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Blast City General Questions

Is there a way to run a blast without the power supply going, like if I was running a mame rig on it?

And, in that case, would the CN13 hookup on the I/O still transfer power?
 
cornerstone said:
Is there a way to run a blast without the power supply going, like if I was running a mame rig on it?
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What do you mean exactly?

The PSU block in a Blast contains a power supply that outputs 3.3V, +5V and +12V DC and a sound amp. If the DC power supply was dead for some reason, the monitor and marquee light would still function (as they're powered by AC), so yes, you could run a mame rig on it.

CN13 is AC so that would work.

https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/Sega_Blast_City_PSU
 
Yes, is there a way to run the cab with monitor and lights going on a mame rig without turning on the power supply (DC) itself?

I’ve done it with a New net city and got advice on how to do it with an Astro, it just involves disconnecting a quick disconnect in the chain somewhere.

The reason would be to not run the power supply with zero load attached.
 
So is the control graphic overlay attached to the metal portion that the buttons mount to? I got my first Blast City and I'm cleaning it up. There's a decent amount of rust around the edges so I'm not sure if the overlay is normally held on with some adhesive, or if it's just stuck on with rust and old soda. I don't want to try pulling it off if it's impossible to remove without tearing it up.

Also, how do you get off rust build up on the plastic of the control panel where the metal was sitting? Even with mean green cleaner and a magic eraser I still can't get all of it off.
 
Yeah, the overlay has an adhesive backing so it's stuck on. I removed an Astro City overlay once and it actually came off fairly well. I used a hairdryer to warm it up before pulling it off. However, I probably wouldn't do it with any panel that's in somewhat decent shape.

cr4zymanz0r said:
Also, how do you get off rust build up on the plastic of the control panel where the metal was sitting? Even with mean green cleaner and a magic eraser I still can't get all of it off.
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You need to scrape it off. I used a knife.
 
I've got a few more Blast questions.

1.) My blast is missing the 2p stick and the 2p/start buttons are the wrong color (1p buttons are the correct color, but don't know if they're original parts and I haven't tested much to see if they're worn out.) I want to order the original sticks/buttons (2p, 6 button) in the original colors assuming they're still produced, unless there some clearly superior upgrades with the same colors. Does anyone know the part numbers/whatever and have a suggestion on a good place to order them? (preferably in the US)

2.) On a different thread it's stated that the white paint color for the Astro City is "Candy White LB9A for Audi or VW cars". Would this be true for the Blast City as well? Could I grab a spray can of that to touch up larger scraped areas, or will there be a very obvious color difference (can the original white paint on the fiberglass have faded overtime)? I probably won't mind if it's 98% there and you have to get very close to notice the difference, but I don't want a scenario where it's immediately obvious like in the case of the Rust-Oleum gloss white appliance epoxy paint I've occasionally seen suggested.


3.) I know some people go all the way with their restores where they repaint the entire cab. I don't know if I'd want to put that much effort into it but I am curious what people do about all the stickers/labels/logos when repainting. I've seen reproductions of the Blast City logo side art to buy, but what about the other stickers and such on the back (particularly the serial number sticker)?
 
1.

Try Arcade Shock, they’re in SoCal. I’ve ordered all my replacement buttons from them for my vewlix and blast city. Joysticks as well.

2.

I think the paint wears differently on the fiberglass parts opposed to the white metal parts. Spot spraying will get close, but blending or respraying it is going to be the best way to get a uniform finish.


3.

I believe there’s a few guys that make repro of all the stickers if you go that route. My latest blast I’ve been leaning toward mainly cleaning them and showing the wear marks as a badge of pride for its history. At the minimum clean the nicotine and dust bunnies out of it.

 
Yeah, if you repaint you really have to strip the whole cab, including the stickers, if you want to do it right.

You probably want Sanwa or Seimitsu buttons (30mm) and a Sanwa stick. But you really should try to identify what stick you have now, because you want to ensure whatever you buy will mount properly on your control panel. Different sticks suit different games and people better; I think you need to try them to see for yourself which you prefer, but this can sometimes be a bit difficult and certainly add up in terms of cost.

In addition to Arcade Shock, you could also check out Focus Attack and Paradise Arcade Shop. I've used both and they're great. I prefer screw in buttons, but other folks prefer snap. You might just need to go with whatever's in stock.
 
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cr4zymanz0r said:
I've got a few more Blast questions.

1.) My blast is missing the 2p stick and the 2p/start buttons are the wrong color (1p buttons are the correct color, but don't know if they're original parts and I haven't tested much to see if they're worn out.) I want to order the original sticks/buttons (2p, 6 button) in the original colors assuming they're still produced, unless there some clearly superior upgrades with the same colors. Does anyone know the part numbers/whatever and have a suggestion on a good place to order them? (preferably in the US)

2.) On a different thread it's stated that the white paint color for the Astro City is "Candy White LB9A for Audi or VW cars". Would this be true for the Blast City as well? Could I grab a spray can of that to touch up larger scraped areas, or will there be a very obvious color difference (can the original white paint on the fiberglass have faded overtime)? I probably won't mind if it's 98% there and you have to get very close to notice the difference, but I don't want a scenario where it's immediately obvious like in the case of the Rust-Oleum gloss white appliance epoxy paint I've occasionally seen suggested.


3.) I know some people go all the way with their restores where they repaint the entire cab. I don't know if I'd want to put that much effort into it but I am curious what people do about all the stickers/labels/logos when repainting. I've seen reproductions of the Blast City logo side art to buy, but what about the other stickers and such on the back (particularly the serial number sticker)?
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2. All the fiberglass on your cab is like marine grade and then gel coated. You can take it to a fiberglass boat hull finisher he will give you great results by re gel coating it. If you use paint especially car paint it has a tendency to chip sometimes especially if you have lots of coats and try to clear coat the hell out of it. If the doors are rusty you can use appliance paint if you want a weekend project. Use 200 grit if rusty, then 800 Or 1000 grit then appliance paint. If you get a thick primer it will cover up a lot of the blemishes left and you can always let primer dry hit it with 800 and hit it with primer a gain. I was an auto tech specialist 20 years ago have a vocational trade certificate. Worked for an autobody shop 96-98. If you need any help during the process feel free to pm me and remember it can always be sanded down and repainted. That’s how you learn.

3. Like it’s been said before simple green and a magic eraser. Boat polish or McGuires auto polish or Novus but if you usE Novus make sure you get a foam buff pad and a polish pad or you will be there for hours. The gel oat polish and car polish is harsher and can take the gel coat of if your not careful but it’s a quarter of the time Novus takes. Personally I hate painted cabs. I like to keep it original. However some of the doors get so yellow you have to do it. Some cabs you get are so beat like the astros that we’re put on top of other astros in a group buy on neo Geo years ago that ripped and destroyed the cabs paint among other things. Sp sometimes it’s the only alternative. I don’t mind the restoring it’s the decisions people make while restoring and they don’t realize there doing more harm in the long run. Take your time read a lot on these forums they are a great resource.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I ended up using that Candy White LB9A spray can to touch up the bad areas (bottom side edges, area around where I had to repair a couple of cracks and sand) and I think it came out pretty well. If you get really close and shine a light on it to inspect you can tell it's not 100% exact and doesn't have the same level of gloss as the original gel coat, but it seems pretty reasonable for some touch ups. It might would be more noticeable if you had a hard line with masking tape that you pulled off after it's done. I hate doing tons of sanding and painting, and the cab wasn't in terrible shape so I think this worked out pretty reasonably for me.

I'm getting close to done and can only think of a couple of more questions:
1.) Most of my arcade playing at home has been with a supergun which has a built-in simple LED style display to show the current voltage of the 5V line so you can see it live while you adjust it. Is there some easy way to that people do this with a Blast City (or arcade cabs in general), or do people just not worry about until a game misbehaves then they get out their multi-meter and measure at the JAMMA connector? (I think I've heard I'll need to fine tune 3.3v as well if I ever want a NAOMI netdimm setup)

2.) I've got some yellowing/discoloration on the top part of my control panel frame that at first glance looks like maybe it's just a little dirty but cleaning it multiple times and also using a magic eraser doesn't really do much. It's not all over it consistently enough to look like white yellowed plastic looks when it's gotten too much direct sunlight over the years. Is the control panel frame even plastic? It doesn't really feel like it, but if it is maybe I could try retrobrighting it. Are there any sensible ways to do anything about the discoloration spots other than repainting it? If repainting is my option I'll probably just live with it for a while so I actually move on to playing on the cab. lol
 
To answer your 1st question, it's easy to install a volt meter on 5v of your jamma harness. I use small ones from ebay, and I just tap 5v and GND from the JAMMA harness, where it connects to the edge connector.
 
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I believe the CP is FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) some of my CPs are worn where players rest their hands and the plastic is fibrous
 
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