Pac Man 'Mini' cab project.

[U.K Jon]

I finally took the plunge and bought a VERY rare (especially here) 'mini' cab. 
It is very old and worn and there is some wood rot on the base. As you can see from the pictures, the wood rot is confined to one of the corners where it meets the front panel (below the coin mech) and that extends about 2 inches into the front panel. There is no other wood rot besides this. The base could be removed and replaced I expect.

The feet are no longer there and it looks as if it was stored for some time on a damp floor. This cab was apparently stored in a warehouse for MANY years and it shows. 

Anyway, it's not all bad news. The monitor fires up and has no real screen burn. The marquee lights as well but there is no gameboard. The inside looks pretty good as well.
I can still source most parts from your lovely country (Twobits) and I would appreciate any advice from you guys as far as the restoration goes.
Please recommend to me - Cleaning of circuitry, SAFETY, cleaning & treating of wood, and general issues to make things run a little smoother.

This was a gamble, I know. It is difficult to buy a genuine Midway cab here for any less than £1500 (a restored decent one that is) so I saw this as an oppertunity to try it myself. The cab is completely untouched by myself at the moment, so what you see in these pictures is what was stored for Lord knows how long ?

Let me know your thoughts. Now, the pictures. 

[BadBrains]

I never realized what type of pac man cab Abner was playing in KoK ( he was playing ms pac man on it in the movie ) until now.

Good luck on fixing that cab.

[Snapp]

Jon,
 She needs some TLC, but you're still one lucky SOB..

You have your own Pac-Man machine!!!

even though she's not playable right now,I'm still jealous of you 

Good luck getting her working,and please be careful. I'll bet some of those capacitors are still holding a bit of a charge


~Brian

[U.K Jon]

Cheers Brian 

Yes, I'm aware of the currents in these cabs and it's for that reason I am seeking advice. Not so much in that I intened to repair the monitor etc, but just the removal of it and any associated electrics prior to a complete stripdown to sort the cabinet woodwork. I am going to have it completely cleaned inside as well.

Wish me luck ! 

[ben]

Hey Jon, congrats on you acquisition!  Looks like you have your work cut out for ya, but it should be fun.

Here is a video on how to discharge a monitor.  I do this whenever I tinker around back there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX43sT0hMJk&feature=related

[Permafrostrick]

is that water damage in those pics or just lots of dust and other stuff?

looks like water damage to me....if so...can't really get that out of even the large particle board panels for the cab.
mold,mildew etc...potentially very unhealthy kind also....so if so be very careful there.

if when you are around this you start coughing a lot(counting after the dust blown away and generally cleaned)...then I wouldn't keep it.  recover what is still good on the cab.  mostly the plastic/plexiglass stuff.

[Eric98375]

At the very least, at least the wiring harness and everything else looks intact.... do you have a line on a pcb?

I'd have to echo what Rick said.... the particle board with damage does not really look salvagable.   

[dave88]

Looks like it needs a little tlc 

I would not try to replace the bottom. You would probably be better off just cleaning it real good. Glue some new braces inside the bottom, and perhaps add a sheet of quality plywood to the exterior bottom.

Don't worry about discharging the monitor, unless and until you are working on the monitor.

Good luck with it, you'll get it rockin'

[superpacwus]

GREETINGS UK JON,

                            HERE IS A LINK TO BRING THE GAME BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL LOOK.

                           MANY OF THE ITEMS HEREIN ARE LICENSED FROM NAMCO.

                          FOR BOARD DIAGNOSTIC REPAIR:     http://www.twobits.com/ABC/

                          FOR YOUR MINI-CABARET: http://www.pac-man.com/pacman/mini/

                         JUST HELPED THE TG WORLD RECORD HOLDER RESTORE A MINI-CABARET MS PACMAN W/ PARTS FROM THIS SITE.

                        MAYBE THIS WILL BE OF HELP,..................

                         CHEERS

[U.K Jon]

Thanks for all your feedback guys 
I think you could be right Dave as far as the base goes. Clean it all out, prepare & wood fill the missing wood, then use a top quality thick ply on the whole base and bond it there. Bracing is a good idea as well, cheers.

[TT]

Is there some sort of wood sealant you can get Jon to seal in the wood once repairs have been made?

[U.K Jon]

Is there some sort of wood sealant you can get Jon to seal in the wood once repairs have been made?

Yes Tony,

I have consulted in another restoration forum and they have some GREAT ideas. All practical ones as well and I'm really excited about my cab now.
Apparently, bleach in a spray bottle, applied to the 'rotten' areas will kill it completely, then leave out to dry for a couple of dry days to completely dry out.
P38 filler is used as well to build any corners that have broken away. The results I have seen are fantastic ! 

The base can have a 'Marine ply' new base bonded to it and it'll be good as new.

[Welby]

Be careful using a hand truck to move the game until you've got the new bottom installed.  You wouldn't want to break through while moving it...very bad for the PS.

[U.K Jon]

Cheers Mark 
I have bought some 'Wet & Dry rot' solution to kill it all, full stop. Damn expensive as well. 
I've also forked out on some Ronseal filler, top notch stuff. I'll be posting some more progress shots soon.

[Snapp]

Jon,
  I hope you don't mind me living vicariously through you, & your restore....

I would literally bury someone in the desert for a crack at a Pac-Man cabaret machine..

I've wanted one since I played on one back in 82


Keep us posted..I want to see every step you take to make it come alive again   

Anyone have a shovel I can borrow?