Robo-War
Gottlieb, 1988You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider DuffysArcade.
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I have a line on a Robo War with very, very bad playfield wear. It's down to bare wood in many areas around the pops and the apron. Game also won't start, but the music plays and the lights function so it's probably an easy fix. Seller wants no less than $800 and I'll have to pay $325 shipping as it's really far away. So, $1,125 for a game with a trashed playfield. Cabinet looks decent. Translite is color faded. Wondering what you guys think? What would you offer?
Quoted from Ronnie1114:I would do it personally. On that note, if you pass on it would you mind giving me the sellers info?
I'll let you know. It's in Europe so maybe not an option for you.
Quoted from phototamer:If the seller can fix the game so that it plays then definitely go for it ! It can be an easy fix , but your are not sure if the main board works ok.
If you are willing to strip everything off , remove the mylar , and work with decals and clear coat , then you can fix it.
I was given one for free in terrible shape 2 years ago , and now it is playing beautifully. All it needs is your love
I'm working with the seller now. I am going to buy it and have settled on a reasonable price. Have to ship it fairly far, but I should have it in about a week.
Quoted from poibug:Mine is bad around flipper area too but I have it playing great!!
Was given artwork to make a decal but haven't got round to doing a decal - need to blag a favour from someone who can edit art files - as the one I have is slightly oversoze - just need shrinking and snipping around the arc area above flippers, thena decal can be made
I think I have the same graphic file. It looks like there's also some work needed on the transparency of some of the ships near the top of the lower blue section. Do you know of a printer that would be able to produce this?
Picked up a Robo-War today! The machine is very rough. I've uploaded a short video detailing where I am so far. Feel free to comment and I'd appreciate any help as I troubleshoot the many problems. Thanks!
20190521_121138 (resized).jpg20190521_190708 (resized).jpg20190521_185835 (resized).jpg20190521_151103 (resized).jpg20190521_151117 (resized).jpg20190521_151125 (resized).jpg20190521_151137 (resized).jpg20190521_163710 (resized).jpg20190521_123009 (resized).jpg20190521_190652 (resized).jpgI have stripped my playfield down in preparation for the next step...which ever step that may be.
Repaint? The mylar is lifting up at the top right corner. I think that if I try to remove the mylar with freeze-spray that I will lose all of the artwork thar remains in the center. I don't think repainting this playfield is an option.
I have also printed a replacement vinyl overlay. It aligns very well with the inserts from what I can see...but once I break out the orbital sander and sand off the artwork, there's no going back. Thoughts?
20190529_142005 (resized).jpg20190529_155852 (resized).jpg20190529_161845 (resized).jpg20190529_162717 (resized).jpgQuoted from ZEN:That overlay looks nice, that pf is so far gone, unless you are that good with an airbrush....... I'd sand it down put the overlay down and put a pf protector on top..
Yeah, I've bought a PF protector also. I just wanted some fellow pinhead validation of what I'm about to do!!
Quoted from poibug:Disconnect antireset board, ironically they can cause resets
Thank you! I stopped having lock-ups and other errors when I disconnected this.
Quoted from Chosen_S:I did this with an earth shaker. Sand the playfield flat... spray automotive clearcoat on lightly, and let dry. Sand that layer. Lay on another coat of automotive clearcoat, sand that layer, lay on another coat of automotive clearcoat, sand that layer, Cut and buff to a decent shine. Then take 1200 grit sandpaper and lightly sand every area where there is no insert.
Apply the overlay.
Very lightly scuff the overlay with 1200 grit sandpaper, just enough to dull it a tiny bit.
Spray on automotive clearcoat. Let dry completely. Sand
, Spray another coat, sand, cut and buff to a mirror S spray another coat, sand, cut and buff to a shine.... better than new
Vid1900 has a great clearcoat tutorial thread restoring playfields somewhere around here
Thanks! I'll be following these instructions carefully and praying for no bubbles or lifting. The RW was picked up today by the movers along with my TZ to join the rest of my collection back in the States. I'll get cracking on it again in a few months.
Chosen_S
Until then, I'll daydream about a future expansion of my arcade room to mimic something even close to your epic Level Up Arcade! Your RW really looks great in the line-up.
Video #3 below shows the current state of troubleshooting / restoration. I did solve the problem from video #2 with the rear flash lamps and alien ship lamps not illuminating. The problem was dirty contacts on the relay that controls the "animator" board. All 10 of the rear lamps (in reflectors) and the 20 ships are now good.
Quoted from wylcot:And 'til then, I'll have that overlay made.
By the way, if someone has used the playfield scan I emailed to those who requested it, I'd love to have some feedback. Does it fit, etc...
I have printed the overlay on regular paper and it appears to fit properly. I got 2 copies on vinyl printed and I'll be installing it in the next few months. I'll let you know.
Quoted from poibug:my mate printed an overlay decal for me but it was slightly too big
I appreciated being sent it tho, must view differently in different editing packages?
poibug When I stripped my worn-out RW playfield down the original artwork's alignment marks were all still visible and I measured the following dimensions:
1. Left-right distance between the two bottom alignment marks as 385mm (C)
2. Left-right distance between the two top alignment marks as 438mm (B)
3. Up-down distance between the two left alignment marks as 927mm (A)
4. Up-down distance between the two right alignment marks as 931mm (D)
I used GIMP to slightly adjust the original graphic dimensions to match the measurements I took of my machine and then exported to .PDF format and printed it out on regular paper. In the GIMP program you can measure between 2 points on the artwork easily so this is a bit of trial and error, but worked fine. The paper printed version's alignment marks matched very closely to my trashed playfield's alighment marks (within 1mm), so then I printed onto vinyl.
I won't know for another 6 weeks or so if it really fits as my machine is being moved to the USA.
20190527_081915 (1) (resized).jpg
Now at the stage of fitting the playfield graphic overlay before final application. The playfield has been stripped, sanded, clearcoated, then lightly sanded again. Applying black around some of the inserts to hide some minor mis-match (about 1-2 mm).
More details on my YouTube channel. Search RoboWar Restoration and you'll find it.
20190816_135636 (resized).jpg20190814_180051 (resized).jpg20190814_184419 (resized).jpg20190814_174356 (resized).jpgThe Robo-War is complete and now in the line-up! After rescuing it from Italy, I spent a few hundred hours troubleshooting problems, applying a playfield overlay, clearcoating the playfield (Auto 2K), repainting the cabinet, and now it is finally complete!
There are still a few small issues to sort out: 1. Pop bumpers do not flash in succession when the ball hits one of them, and the extra-ball light does not shift position as it should. I believe this is on the MPU...perhaps a corrupted ROM.
Does anyone have the PROM files? I'd like to reflash some 2764's and see if it helps.
2. Sound effects are scratchy. Music is fine, but the other sounds are scratchy. Maybe a bad DROM? Gonna first try changing the RAM on the "D" side of the MA866 sound board and see if it helps.
Really happy anyway! Thanks to wylcot &
poibug for the artwork graphic (and whoever else worked on it)!
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For anyone who has a blown-out playfield on their RW...I have one extra copy of the vinyl graphic that I used to overlay the playfield on my game. If you are interested I am willing to sell it for $100 plus shipping (which is what I have into it). Please be aware that it is around 1-2mm long (you can see the minor mis-match in my restoration video series on YouTube. I also added a small "easter egg" to the graphic above the pops to make it my own. (see if you can spot it). The insert areas are white, so this has to be cut out with a razor knife and waterslide decals applied. Again, watch my YT series on the whole thing if you're interested. I don't want to mislead anyone about the overlay.
I can also provide the playfield graphic pdf file to anyone who wants to try and get their own printed out.
Lastly, I made a pdf of the inserts that I printed onto waterslide decal material that I can share as well. Send me a PM.
Thanks to those who helped me along the way to get my Robo-war back to (near) 100%!
0d511d96b663d44b953311331115d363a9c832aa (resized).jpgIMG-20190905-WA0007 (resized).jpegQuoted from JHPSWE:Hi!
I have problems with a robowar. When I turn the game on the ramp stays on.
Haven’t start a game.
I have check and changed all components on both MPU and power board. MPU z32,33,34,35,u6. Power Q15,Z4.
Switch ok and Q3 ok. Cable checked
Anyone with experience
Are there 2 balls in the machine? If the game doesn't sense that 2 balls are in the trough then the ramp will raise up and the game won't start. Hopefully it's that simple 
Make sure that the trough switches are working properly.
Quoted from Code:Does anyone of you know where to buy a Robo War translite? I can't seem to find one. Thanks!
Mayfair Amusements has them. That's where I bought mine about 6 months ago.
Since I completed the restore of my RW last year, half of the game sounds come out scratchy. The problem only affects a few of the sounds. I've uploaded a short video of it here. I've tried re-flashing the ROM, I've changed out the 6116 RAM for the "D" channel of the sound board. I'm stumped! Any ideas?
Just to close the loop, my sound issues were caused by corrupt data on the soundboard's "DROM" rom chip. The checksum came up wrong when I read it on a EPROM reader. Erased & re-wrote the data. All is good!
Quoted from Code:I did not hear that scratchy sound on mine. Did you check the connection to the speakers themselfs? Is it the same when you put the volume lower/higher? I get the impression that scratchy sound only happens when it does the higher tones.
I also heard some scratchy sound when that drop target went down near the end of the Video.
And the sound works normally while playing a game? The issue you're having is only with the attract mode sounds correct?
Quoted from pdh1127:Tried both switches in all combinations, still no sound. The relay is latching and the light sequencing works no matter the switch configuration but no sound is coming through. The switch matrix card in the back box for the 80B board says switches 7 & 8 are spares. My manual says switch 7 is for Attract Sound Mode which conflicts with the backbox card.
Quoted from cybercid:Hello year it does not work in self test and in play. The lower relay is working. The main coil is not activating. Could it be the wirering?[quoted image]
1. Check fuse F10 (2.5A slow blow)
2. Check the 2N5879 transistor (Q3). They are known to go bad. Use diode test function and compare to another under-playfield 5879 transistor.
3. Check the coil. The 2 coil circuit resistances should be 2.8 & 40 ohms (it's a flipper coil).
4. Check the switch next to the coil mechanism to make sure it works and it making/breaking contact to the coil.
Quoted from cybercid:merry X-mas,
i know the fuse is good, the coil is good,
ill check the switch and q3 toninght
thanks for the awnser
Did you ever sort it out?
Quoted from FTN_Ferry:My question , has anyone a translite for sale
I got a brand-new repro Robo-War translite from Mayfair Amusements about a year ago. They should have one for you.
Quoted from FTN_Ferry:Thanks for the toptip!
No problem @FTN_Ferry. Looks like a great start to a nice Gottlieb collection!
There's currently a TX Sector for sale about 2 hours south of me near Trier if you want to add the best Gottlieb ever made
BTW: I got my new LED tubes a few days ago and will be installing them soon. Thanks for that tip!
Quoted from cybercid:Good day it is still a mystery q3 is new,resistance is good, coil is new, continuty on wire is good. leaf are good. did i mix up when i resolder wire?
is it possible to get a good picture of the wire order to the coil?
thnks
@cybercid, have you checked the EOS switch that controls the operation of that ramp lift coil? Are the contacts of the switch in good shape there? You probably already know, but one side should be normally open and the other normally closed. Just thinking of the obvious stuff before digging deeper. Heres a few photos of mine so you can compare wiring.
20210531_190037 (resized).jpg20210531_190220 (resized).jpgQuoted from cybercid:I’ll try to switch my driver board from tag team tomorrow. Thanks
cybercid Did you ever find the problem?
Quoted from Grandnational007:Is "converting" to an LED light tube simply replacing it with the correct sized LED tube? Or do you cut out the ballast and starter, etc?
The LED tubes I used were a direct replacement. Didn't have to pull the ballast or starter out.
Quoted from mbaumle:I think it depends on the kind. JodyG has a good write up for the conversion over in the system 1-80B club thread. That kind requires the ballast and starter to be removed.
This is the type I used.
93098373 TUNGSRAM
LED lights; cold white; G13; 220 / 240VAC; 2385lm; 15W; 200 °; 6500K
https://www.tme.eu/de/details/93098373/lichtquellen-beleuchtung/tungsram/
Quoted from RGarriott:Hey guys, I got a weird thing happening in my Robo-War. I am getting the Flight again extra ball after I start the game on ball 1 or 2. I have looked in the dip settings but do not see anything that would cause this. I got the game non working and had to replace Z11-15 and replaced U4. Anyone had this happen?
RGarriott I currently have the same issue with my RW. I think I am being awarded an extra ball for getting the high score...and somehow my game is not saving the high score data, so I end up getting a high score on each and every game. I haven't spent the time to research the issue. It seems I have a similar issue on my TX Sector so maybe it is a DIP setting or in a menu somewhere. I'll try and look into it in the next few days, but lemme know what you find.
Quoted from Prospekteur:what do think?
I've pulled mylar up on about 8 Bally/Williams machines without any damage. When I pulled the mylar on my RW the paint came with it. I was already planning to sand the playfield down for an overlay so it wasn't a big problem.
Polish it, wax it, and leave it be.
Quoted from Gundam_Pilot_:Man I wish I could find a nice condition one. It would look great in the Gottlieb lineup.
I do have a big house for trade if anyone has a robo war they want to move
I'm gonna list mine for sale soon. In Germany though...probably doesn't help you. Anyone have thoughts on current market value?
Quoted from RGarriott:I have noticed an issue with my game, if I dont turn it on and play it for a few days to a wk, The high scores start to drop off. I had a button battery installed, I installed a nvram thinking this would fix the issue but it has not. Any ideas?
I have the same issue. Have never fixed it but I believe this might be DIP switch related.
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