Baby Pac-Man Restoration with the 8-Bit Guy

[@Innovictos]

You should put a QR code with a link to the restoration video on each of the cabinets you do, so players can check it out if interested.

[@TheRogueMaverick]

Now THAT'S a solid idea! 😁 It's always cool to see how much love was put into restoring these old cabinets and computers!

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

Owww, I see a *GENIOUS* idea here ! I upvote for this ! +1

[@Adrian_Finn]

Superb idea!

[@NFSMWFAN9238]

That is a great idea as somebody who's watched majority of his channels they have kept me very interested in technology

[@Cynnister-vy5tl]

That's an outstanding idea. It also increases views on each video and maybe get more people to subscribe to the channel. Great idea Innovictos.

[@PrismaNotTerra]

"And, to quote Technology Connections, through the magic of owning two of these" As a Technology Connections viewer, I approve.

[@thomasandrews9355]

Don’t, love TC!

[@icychill105]

amazing he has 2 considering ive only ever seen 2 in person in WA state.

[@chubbista]

I think the bolt on the side was to attach some kind of a coin door security bar. We had these over here in Germany on almost every machine back in the day.

[@sonicunleashedfan124]

Weird, I don’t think any machines over here in the states had those

[@damons6759]

@@sonicunleashedfan124 Some did. Back in the 90s in gas stations.

[@Toonrick12]

I'm surprised the machine was cosmetically decent looking considering that no one had done maintenance in it since leaving the factory.

[@X22GJP]

How do you know that no one had done any maintenance inside since it left the factory?

[@juanmacias5922]

@@X22GJP did you even watch the video? HAHA

[@Nightenstaff]

Might have been a blessing. Owner/Operators in the '80s have a reputation of, 'Get it working now and as cheaply as possible'. It was great for the arcade, but I've worked on a machine or two 50 years later where I just threw up my hands trying to figure out the logic of the time.

[@MaxBandwidth-rb1qx]

I can't say for sure about everywhere but I know among the three Aladdin's Castles I was familiar with, the game was not very popular at all. The arcade crowd had no interest in pinball and the pinball crowd didn't want to play Pacman. I know these were in a number of Chuck E Cheese locations, so those machines probably got heavy abuse, but I'd be willing to bet if those three machines weren't sold, they went into storage with little/no maintenance.

[@HaakonAnderson]

Speaking of the factory, the workers were probably pulling their hair out when this nutty machine showed up

[@rijaja]

It's interesting how this series is literally the same thing every time and yet it doesn't get old. Fantastic work

[@TheRogueMaverick]

I think it's cause you truly never know exactly what will happen as each restoration has something unique about it. Sure, it follows a consistent path, but it's always slightly different to me! 😄

[@pasqualz]

Predictable variability? Consistent inconsistency?

[@mikekochanek9068]

@@pasqualz Systematic Chaos?

[@CowbopBeBoy]

I knew Baby Pac-Man existed but had no idea it was a hybrid video game/pinball machine. I feel a new obsession coming on.

[@TheSulross]

Yeah, never knew there was such a thing

[@mhyzon1]

I found this game once as a kid at the arcade in the Norfolk, VA airport. It must have been the mid to late 80s and I friggin loved it. The arcade is long gone, but when I walk past where the arcade used to be, I get a little sad. 🥲

[@joesmoe71]

There are two other hybrids just like it, Granny and the Gators and Caveman

[@aaronflint1089]

@@TheSulross None of my friends believed me either. I played it in other states arcades when I travelled at 8yo.

[@Konitama]

I own one. The Pac-Man game portion is probably the worst variation of Pac-Man to exist, and the pinball section is extremely simple... so overall the games separately are pretty bad, but together it's a novel little thing and fun to play for a minute.

[@_clubargentinodearcades]

Drilling holes for screws was a common sight in Argentina, my country, and the operators did it to keep the machines together so they wouldn't move or get stolen! I don't know if that was a real scenario in the USA, but in Argentina it was. Big hug from here and a very good video!

[@madLphnt]

Interesting

[@ChanceKearns]

Arcade owners around the world come up with the craziest ways to secure their machines

[@deejaymalta]

I can watch David diagnose, repair, and retrobright things all day. It's such a fascinating and satisfying thing to watch

[@MicaelSG23]

Always enjoy these arcade restoration videos. Hope they never stop!

[@Michael_Knight823]

It just goes to show you, _maintenance is mandatory._ It's great to see all of these arcade machines receive a new lease on life, ESPECIALLY this one! Baby Pac-Man, being an arcade/pinball combo, is supposed to be EXTRAORDINARILY rare!!

[@Heike--]

LOL it wasn't that good even back in the day. Video game players don't want to play pinball, and pinball players despise video games. I preferred Professor Pac-man myself. Though the questions are badly dated and un-answerable today.

[@joesterling4299]

@@Heike-- Speak for yourself. I like both pinball and videogames. I've never seen this unit before, though. It must have been quite rare.

[@deineroehre]

But better no maintenance at all than half-assed maintenance or cheapskating the maintenance...

[@Michael_Knight823]

@@deineroehre I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know what you mean.

[@Konitama]

@@joesterling4299 I see them pop up pretty often in southern california. The idea of the game is great but honestly the pac-man bit is really bad and the pinball bit is really simple. I own one of these but it's currently semi-disassembled and stored in my garage lol

[@JasonL1202]

I love these videos. They remind me that no matter how bad something is it can be fixed and cleaned up. All it takes is hard work and patience.

[@litigioussociety4249]

The hardest part is often making new parts for something; fortunately, with 3D printing they are often able to do that with anything plastic they need to replace. Also, I prefer the fact that 8bit Guy cares more about getting the thing to look good and work rather than be perfect, because it's educational to see someone come up with a fix using modern comparability.

[@stevec00ps]

Hard work, patience and a spare unit to get parts from :)

[@gargaj]

... and a fully equipped shop. :)

[@TheSulross]

There is just a lot of satisfaction in seeing something old and dilapidated being brought back to how it was in its prime - loved it with the old retro computers and now loving it with these old arcade machines

[@TheRogueMaverick]

And are just a great "kick back and relax" kind of video! These are great background noise and just relaxing after a hard day! Truth be told, that's really 8-Bit Guy's entire video style and is why he's my top favourite KZbinr! (Though LGR IS nipping at his heels for me, ahahaha!)

[@WayneBarroncffcs]

I absolutely LOVE watching these restoration videos. I remember Baby Pacman being at the Bowling Lanes when I was a young teen (in the 1980s), but it did not stay long. The people who went to the bowling lanes did not like it; they loved Pacman and Ms Pacman, but not the baby. It stayed there for about a month before being sold to the new arcade that opened down the road.

[@glassvial]

Man I feel old now because I remember (as a kid) when it was new in the arcades, a hybrid video game/pinball system, I remember being amazed at such a thing. This restoration came out nicely

[@MrEd20901]

Same. It's a fairly uncommon machine. I remember playing it at Showbiz Pizza as a kid. I think they may have even had 2 of them.

[@sixgunsal81]

The family and I are gonna take the heartland flyer from OKC to Ft Worth to spend a day or two when Time Rift opens. We're really looking forward to it.

[@leavethelightsonpleasethec7154]

Same here. But we’re taking a dolly with us tho.. that baby pac is going home with me!

[@sixgunsal81]

@@leavethelightsonpleasethec7154 Nice!

[@Wingspan_5]

I can't get enough of these restoration videos!

[@s81n]

I'm so happy to see these old machines getting a second life. I used to work in arcades back in the 90s and it's amazing how much maintenance is required for these machines. Every day a new machine or two would need maintenance. Baby Pac-Man is definitely an interesting one, I've only ever seen one of them in my life.

[@deathstrike]

I did a similar restoration on a Baby Pac Man about 15 years ago. I still get haunted by it. For the one I did, it had problems in the MPU 133 board. But the cold solder, corrosion from that wretched battery, and the hybrid nature of the machine? Made it a huge pain. Don't get me wrong, it's a joy to play and watch. When it works that is! Bally had a decent reputation, but this weird "part videogame, part pinball" was an idea ahead of its time, but was a maintenance nightmare. It's pretty straightforward for the pinball part (solenoids/reed switches/bumpers and targets) but that damned video portion. Had to rebuild the monitor with a new cap kit, new HV power supply (salvaged from a dropped baby pac man). Pretty easy as it's a common 13in Wells Gardner. But a working one is a marvel. It's gratifying to watch a restoration as the hybrid pinball idea did get a few more examples like Bally Granny and the Gators and Gottlieb Caveman. I regret selling my Baby Pac, but it was just too much for the limited space I have. But great restoration video!!! If you come across a Baby Pac Man nightmare or not, I'd still recommend it.

[@TwistedD85]

I'm glad you kept some of the original patina. I know sometimes it needs to be replaced, but a nicely aged machine just reminds me of whenever I found an old machine in the corner of a restaurant or business still chugging along.

[@electricallycanadian]

Another machine, another blast from the past. I grew up in a small town in Canada, and when my grandparents were visiting from the other end of the country we'd have to do a 3.5 hour drive each way to the nearest airport to pick them up. We'd pick up my grandparents, spend the night, then drive home. My parents would always book us into the same hotel, and in the lobby they had one of these machines. My grandfather would always have a pocket full of quarters (or "clink", as he'd call it) and would enable me to play it for hours. This game is forever associated with good memories for me, and it's extremely rare because it's such a complex beast. I assume it was also very expensive back in the day. It's also basically impossible to emulate well because of its mixed electronic/mechanical nature. It's really heartwarming to see one saved for posterity.

[@64jcl]

Never seen this machine before. Very cool combo of arcade and pinball.

[@georged7627]

Ok I'm super happy to Sub to the 8bit guys other channel 🙏🏼and i gotta say what a top notch job fellas 👍🏼

[@chiaraj1003]

Just this arcade alone would be a reason for me to do a trip to the US at some point! You I'm hoping to get as good at repairs as you guys, good luck with the other machines!

[@cooperschwartz318]

Pinball and an arcade game is a pretty cool idea

[@pinfarmer]

Every attempt at forcing the two things together was commercially unsuccessful. It's a neat novelty though for a few games.

[@EdGreenTO]

Great vid and agree it's a cool idea @cooperschwartz318 and also agree ​@pinfarmer but wanted to add that it was unsuccessful because it wasn't very good as a pinball machine or a video game. I remember wanting to like it when it was fresh in the arcades but being disappointed. I think maybe the integration would need to be something super dramatic or something, to make these sorts of "4D" experience work. 100% awesome to see one restored so everyone can experience it for themselves.

[@jasonk9779]

Sadly this wasn't a great experience when it came to gameplay. The PacMac part was particularly weak. They had a followup machine "Granny and the Gators" which was much more fun.

[@ZylonBane]

Pinball machines ARE arcade games.

[@Starchface]

I don't know if you realize how satisfying watching these videos is. Beautiful restoration! I hope that one day I make it down there to see the whole operation. I think it's going to be a resounding success.

[@christophermcdonald5578]

I loved that game when I was a kid. I got to play it again a few years back at a pinball museum. It was awesome

[@coolest10293]

I’m incredibly happy that David quoted Alec from Technology connections! It’s amazing to know that some of my favorite KZbinrs also watch each other, although I’m not sure if Alec also watches the 8 bit guy…

[@timhoover1416]

Sure wish I lived in your area to come and play all these great games. I love seeing your restorations. Great job again.

[@volvoguy804]

With John's Arcade no longer posting, always look forward to these arcade videos.

[@Trulylatino]

Never heard of Baby Pac-Man before. I truly enjoyed the restoration. *Thank you for showing us how is done. 😎👍*

[@elaynet382]

Fantastic work. It's great to see classic games like these getting love to keep them available for future generations.

[@Diego-mc2go]

Thank you for bringing this game back to life and sharing the video!

[@Markimark151]

I barely remember Baby Pac Man it was in our mall’s Tilt arcade! Those arcade machines were obscure even in the 80s, I wish Namco owned the rights to this game, but since it’s Bally Midway who made this game, it’s hard to reproduce the game especially with its pinball mechanism.

[@elfeintwentyfives]

this particular model i came across only once in nj east brunswick square mall late 91 it was fun to play and very unique.glad you got you mess with one...

[@nobuyukinyuu]

beautiful machine. Always happy to see the 8-bit guy doing restoration videos.

[@HDBO261]

If you posted one of these per day, 7 days a week for 10 years, it still would not be enough! What I mean is, I really appreciate not only you doing these restorations but also taking the time to film the process and share it with your audience. You deserve way more subs. Thank you!

[@gozitgupta6165]

i like their work so much. restoring games to their original glory is so wholesome

[@masonl87]

This is fantastic. You guys obviously put a ton of love and care into these restorations.

[@feral7094]

I didn't know this existed until last year. What a crazy hybrid

[@nfugitt89]

Incredible amount of work, wonderful job. I could watch these all day.

[@CapnKetchup]

Very cool David! Great deduction of tracking down the bulb/illumination problems. Great restoration!!!

[@tbonemaloneknowsitall]

Being almost 51, I LOVED this game in the arcade .... only played it a few times in the original arcades - early - mid 80's and after. Love it!!

[@GeoffreyToday]

Baby Pac-Man was always a grail game for me as a kid. I saw it for the first time back in 1984 when I was around 5 years old, and we were on a family road trip through the states (We were driving from BC down to Disneyland). I encountered it at gas station on our trip and was blown away by an arcade machine that was also a pinball machine. I only got to play it for a scant couple of minutes before we left, but the impression has lasted a lifetime :p I've only ever came across it maybe once or twice more in my lifetime, but I'm always on the look out for it.

[@Nas_Atlas]

I don't know where you are in BC but the Hemp City Arcade in Kelowna has a Baby Pac

[@jtstacey83]

I'm starting to enjoy this more than your main channel.

[@scottfeinstein2422]

I loved Baby Pac-Man! I always thought it was so cool that it was half video game and half pinball machine.

[@retro_reflections]

Exceptional work and a fantastic restoration. Stunning.

[@marv.mon.9845]

This is a fantastic channel. Takes me back

[@oafkad]

Man I love these things. So glad there is a channel for it.

[@steven-vn9ui]

You guys have done that machine proud. Looks amazing!

[@agmood]

Love watching these... It must be so satisfying to complete one of these restorations. Heck, it's satisfying just to watch it from afar!

[@Sarcophagus74]

I've only ever seen one of those cabinets in the 80's. Cool you found two of them.

[@Aviane]

im looking forward to every new restoration. Seeing these machines get new life make me all happy inside. thank you!

[@wardman21]

That's a very ambitious restoration, you guys got very lucky. I'm so glad it turned out as great as it did!

[@BokBarber]

I've played a few of these and they always, always have something wrong with them. Yours might now be the most functional Baby Pacman cabinet on earth, lol.

[@ClassicQuarterGamePlays]

Nice fix dave thats a rare baby pacman machine i remember playing it in the 80s when i was young awesome repair keep up the amazing work both of u rockon🎉

[@Classicvideogames45]

You guys are awesome! Giving new live to classic arcade games

[@greatquux]

What an incredible amount of work. But so satisfying to see it as it was meant to be. These are awesome!

[@TheRyanlehr]

This will definitely be a stop when i come back home for the first time in over 20 years.

[@BlackBagData]

These are the best videos. Love watching the process, the restoration and the new, ready to go game!

[@jeffreyhaines]

What a transformation! Love watching these and following along as you diagnose and solve the various technical and cosmetic problems!

[@AwesomeFunThings]

David... you're a master at restoring these games! 👾

[@juxxtapoz]

8:03 the dirt dauber nest going flying had me cracking up 😂

[@HaakonAnderson]

This one would be an excellent example of a situation where an OLED swap would be favorable.

[@alextheluchador]

These videos rock! Thanks for sharing, David!

[@lilmul123]

As a fellow Baby Pac-Man owner, I might recommend changing all the bulbs to bright white LEDs. They really make the playfield pop!

[@dmtenor]

Can’t wait for the arcade to open as we live right down the road. Keep up the great work!

[@rodmunch69]

These restoration videos are always awesome. Great job.

[@futuristica1710]

Beautiful restoration!

[@MrThunderwing]

Absolutely incredible job on this David! The finished result looks great!

[@GYTCommnts]

I love Arcades and this restorations SO much! ❤

[@russellhellyer4957]

Everything is figureoutable

[@Konitama]

As soon as I saw you'd be restoring a Baby Pac-Man I'm like "and they find the entire board is corroded in 3... 2... " These things are NOTORIOUS for having the save battery corrode the entire board beyond repair. Nice job on the restoration! I have one of these sitting in my garage with playfield bits removed as I was going to swap the bulbs out with soft glow LED variants, however the playfield was such a pain to remove I just gave up and shelved the project for a rainy day. (no worries about corrosion as I already tackled that with a clean board and a replacement for the battery) I will say that this game is an absolute beast to keep working 100% as there's the whole video game board/monitor and then the pinball playfield that you need to keep operational. It's also... not very fun... lol probably one of the worst video game versions of pac-man to exist... The most fun part is of course, the pinball portion, but even that is so simple that it gets boring really quickly. It's a brilliant little piece of history though.

[@andresbravo2003]

This cabinet looks great as it was a Arcade/Pinball hybrid.

[@charlie_nolan]

Yesterday I took 2 late 90s CRT monitors with entirely different maximum resolutions/refresh rates, manufacturers, etc, and decided to swap the tubes since the higher end monitor had a worn out tube and the lower end one was almost like new. Surprisingly it just worked- all I had to do was plug and unplug them, and there was only one connection I had to cut and re-solder. Literally adjusted to like brand new just with user settings, no factory type alignment needed. Most successful major electronics project I’ve had in months. And I remembered where everything plugged in with no photos, and didn’t end up with any extra screws!

[@wheelsea]

I still get so stoked when I see a new restoration video. Much love y'all!

[@arteitle]

I'm actually in the middle of restoring a Baby Pac-Man right now! One tip for removing control panel or playfield overlays, instead of heat try using freeze spray (or a can of dusting spray held upside-down). The cold makes the old adhesive so brittle that the overlay just peels off in big chunks. Another tip, for rust removal nothing beats Evapo-Rust, it removes corrosion like magic and isn't nearly as corrosive as naval jelly. I put rusted parts in a plastic bag with enough Evapo-Rust to cover them, then immerse that in my ultrasonic cleaner at 50 °C for 10 minutes at a time.

[@TimothyTimPSP]

Fantastic! Great job! Thanks for the video.

[@apollolux]

Baby Pac-Man's got a _fever_ and the only prescription is Time Rift Arcade! ;)

[@emirvmendoza]

I like David. Would be interesting to watch him restore vintage technology.

[@benkieffer925]

Baby pacman was in the lunchroom at my high school and we played it nearly every lunch period. Thanks for the nostalgia!

[@BaconFire]

I love these resto videos. Its really cool to see how these machines were made and have them brought back to life. Well done!

[@tombirkland]

This was so much fun to watch. It's always great to see skilled people do careful work to restore things that deserve to work again.

[@cpm1003]

Pinball + video in a single repair. Very cool!

[@maggs131]

I remember as a wee lad feeding this machine most of my meager earnings as a 6 yo. ❤

[@wheatstalkers]

Love these restoration videos. Thanks for posting!

[@piercegardner3207]

Who else is jealous of Ashton? Dude's got a sweet gig restoring old games, working with some of the greats.

[@paul8731]

The attention to detail.you put in is incredible. I've never in my life taken such care over restoring anything.

[@JRthepyroguy]

What a fantastic transformation!!❤

[@xx1aelmore1xx]

Thank you for these videos! I really enjoy watching the repair and refurbing process you go through. Excellent work!!

[@diegoknyte]

Amazing that all this stuff is stall available to completely restore these machines. The channel Joe's Classic Video Games is full of pinball and video game restoration. He would be proud of your restoration! Mice work!

[@aaronflint1089]

I can't tell you how many times when I travelled as a young kid and found this game in other states how NO ONE believed me it existed. I was 8yo in '82 and I lived in Texas but travelled to LA, WV, FL where family was. None of my school friends ever believed me. I mean it was a hybrid arcade/pinball, very rare to begin with so I get it, but I swore to them up n down I had played Baby Pac-man and it existed. Yours looks awesome.

[@rmyers99]

They had one of these at the skating rink near where I grew up in the 80s. I always thought it was a neat concept but the execution was a little underwhelming. Still, this oddity deserves to be remembered and I'm happy to see one in a playable state.

[@bulbousaur]

I was a big fan of this game when it first came out. It seemed kind of rare then, and especially now. I'm so glad to see you all fully restore this! I'd love to do this kind of work with you. Thanks for a great video!

[@willrobinson7599]

Brilliant restoration video. Looks amazing

[@dindog22]

these restoration videos are very satisfying to watch

[@paulpoor7792]

Baby PAC Man was always fun! 2 games in 1. I was horrible at both but always enjoyed playing. Thanks for the video!

[@LymanPhillips]

I'm not familiar with this game. A hybrid pinball / video game? Awesome!

[@isaacbutler8828]

That's a very cool rescue of an underrated video game. I don't think a whole lot of these were made, so just to get another classic game working is great.

[@luisfelipe6368]

This Mike Woods guy is awesome. He is that friend that has a very specific niche knowledge about a certain topic. First he had that CRT rejuvenator, now he has a collection of pinball parts??? That is so specific, its awesome. "Hey I need some rubber bands for this specific pinball machine from the 70s" - "Yeah sure I got the exact thing!"

[@gstag100]

Great video and good editing! Appreciated the restrained music. Would love more arcade restorations.

[@ALTAG]

Just found this channel after looking up y’all’s upcoming arcade in our town. We’re big fans of the donut shop next door and have been excited to get a new fun place to visit! Can’t wait to see it when it opens.