Keypad Removal Tips? - Lots of Astrocade Motherboard Pics

[+wongojack]

I'm slowly disassembling one of my two working Astrocades and considering sending it to kenzre to get recapped and hopefully a bit more future proofed.

 

I've come across some interesting modifications on this one, and I was wondering first if anyone has tips for me on removing the plastic under the keypad. Advice I've gotten is that it will "slide" and the service manual tells you to press down from the top. Neither of those will work on their own, so I'm wondering what technique people use to remove the keypad safely. Here's a pic of the underside of mine:

 

 

This one had a heatsync put on U18 (custom data). You can kinda see it in the lower left of that picture above. It also had a 64k ROM added (without a socket). There's also a few points jumped on the underside of the board, and of course the RF Shield had been removed. Here are some pics:

 

64K ROM. The markings are 7839 MOSTEK MK36008P DALLAS. I found reference to it this in this document as the 64K ROM from Bally. AKA 2364-0002 SYSTEM II.

 

 

Here are a few more pictures of the inside:

 

 

There is some strange residue on the underside of the Custom Address chip on this one:

 

 

 

I originally opened it thinking I would remove the RF shield and fix the power switch which had gotten (mechanically) stuck. Now that I know it has been worked on and upgraded, I think it is probably worth it to replace those 40 year old Caps. However, I've gotta get that keypad plastic off first - LOL.

 

 

Edit - Here's a video of it working without the case.

[ballyalley]

Here's a pic of the underside of mine

Those are great pictures!

 

It looks like the I/O chip has been removed and replaced. I've had many Astrocades over the years, but I've never owned one that has had work done it previously. It's cool that someone removed the RF shield and added a heatsink.

 

Edit - Here's a video of it working without the case.

 

Thanks for sharing your video of your working Astrocade. Why not add it to YouTube? Here are some comments on the video:

 

1. Screen Roll - It's interesting that you get screen roll on the TV. I haven't seen that in decades! I remember my father's TV in the 80s always had to have the vertical hold knob on the side of the TV adjusted to keep it still.
2. Black Shadow - I presume that black shadow on the TV screen is a product on the phone's video and isn't actually there. Is that right?
3. RF Interference - Out of all of my classic systems, except for the NES, the Astrocade always has given me a really clear RF picture, but your TV's RF is very fuzzy, more than seems normal. Is your RF cord frayed? Are you using an F-plug to connect to the TV?
4. Scribbling - I like how you have Scribbling go into automatic mode for the demonstration this video. That's a good idea.
5. Checkmate - What happened to the sound during Checkmate was the computer was playing itself?

I've always wondered how amazing that Scribbling might have looked to someone in January of 1978! Would it have been cool enough to setup for display at a party? I think so-- heck, it's probably cool enough to setup at a get together at a house party now. With my Astrocade set up at next year's New Eve Party, I'd smile, in a trance-like state, as I watched the lines and colors of Scribbling being drawn on the screen. Everyone else at the party would stare at me, tap my wife gently on the shoulder and ask, "Uh, what's wrong with your husband? Why is he drooling on the carpet?" She'd answer slyly, "He just does that sometimes." Then she's shake me out of my trance and say quietly, "Honey, it's time to turn off the BallyAlley and come join the party." (Yeah, my wife actually does call the Astrocade the "BallyAlley." Amusing, right?)

 

Adam

[+wongojack]

Those are great pictures!

 

It looks like the I/O chip has been removed and replaced. I've had many Astrocades over the years, but I've never owned one that has had work done it previously. It's cool that someone removed the RF shield and added a heatsink.

 

 

Thanks for sharing your video of your working Astrocade. Why not add it to YouTube? Here are some comments on the video:

 

1. Screen Roll - It's interesting that you get screen roll on the TV. I haven't seen that in decades! I remember my father's TV in the 80s always had to have the vertical hold knob on the side of the TV adjusted to keep it still.
2. Black Shadow - I presume that black shadow on the TV screen is a product on the phone's video and isn't actually there. Is that right?
3. RF Interference - Out of all of my classic systems, except for the NES, the Astrocade always has given me a really clear RF picture, but your TV's RF is very fuzzy, more than seems normal. Is your RF cord frayed? Are you using an F-plug to connect to the TV?
4. Scribbling - I like how you have Scribbling go into automatic mode for the demonstration this video. That's a good idea.
5. Checkmate - What happened to the sound during Checkmate was the computer was playing itself?

I've always wondered how amazing that Scribbling might have looked to someone in January of 1978! Would it have been cool enough to setup for display at a party? I think so-- heck, it's probably cool enough to setup at a get together at a house party now. With my Astrocade set up at next year's New Eve Party, I'd smile, in a trance-like state, as I watched the lines and colors of Scribbling being drawn on the screen. Everyone else at the party would stare at me, tap my wife gently on the shoulder and ask, "Uh, what's wrong with your husband? Why is he drooling on the carpet?" She'd answer slyly, "He just does that sometimes." Then she's shake me out of my trance and say quietly, "Honey, it's time to turn off the BallyAlley and come join the party." (Yeah, my wife actually does call the Astrocade the "BallyAlley." Amusing, right?)

 

Adam

 

1) Screen Roll - I was surprised to see that. It is just specific to that TV. I had it put away for a while and just got it back out for this demo. I tried it later the same day and there was no roll.

2) Black Shadow - is from the phone

​3) RF Fuzz - Yeah it has more than the other Astrocade I own. I'm going to replace the RF box at some point

4) Scribbling - Trance . . .

5) Checkmate - Computer was playing itself

 

 

I still haven't gotten that plastic off. I'm afraid of breaking the clips that hold it in place

[+wongojack]

 

Well, I got the keypad off, and I understand what the instructions in the service manual meant now too. You have to push "down" and slide the white rectangle of plastic out of the plastic tabs that hold it in place. In reality you are pushing from just under where the 0 is (on the other side) and moving it through the "top" of the keypad until it slides off.

 

It took some wiggling to get it to start to slide, and there was a TON of dirt and dust in there, but once it started sliding, it was easy enough to slide it all the way off.

 

I made a (much worse) video of it still working post keypad plastic removal. My TV was behaving much better, but you can't really tell because of the crap lighting.