Stripping The Cab! (Lots of images on this page, might take a minute to load)
After getting the garage clean (ok, cleaner) it was time to start giving Power Drive a more thorough inspection, removing parts I wouldn't need, and also removing parts to begin cleaning the machine up. The first couple things to come off were going to be the bezel and marquee. They are glass in this machine, and for some amazing reason, they both survived intact the 18 years of pounding that made the wooden part of the cab look so rough.
As I started stripping the machine, I kept all the original parts together. If there was anything I needed for the conversion later, I'd know exactly where it was.
Here is a picture of the control panel latch, which I intend to keep to mount the new panel. The original Power Drive motherboard (8mhz?) is huge! That isn't even everything, the sound is on a separate 6" board. The motherboard, sound card and other goodies in their NEW cabinet, this one a vintage Rubbermaid.
Though most of the screws in the cabinet were the same size, I found these little snack tubs with a sliding cover that really helped in keeping things organized. I'll introduce you to my "helper" in the next section. These silly little cups probably saved me 5 hours already.
The monitor shelf. This is an area that might need to be modified depending on what I choose for a display. I sized the bezel and shelf up with a 19" Samsung computer monitor, and it looks pretty good if I paint the monitor frame. A larger TV or monitor will fit in the cabinet with the case removed, but the original Power Drive bezel is only about 21" diagonal. If I decide to go with a larger display, I will probably make a new bezel, but I'm more concerned with getting the machine functional first.
Since the cabinet was so filthy, I didn't initially realize that some of the outer screws were the tamper proof style. They're the Torx with the little bump in the center that keeps a normal Torx driver from engaging them.
I stopped at Sears with pretty low expectations of finding a tamper proof Torx driver, and got a pleasant surprise!
Sears had a whole set of tamper proof bits and driver for $20. This set also included the driver to take apart the "cut" screws like you see in public bathrooms. Next time I get crummy service in a restaurant, I'll take apart the bathroom fixtures and drop them in the toilet.
Treasure!
Once I finally got all the boards out, the only stuff left was the harness remnants and the power supply. This is where Power Drive gave up the treasure that probably exists in the unreachable innards of every old arcade game. 51 cents and the pieces of some smashed buttons. If I would have taken every cab in the warehouse, and they all contained similar booty, I would have had like... 8 bucks!
9mm, 9mm, 9mm, .45ACP (squeak, squeak, pop, POW!)
The cab speakers had 9mm hardware holding them on, the ONLY metric fasteners I found while stripping it. They were also the only things I saw that weren't stamped "MADE IN USA". They were from Mexico.
This picture shows the sideart and general condition of the finish. I really like the generic Bally Midway side art, and I'm going to do my best to preserve it while I'm patching up the cabinet. I can never get it perfect, since on close inspection, each color has tiny red dots in it, but I'm hoping to color match the larger scratches in the side art and repaint the rest of the cabinet.
Here is the tub set aside with all the Power Drive electronics in it. The supply alone must weigh about 40 pounds. The panel is also very heavy, made from 3/4" ply with a thin steel overlay. Second picture is the "slapper" buttons. These onced looked like the wheels of the monster trucks pictured on the control panel, but after 18 years of slapping they look like they were run over by actual monster trucks. Last pic there is the plywood from the control panel. The Power Drive sticks were funky 2 directional jobs to switch from 2 to 4 wheel drive. They're useless for other games. The panel will be valuable as a template for the new panel.
I hope to make a 2 player panel and leave the center section slightly open for future use with a spinner and trackball if I decide to add them.
