some pix:
http://www.deadzoom.com/member/gameagain/targ.JPG
http://www.deadzoom.com/member/gameagain/targ2.JPG

[portnoyd]

That's sexy. How exactly does the game play, anyway?

dave

[Sniderman]

Ever play Universal Chaos for the Atari 2600? Targ is the arcade game it's based on. Manuvuer through the blocks (Spectar City) and shoot the Wummels (the red arrow things) before they ran you. You only have one shot on-screen at a time. Miss and you're screwed until it hits the edge of the screen. Also, you can't immediately reverse 180 degrees. If you try to hit the brakes and turn back the way you came, your vehicle first slows down.....then turns around. YOu have to keep moving forward to make any headway. Lastly, the Spectar Smuggler will occassionall show up for bonus points. Shoot everything, go onto the next screen, where it's much faster.

Pretty simple, but gets INSANE at higher levels. Lots going on at once.

[Sniderman]

Cool monitor glass! The only Targ cab I ever saw was about 2 years ago, and it was pretty much gutted :(

You should submit these to KLOV!I did last night after posting here. 8-)

[jammajup]

hi all

http://www.jammajup.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gifs/targani.gif