Amplifone Help Needed!

[Prop Nut...]

OK, I am a Newbie, as much as newbies could be! In other words I have no clue what I am doing, but am willing to learn.

I recently purchased an Atari Star Wars upright arcade game, tha came with a Well Gardner 6102. Now I hear that they are making new flybacks for the original Amplifone monitors that were original to this game. I also hear that the picture quality is better.

I found a guy selling an Amplifone monitor (model # 19VLTP22) who claims that an internet search of the model # will show that it was used in the Star Wars Arcade Game. I do a search and find that it was a color X/Ymonitor made by RCA.

Here are my questions:

 

First off, is there really a big difference between the W/G and Amplifone?

Is one more reliable than the other? What about longevity?

I've heard the Amplifone handles the Death Star Explosion better than the W/G, is there a big Difference?

I am looking at trying to do the swap myself, and don't want to get injured, is it hard to do?

 

 

I would appreciate your opinions, especially if you've played on both monitors. Thanks in advance!

 

-Gio

[Cassidy Nolen]

AFAIK, or can remember....

 

SW used the Amplifone monitor exclusively in production. As you know they caught fire and all need new flybacks. I have a cockpit SW that someone swapped a WG out of a Tempest directly into. Frankly, I have been trying to get the 25 inch Amplifone ever since. The 19 inch was in the upright, 25 in the cockpit.

 

As for the better of the two, you can bulletproof either of them. The WG does give you an egg for the deathstar but Clay Cowgill built the repair for that with an interface kit. http://www.multigame.com/display.html is the part you need to correct this. I never bothered as its on my to-do list and I may never get to it.

 

If you can get an Amplifone for your game, go for it. If not, strip a Tempest and be on your way. Heck, better yet, take one from a Space Duel and go man go.

 

If you search on here you will encounter different opinions on "safely" removing a monitor. I have had no formal training and have kept hundreds of games running for a decade. YOU have to decide, after some research if YOU are comfortable with discharging a potentially lethal voltage. I personally see little reason why not to, but I am clearly the minority on these Atariage boards. If you decide to do it yourself, just discharge your monitor tube (very straightforward) and remove/reinstall the new one.

 

Good luck, hope that helps. Now, if you found a working 25 inch Amplifone monitor AND you decide not to buy it/use it, drop me a line. Would LOVE to get it and would make it worth your trouble....

 

Cheers,

C

[98PaceCar]

As far as the flybacks go, I believe that Wintron is no longer making any more replacements. I think there was one last run of them, but I haven't seen any surface in a while.

 

There is another replacement coming out (may even be out now), but the pre-production unit that we tried in my game never did work. Was probably just the HV board we were using, but we never did get a picture from it.

 

One thing to consider on the Amplifone vs WG debate is that the Amplifone is actually a medium res monitor instead of a standard res. From the bit of comparison I've done, the difference isn't huge, but I do prefer the look of an Amplifone over the WG.

 

I don't have an upright anymore so I can't help with the cross ref of that part number. The one upright I have access to has a WG in it so no help there. I can get you any info you need off of my cockpit though!

 

Cassidy, do you have any parts at all for a 25"? I think the only part that's hard to get a hold of is the yoke. The rest are the same as a 19" amp. The tube is even fairly standard if I remember right.

[Prop Nut...]

Thanks for the replies, guys. i will continue my search and will keep my eyes open for a 25" Amplifone, Cassidy.