(Topic ID: 217363)
Linked Games
Baby Pac-Man
Bally, 1982
Topic Gallery
Mesquite, TX
Slow progress. I now have the control panel stripped and ready for the new CPO.
Thankfully the old overlay peeled off in large chunks leaving just the adhesive. I soaked the panel in a bath of Goo Gone overnight. That lifted most of the old adhesive off, then I hit it with denatured alcohol and a brillo pad. Finally I took it to work and sandblasted all the corrosion and leftover imperfections. Looks great!
Quoted from hassellcastle:Invest in a buffing wheel. It will work a miracle on those rusted parts. Trust me.
Looks great! I just may have to look into one since I prefer buying games that need help vs. ones that already look nice.
Great game! I remember playing it a lot in the 80s. Not one you find in the wild so when one showed up at the last Houston Arcade show I played the hell out of it all weekend. (Might have been HCs, don't remember.) Definitely a fun quirky game.
Shawn
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Man, it's a shame to restore this thing really!
If I had the space I was going to pick this up and restore everything but the cabinet.
Probably better I didn't pick it up!
New CPO is installed. It wouldn't quite stick with the supplied self adhesive. I hit it with some spray LocTite. Clamped it with a 2x4 in place until each side set.
I'm satisfied with the results. Left - new; right - original.
2018-05-30 18.57.59 (resized).jpg
20180530_184116 (resized).jpg
I will reuse the original joystick. I have on order new top flipper buttons and new Atari volcano bezels for the start buttons.
I removed the coin door tonight for a repaint. Hand sanded the areas of rust. The door has its fair share of dings and bruises, but the budget doesn't allow for a new door. New paint, polished coin slots and new price lenses will suffice.
20180530_184127 (resized).jpg
20180530_175049 (resized).jpg
Hah...ignore the cat tail swooshing through the bottom pic.
Quoted from TxJay:Since you have the joystick out be sure to replace that centering grommet if it hasn't been replaced already.
Thanks for the suggestion. I did take a look at the grommet and it looks like it has been replaced at some point. It's definitely not original. I will let it go for now. It wouldn't be hard to replace it in the future.
Looking good. Wait until you have to replace all the connectors. I crimped mine over 2 weekends to spread it out and give my hands a break.
Removed the playfield today. It's not that difficult at all. I believe 5 board connectors and 2 molex plugs.
Removed all the upper components, metal pieces went into the polisher.
The rails are attached with long staples. I pried the rails off and used a dremmel to cut off the staples. I'll drill pilot holes and reattach the rails using wood screws.
20180602_125534 (resized).jpg
Sanded the top with 100, 220, then 400. Silky smooth. Now placed old lamps back in the sockets and sprayed several coats of clear lacquer. The lamps keep the sockets clear from the lacquer.
20180602_131131 (resized).jpg20180602_132658 (resized).jpg20180602_135548 (resized).jpg20180602_140903 (resized).jpg
Quoted from TxJay:Following along...looks great so far. I picked up a Baby Pac last week so I am right behind you.
Thank you. Can't wait to get him/her back together and play again!! Is Baby Pac a boy or girl?? Lol.
Overlay time..careful, careful...
My son is helping guide the overlay into place. And BOOM!! Lined it up near perfect! Judging by the rollover switch slots, I couldn't have gotten any closer. So happy with this!
This was my first attempt at an overlay.
20180602_155803 (resized).jpg20180602_160143 (resized).jpg
My procedure:
-Once the lacquer was dry, I quick sanded it again with 660 just to knock the small specks off and smooth any remaining imperfections.
-Lined up the overlay using the guide marks. I punched out the holes for the kick outs, drop targets and outhole.
- I used masking tape to secure the overlay in the center, backing still on. In other words I taped the overlay around the edge of the playfield to the underside so it can't slide easily.
- I used an LED flashlight to shine through the inserts to double check location several times and make small moves.
- once happy, I rolled the top back about 4" and cut the backing off. Using a small plastic felt tipped squeegee, I carefully rolled the top down and smoothed it out.
- I then undid the tape and rolled the bottom back to where the overlay top was secured. With the help of my son, we slowly removed the backing and smoothed the overlay down with the squeegee.
So my original drop targets were dirty BUT not broken or physically worn. While the assembly was loose, I cleaned them up with simple green.
I can't justify buying brand new when they operate perfectly. I purchased a set of laminated decals at 1/3 of the cost and I'm happy with the results.
20180602_151804 (resized).jpg20180602_152353 (resized).jpg20180602_170823 (resized).jpgQuoted from GLSP3022:So my original drop targets were dirty BUT not broken or physically worn. While the assembly was loose, I cleaned them up with simple green.
I can't justify buying brand new when they operate perfectly. I purchased a set of laminated decals at 1/3 of the cost and I'm happy with the results.
Looks perfect to me....you could of said they were brand new and I'd never known.
With that overlay...is that all you do?? You don't CC it or anything? It looks super thin and would wear easily.
Quoted from Pinballerchef:With that overlay...is that all you do?? You don't CC it or anything? It looks super thin and would wear easily.
If it was going to be routed, I'd probably clear coat it. But in a home environment, pretty sure it will be okay. It's reversed printed, so the ink is underneath the mylar sheet. I'll most likely wax and play!
Looking good. Where Did your CPO come from? It’s the only thing I haven’t restored on my Baby PacMan.
Quoted from alexanr1:Where Did your CPO come from? It’s the only thing I haven’t restored on my Baby PacMan.
Quoted from brainmegaphone:Phoenix Arcade. Top quality stuff.
Yes. Phoenix Arcade. They have everything Baby Pac related.
Doing some work uderneath, converted all the lamps to LEDs. Added new bushings for the flippers. I also found the missing coin door socket. It was hacked into the lamps behind the flippers. I didn't like how it was located in there so I just replaced it with a more modern socket. Yes, I do have the diode in there.
20180603_124001 (resized).jpg20180603_125004 (resized).jpg20180603_125019 (resized).jpgCalling it quits early today. Starting to get the playfield repopulated. Scrubbed the star posts before reattaching them. I decided to go with clear superbands after seeing a machine on YouTube that looked good with them.
I have new spinner decals ordered from classic arcades as well.
Quoted from GLSP3022:Luckily this machine is equipped with the PCB matrix in the center rather than all those individual sockets.
man your lucky, wish I could find a baby pacman lamp matrix PCB. those loose lamp socket suck.
QUESTION FOR BABY PAC OWNERS:
I received this extra square plastic with the new plastics set. It wasn't in my original set up. What is this for and where does it go in relation to the large rear plastic?
Does this prevent ball jams in the drops? That was quite evident before tear down.
20180603_161613 (resized).jpgQuoted from GLSP3022:QUESTION FOR BABY PAC OWNERS:
I received this extra square plastic with the new plastics set. It wasn't in my original set up. What is this for and where does it go in relation to the large rear plastic?
Does this prevent ball jams in the drops? That was quite evident before tear down.
That extra clear plastic goes over the captive ball and protects the art on the screened plastics.
Some drop target mechs have a screw to raise the reset bar, which will raise the drop targets. Would be easy to add an adjustment screw, if needed.
Quoted from Biffbar:That extra clear plastic goes over the captive ball and protects the art on the screened plastics.
Thanks for the info. It seems as if it raises that screened plastic also so there is more clearance to prevent ball wedges in the drops. This targent bank has no adjustable parts anywhere.
I had a bit of time to work on baby Pac tonight. First off the new coin door plate arrived. This is a terrible fuzzy pic but you'll get the idea. The protective film is still on it for now.
20180604_212832 (resized).jpg
Here's the link if anyone else would like one:
ebay.com link: Midway Coin Door Plate Fun is Our Business
I added some more hardware to the playfield, specifically ball guide rails. They are tough to line up because you have to feel for the dimples under the overlay and then use a tiny drill bit to start the hole so you don't stretch or tear the overlay.
20180604_212845 (resized).jpg
I used some bondo to fill in deep gouges on the cabinet. Using a rotary sander, buffed it smooth. This is still a major work in progress while I figure out what works best. It seems the smaller scratches will sand right out. I'm also attempting to knock of the swollen edges where the cab took on some moisture. It's not terrible by any means, I've seen much worse. I'd like to smooth it out as best as possible.
This old side art has me stumped as far as removal. It won't budge! I've tried chemicals, razors, freezing it...nothing is working.
20180604_212856 (resized).jpg20180604_212902 (resized).jpg
Lesson learned: any future sanding will be done outdoors on my porch! What a frickin mess I made inside!
Halifax, NS
Nice progress so far! I have 3 of these in my shop right now for a customer, and finished one a few months ago for a friend. One of the 3 will be mine eventually and I plan a complete restore like you. I'll likely end up buying the phoenix set at some point. Looking forward to seeing more of your progress!
PS I for what it's worth, the flipper choice looks killer!
Quoted from GLSP3022:I'll probably be crucified for my flipper choice by the purists, but again, I saw this in a video online and loved the color scheme. I think it fits well with the Pac-Man theme!
You monster. It actually looks pretty good.
Quoted from GLSP3022:This old side art has me stumped as far as removal. It won't budge! I've tried chemicals, razors, freezing it...nothing is working
I assume you also tried a heat gun? I had to use a real heat gun (not a hairdryer) to remove the multiple layers of overlay on the CP of my Centipede I’m working on. I had to get that decal hot!
Quoted from Niterider:I assume you also tried a heat gun?
Good idea. However, not owning a heat gun, I had to try with a hair dryer on hi. Whoa...it's peeling right off. But you've gotta keep that vinyl sticker hot!
20180605_200019 (resized).jpgQuoted from GLSP3022:Good idea. However, not owning a heat gun, I had to try with a hair dryer on hi. Whoa...it's peeling right off. But you've gotta keep that vinyl sticker hot!
If a hairdryer is all you got, it’s better than nothing. An actual heat gun will get a bit hotter and should last longer than a hairdryer. A hairdryer isn’t designed to run for extended periods.
And yes, you have to get that sticker hot! Wear gloves!
Added LED strips under the "apron" plastics to light up Pac and Ms Pac. I stole this idea from TNT Amusements. They are simply wired into the GI string.
I also have several corroded GI sockets. I ordered a 10 pack of the wedge sockets from a China supplier to replace the bad ones. I can address those from underneath, so no need to put the project on hold waiting.
Quoted from brainmegaphone:you have the wrong plate on your coin door.
Yes indeed, BUT I also have the "wrong" color flippers, incorrect blue color on the overlay, wrong volcano start buttons, and just wait til you see what I do with the side flipper buttons! 
I've never been a purist, I'm having fun and bringing a neglected machine back to acceptable standards for me.
Crack Baby Pac doesnt follow the rules!! 
Quoted from tamoore:Nice job. You're really cranking on it.
Baby pac has the distinction of being both the least played pinball machine and the least played video game in my whole arcade. It's pretty unique in that regard.
Thank you
I think the 'issue' with baby Pac is that no one understands the rules. I know as a kid, I didn't. Now that I understand it, man this is a fun challenging game! I like it more than Ms Pac Man. Even my 8 yr old daughter loves it once I explained what she has to do; and now she keeps asking me when it'll be ready to play again.
Working on the cabinet outside today. Let me refresh everyones memory, my goal is not to produce an absolutely perfect prestine cabinet free from 'orange peel' etc. My goal is to fix the large gouges and other imperfections in hopes to produce a very acceptable cabinet.
First, I filled in the large lock bar holes with bondo and then sanded smooth after they cured for about 48hrs.
The next large "annoyance" was several drywall screws that were holding the cab together. I found it necessary to leave them in place for the integrity of the cabinet, however, they protruded out to far. My solution was to remove them, drill a larger countersink hole and then run the screws back in. Finish up with bondo in the holes so they would disappear. Here's the result.
20180607_130747 (resized).jpg20180607_130842 (resized).jpg20180607_134508 (resized).jpg20180607_141157 (resized).jpg
Quoted from brainmegaphone:Not to be “that guy” but I think you have the wrong plate on your coin door. See the attached flyer.
You can get the other version at arcadebadges.com
I think he found the correct plate for the coin door. The flyers might show early production or sample games. My own Baby Pac-Man has the Bally / Midway "Fun is our business" plate. Granny & The Gators also has that Bally / Midway plate.
Was playing Baby Pac-man today, getting beat up pretty bad by the game, and coming back for more. The game was a hit back in the day.
After 7 maybe 8 coats over the course of 8+ hrs, I'm happy with the results and baby Pac is allowed back inside. No, it's not perfect; will it bother me? Nope, not the least bit, so much better than what we started with.
I'm going to wait several days until the paint cures before I apply the new side art decals.
I should also mention, four brand new levelers (feet) went on the bottom. A lot of drilling and cursing went on to remove one heavily rusted bugger that refused to come loose.
Control panel goes on next with brand new leaf switches for the side flipper buttons. I have no idea how the original switches even worked, they were dirty as sh*t!
Uh-oh what's that? Are those clear flipper buttons? What is he going to do with those? Haha, wait and see!
20180607_211549 (resized).jpg20180607_212140 (resized).jpg20180607_212205 (resized).jpgPromoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
