Chandy Cab Restoration

[Big_P Big_p]

I am in the process of collecting a number of Candy Cabs for an Arcade Bar/Barcade in Melbourne. In the process I have been offered a number of Chinese Storm City cabs all of which I have offered something so low that the owners have left feeling insulted.... Sorry.

Well I was asked to look at a poor picture on a Blast City cab the other day. The guy was pretty close to my factory (day job depot) so I asked him to bring it by and leave it there for a few days while I took a look.

I got in after it was dropped off and what greeted me was a bit of a surprise. It was a Chinese Storm City with a poorly wired pi mame emulation setup. The thing had a 29" Fortune Chinese tube with a Generic Chinese CRT TV chassis and the pi was coming in via the RF aerial plug (remember that from your NES). Needless to say it looked like Shheeeeet.

I quoted him for the cheap option, an RGB mod of the existing chassis and the expensive option a fully rebuilt Chinese " New" Arcade chassis. He thought both were too expensive and didn't want it back like it was no I ended up with a free Storm City, probably about their right value.

Not wanting to be wasteful, I thought I better restore this cab and set it up as a vertical shooter with a PGM and a spare SPI board (I think I have somewhere), for my field staff.

I thought this would be an interesting project to share as it will demonstrate why NOT to pay money for these things while showing off just about every cab restoration technique I know and probably many I don't yet know but soon will.

And YES it is grey as a result of some MF who thought they knew how to use a spray can but really had no idea.

 

[Cat_Fancier]

whoa... backup, you're collecting a number of Candy Cabs for an Arcade Bar/Barcade in Melbourne ? when are you opening ??

 

[Big_P Big_p]

whoa... backup, you're collecting a number of Candy Cabs for an Arcade Bar/Barcade in Melbourne ? when are you opening ??

Still in the planning phase, I have run bars before so from experience it could be 3 months it could be 2 years. It's critical we get the right venue which can take time but is worth waiting for but ill let you know when we are closer.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

PHASE 1: RIP & DITCH
Not much to report here. I stripped everything apart from the 29" fortune monitor out of this thing. The only reason I left the Fortune in that MF was that I thought it was providing some structural integrity and was worried everything would collapse if I pulled it out.

A couple of things to note here:
It was running a really small meanwell 240v to 5v PSU but this was just thrown in the bottom of the cab like the PO hated life and was hoping one day he would reach in to change a memory card and get the electric chair.

On a similar theme there was no isolation transformer on the monitor and no EMI filter anywhere.

On a positive note I did like the PCB solution which was well built and sturdy unlike much of the cab.

Stripping the CP I found a few Ipac's for the pi, they went in the bin, microcontrollers for all the buttons that had buttons wires soldered directly to the micro-controller and... a few broken plastic posts on the CP hinge. At least 4 of the six posts appear intact but these are an absolute beeatch to fix. A problem for another day now.

No photos for the day I'll make sure I take some next time.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

PHASE 2: PLASTIC FANTASTIC

One of the biggest differences between the Chinese copy cabs and a real blast city is that they are almost entirely Plastic. No powder coated metal, no fibreglass, just plastic, and those MF used the cheapest plastic they could find. It's almost like they went out of their way to find the most brittle ABS the world had to offer. Uganda came to the rescue with ZZZ grade ABS and the Chandy Cab could come to life.

As mentioned earlier 2 of the 6 posts on the bottom CP hing are F'ed and disassembley for painting revealed a MF horror show.

The first thing here is that the Ugandan plastic is literally the worst anywhere. The MF snaps and the owner decides that they can live without that screw. The problem here is that this MF is designed to some real precise engineering and one screw missing sets off a chain reaction that leaves no screw posts left at all.

When I first rolled this thing in I noticed the CP was wobbly. I assumed that plastic was broken but luckily I was totally wrong and either they came from the factory missing 1/2 the screws or some MF was too lazy to put them back after they used a grey spray can with their eyes closed. Either way, once the missing screws went back things felt a tiny bit more stable. I may actually be able to remove the monitor now (despite the fact I have noticed that 2 of the 3 screws holding the monitor support in each side are missing, but that is a problem for another day.

First photo, no machine screws, second photo screws added (this x4 across the bottomof the CP); 3rd photo 4 more screws that were missing replaced (x2 as this was on both sides).

I am still trying to work out if this I'd a factory game of find the screw posts if you want your cab to not disintegrate or if the PO was actually blind and I should stop being so hard on his paint job.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.1 LEFT POSTED.

So what do you do when a plastic post breaks? Fix that MF. Not all places can be fixed the same way and I am still thinking about the CP., but when it came the back of the cab it was time to get the plastic repair kit out (just don't let you wife or girlfriend know you stole the Baking Soda).

P1: Snapped post 4 of the 10 back posts were Snapped . Its plastic if you tighten that MF up its going to break, any resistance stop.
P2: Wrapped and ready.
P3: Screw in place (don't use the screw you actually want to put back but make sure it's the same size). Also cover the gap at bottom of the tape with a baking Soda skirt. If you don't do this you will end up with CA everywhere. Make sure you are using a thinner than water CA so you fully saturate the baking Soda, anything thicker won't work and your post will crumble.
4. Progressively fill the tape with CA and baking Soda. Keep you fingers away as the baking Soda acts as a catalyst, gets MF hot and sticks stuff instantly.
P5: When you are happy remove the screw. .Too much CA and the MF leaks everywhere, too much baking Soda and it disintegrates, goldie locks that sheet.
P6: testing with the correct screw
P6: original post as an example.

Edit: the photos are out of order.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.2 CRACKING UP

Same deal with cracks and breaks. Remome any previous poor attempt to fix the MF. Use a thin CA, glue the crack and fill any holes with baking Soda and CA. If I think is going to break again I sometimes build up a bit of material behind the crack also, It's on the back and won't be seen. Sand the front until it is smooth and ready for paint. 600 grit is what I find best for plastic.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.3 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Sometimes aiming for perfect can destroy the good. Removing the marquee plastic revealed another small crack. In this instance anything we do to the marquee area will look silly. It is important however that the crack dosen't spread. Finding a new marquee for a Chandy is likely near impossible (another downside of a copy cab when compared to a real Candy). In this instance the crack will be barely visible once a marquee is installed so we will CA the top of the marquee where it is not visible to keep the crack stable and move on. For minimum visible impact we will use thinner than water CA, placing a small amount on the crack while letting capillary action draw it into the crack.

While I am here I will remove the Storm City (unlike a blast where I would do anything to keep it I don't want this cab to shout Chandy at everyone as it may get a complex). Also which MF put those buttons there? and WTF is that lock for? as there is nothing to lock too. I have a plan for the buttons but the lock throws me... another problem for another day.

 

[Ziggy Cheetos Dust]

Looks like a mission but worthwhile. Thanks for posting as there’s little shared about these cabs.

 

[Cat_Fancier]

Still in the planning phase, I have run bars before so from experience it could be 3 months it could be 2 years. It's critical we get the right venue which can take time but is worth waiting for but ill let you know when we are closer.

Love this, and following your thread. Cabs like storm city and shijia do pop up a bit on the east coast of Australia. Its great to get your insights.

Also, following for the bar updates.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.4 HONORARY DISCHARGED

Plastic is really the biggest problem with these cabs. Thinking I was starting to win with this MF, I started to consider fixing those broken CP hinge posts. Before I did though I thought I better remove the old TV chassis.

PLEASE TAKE ABSOLUTE CARE BEFORE EVEN THINKING ABOUT TOUCHING THE CHASSIS. THAT MF IS HOT AND WILL GIVE YOU A SHOCK, A DEFIBRILLATOR, STOP YOUR HEART TYPE SHOCK.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/nYqqpNlDjDk?si=8UONPIKWeaagTAuT


I wish i took photos but i didn't so see the link above and please donly attempt this if you are confident in what you are doing. One thing I will say is that I am never confident when working on a Chandy that the metal CRT frame is actually earthed. I worry that those 40kV are still in that MF and can't get away because of all that plastic. So I typically clip to something I know is earthed and will look at ensuring the cab is properly earthed for a whole series of reasons later.

Once the CRT was discharged, I discharged the power caps on the chassis but things felt a little unstable back there...

 

[Ziggy Cheetos Dust]

@Big_P Big_p Did you discharge the power caps by touching the probe on the legs? I’ve got one of those probes as seen in the video and that’s what I do, but not certain that’s the best way.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

I actually use a high voltage discharge tool which I built after seeing this video. His circuit diagram is pretty cool and I trusted it more than aliexpress of fleabay.

View: https://youtu.be/pNkEchLQWDU?si=u98g-gSd2KRC87c2
Most of this guys videos are great


I used to do it in a similar way to you, but when I saw the above video I just built his tool. There are voltage values where I would still probably feel safer with the HV probe so it's sort of horses for courses.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

Umm this shelf feels a little unstable... I wonder why?

Man this MF really had problems with getting screw tension right. I'll be kind I think he really did think this thing was a blast city. For everyone else, if all the screws are there you have to put hardly any tension on them at all, even slightly too much and the specially made Ugandan ZZZ plastic breaks.

I need to think about how to fix these now.. .

 

[Big_P Big_p]

Thinking done. I think this will work.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.5 SANDY BEACH
First off.... Shelf posts all fixed. No glue, just pressure fit.
Second off.... if you are not spending at least a day sanding and preparing for paint...you are not doing it right. Not much to say here just sand that MF baby. 80 grit wet and dry with water, one done 120, then 240, pull everything off, get into everywhere.

 

[Ziggy Cheetos Dust]

2.5 SANDY BEACH
First off.... Shelf posts all fixed. No glue, just pressure fit.
Second off.... if you are not spending at least a day sanding and preparing for paint...you are not doing it right. Not much to say here just sand that MF baby. 80 grit wet and dry with water, one done 120, then 240, pull everything off, get into everywhere.

Genius solution there

 

[Big_P Big_p]

2.6 SCAVENGER
I want through the pile of junk that came out of the cab. I noticed that it was running a pi 3b. I had a case printed up so quick that I didn't even have time to change filiment and installed the latest WIPI netboot on the 32gb SanDisk that was kindly left in it Now I just have to confirm the trace repair on the netdimm and test that the TD-IO I put together is fully functional.

The nest step on the Chandy is getting the MF to paint and sorting out a chassis for the 29" fortune 73sx731y22-dc01. Anyone have V and H resistance or expected heater voltage for this MF?.... I may be dreaming, but hang around if you have ever wondered if the Ali special arcade chassis are worth it. I definitely have and we are about to find out.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

3.0 PICTURE PERFECT.
So the cab is preped ready for paint with a few other bits and bobs ordered. However we have this chassis monitor problem. It looks to me like a 29" TV has been used to replace a broken or lost monitor. I gave the PO 2 options, an rgb mod of the existing TV chassis with no rgbs inputs or an ali chassis. What would I do... first try getting the signal in via another TV input... that looks crap too... in fact this whole tv thing looks crap...ok I guess we go an Aliexpress chassis.

 

[Big_P Big_p]

Starting at the power side there is quite a bit that needs replacing in on of these to get them to function semi reliably. It starts looking like this.