Will's Gaming Projects http://www.irace.net/tz/ Pinball, MAME, RBS, hobby stuff. en-us 2006-01-18T18:22:30-08:00 Done?? http://www.irace.net/tz/000242.html I'd say it's almost perfect. It could use a little paint, and the left side t-molding needs replacing, but wow, what a difference. Here's an updated photoset, complete with captions describing each step. Soon I'll do some kind of... MAME spblat 2006-01-18T18:22:30-08:00 Audio Done http://www.irace.net/tz/000238.html Not much time to work on MAME between holiday trips and work, but the audio is now done. The design of this cabinet (an Atari Tempest you'll recall) is ingenius. I made a slight modification to the drawer insert and... MAME spblat 2006-01-07T21:01:06-08:00 This Rules! http://www.irace.net/tz/000234.html Continuing progress... Installed control panel buttons and trackball and stuff Got old monitor out (didn't die trying) Got PC monitor in, found clever mounting approach Removed old Mat Mania boards Installed PC and interface boards, wired 'em all pretty Hauled... MAME spblat 2005-12-18T22:51:15-08:00 Making Progress! http://www.irace.net/tz/000232.html The story so far: Got me a kick-ass cabinet. Turns out it's a converted Tempest! Old control panel stripped off. New control panel designed and validated (visio) Control panel artwork designed and validated (tif, tif without template, gimp version)... MAME spblat 2005-12-08T21:55:10-08:00 Mame Project Underway http://www.irace.net/tz/000230.html last one didn't make it with us to Portland.)

I Blogged about this yesterday. What's on my mind at the moment is the control panel.

]]> spblat 2005-12-04T20:12:33-08:00 How to play Twilight Zone http://www.irace.net/tz/000227.html Sigma's TZ guide, imported it into MS Word, made a few small edits, added a table of contents, and annotated it with lots of photos. It's designed to be printed double-sided.

You can download a zipped copy of this file here.

Update: Here's a PDF, thanks to Kevin Steele at www.retroblast.com.

I am willing to have this printed, coil-bound and FedEx'd to you, at my cost. It's not cheap: Kinko's charges $44 for printing, $8 for ground shipping, and tax varies. So if you send me $58 that should cover it. Please don't flame me: I'm not charging for the content, I am offering to have Kinko's/Fedex perform this service, and I am passing the cost directly to you.

If you are interested, Click here to use Paypal to send money. Don't forget to enter your shipping address. ]]> spblat 2005-11-21T12:23:03-08:00 Finished (almost) http://www.irace.net/tz/000226.html Click for captioned photos.

]]> spblat 2005-11-20T13:41:17-08:00 Back to work! http://www.irace.net/tz/000225.html


Safe and sound in our new home, progress made!


Just a few parts to get back, in the right order!

So now it's on to the home stretch, hopefully soon:

  • Replace gumball machine
  • Replace assorted plastics near gumball machine
  • Clean and reinstall rubber I don't have/need replacements for
  • Replace ramps
  • Replace mini-playfield
  • Try to reconnect all the cables
  • Take it all apart again because something's wrong
  • Reassemble everything, again
  • Install five brand new balls and the powerball
  • PLAY IT!
]]> spblat 2005-11-19T21:43:19-08:00 RBS Project Starts http://www.irace.net/tz/000221.html
See pictures and video!]]> spblat 2005-10-31T21:18:07-08:00 Disassembly and cleaning continues... http://www.irace.net/tz/000191.html The gumball machine is out. Removal required disassembly of both ramps, a ton of plastic, and I also had to unplug a bunch of stuff under the playfield too. While I was at it, I removed, disassembled and polished the... spblat 2005-02-27T19:40:58-08:00 Let the Cleaning Begin! http://www.irace.net/tz/000190.html Time to make the dirty stuff clean. Today I took apart anything that the ball touches under the playfield. That includes the skill shot scoop, piano, camera, slot machine, and all the plastic causeways under there. Put it all in... spblat 2005-02-26T19:47:17-08:00 Crisis Over http://www.irace.net/tz/000189.html I have a happy Twilight Zone again. Received and and installed a replacement for the fried LN2803 at U20. Getting the old one out was no picnic--after an hour of patiently trying to desolder it I went medieval and cut... spblat 2005-02-25T22:01:18-08:00 Fixing the damage http://www.irace.net/tz/000186.html So here's what seems to have happened. A few weeks ago I was messing around with the ramp diverter. When reinstalling the coil that drives the diverter, I left the wires in a state where there was considerable physical... spblat 2005-01-30T22:26:36-08:00 Something's shorted! http://www.irace.net/tz/000185.html Out of nowhere, there's a new problem. When the ball is sent up to the mini playfield to "battle the power", normally the flippers are supposed to be disabled and you can bang on the flipper buttons to silently activate... spblat 2005-01-30T11:14:26-08:00 New Clock Boards Installed http://www.irace.net/tz/000182.html Wow, that was way easier than the last time I tore into the clock. Unplug connectors, remove clock assembly, note position of hands, remove hands, pull the clock apart (leave gears undisturbed), remove old boards, install new boards, reassemble, test.... spblat 2005-01-16T19:00:10-08:00