Tempest Restoration Blog !!

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   This will be more of a blog about getting it up and running and not so much of a restoration to be honest... but I think its best put on here in the restorations (be it more electrical than cosmetic !!) ..  I'll edit some posts, stick pictures up etc... Keeping this one at the top as a kind of Status....  Its a long way off yet....

Right..... Sorry if this goes to excess detail, but may prove useful...
Dateline... 09/09/08

Cab - Aquired and unloaded 03/09/08 - Not too bad looking - Its been gutted and has been Jammatised with a World cup 90 Pcb, Scratchy old monitor, Torroidal Transformer , Jamma PSU, and another Transformer which comes from the monitor and then back again.... Missing the correct control panel and Marquee. The Plexi Glass has a few scratches on and Gloss white pain spots... Crack in the wood in one corner and a couple of bottom corners damaged/missing.... Cab is quite solid 6.5 out of 10 is a conservative score. 

Loom - Thanks to Dave Pinx, I now have a pretty complete loom for the game.  I *may* need to make a monitor extension cable - but not sure yet if its required. This arrived approx 05/09/08

Power Brick - Found in the bottom of the cab, but its missing the big blue, cap clamp, the bridge rectifier, fuse blocks, 15 way power output connector and the 3 way aux power connector.  Wiring is cut short, and lots missing.  Seems that its been re-used and modifed at some point - hence why its missing lots of bits... a lot of the wiring went to choc blocks, but there was nothing connected to them... You wouldn't get an unused power brick, rip its guts out and connect to choc blocks on an unused psu for no reason...so deffo been reused. Sticker on the back of the cab says Tac-Scan video for repair... !!

I have found the correct part number for the suitable 20A rated 5 way fuse block (littelfuse) that should drop into place, but no UK supplers !! ( I can get the single 20A ones but its a bit of hackery to make them fit) - Might be worth ringing Littelfuse up and see if I can get a free product sample   - Might sound a bit anal, but most 32mm fuse holders are rated at 10A or 13A max... the transformer tap that feeds the capacitor to make 5v (actually 10.6V before its regulated) needs a 20A holder as the fuse is rated at 20A. (You could solder the fuse into the holder and get away with it at a push !!) - 4 of the fuses are rated at 4 Amps and only one at 20 Amps...  You can often see the 20A fuse modified on the bricks where its burned..  ##edit## 10/09/08 - Maplin claim to have a heavy duty fuse holder.... http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=423 - 30 Amp rating - thats seems hard to believe but may be of info to someone... Best I could find was 20 Amps....
Ordered an uprated capacitor (�15 + vat, not bad for a new big blue equiv), Bridge rectifier, Cap Clamp and the connectors (molex 15 way and 3 way) and molex crimps from Farnell...  Capacitor is 33000uF and not 27000uF, and is 40V instead of 16V ? - This should be fine for the application ( Saves going for a smaller modern equivalent and having to make up a metal plate to adapt it ) - Had to go for the higher voltage so the diameter matched the origonal !!
Its starting to come together and take shape tonight, but I need to drill a couple of holes, extend some wires etc as some have been cut short.. Fitted the 3 way aux power out (and a spare) connector, Fitted the 15 way molex and have started to connect wiring up to it....  Fitted the Bridge Rectifier... Will probably solder to it, as I havent got any Flag connectors or suitable crimpers....The new capacitor clamp has a different 'footprint', one hole lines up, so I'll drill a hole for the extra fixing ear..  Fitted with one screw for now... Capactor fits nice and snug !! The big black one - I've written 09/2008 on the side... The other Atari cabs will be getting jealous...As most of theirs have xx/198x on them and even xx/197x !! 
Oh.. before you all ask, I've checked the windings on the transformer and the internal fuse.... Looks to be reasonable readings...

##edit## 10/09/08 - Made some major progress....  New Fuse Holders fitted (couldn't wait for the propper ones - make hay while the sun shines !!), and lots of wiring... Capacitor and clamp fitted properly...Had to move the aux power tabs (you can see these next to the bridge rectifier) near to the Capacitor (using one of the cap clamp fixing screws ) to allow for the extra holes, nuts and bolts to fit the individual fuse holders.... Also uprated some of the wiring round the capacitor from 1.5mm to 2.5mm just so its a little more robust...Needs another hour or so to rig up the aux power feed(s), double check everything, then good to smoke test on the bench !!
Ripped out the power supply's and jamma guts from the cab... awaiting a clean and I can start fitting the loom and pcb....

Next step... ARII.....
Before Pictures of brick... Cap clamp and capacitor temporarilly fitted, New Bridge rectifier, new 15 way connector and 2 x 3 way connectors snapped in place, a few wires fitted to the 15 way connector.....Pretty sorry looking ( was looking a lot worse before hand with choc blocks floating round on the transformer wires - on top and underneath  !!) and pretty much naked....

ARII - OLL - I may have one in the loft - Will buy a spare from OLL anyway...  

Monitor - Not decided yet, Theres a working one in the Starwars and a faulty one that will need investigation.

Game PCB - There is one in the loft in good condition - Status - EDIT - Runs Diagnostics with test bleeps - but no vectors - Problem with the Vector generator circuit 

Control Panel - OLL

Marquee - OLL 

Speaker  - Not sure yet - there is one in the cab though !!

Monitor Mounting/Bezel / Plexi Glass - Probably run with the plexi till I can find a supplier of the correct stuff in the future.. It's missing the cardboard bezel, not a big issue though.... The woodwork has been hacked so that a horizontal monitor will fit (will be some gaps either side!!) , there is still 4 mounting holes for the Vector Vertical monitor,so looks good inititially, but I'm missing a small bracket that holds the monitor at the back... can make one of these up very easily if required.  I'll get round to seeing if the WG6100 monitor actually fits very soon....
## EDIT ## 10/09/08 - 'TO DO NEXT' STATUS (This is to help keep me on track and remember what to do next more than anything !!)

1) Finish off the power brick wiring - Done - 11/09/08
2) Smoke Test the Power Brick - Check we have 10.6 V and that the other AC voltages are present - Done - 11/09/08 - need to test under load see (3) and (5)
3) Find a suitable ARII, hook up to the power brick using the loom and see if we get the right voltages out from the ARII !! - Done 12/09/08
4) Clean Cab and fit power brick to the base. 
5) Temporaily fit the loom and PCB....Hook up a scope to the PCB XY outputs and see if it is alive.....  Fix PCB if required.... (clock fault fixed - Pending fault with the vector generator)

6) Speak to OLL and do a deal !!
7) Fit Monitor - Repair if required
8) Fit Control Panel and Marquee - Check the controls respond... Cab should be able to be played at this point... If not sort problems....
9) Tidy up / Fix wiring in place / Sort Marquee lighing
10) Repair the split / Tidy up woodwork / Consider touching up the artwork....

11) ENJOY :-)
Thats about it for now....
Cheers, Colin

Edited by ColinD