Computer Space Arcade Restore Part 5 - Let's get EVERYTHING working! With Adam and Warren

[@AdamDIY]

Dude you are lucky to have friends like Adam and Warren. What a time saver!

[@Johnsarcade]

+AdamDIY I agree! I owe them BIG TIME. :)

[@bitrot42]

Glad to help! It was great to meet Adam, too.

[@seabeevet7999]

+John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Yeah, a pizza probably won't cut it. Better get some beer too!

[@CaptainSwag101]

+John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Would you be able to post a link to the new Computer Space schematics? I'd be really interested in seeing them for myself!

[@isocubesoftware2713]

+AdamDIY I want an Adam too!!

[@rturodude]

When John says ahh, yeah, okay, oh yeah -translation: "I have no idea wtf they are saying"

[@kins749]

Warren and Adam, total legends.

[@Johnsarcade]

+Kins 74 AMEN

[@Chudhole]

Would be good to see more of Warren and Adam in future videos! Being a typical electronics buffoon I like learning how this stuff works...great vid!

[@Johnsarcade]

+Cat Vomit Thanks! I'll do my best to bring them back!

[@jameshagen4539]

Fantastic vid! Warren and Adam are awesome.

[@rhysperegrine5100]

Not that I haven't loved the other ones, but this is hands-down the project that I've enjoyed watching the most. Awesome stuff.

[@Johnsarcade]

+RHYS PEREGRINE Thanks, man. What a fun project. I love it too!

[@AdamDIY]

Adam's toaster oven was a fun video to watch. I'll never make a reflow oven but I still watched the whole thing.

[@mokthemagicman]

Wow! This blows me away. It was fun to see this progress of this project and John now has a truly great part of video game history working in his basement. What an awesome cabinet to showcase in the arcade too. Very cool John. Thanks Adam and Warren for all your efforts and help in bringing this game back to life. This could become the next DVD set. lol. Now get that button fixed John.

[@platimatic]

Awesome video! I've watched all your videos since beginning of 2011 and this one I enjoyed especially. Really surprised how well that game is "programmed" and how polished it looks, now that it works!

[@brianbirkinbine2054]

Loved the real-time troubleshooting here of both analog and digital portions of this game. I learned so much watching this video.

[@MartinAlejandroLiguori]

I love this videos, I watched almost all of them, I wish you could do more of this videos were you fix your project, they are the most interesting ones, you can feel the happiness everytime something is fixed... it is weird but I almost cried when that speaker started to work and the first time you had the game working on the tv... this is such an amazing thing... I love this channel, please try to make more projects, they are your best videos by far.

[@Johnsarcade]

+Martin Alejandro Liguori Thanks, Martin. More videos like this to come for sure. :)

[@manicminer4127]

Awesome tech repair, your best to date John. Really interesting.

[@ArcadeDude44]

Man, I'm LOVING this series! Now I too want to add a Computer Space to my collection!:). Congrats John, I can't wait to see the last 2 videos.

[@K1NGARTH3R]

Superb video as usual and great friends you have, they made it look easy.

[@Johnsarcade]

+K1ngArth3r Yeah, for sure. I couldn't have done it without them!

[@yeckelrighel1141]

That ultrawide is perfect for schematics! This is a very cool video and dare I say I learned a few tricks!

[@Johnsarcade]

+Yeckel Righel Yeah, totally. I love that monitor.

[@tigheklory]

Awesome video John! you assembled a dream team there!

[@Scythe42]

John now has minions fixing his projects :) Great teamwork guys.

[@retrogamer434]

awesome video watched every minute of it and loved it. Adam and Warren are great as explaining things and I learnt alot. hope to see them again in future. best johns arcade video to date ☺

[@drifter848]

man you truly have a fun channel keep the long unedited vids its like were all hanging out lovein the project vids also the dartboard you have can be retro fittid in the rafters on hinges and lowered to play when needed

[@Johnsarcade]

+drifter848 Ha, that would be hilarious. "LOWER DOWN THE DART BOARD!"

[@yorgle11]

The troubleshooting in this episode was interesting. The electronics of Computer Space always seemed like voodoo magic to me, but after seeing those guys talk through some parts of the schematic it actually starts to make some sense. This is probably my favorite project I've seen on the channel.

[@givezerofx]

I needed a new video today thanks John

[@TopTierArcade]

OUTSTANDING! I am full heartily happy for you, John. Can't wait to see the Computer Space in the John's Arcade official arcade line-up :)

[@sewashburn0529]

Great video John! Looking forward to seeing the Raspberry Pi MAME video later this week.

[@Bobbydog66]

13:39 God dang it, having those two go at it is actually exciting for some reason. I think having any experts of anything tackle a problem together is just neat.

[@luckylukev]

Wow, one of the best videos so far. Very very interesting. Good job to all the team.

[@DrMrProfessorPatrick]

This is such a marvel to see such a rare machine being given new life. Computer Space is definitely one of my favorite arcade games, and I hope I can own my own one day. You and your team did a bang-up job, John. Well done!

[@Johnsarcade]

+DrMrProfessorPatrick THANK YOU!

[@neojeets]

Nice work guys on the Computer Space! Looking forward to see how the Raspberry Pi 3 setup will go. Pairing my old CRT with a new Raspberry Pi 2 and Retropie has been tons of fun to work on.

[@fermio100]

36:34 Your digital electronics class start to make sense. Great guys! :D

[@dvv45]

Almost there. Glad to see it working. Great restore as always! Learned a lot!

[@aarontruitt]

This was the most interesting John's Arcade episode yet. Thanks for continuing to create great content John!

[@googleboughtmee]

One day, I'm gonna come back to these videos and understand what the heck is going on.

[@bobbyjack8033]

Awesome guys, moral of the story to me is when we bro team up we can accomplish most anything! Sometimes we just need a push!

[@akaclarkkent]

Great video. I'm enjoying learning about the engineering with this series.

[@anthonyconte3018]

How did you get Fred Norris from the Howard Stern Show to help you?

[@EdwinNoorlander]

John, I like your 'vintage arcade dream team' I have one question, wy is the speaker rerouted to the back of the cabinet?

[@bitrot42]

+Edwin Noordander We were wondering about that, too. I guess cutting holes in the fiberglass front would have detracted from its futuristic swoopiness. I suppose they had no idea there would eventually be rooms full of games with competing sound effects.

[@Johnsarcade]

+Edwin Noorlander No idea. That's just the way the game was made.

[@EdwinNoorlander]

+wondras I think you're right about the fiberglass.

[@EdwinNoorlander]

+John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech I forgot to mention, welcome to the digital age 👍🏻. Nice to see you understand Adam's explanation about digital electronics.

[@simplyshelby1192]

Hi john , great video ☺Adam and Warren were great !My family and I love your show all the way from Ireland.Keep up the great work 😊

[@heyzoos-cgr9369]

I'm bloody impressed guys! Top vid John, as always (from the UK)

[@TortureBot]

This was a kick-ass video! I believe with the three of you you could solve just about any arcade dilemma! Very educational and entertaining, and I hope to see you three working on some difficult gaming problems in the future.

[@Johnsarcade]

+TortureBot Thanks! I agree. I can do anything with Warren and Adam! They rule.

[@grayfoxv]

You make fantastic videos John. Keep it up!

[@Johnsarcade]

+grayfoxv Thanks, pal!

[@ChezArcade]

Shoot! Congrats man! Killer to have those guys all hands on deck to help get it all situated. 2legit!

[@clutchkman]

Congrats on the Computer Space. It was fascinating to watch. Also, I think you need that Galaga you were talking about, it's one of my favorite classics. It would fit right in there.

[@Johnsarcade]

+ClutchKman Thanks, Clutch! I do need a Galaga! :)

[@nightbirdds]

Okay, I want a photo of John, Adam, and Warren all standing around the computer space in the "Action Hero Team" pose with flames and explosions and stuff in the background.

[@TopTierArcade]

+nightbirdds ARCADE AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@oscarncandi2013]

its aliveeee!!! congrats man you guys brought it alive awesome work

[@D4ftChunk]

Your best video to date , I was hanging onto my seat every time you switched back on after a fix

[@ThatFallenthief]

You should get Adam and Warren on more often, i'm learning so much.

[@scottz01]

Dream Team! One shot take/fixes! Sounded like it would take month$$$ to troubleshoot when you 1st brought it down. Well Done Guys! A Group Dress Photo needs to happen and placed next to the game for posterity. :)

[@stutsmansoft]

These videos featuring "Warren" and "Adam" are keenly interesting, thanks!

[@SwainyAtRetroAsylum]

You 3 guys should have been the new ghosts busters. Congrats on getting Computer Space working guys!

[@jupreindeer]

It's really amazing to see this _Frankenstein_ technology coming back to life. To think, some day, one or two people from somewhere on Earth will probably ask you for professional advice on how to fix other remaining Computer Space machines...or maybe a Pong or such.

[@theorgandude]

epic show, one of the best ever!

[@glensmith4512]

Nice work! I've been hooked since I watched the Pac-Man cabaret restore and I've learned a lot since then. Looking forward to the Quantum.

[@ChuckVanPelt]

Great video! I'd love to see more troubleshooting videos like this one.

[@luthergettan7608]

This is just great, first my wife left me and now Asteroids deluxe is gone. Why are all the important things life always leaving me John?

[@Johnsarcade]

+Luther Gettan sorry, Luther. :(

[@MexLuthor1970]

Excellent video John, really fun and informative too! Hope the rotate issue is just the button ;)

[@BrewersArcade]

Wow that was educational! Crazy. Nice work John!

[@neighbordave94]

Great video, finally finished watching after 5 days

[@lebahif2]

Just wow it is epic to repair this old arcade

[@nathansmith1085]

Whenever I have trouble trying to install a vacuum tube, I normally whack it with a hammer or channel locks pretty good a couple times.

[@Riz2336]

Man your tech friends are geniuses, holy shit I could never figure out how to fix that thing. Great video.

[@vintageceilingfans]

You should put the old transformer in the second set seeing how it's good, and keep the eBay set working too..

[@bitrot42]

+vintageceilingfans Agreed. I suspect he'll need that chassis someday...

[@2005beaker]

John, obviously the restore of this super rare game is well documented by your videos but I really think a cool thing to do to thank the guys would be to have all 3 of you find somewhere within the machine to sign and date the restore - great job guys! :D

[@Johnsarcade]

+2005beaker Great idea! I have been thinking about something special to do... stay tuned. :D

[@SebastianLambinon]

Great video John! Really enjoyed it :-)

[@gloppolur]

This was an epic video! Thanks guys!

[@aserta]

Awesome episode, you guys did a lot of work on the CS. It's getting there and what a piece will it be in the collection, because that's a piece of history right there. IMO, when you've time, try and find the gremlins hiding in the PSU, it's worth it, it's not like you will find another around in such a good condition.

[@thomasstemmer4767]

yes more often than not caps are fine. I had a radio from the 1920's running on all original caps. I think it depends how the equipment was stored. humid environment equals bad paper caps.

[@MichaelLloyd]

I'd pull the can and and replace with radial caps. The cans are hit or miss. I use a vintage tester and test them for leakage AT the rated voltage. The main thing is- do you want to have to dig back into it if the cap goes bad later or do you hedge your bet and put new caps in?

[@josephlalock8378]

Before you start buffing you should know a couple things: 1. the body panels on a Saturn that Adam says are fiberglass are actually plastic and are sprayed with basecoat/clearcoat. 2. being as Computer Space is 1971 it is most likely sprayed with lacquer (although it could be enamel) . that being said, the paint on Computer Space is most likely a single stage(the yellow COULD be clearcoated with clear laquer or enamel but not likely) which means that any buffing and polishing will remove paint, which will probably end up being a disaster for you everytime you hit the edges. the easiest way to tell is to take a little piece of fine grit sandpaper and sand a small spot in an inconspicuous spot and see if the sandpaper turns yellow. I wish i lived nearby(I'm in Peoria,Il.) as i would love to buff out the machine for you. YOU might just be better off waxing the hell out of it and calling it a day instead of ruining the paint.(BTW...my experience=25 years of automotive painting and bodywork)

[@Johnsarcade]

thanks for the advise! I think I might just really clean it and then wax if by hand. it doesn't look bad. I just want it shiny

[@josephlalock8378]

+John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech That would be your best bet I think. Mequiars makes some milder cleaners and polishes for lacquer. Just find a local autobody jobber that carries it. Be patient and be prepared to use alot of elbow grease.

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

Glad to see computer space running! I was also really interested in your info about mspac vs galaga. I was going to buy a ms_pac cabinet and make a galaga machine but now I'm even happier than ever that I recently found a real galaga cabinet in all original condition. Reply

[@Johnsarcade]

+Charles Smith Nice work! Yeah... if I get one it will be an original cabinet. Converting a Pac is not worth the hassle.

[@LudicInterface]

46:05 haha Loving this video series!

[@Huddison]

It's a shame Warren doesn't have a youtube channel - we could all learn so much from him

[@cklinejr]

That's interesting about how they use a 7 segment driver to run the numbers that show up on screen because the gibberish that shows up is exactly what happens if you keep counting past 9 on a BCD to 7 segment TTL like a 74LS47. 10 is a little c, 11 is a backwards c, 12 is a u, 13 is three bars. Its amazing that they used that to drive what is drawn on the TV. You could actually tap off those BCD signals and have an external LED 7 segment display that would display the score.

[@sf98]

Great job Warren , Adam and John ..............You hit a home run with this video........................And if you needs a Pats fan to donate that table to , hit me up i'll give it a good home :)

[@joshuamichael1232]

By far the best episode!

[@josiahcabral7832]

I love this stuff, and I'm 12!

[@sordhacker]

Damn Adam, you got that binary thinking :) Of course, the second bit (bit 1) is stuck high :)

[@gabriellecomeau2338]

Congratlations Guys! amazing ! stuff !

[@pinmandan5164]

Well done on getting the game going guys !! I hate seeing those classic games leaving John, even for a "not so common game". You need to make more room in that basement somehow ? Maybe move the PC section over to the other side of the basement, where all the board games are ? There's games that still need to be moved to the basement & still some that your chasing.... Clean the crap out to fit more classics in !! OH & keep the dart board :)

[@RogersRoyal]

I'll be honest, all of this was way over my head and I didn't get most of what you were talking about. Its very interesting though but sadly I didn't understand what you guys were doing or the parts you were discussing in great detail when you were going over each part. You may as well have been speaking Klingon. Glad you got it working. That's the best part and congrats. The three of you made a great team. I have no idea what you did or what does what or how you did it, even after watching this. But congrats :)

[@bitrot42]

+RogersRoyal We were definitely a few layers deep. I'm glad you still found it interesting. If you keep getting exposed to it, you start to recognize things, and then you have a base you can branch out from. It never ends; you're always stretching past what you know to accomplish something else. Adam's "Arcade 101" videos are a great introduction, and the book I mentioned (Digital Design Principles and Practices) really made the "light" come on for me. Good luck!

[@trebuchetgunt2432]

Be careful, that tester might turn into a robot when you're not looking.

[@dpaslaski]

You're lucky to know these guys John, a lot of brain power in that room...

[@retro-junkie5741]

Nice job gang. Get the pots done and wrap this bad boy up! ALWAYS MARK your POTS first before you start spinning back n forth. Got Sharpie??

[@ChuckVanPelt]

When you use your Hakko desoldering gun, you should always use it with the gun and the workpiece oriented horizontally. The gun is not as effective at sucking the solder vertically, especially once the solder chamber starts to fill up and clog. Horizontally you will get a much cleaner joint and be more likely to pull solder through the via from the other side of the board.

[@jasonhalljaxyt]

Awesome video! Adam and Warren are the best. I don't know how experienced you are in (auto) detailing, but you might want to just use a wax on Computer Space if the finish isn't too scratched up. Use a random-orbital machine or apply, or apply by hand. Pretty much impossible to ruin a finish with wax. You should be more careful with polish, as it removes material (not a lot - microns - but I'm not familiar with how thick the paint is on your machine). Definitely use a random-orbital for that - no direct drive rotary machines unless you are a pro. "Compound" (rubbing/buffing) is a very aggressive polish, so I'd stay away unless you have some deep scratches. Definitely don't want to burn through the paint. Keep up the awesome vids! I think I've watched every one in the last couple years.

[@Johnsarcade]

+Jason Hall Good advice! I'll be looking to get some wax soon.

[@LudicInterface]

Dude when you use the desoldering tool, let it sit for a second or two BEFORE hitting the suction trigger/button and you'll find it does a much better job. Give it time to liquefy the solder before sucking right!

[@LudicInterface]

1:22:37 YEAH! That's the right technique to use that desolder!

[@Johnsarcade]

lol. I've gotten better with that thing over time. :)

[@LudicInterface]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech You guys did a fantastic job man including all the desodering! You've restored Computer Space to operating condition and that's something VERY SPECIAL considering it's the very first commercial video/arcade game in history and that machine is what... 40 YEARS OLD! PS do you know how many Computer Space machines are in existence and working order?

[@Johnsarcade]

thanks

[@Logan-mh4jj]

It's amazing how you get these machines for so cheap

[@n.h.s.a.d.m.]

Like that Autobot ESR tester. Gotta get me one of those.

[@nathansmith1085]

Some people believe in Superman, some believe in Spiderman, I believe in Adam!

[@xboys_archive]

I'm woundering if this got in the arcade would it ever leave the arcade John?

[@Fuzy2K]

6:49 -- Every basement arcade needs a Stylophone. :P

[@Johnsarcade]

AGREED!

[@ninjamaster3453]

epic episode, one of the best.

[@LudicInterface]

And instead of moving the cone side to side, rock it in a circle like uh... the rings holding Zod in the movie Superman. So press hold for two seconds then rock it in a pivoting circle focused on the through-hole THEN pull the pump trigger. You'll find it's way more effective than your current method.

[@lordbemylight]

So what happened to the Asteroids Deluxe?

[@geeteoh1]

I cannot believe how small the circuit boards are for this game - without a microprocessor. Amazing how the game features are created using simple logic chips. I wonder how big a "Call of Duty" game board would be using the same technology.

[@Johnsarcade]

+geeteoh ha. I'd love to see a TTL Call of Duty PCB

[@atariforever2002]

Wow! Wish I had a team of engineers to get my junk running :P

[@Johnsarcade]

+atariforever2002 ha. I'm very lucky to have friends that are willing to help. Thanks Adam and Warren!

[@atariforever2002]

Not luck I think. You seem to be a good guy John. I do appreciate you putting thus stuff up for us to learn and enjoy.

[@elamriti]

one of your best vid !!

[@DamianReloaded]

40:00 that was really pretty cool, it's like total hardcore debugging right there! O_O (also makes me wonder if the word debugging comes from taking dead bugs out of boards...)

[@gavincurtis]

+Damian Reloaded It is indeed taking a bug out. If my memory is correct, the name came from the repair of an older relay based mainframe computer. A moth had gotten inside one of the relay modules and its wing was caught between a set of the relay contacts preventing them from closing. After removing the moth, the computer was back online. Hence the name "debugging".

[@DamianReloaded]

To me it makes perfect sense!

[@craiggilchrist4223]

You should setup an overhead mic dude to pick everyone up. No way you have a Stylophone, got mine sat right here. I can play Beat It by Michael Jackson lol. Congrats on Computer Space. You should re-arrange your games in order of keepers and potential sellers and line it so the next one to sell is by the door ready to go like a conveyor belt.

[@JediLennon]

this episode was awesome

[@mathesar]

Awesome video! I was curious about that weird animation to the left of the Saucers but found another computer space video by user shaynebraid, although its poor quality you can tell his has the same left side saucer animation.