What would you do with Ms Pacman Cocktail?

[1FastHaole]

I just acquired a Ms Pacman cocktail for cheap (FREE!). It's by Midway and has 1981 overlays. I plugged it in, and the lights above the joysticks and quarter slots worked but nothing else. I didn't get a key with it, so i had to dissassemble it from the top down to get inside to start to figure out what is wrong with it. It appears to be in pretty good shape but there is a connector hanging with nothing to plug into. I noticed some racks that look like they could be the home of some PC cards, but they are both empty (looks like one large card and one smaller used to reside here).

What would you do with it?

Where can i get a maintenance manual? I'm electromechanically inclined, so i'm pretty sure i could figure it out with a little help. I want to keep it, restore it, or possibly upgrade it if it makes sense. Is it the mother card and a daughter card that are missing? What other forums/web sites/books are there for resources?

Thanks!!

[diskoboy]

I'd definitely restore it. Sounds like you just need a mobo, which probably explains why you got it for free. But caution - the boards still fetch a pretty high price.

Look for one on Ebay or google search for a board - look for one that's been in a Ms. Pac machine, because it will already have the necessary ROM chips installed. Otherwise, you just have a normal Pac-Man board. ANd since you already seem to have a daughetcard, a spare could never hurt - and besides, yours may not work.

Pac-man was the first arcade game I bought, and the one I had the most fun restoring. Bally/Midway cabinets are a breeze to restore.

And as for not having a key, a locksmith can help you. You can have him make a key, or completely remove the lock, and you can install a new one.

[1FastHaole]

[QUOTE=diskoboy;1240261]I'd definitely restore it. Sounds like you just need a mobo, which probably explains why you got it for free. But caution - the boards still fetch a pretty high price.

Look for one on Ebay or google search for a board - look for one that's been in a Ms. Pac machine, because it will already have the necessary ROM chips installed. Otherwise, you just have a normal Pac-Man board. ANd since you already seem to have a daughetcard, a spare could never hurt - and besides, yours may not work.

QUOTE]

Do i need a mobo from a cocktail machine or is it the same as a stand-up machine? Is the ROM removable? How do i know if the mobo is compatible with the box i have?

Thanks!

[diskoboy]

Do i need a mobo from a cocktail machine or is it the same as a stand-up machine? Is the ROM removable? How do i know if the mobo is compatible with the box i have?

Thanks!

The mobos should be the same for all machines.

Yes - the ROMS are removable. The board will run 3 different Pac-Man games (Regular, Ms., and Pac-Man Plus)

As long as it says "Midway Mfg. Co." on it, and all the ROMS are labeled pacman or ms. pacman, you should be okay. The ROMS on the board may still even still be labeled for Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man by a paper sticker or printing on the chips, themselves


This is a regular, genuine Pac-Man mobo - this should help you know what you're looking for (It's only one board, this is just a front and back picture). DON'T buy a board unless the 2 smaller boards are included. If those aren't included, the game wont run, and they tend to fall of easily. But fortunately, they're cheap to replace with brand new ones. $50, tops, for both. Better yet, the new versions of those chips tend to stay in place, better than the originals.

[1FastHaole]

Diskoboy,
Thanks again. Did some searching on eBay and looks like all the way from $30 for boards of unknown origin/working status to up to $170 for boards that play pac-man and ms pac-man with a jumper switch. Does that seem about right? I also saw them for $400 from an on-line retailer. What is the recommendation regarding pac-man, ms pac-man, pac-man plus or any of the alternate mazes that i see for sale? Can anyone provide pro/cons of the different chipsets?

Do you know of anywhere where i can down-load the assembly manual or a maintenance manual so i can make sure i'm not missing anything else and also so i put it back together correctly?

I really appreciate your help in getting started!

[diskoboy]

Diskoboy,
Thanks again. Did some searching on eBay and looks like all the way from $30 for boards of unknown origin/working status to up to $170 for boards that play pac-man and ms pac-man with a jumper switch. Does that seem about right? I also saw them for $400 from an on-line retailer. What is the recommendation regarding pac-man, ms pac-man, pac-man plus or any of the alternate mazes that i see for sale? Can anyone provide pro/cons of the different chipsets?

Do you know of anywhere where i can down-load the assembly manual or a maintenance manual so i can make sure i'm not missing anything else and also so i put it back together correctly?

I really appreciate your help in getting started!

Glad I could help. Restoring the classics are three tons of fun - kinda makes me wanna go buy another one...

Those prices sound about right. I had to get my Pac-Man board simply repaired, it cost me $125. The Pac-Man and Galaga series are the only games left from the golden age that still makes money today - that's why the prices are so high. Midway made tons of boards though, so finding one shouldn't be that difficult. And I would stick to an original Midway mobo. Using another type of board may cause alot of problems on down the line. And I'd definitely purchase one through Ebay or Craigslist - you should only use a distributor or retailer if you are on your last leg.

You can check out some of those multi-pac chipsets. I think you just add a daughtercard to the original Pac-Man mobo, and you can play up to 19 different versions of Paccy.

There is a website where you can get all the info you'd ever need to know about Pac-Man. When I'm having problems with my machine, I go here:

http://users.adelphia.net/~68hc11/pacfile/pacfile.htm

[1FastHaole]

Glad I could help. Restoring the classics are three tons of fun - kinda makes me wanna go buy another one...

There is a website where you can get all the info you'd ever need to know about Pac-Man. When I'm having problems with my machine, I go here:

http://users.adelphia.net/~68hc11/pacfile/pacfile.htm

Disko,
That link is golden, i downloaded the maintenance manual and now i have a few more questions.
Here are the pics of the insides of the cab (i think all original except possibly the monitor):










So the last image shows the PCB slot where my new old mother board needs to go, but what about the slot immediately to the right of where the mobo needs to go? In the manual it has a crummy picture and references a "filter board". Is this just the smaller board that is attached to the mobo by a ribbon cable that converts the Pacman mobo to the Ms Pacman mobo (in addition to the different chipset)? Or is it something else altogether? Also, i noticed on the mobos there are two edge connector parts of the boards. I only have a single available edge connector in my cabinet--am i missing something? Is everything else inside my cab complete? The monitor looks new--this isn't the original monitor, is it? The only other thing that appears modified is the coin acceptors seem to be missing and there are a few wires associated with them that are cut in the door wiring harness. Will this affect play or as long as i have it set to free play this won't pose a problem?

Thanks again in advance for help.

[diskoboy]

Those pics are just fine.

Yes - those clamps are where the mobo goes, the daughterboard can either go in the smaller clamp or just dangle there. Just don't let the two mobos touch... The grate behind the clamps are for circulation. The power supply looks very worn (but all the original 1981 ones do - the transformers rusted quickly in pretty much any machine you find). But if everything else is turning on, then you should be okay there. If you ever do need a new power supply, they're usually under $50, and are fairly easy to install. I had to get one for my Galaga cocktail.

The monitor is the original Electrohome G07 chassis, but it looks like someone replaced the tube with a samsung - there may be issues with this but you have to get your game actually running first. A replacement (something like a wells gardner will cost around $350 - but the picture will look like you just removed the game from the shipping crate; sparkling clear. No burn in.. But there's hope... The monitors mobo looks super clean, so someone may have performed a capacitor replacement on the monitor (which is good). Either way - we'll get to the monitor when that time comes. My Galaga still has it's original '81 G07, and it looks great!

The rest of the innards look as they should. I can't believe someone just gave game that away!!! You literally hit the jackpot, here.

And if ever you need parts, these are my go-to guys: I bought all my Paccy restoration stuff I needed from here (except the paint).
http://www.arcadeshop.com

They usually have anything you need. Even if it's not listed. I got a New Old Stock Pac-Man marquee from them, even though they don't have them advertised. Plus they supposedly have better cocktail underlays because they use the prints with the Midway logos on them. Not "Liscensed by Namco" on them.

I hope you get a board soon! Nothing excites me more than to watch or hear of peoples reactions when they turn on their own arcade game for the first time, and it works! There's no experience like it.

[77punk]

build mame.. and they will come.. good luck with the refurb, please post your results.

Cheers

[y-bot]

Info about the filter board:

The game came from the factory with a filter card between the wiring harness and the main game board. This board was installed in order to pass the FCC's RF Interference requirements. Without the filter board installed, the Radio Frequencies produced on the game board would sneak back down the line cord, causing all of the AM radios in the area to 'buzz'. Since this is no longer a problem, we recommend that if it hasn't already been removed, you toss the filter board over your shoulder and make a wish.

The filter board is not necessary and just adds one more set of contacts for our four power wires to pass through.

y-bot