The Pac-Man Project
Written by Bryan Los on March 21st, 2006 @ 2:36 PM
In May 2000, I was lucky enough to purchase a Pac-Man cocktail arcade machine. The machine was in working order, and the outside of the machine was in remarkable condition. The inside however, did show its age. Overall, the machine was a beauty, and well worth the $1,699.00 I paid.
From 20 years of dust, smoke and grime, the inside was like a nightmare. The wires were brittle and dirty. The transformers looked horrible. Solder joints looked like they would fail any moment. In short, the inside needed some work. But it wouldn’t be until some four years later that I actually did the complete re-wire.
Insert Quarter Please
Starting from May 2000 to July 2000, I slowly started restoring the machine. The first thing I did was fix the test switch– it was wired wrong. After that, I sent out the control panels and coin door for powder coating, purchased new reproduction molding, sanded and repainted the corner wooden edges, and sanded the tabletop, filling in some gaps in the wood.
Inside Cabinet (before) [+ View Larger]
I also had to purchase new reproduction control panel overlays. The overlays adhere to the black control panels on either side of the machine, and feature artwork, such as characters as well as listing the player 1 and 2 button locations. These were really high quality overlays costing $50.00 for the set of two. The glass underlay was also purchased for $50.00. This underlay sits on top of the machine, under the glass. The original Pac-Man cocktail machines had the artwork printed on the underside of the glass. These would be too costly to reproduce today, so they use a styrene underlay, which is the same artwork as the original. Under a clear piece of glass, you really can’t tell the difference.
Most of the work I did early on was cosmetic, and related to the exterior of the machine. I figured since the outside is what you look at most, I didn’t need to worry about the inside. The monitor that came with the machine did work, but had severe burn-in from years of constant play. I eventually replaced that in 2004. Wiring it was simple, and I’ll get to that later.
I probably spent about $300.00 on various parts to get Pac-Man the way I wanted it. It looked great. I probably would have stopped there, but something happened one day that ushered in a new round of restoration. This was the final restoration.
Inside Cabinet (after) [+ View Larger]
Power Everywhere, But Not A Drop In Sight
One day I turned on my Pac-Man only to find it wouldn’t start. I opened the unit up, and looked for what could be the problem. The first thing I tried were the fuses. They were not blown. Next I checked the wires for the power switch. They looked good. What could it be? I then saw some mouse droppings inside the cabinet, and concluded a mouse must have eaten through a wire. But which wire? Those damn mice!
I then decided I needed to do a complete re-wire. This would take some investigating on my part, as I’ve never attempted anything of this magnitude. After opening up the cabinet, and seeing like 60 wires, all leading to various components, switches and boards, I was a bit taken aback. These wires were each like 5 feet in length, running all around the machine. But after looking closely, there was a harmony about it. The wires were all going somewhere, and it ended up being logical.
Now I did have the schematic to work with, but I couldn’t read it. I mean I could, but really couldn’t make heads or tails. So what I did, was manually cut and trace the starting point and ending point of each and every wire. Yikes! Talk about a job. I must have spent a good three hours cutting, tracing, then drawing on paper the paths of the wires. I still have the booklet of all the original drawings.
Assembly Board (before)
So after all that work, I felt confident I could wire it back up the same way I found it. It wasn’t until I looked at my drawings with all the line tracings, then looked at the schematics, that I found out my drawings were identical, just not in a methodical, organized way as the engineers at Midway drew out. I was at least happy I could look at the schematic and actually read it. That helped out later on.
I Go To Pieces
I had literally about 100 pieces of Pac-Man on my floor. I grouped the pieces depending on location, like the PCB (printed circuit board), coin door, assembly board, speakers, etc.. I’ve always been good putting things back together, so I kept no record of how the pieces went back together, other than for the coin door.
Now, all I was left with was just the Pac-Man cabinet. Nothing in it. Just bare wood. Now it was time to order all the parts I would need for the restoration. Luckily for me Bob Roberts lives on planet Earth. This guy has been fixing and selling parts for these things since they were in arcades in the early 1980s. I mean he had anything you could think of relating to this machine. Without him, I don’t think I could have done this, at least not as easily.
So I placed several orders, and finally have all the parts I needed from him. I also ordered from TwoBits.com, where I purchased a couple new wiring harnesses. I purchased two so I could have extra wire. Turns out, I needed the extra wire for the joysticks. I also purchased a fan, although I don’t use it, as they are loud with them.
Assembly Board (after)
The New Beginning
Ironically, the final restoration started in July 2004, four years to the month I finished my initial restoration. The wiring took only a few days, working about 4-5 hours a day. I was sure to go slow and get everything correct on the first go. I didn’t run into any problems wiring the machine. I was so surprised it went as smoothly as it did. It was also so much fun. This was the most fun I ever had working on something. I would have done it over again without hesitation.
Before I finished the wiring, I ordered a new monitor from TwoBits. It was a bit costly at $329.00, but it was almost “plug and play,” or as close to PNP as you can get. I did have to remove the metal frame and adjust it to fit to the original. I had to drill some new holes through the metal. That was no problem though. The timing was right. The monitor arrived the day I was scheduled to finish the wiring.
Lights, Camera, Pac-Action
On August 12, 2004, at 11:05 PM EST, I turned Pac-Man on for the first time– it worked! I was so happy. I couldn’t believe I got it right the first time. I figured I’d have a hiccup here and there, but nothing. It was truly a great experience, one that I will never forget. It was perfect.
Control Panel (player 1)
Perfection, however, has a cost. And it was quite large. Besides the parts for the machine, which ended up being about $500.00, including the monitor, I had to buy some power tools to manufacture the wooded base, as the original was shot. The base sits under the machine, and houses the legs. Needing to “do it right,” I bought a power mitre saw, drill press, and router– all for a piece that costs about $6.00 in parts. But I had to be authentic. I made the base almost exactly as the original, only making it a bit higher. I even reproduced the rounded corners. I managed to sell a few of them on eBay too, so that was nice.
I also purchased a second PCB (the game board) on eBay, and had that repaired for like $180.00. After all was said and done, I probably sank close to what I paid for it, but it was worth it. The machine lasted 20 years up until that point, and it will last another 50 now that I’ve restored it.
Pac-Man (finished)
Here is a sampling of the parts list. Some items, like power tools, and extraneous items are not included.
(2) .093 Plug & Receptacle (2 pos.) - $2.00
(1) .093 Plug & Receptacle (3 pos.) - $1.25
(1) .093 Plug & Receptacle (12 pos.) - $4.00
(2) .093 Plug & Receptacle (9 pos.) - $6.00
(1) .156 Housing w/pins (3 pos.) - $0.25
(1) .156 Housing w/pins (6 pos.) - $0.50
(5) 1N4007 - $1.00
(1) AC Line Cord - $3.00
(1) AC Line Filter (.25 tabs) - $5.00
(1) AC Power Distribution Block (.187 tabs) - $2.00
(1) BX 161 Lamps - $2.00
(1) BX 1813 Lamps - $2.00
(1) Cable Clamps (3/8″) - $2.50
(1) Cable Ties (4″) - $2.00
(1) Coin Switch - $5.00
(1) CP Bolt Set - $4.00
(1) CP Molding $10.00
(1) CP Overlays - $50.00
(1) Crimpers - $20.00
(1) Degaussing Coil - $40.00
(1) Fan - $35.00
(8) Fiber Leaf Switches - $24.00
(1) Fuse Blocks w/Fuses - $29.00
(2) Fuses - $8.00
(4) Lamp Holder (161) - $6.00
(1) Lamp Holder (1813) - $1.50
(1) Molex Pin/Socket Extractor (.093) - $20.00
(1) Monitor - $329.00
(1) Pac-Man (PCB) Repair - $190.00
(1) Powder Coating - $60.00
(1) Smoked Plexi - $10.00
(1) Speaker (shielded) - $12.00
(3) Speaker Grills - $27.00
(1) Spiral Wrap (5′) - $3.00
(2) Start Buttons - $22.00
(1) Table Molding - $12.00
(1) Underlay Artwork - $50.00
(2) Wiring Harness - $70.00
(1) Wooden Base - $40.00
Update: 03.24.06 - I just installed a coin switch I purchased from Bob Roberts. For whatever reason, the one I had stopped working. Put the new one in and it’s working perfectly now.
March 21st, 2006 at 3:14 PM
Really nice job man
NOW GET ON SKYPE! You rich bastard
March 21st, 2006 at 6:08 PM
Great job on the restore, it looks beautiful! Although $1700 was a steep price to pay… =)
March 21st, 2006 at 7:34 PM
Yeah, the initial price was high, but I bought it from a reputable seller, and it had a great warranty, plus the outside condition was so beautiful. I probably could have found one cheaper on eBay, or if I looked, at some old arcade show, but being my first, I wanted one that worked.
Knowing what I know now, I probably could have found a really nice cabinet, then just did all the work I eventually did to mine. But you can’t go back… It was 100% working before any restoration, so I really didn’t need to do what I did, but did so with the thought that I’d never have to worry about it in the future after the final restoration.
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Well, props to you for doing such a great restore. It’s the nicest Pac-Man I’ve seen, bar-none.
March 22nd, 2006 at 12:05 PM
Hey there, I used to work at Two Bit Score in Austin, TX. The one thing you need left for that machine is to call them up and order a Super ABC Kit to have a coin-op friendly method of playing 16 different variations of Pac-Man, along with high score save and initials! God, that thing took me months to program…
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:02 PM
absolutley stunning work!! A real interesting story about a machine on the brink of death and brought back to life!!!
Rock on Pac-Man!
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:03 PM
(2) .093 Plug & Receptacle (2 pos.) - $2.00
(1) .093 Plug & Receptacle (3 pos.) - $1.25
(1) .093 Plug & Receptacle (12 pos.) - $4.00
(2) .093 Plug & Receptacle (9 pos.) - $6.00
(1) .156 Housing w/pins (3 pos.) - $0.25
(1) .156 Housing w/pins (6 pos.) - $0.50
(5) 1N4007 - $1.00
(1) AC Line Cord - $3.00
(1) AC Line Filter (.25 tabs) - $5.00
(1) AC Power Distribution Block (.187 tabs) - $2.00
(1) BX 161 Lamps - $2.00
(1) BX 1813 Lamps - $2.00
(1) Cable Clamps (3/8?) - $2.50
(1) Cable Ties (4?) - $2.00
(1) Coin Switch - $5.00
(1) CP Bolt Set - $4.00
(1) CP Molding $10.00
(1) CP Overlays - $50.00
(1) Crimpers - $20.00
(1) Degaussing Coil - $40.00
(1) Fan - $35.00
(8) Fiber Leaf Switches - $24.00
(1) Fuse Blocks w/Fuses - $29.00
(2) Fuses - $8.00
(4) Lamp Holder (161) - $6.00
(1) Lamp Holder (1813) - $1.50
(1) Molex Pin/Socket Extractor (.093) - $20.00
(1) Monitor - $329.00
(1) Pac-Man (PCB) Repair - $190.00
(1) Powder Coating - $60.00
(1) Smoked Plexi - $10.00
(1) Speaker (shielded) - $12.00
(3) Speaker Grills - $27.00
(1) Spiral Wrap (5?) - $3.00
(2) Start Buttons - $22.00
(1) Table Molding - $12.00
(1) Underlay Artwork - $50.00
(2) Wiring Harness - $70.00
(1) Wooden Base - $40.00
playing pac man - Priceless
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:03 PM
That is cool. I have an old Star Wars arcade game I need to do that to. This has been motivational.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:29 PM
My Grandma has one of these (actually Mrs. Packman), my grandpa had owned a coin-op company from the late 70’s to the mid 90’s. It’s still working, but I’ve started to notice some “hiccups” from time to time. I’ve loved playing it since before I can remember. I’m not sure I’m ready to embark on something like this quite yet, but I just saved you page for safe keeping, thanks so much for putting this out there. Now I dont have to fear the day it wont turn on so much. Your base looks beautiful by the way. Great job
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:31 PM
DOH! stupid typos Packman -> Pacman
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:41 PM
“Playing Pac Man - Priceless”
Visa Credit Card Commercial???
Great Job.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:44 PM
Awesome dude! I love seeing old tech restored like this. I have been restoring some old radios - my pride and joy that I am working on now is an RCA Radiola 17 made in 1927. It is so cool to hit the power switch on this old stuff and have it light up (and with 7 tubes, it is a lot of light!) and make noise. Kudos to you for brining an old machine back to life.
And try to learn some electronics skills… it sounds like you are just a beginner, which is fantastic, and even cooler that you were able to get this thing running without really knowing what you were doing. My hat is off to you, sir! But, if you know what is doing what and know how to troubleshoot/read schematics, you will save yourself some bucks in the future. That $180 you spent having the motherboard repaired could have paid for some of those tools!
Anyway, keep at it. You do very nice work.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:45 PM
He learned it all form me
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:59 PM
PCB repair? Is it mostly cleaning, checking the eproms and what not, or is there more to it? Where did you get that done?
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:04 PM
Brian, if you get a chance you should throw your project photos up on my Flickr Arcade Restoration group!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/arcade_resto/
I’m trying to start a project image repository, take a look and join us.
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:04 PM
The original PCB was working. I picked one up on eBay for a good price so I could have a spair. The repair was done by TwoBits. The board was a little damaged, and had some of the chip sockets broken, and some other minor problems. Now I have two working boards, just in case something should happen in the future.
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:08 PM
Home Depot rents tools. You may have been able to save money that way (especially with the mitre saw).
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:14 PM
I just downloaded the ROM for my computer. saved my self some time and $$$..
AND YOU KNOW THIS!
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:29 PM
WOW, A ROM… that must be some new invention no one’s ever heard of!
Beautiful restoration.
March 22nd, 2006 at 4:31 PM
Oh great, a piracy advocate.
Does your ROM have a resale value?
Will people pay you to play your ROM?
Can people walk into your house and congradulate you on your nice ROM?
Will your blog gets hits because you pirated a 20 year old game?
And so on. Seriously.
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:20 PM
Great, sdfsdf. Enjoy having incorrect timing, bad input, and wrong colors on your computer monitor while emulating the ROM.
Bryan, while Two Bits can be a little high on the price range, you get what you pay for. You wouldn’t believe the number of boards we would get where someone tried to “repair” it and did more damage than there was initially. I also developed a nice Diagnostic ROM (which hopefully they tossed in for you) that was very helpful in debugging the board, especially during development of the Super ABC board.
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:31 PM
sdfsdf, I too downloaded the ROM, then bought the arcade machine. That’s what makes us different I guess.
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:34 PM
Dood. That’s totally sweet.
March 22nd, 2006 at 6:35 PM
Awesome job. I’d love to be able to something like this with my MAME cab, but i just don’t have the time. Mine’s been gathering dust for about 4 years now
Maybe I’ll try and resurrect it!
March 22nd, 2006 at 9:44 PM
Very nice! There’s also a restoration of an upright Pac Man out there:
http://girasoli.org/?cat=27&order=asc
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:52 PM
Wow, very nice! Great job
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:54 PM
“playing pac man - Priceless”
Ahem, .25!
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:14 PM
>”playing pac man - Priceless
> Ahem, .25!
And if you’re nice, even less, as I’ll open the coin door and hit the credit switch for ya.
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:08 AM
Cool
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:09 PM
What the heck is pac man?
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:03 PM
Thanks Old Man!
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:04 PM
> old people rock!
Hey, I’m only 29!
March 26th, 2006 at 12:15 AM
Is Pac-Man that thing where it eats out everything?
March 27th, 2006 at 11:48 AM
Great just for the details of the inside of these boxes. One thing I wanted to ask though. The problem was caused by a mouse and you dropped $1600. How much did it cost to get rid of the mice?
March 27th, 2006 at 4:47 PM
> How much did it cost to get rid of the mice?
I thought they’d never ask… Actually, the mice were only a short problem. When they knocked a building down behind us, it was loaded with them, and they found a way in. After I annihilated them, they were never to return. In the end though, it wasn’t from the mouse. A wire just got loose.
April 4th, 2006 at 5:26 PM
Kjempe kuuuul hjemmeside du har.
July 13th, 2006 at 2:58 PM
I would like to know where to get the wiring harnesses for my machine. I am lucky enough to have gotten mine the year it came out and am the only owner. Since I am now 31 and finally got it out of the garage I would love to get it up and running. Not restoring the body but only the insides. Also where can I find new glasstop for it. You did a hell of a job on yours and have great respect for keeping a classic…..classic. Hope to hear from you soon.
Stephen
August 4th, 2006 at 8:53 AM
Hey what a beautiful job you did!!!! I purchased a pacman cocktail machine for only 350 dollars 15 years ago. Actually I still cant believe I got it so cheap! Its in pretty good shape but I am still missing the glass underlay for it .All I have is a plain background .You mentioned you bought yours for 50 dollars.Any ideas where I can buy one? Thanx Mark
October 25th, 2006 at 8:20 AM
i need some help i am look for how the work old arcade game. But i can’t find out how not one thing online can till me how thing work can you help me out. it for a school thing called the senior project.thank you my e-mail is toadboy336@yahoo.com
January 14th, 2007 at 11:56 PM
kudos furi0us kudos to you
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 PM
Great job on the restoration! It looks brand new. So you have me tinkering with the idea of getting my Ms. Pacman table into shape. I bought mine from a dealer about 15 years ago (I paid $1100 back then - sheesh). The game overall has been working pretty well. Although I’m sure the insides are just slowly rotting away. Admittedly, I get pretty intimidated by ALL those wires and other foreign looking parts. The one thing I’d like to start with are joysticks. When I purchased the game, the dealer had replaced the orignals (the red ones) with another more modern joystick that has never really quite worked right. Any suggestions as to where I might find original joysticks or at the very least good replacements? Also, any suggestions as to who to trust the machine to for repair/restoration, if we’re not as adventurous as you? Thanks. I await your advice.
March 15th, 2007 at 9:47 PM
That’s really cool. I have several of these type of machines for sale. They are in as is condition. Email me if you are interested.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:56 AM
hi,
I’m based in Madrid Spain, and me and my partner are opening a hamburger restaurant in November.
We’re looking for some computer games build into a low table, for the waiting area.
Do you have anything available, like the packman machine? or if you don’t have anything, perhaps you can tell me where to look for one?
Thanks for your help,
Kind regards,
Marre Moerel
September 10th, 2007 at 3:37 PM
Wow. $1700? Was that BEFORE or AFTER your restoration work? Yikes man. You paid about $1200 too much!!!!!! I got mine for $50.
September 21st, 2007 at 10:26 AM
That was $1,699.00 *before* restoration. I’ve seen what a $50.00 machine looks like… not pretty. My machine was in exceptional condition, and I only had to fix the coin switch originally. Would I buy it again at $1,699.00? In that condition, probably, unless I could find one in equal condition for less. The restoration was just me going crazy and wanting to make it “perfect” by my standards. It didn’t even need complete rewiring, but this one will be working for years to come. I’d rather pay more now and know it’s gonna work throughout my lifetime. But price is relative. What’s expensive to one person isn’t so much to another. If you want something bad enough, and you’ve been looking for a while, you’ll most likely pay more for something you want now.
January 12th, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Hi, looks like you have done a great job on the restoration dude!!
I Have two original machines that I am restoring but can’t get anyone to send a monitor to england (Won’t send glass) . How did you get yours delivered?
Cheers
Jonno
February 27th, 2008 at 3:12 PM
NIce. I loved this article. I have one of my own on my own site. I have a full size upright Ms Pacman. You should not have ordered anything from two Bits. There prices are ludicrous. They charge (on average) $150 to $200 more for parts. A great place to pick up a CRT for anyone interested is http://www.arcadeshop.com/index.htm. He has them for around $179.
April 21st, 2008 at 1:43 PM
Niiiiice job, keep up the good w0rk ^.^
May 15th, 2008 at 2:58 PM
Restoration Hardware Supply…
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you….