Bally Professional Arcade, Montgomery Ward model: complete restoration
Entry posted by Gunstar
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I put a blog about it up on Atari Owners Club forum site but had intended to bring it here too for a while and I am finally doing it. Other "coming soon" blogs are all blogs I had written before on the now defunct Atari Sector forums and I believe them to be lost forever, or at least I've no idea how to retrieve them an in the end decide it easier to redo them all from scratch. I still have most of the photos, so it's just collecting them into one folder and then re-writing the processes. But this one is a simpler copy and paste from Atari Owner's Club, so now that I have some time I'm starting with it.
So here begins the real blog, the full repair and restoration of the Bally Professional Arcade, Montgomery Ward special edition.
Below are pictures of the unit before initial cleaning.
Here are some misc. images of controllers, what's left of the PSU, broken pieces that fell out.
Here are images after initial cleaning with Windex and a shop cloth, tool for corners and crevices and toothbrush for same as well.
Here are some interior images of the Bally Arcade. As far as I know, from when this unit was put into storage a decade ago, it's in working order except for the lack of a working PSU. I will clean it all up, make a PSU for the unit similar to the dual-power PSU I made for my CA-20001 drive (thread on AS) and I will be removing the RF modulator (which easily unplugs from the mother board!), and do a video mod to the unit. IIRC, I think this unit has RGB output I can tap into!
If you are unfamiliar with Bally Arcade/Astrocade consoles, and would like to know more, here is a link to the Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade
Having removed the case entirely, and the shielding and RF modulator, I'm down to the bare motherboard. I also removed lids on the crystal oscillator board and power input box, just to take a peak.
I'll be using 91% Isopropyl alcohol, a toothbrush and disposable shop cloth to clean off the motherboard. The top shielding also doubles as a heat-sink for one of the custom IC's, and I'll be cleaning off the old lithium grease and replacing it.
Next I'll use a steal wool S.O.S. pad to scrub the rust and tarnish off of the metal shielding and get it looking as new as possible. and clean out the inside of the case bottom which has rust from the ground shield on it too. The RF modulator will probably not be re-installed and instead I'll do a S-video (or RGB if possible) modification.
I'll also be working on case restoration in parallel, mainly a deep cleaning of the black textured plastic and repairing the gold chrome trim as best I can. Right now, I will probably make it look the best I can using a gold paint pen to redo the trim, but later on, when I get my hands on some real gold chrome leaf or decal tape or something to redo it more properly. In the mean time, the gold paint will be used sparingly only where the original gold chrome is damaged (which does include the entire outer trim that a previous owner already attempted to repair, poorly, with silver paint.)
The PSU I will probably still build my own custom one out of two separate ones like I did with my CA-2001 disk drive.
I will also replace the two large capacitors on the motherboard before anything else, just in case and so it doesn't have to be done later down the road.
I've finished cleaning the motherboard, and now that I can see it clearly, it looks to be in excellent overall condition and it's a high-quality PCB with heavy-duty circuit traces. There is no obvious physical evidence of any damage or burnout, short or open circuit, no corrosion or cold solder points. It appears the rust all occurred only to the shielding and RF box and the motherboard was protected within, except from years of dust.
I pulled the three custom IC's that have sockets, and re-seated them. The keypad board is hard-wired and glued to the motherboard. The keypad contacts appear to be bubble contacts very similar to those found in the common CX-40 joystick. and they all feel to be in good condition, hinting at little use of the keypad, so I'm hopeful it works and will continue to do so for a long time.
As I continue to repair and restore this console, I plan to remove the plastic covering the expansion ports so they are ready to be connected to what ever I can lay my hands on or build myself.
I've put aside the motherboard and shielding for a while and jumped back on case restoration. I did another deep cleaning, then a rub-down with orange-glow wood rejuvenation oil which also rejuvenates old plastic. I also cleaned off all the ruined and badly done metal trim paint on the outer case edges, I will try a quality gold paint job on them with quality gold paint, but if it doesn't look good enough (it's not going to be chrome shiny) then I'll eventually redo it with some proper gold chrome trim. The gold trim around the keypad area is also in rough shape, and not really salvageable, so I'll attempt the same there as well.
The keypad is looking pretty good now that it is cleaned, it has some minor scratching on it's metal surface, but polishing it up helps to hide it. The wood grain motif is in great shape over-all, there are some worn and scratched areas that are hardly noticeable along the bottom edge, but not enough to attempt any repairs, you can't see it unless you go in close for a look. So the next post will show the gold trim work I've done and dirty and cleaned controllers, and probably start the body repairs too.
On the tinted clear plastic cover, it looks great after the orange glow and I can make that shine permanent later with the WIPE-NEW product I used on my XL and 800 cases that worked so well. The Montgomery Ward name stamp cleaned up nicely as did the Bally metal name badge.
I still have to clean the controllers and they will also need some gold trim restoration on the Bally name logos that are on them. The controllers will also need some minor body work done on them around the top where the joystick/paddle protrudes where pieces have broken off on both controllers. I will be using J.B. Weld for the body work as I always do, but it will also be necessary to paint the controller handles afterward to hide the body work. They are a black semi-shiny plastic so some semi-gloss black paint should do the trick, with clear coat to protect it.
But first, a few more close-up shots of the Bally's keypad area, as I don't think any previous photos have accurately captured the actual damage to the gold chrome trim. Even these photos below, aren't the best, and you would expect to see black where the chrome has worn off, as it was with the top case outer trim. But it's actually a light pinkish-tan color left under the worn off chrome. And in all the photos here, the light areas are where it is worn off, it's not just caused by light glare. It will be a huge difference once new gold trim is in place.
Alright you 8-bit retronauts, here are pictures of restoring the gold chrome trim around the keypad!
Here is the first strip in place at the top.
Here are top and bottom strips in place, the bottom plastic protective coating half-way removed for show.
Here we have all four sides and the center keyboard trim in place, over-lapping prior to trimming.
Here is the final result, after over-lapping the trim, cutting at a 45 degree angle on the corners trims both top and bottom strips to be flush. The center trim separating the keypad from the cart port was cut straight across using the upper and lower trim edge as a guide to cut as close as possible to be flush and hide the seam as best possible there too. And finally, the corners of the trim are trimmed to match the outer curved corners of the keypad and cart port frame.
Here is what it looks like with the case back in place over the keypad.
I was just noticing that the eject button isn't original gold either, it was redone with silver paint, so I'll be getting a gold paint pen to redo both buttons. They didn't do too bad of a job on the eject button, assuming the damaged areas have worn off again since, but why they used silver on it instead of gold, and the same with the outer case trim too, I have no idea. If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing right.
I was just searching for and studying some other Bally Astrocade/Pro Arcade system images to make sure I'm right about the original look, and I believe this photo below is one of the better ones, showing all gold trim and highlights.
Here is the finished gold chrome trim on my case. All that's left is painting the RESET and EJECT button's raised lettering and some Wipe-New on the tinted clear cover for original luster, and Ms. Bally will be restored to her former beauty! (cosmetically anyway)
I wish they were better pictures, but I have terrible lighting for photographing in this room and the flash only adds glare. But using the camera without the flash to avoid the terrible glare, there isn't quite enough light for my terrible phone camera to focus accurately.
So after finishing the case (actually, it's on hold until I get a gold paint pen to finish the buttons and that will be ordered Friday as well), I will continue with clean, and restoring the controllers. IIRC, I can test them out for functionality on an Atari, it's just they are wired differently so the trigger button might be up on the joystick and up on the joystick might be right, but I think I can still test all directions and buttons and paddles for functionality at least, before the Bally is up and running.
But the controllers will also not be completely finished either, until the gold paint pen I will order arrives to repair the logos on them, and I get some black spray paint to repaint them after doing body work on broken parts. So...I'll probably get started on the controllers today, and have done what I can, with pictures by this evening. It's another lousy, rainy day here anyway.
So, before I get started, here are some "before" shots of the controllers and current condition.
In the last picture showing the top of the controller, I believe that is corrosion on the gold metal surrounding the "2." I'm hoping I can clean that up some or completely with some TarnX. The number one controller is in much better condition with no corrosion, only a few fine scratches that will stay, to give it "character" and I'll shine both up as much as possible too.
The Bally logos on both sides used to have gold chrome plating on them, and will be painted gold after the controllers are repaired and painted black.
One controller is broken in two places, the other in one.
As stated before, I will be using the same technique on repairing the broken parts as I did with my Syscheck XL case I modified from a Commodore modem case (as seen on AS). using electrical tape for the mold around the outside, and fill it in from the inside with J.B. Weld. Then I will use copper trace repair across the top with more J.B. Weld on top of that to create extra strength. Sort of like re-bar in cement.
Here are interior shots of the Bally controllers, for the curious.
One has a plastic cover in place and the other has it removed, that cover slides between the trigger and the leaf switch and wraps half-way around the joystick apparatus. It has a heavy-duty spring which returns the joystick rod to center. On the bottom of the mechanism is a small PCB board which, once again, contains metal bubble contacts like those found in Atari CX-40 joysticks. But, there are heavy-duty leaf springs attached to the rod that press against a polyurethane "wings" that actually press against the bubble contacts in this chain reaction. Underneath all of that is a pot that looks pretty similar to the ones found in Atari paddles.
It's all almost arcade quality, which one might expect from Bally/Midway, since they had/have an arcade video and pinball division(s). Not quite as heavy-duty, slightly downgraded for the consumer market, high-end consumer market. And if these were arcade controllers they would be in die-cast metal cases, not plastic. Still, the quality you expect in an expensive after-market controller, not ones included in a system that needs to compete in price among other things, against Atari VCS, Odyssey 2 under original ownership and later Intellivision, Colecovision and the 5200 under new ownership.
Here are shots of a complete tear-down, short of the main assembly.I will be testing and cleaning contacts while it is apart, after I do the body-filler on the controller handle, while I wait for it to cure. I will probably have to tear-down the paddle-pot and clean it as they get tarnished from sitting. I've had to redo Atari paddle pots after just a few months of non-use. But I'll test them first...But it all looks in very good condition and I expect the joystick and fire button to work without issue, even though I'll clean them anyway.
This last picture is shows the shape of the joystick opening, basically square, with indents in the middle, and those are molded in, not from wear. I'll have to build up a "wall" with the J.B. Weld that is even across, and then use my Dremel with a grinding stone to re-create the proper indent(s), otherwise the joystick(s) won't have the proper throw-distance as other directions.
THE REPAIR
The first thing was to gather the supplies I'd need for the repair job. This includes 91% rubbing alcohol and paper towel for pre-cleaning, plastic gloves (to keep my hands clean and parts finger-print free) electrical tape, clear Ducktape brand packing tape (not shown in pictures), J.B. Weld, bits of left over resistor leg wire from previously installed resistors (I save these for stuff just like this or to use as wire traces on DIY circuits where only short lengths are needed) and tools for mixing, applying, sculpting and carving the J.B. Weld.
I start by wrapping a length of electrical tape around both controller halves, forming it to the basic shaped of the outer controller surface. Using the unbroken controller half allows me to "bridge" where the missing piece is on the broken side.
Next, mix up a batch of J.B. Weld as per instructions on the tubes.
I then apply a bit of J.B Weld to the inside of the broken half, making sure to fill in most of the hole left by the broken piece, but NOT all the way to the top of the controller half, but just to where there is an indent to the short neck at the top, as shown in the picture below. This is just a basic repair and reinforcement to the case structure, something to build another sculpted layer too. after 24 hours of curing and removing the electrical tape on the outside. Next I use a razor knife (Exacto blade) to carve out the edge seam that overlaps the inside of the other controller half as show in the second picture.
The next step is to apply packing tape to the opposite controller half, create a layer on the case that wraps around from the outside, and hugs the indents where two case halves overlap (1st and 2nd pictures below). Because for the next step both controller halves will be screwed together (3rd picture), but you want to keep J.B. Weld off of the half you are not applying J.B. Weld too. Once these two steps are done, then more clear packing tape is wrapped around the outside of the front of controller case, at least half- way around to the sides, hugging the controller case contours exactly (picture 4).
Next is the second round of J.B. Weld. This will go all the way to the top to reform the neck. But first, I took a couple pieces of that small left-over resister wire and placed them so on the broken case half they overlap the original case and the area of J.B. Weld filling in the broken space. They will also slightly overlap the other side of the J.B. Weld repair and the second half of the controller. Mix up some more J.B. Weld and start adding it into the opening on the broken half side, covering the reinforcement wires and all the way to the top of the neck, filling in the area where the clear plastic tape is bridging the neck where is broken.
This layer of J.B. Weld should be a couple of millimeters thick, but with a thicker "lip" at the top made flush with the lip of the unbroken half. But don't worry about forming indent for the joystick rod yet, just go straight across as the other case half is protected by that first layer of tape. After it cures for 24 hours, remover the outer packing tape, remove the screws and separate the controller halves which should be free of each other due to the tape layer wrapped around the unbroken half. You can now remove the tape wrapped around the unbroken half edge.
You can now screw the case halves back together. Now, with a razor knife, sanding paper and whatever tools might help you cut and sand on the inside of the case half you are repairing and carve out the indents matching the other side at the neck top. and carve out any indents to match the shape of the other half on the outside front of the case. Lightly sand smooth after carving. Example pictured below.
I've marked and X temporarily to show before and after shots of a permanent marker approximation of what it will look like once really painted. Some final finishing sanding still needs to be done before a real painting, so this is sort of a "rough draft" of the repaired controller case pictured below.
Here are pictures with the repaired and other unrepaired controller cases next to each other. The repaired one is 2nd from the right. So for me, it's rinse and repeat three more times to fix all four controller halves. (only two are mine, the other two I'm repairing in exchange for the new RESET and Eject buttons I "traded and bartered" for...)
The capacitors for the Bally motherboard arrived, so replacing them is next on the list.
I did notice one error in the list of capacitors I got on-line. They say the C8 capacitor is normally a 15uF, but in fact it's a 6.8uF on my motherboard. On the capacitor list they say they substituted 22uF for the 15uF's, but in the case of C8 I have gone with a 10uF as that is the closest to 6.8uF I have on hand. My replacements are all 35V and 50V rated, except for C6 which I upgraded from 10V to 16V as per the suggestion in the substitute PSU instructions. In any case, all the new capacitors should be able to handle any higher voltage levels from the new transformers.
The large caps arrived too, so I think I have everything I need, for the moment to get this show on the road again. Hoping none of the custom IC's are bad. I will start on the project again today, as we've got nothing but rainy days this past few days and the next couple. I had intended on starting this weekend, but I pretty much spent it all napping, worn out from working last week.
OK, all motherboard main capacitors have been replaced. I'm ready to start on the new PSU.
While I was downloading some more Bally arcade materials and printing out the instructions and schematics for the substitute transformers PSU, on @BallyAlley 's site, ballyalley.com I did finally run across the instructions for an RGB out circuit, which I won't bother with, but that's because the Bally Arcade does have B-Y, R-Y, Y(Luma/mono out), and I already have an Ambery RGB-to-VGA converter/upscaler that also accepts various component RGB.
So all I have to do is run a VGA cable out the back where the RF cable used to go, which, of course, will be made slightly larger to accomidate the cable. That will run to a DIY break-out-box that sits outside the BPA, via VGA input, and mount a component output 3xRCA, 1x chroma RCA out and it in combination with 1x Luma (shared with component outs) RCA out for monitors like the CBM 1084P I have. I'll do a dual-mono RCA audio out also. All of this will only take 5 RCA outs. I also already have DIY cables for component to the RGB2VGA converter, C/L-to-S-video, and C/L-to-composite cables to go from the B.O.B to monitors and adapters/converters for the ability to plug it in via 3 different video outs.
I also stumbled across directions for a 64K upgrade and connecting a keyboard, so I may even end up doing that stuff too, before finishing with this Bally!
Since I'm also building a new PSU unit for the Bally Arcade, I have decided NOT to go the route I have seen in other Bally restoration videos of attaching the replacement power supply directly to the original internal plug connector, I will be using a PSU port salvaged from a broken Xbox 360 unit, and the cord from the Xbox PSU box that plugs into the connector. (below is a picture of the Xbox 360 PSU cord). It has 6 lines going through it which is more than enough for the four wires that go from the PSU to the Ball Arcade unit.
I have found PSU's with the correct voltage and minimum amp requirments for the dual-power needed. Just like the ones I found for the CA-2001 disk drive PSU I built, they are made for musical audio equipment like distortion peddles on guitar's and whatnot, but they are the only type I can find that are AC/AC and the right voltages and amp needs. To be continued when they arrive.
The transformers for my DIY Bally PSU arrived today, so I can start building it.
I've set up to get on with building the Bally Arcade PSU. First I'll follow the schematics on a bread board, and after testing I'll move it to the two green boards you see in the pictures. I've laid out schematics of the substitute PSU from the original Arcadian newsletter from the 80's and a recent update, along with the data sheets of transformers.
As I stated in an earlier post, like I did when I built the CA-2001 drive PSU, I'll be making a case and cords for the PSU out of a salvage Xbox 360 PSU case and cords. I'll be using both original input and output cords on this one, my intention being to build in a power input port on the Bally that I will salvage from one of a half-dozen broken Xbox 360's I have on hand. I showed a picture of the type of cord from PSU to unit in an earlier picture, and more will come when I get to that part of the project.
I'll add more pictures to this post as I build the test board.
New content as of 1-9-22. The repair and restoration continues, some things have changed as per restoration plans. The controller repair section above now includes broken case repair "tutorial."
I will no longer be building or including a DIY PSU in the blog, as I was given the opportunity to purchase an original Bally Arcade PSU from a Bally fan who read this blog. I was also able to acquire RESET and EJECT buttons with the gold chrome paint intact, so I no longer will need to paint the old ones with gold paint. And the last item I acquired from this person are two paddle knobs for the controllers that have good 1&2 decals on the top.
So, I still needed to fix a broken switch on the RF modulator so I could set it to a channel (3) and I also had to disassemble and clean the unstable power switch. I removed the broken RF switch and just solder-shorted the RF to channel 3 only as that's all I need and it's a quick fix. After taking care of these two things it was time to turn on the Bally for a second test run (the first resulted in a power-up and all motherboard voltage testing checked out OK, but no video image) and the result is I now have a working Bally Arcade, not needing to replace any other components but the capacitors.
In fact, and the pictures below don't do it justice, but I think this is the clearest RF image I have ever seen on any console up through the first 3D console generation, the last generation I used RF for any time. So for now I am waiting on building a new RGB video out board and just enjoy it as-is with old-school RF for now, on a little old-school CRT TV that I have.
I want to keep the custom IC's especially, but everything nice and cool to promote further longevity because these old IC's run hotter as they get older and this further deteriorates them. With some custom IC's being very rare, possibly irreplaceable now or soon. So I took some precautionary measures, maybe overkill, but it certainly can't hurt, to help protect from over-heating and these old proprietary I.C's from running hot and I added heat sinks to all major I.C's and added onto the current, less-than acceptable, heat-sinks on the voltage regulators (they ran hot, got there nearly instantly and hotter than I've ever felt a regulator get). I of course will not be replacing the top shielding, it wouldn't fit on anymore anyway, but that will also help keep it all much cooler. I will be printing a stand for it as well with my 3D printer, which will also house a small PC fan that will drawer air through and out the bottom venting.
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Since it's in working condition, I will wait until any dram or 74LS series IC's go dead before swapping them all out for newer versions and adding in sockets as well. For all intents and purposes, this machine is completely restored, aside from finishing up my controllers.
So I gave the exterior another good cleaning and then wiped it down with a micro-fiber cloth and Rejuvenate brand plastic and paint restorer. Shown below with the keypad overlay that goes with the built-in sketch program and a white 3D printed cassette shell in inserted and ejected positions, testing that it fits and works.
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