Submarine Periscope Arcade Shooter
This is an old periscope game where players hunt down ships that pass by in the dark. Upon powering it on, a loud 60Hz hum was heard from the audio circuit. The game started, but aiming was inaccurate, and ships did not explode upon being hit. Additionally, black trim had been painted around the edges. The aiming mechanism consists of a relay attached to the periscope, which pushes levers to inform the machine of the periscope's position when the fire button is pressed, similar to a drop target bank in a pinball machine. None of the levers operated smoothly, necessitating cleaning and degreasing of the entire assembly. The ship unit was dirty and had broken contacts, which explained the lack of hits on ships. New contacts were soldered to the old assemblies due to the difficulty in sourcing replacement parts. The main playfield required significant effort to clean, necessitating laying the cabinet on its face to remove the playfield through the bottom. The playfield appeared faded or coated with a substance, and extensive dirt was removed using Windex. The playfield was brittle and prone to cracking, with loose staples that were resecured. It was confirmed by another Sea Raider owner that the periscope mirror was intended to have some black paint for an effect, which caused the periscope assembly to be slightly offset. Removing the paint would improve visibility but misalign the sighting indicator, which was ultimately not reinstalled. The periscope removal involved detaching the fire button, removing the front top glass, and unscrewing four screws around the upper shroud. The cabinet had been oversprayed with paint, which was easily scraped off the mirror. The orange targeting indicator was cracked and missing parts, and plans were made to rebuild it later. After derusting and cleaning, the periscope was in good condition. The audio circuit consisted entirely of discrete components, with no integrated circuits. An FX board produced two sounds (torpedo and explosion), and an amplifier board was present. The amplifier inputs were shunted, and the FX board was disconnected to identify the source of the hum. The power supply provided 18V from a 12V AC source through a diode and capacitor. While adding capacitance reduced the hum, it did not eliminate it. All transistors were functioning correctly, but the half-wave regulation was poor, contributing to the hum. Historically, these games had some level of hum. The decision remained whether to install a new IC amplifier or address the hum by enhancing the capacitance. The FX board exhibited additional issues; the torpedo sound functioned well, producing a filtered white noise, while the explosion sound emitted a pure 60-cycle buzz, which was incorrect. The radar ping sound was operational after identifying a faulty transistor that appeared fine during testing. The 'ship hit' sound currently produced only a 60-cycle buzz. A small relay on the lower left of the sound board, featuring a 3-inch arm, appeared to be missing a component, closing when the 'ship hit' sound was activated. A schematic of the audio circuit was drawn to clarify the situation. The circuit resembled an amplifier rather than an oscillator. Upon examining the solenoid with the 3-inch arm and its coil positioned 8 inches above it, it was concluded that a reverb tank spring from an old Fender amplifier was absent.
The periscope game operates on a complex audio circuit that utilizes discrete components, emphasizing the importance of each part in maintaining sound fidelity. The audio circuit is designed to generate distinct sound effects that enhance the gaming experience, including the torpedo sound and explosion effects. The presence of a relay and solenoid suggests that mechanical interactions play a role in sound production, likely contributing to the game's immersive environment. The investigation into the audio circuit revealed that the hum was a common issue, often resulting from inadequate power supply regulation. This aspect highlights the need for careful design considerations in vintage electronics, where component aging can affect performance.
The maintenance of the periscope game illustrates the challenges faced when restoring older electronic devices. Cleaning and repairing the playfield, addressing broken contacts, and ensuring the proper function of mechanical components like relays and solenoids are crucial steps in the restoration process. The decision to forgo certain components, such as the sighting indicator, reflects a balance between preserving the original design and enhancing usability.
Future modifications may include upgrading the audio components to improve sound quality and reduce unwanted hum. This could involve replacing the existing amplifier with a modern IC amplifier while ensuring compatibility with the discrete components of the audio circuit. Additionally, the restoration of the targeting indicator and the proper installation of the missing reverb tank spring could further enhance the overall functionality and performance of the game. The careful documentation of modifications and repairs will aid in future troubleshooting and maintenance efforts, preserving the game's historical significance while ensuring its operational integrity.This is a great old periscope game. Ships pass by in the dark and your job is to hunt them down. When I plugged it in I heard a loud 60hz hum from the audio circuit. The game started but couldn`t aim properly and ships would not explode when hit. Also it looks like someone painted black trim around the edges. I looked at the aiming mechanism. A sm all relay attached to the periscope pushes on levers that let the machine know where the periscope was when you pressed the fire button. It`s like a drop target bank on a pinball machine. Non of the levers would operate smoothly and the entire assembly required cleaning and degreasing. The ship unit was dirty and had some broken contacts which explains why no ships were getting hit. I soldered new contacts to the old assemblies as getting parts would not be easy. Removing the main playfield for cleaning is quite the project. I laid the cabinet on it`s face and was able to pull the entire playfield out easily through the bottom of the cabinet.
The playfield appears very faded from age. Either that or it`s coated with something. I clean a ton of dirt from it with Windex. The playfield is very brittle and cracks easily. The staples used to attach it all were loose so I carefully drilled tiny holes and tacked it back down. * Updated: It has been confirmed by another Sea Raider owner that the periscope mirror is supposed to have some black paint on it.
It`s assumed the reason has to to with some effect. This explains why the periscope assembly is slightly offset. Unfortunately the siting indicator will be off with the paint removed although you will get greater visibility. I opted to not re-install the site indicator. The periscope is also a project to remove. Removing the fire button and take out the front top glass and remove the four screws surrounding the upper shroud and the entire unit drops out.
Whoever painted the cabinet must have over sprayed onto the mirror. This is easy to scraped with a razor blade and clean. The orange targeting indicator was cracked and missing some pieces. I`ll rebuild one at a later time as it`s easy to replace. After some derusting and decreasing the periscope cleaned up well. The audio circuit consists of 100% discrete components - no ics. There`s an fx board for the two sounds ( torpedo and explosion ) and an amplifier board. I shunted the amp inputs and disconnected the fx board to determine the source of the hum. The power supply is 18v derived from the 12v ac and a single diode and capacitor. Adding capacitance reduced the hum but did not eliminate is. All transistors are good. It`s just that 1/2 wave regulation that`s not very good. As far as I can remember these games always had some hum. Do I just put in a new IC amp or continue with the hum perhaps beefing up the cap The fx board, on the other hand, has other issues. The torpedo sound is fine - a nice filtered white noise. The explosion sounds like pure a pure 60 cycle BUZZ. - That`s not right. I got the radar ping sound to work - a transistor was breaking down in the circuit which tested fine with my meter.
Hate when this happens. The last thing I`m having issues with is the `ship hit` sound which, currently, is just a 60 cycle buzz. Also, there`s an odd little relay off to the lower left of the sound board which has a 3 inch arm on it.
It looks like something is missing. This relay closes when the `ship hit` sound occurs. If anyone has one of these please let me know. Ok - 3 days later an now it makes sense. Something IS missing. I drew a schematic of the audio circuit of the board to help make this more clear. ( audio-pcb-schematic. jpg ) The circuit looks more like an amplifier than an oscillator. Also, looking at the solenoid with the 3 inch arm, and the position of the coil about 8 inches above it - this looks like a reverb tank from an old Fender amp. That`s it - a spring is missing. The solenoid whacks the spring and the reve 🔗 External reference
The periscope game operates on a complex audio circuit that utilizes discrete components, emphasizing the importance of each part in maintaining sound fidelity. The audio circuit is designed to generate distinct sound effects that enhance the gaming experience, including the torpedo sound and explosion effects. The presence of a relay and solenoid suggests that mechanical interactions play a role in sound production, likely contributing to the game's immersive environment. The investigation into the audio circuit revealed that the hum was a common issue, often resulting from inadequate power supply regulation. This aspect highlights the need for careful design considerations in vintage electronics, where component aging can affect performance.
The maintenance of the periscope game illustrates the challenges faced when restoring older electronic devices. Cleaning and repairing the playfield, addressing broken contacts, and ensuring the proper function of mechanical components like relays and solenoids are crucial steps in the restoration process. The decision to forgo certain components, such as the sighting indicator, reflects a balance between preserving the original design and enhancing usability.
Future modifications may include upgrading the audio components to improve sound quality and reduce unwanted hum. This could involve replacing the existing amplifier with a modern IC amplifier while ensuring compatibility with the discrete components of the audio circuit. Additionally, the restoration of the targeting indicator and the proper installation of the missing reverb tank spring could further enhance the overall functionality and performance of the game. The careful documentation of modifications and repairs will aid in future troubleshooting and maintenance efforts, preserving the game's historical significance while ensuring its operational integrity.This is a great old periscope game. Ships pass by in the dark and your job is to hunt them down. When I plugged it in I heard a loud 60hz hum from the audio circuit. The game started but couldn`t aim properly and ships would not explode when hit. Also it looks like someone painted black trim around the edges. I looked at the aiming mechanism. A sm all relay attached to the periscope pushes on levers that let the machine know where the periscope was when you pressed the fire button. It`s like a drop target bank on a pinball machine. Non of the levers would operate smoothly and the entire assembly required cleaning and degreasing. The ship unit was dirty and had some broken contacts which explains why no ships were getting hit. I soldered new contacts to the old assemblies as getting parts would not be easy. Removing the main playfield for cleaning is quite the project. I laid the cabinet on it`s face and was able to pull the entire playfield out easily through the bottom of the cabinet.
The playfield appears very faded from age. Either that or it`s coated with something. I clean a ton of dirt from it with Windex. The playfield is very brittle and cracks easily. The staples used to attach it all were loose so I carefully drilled tiny holes and tacked it back down. * Updated: It has been confirmed by another Sea Raider owner that the periscope mirror is supposed to have some black paint on it.
It`s assumed the reason has to to with some effect. This explains why the periscope assembly is slightly offset. Unfortunately the siting indicator will be off with the paint removed although you will get greater visibility. I opted to not re-install the site indicator. The periscope is also a project to remove. Removing the fire button and take out the front top glass and remove the four screws surrounding the upper shroud and the entire unit drops out.
Whoever painted the cabinet must have over sprayed onto the mirror. This is easy to scraped with a razor blade and clean. The orange targeting indicator was cracked and missing some pieces. I`ll rebuild one at a later time as it`s easy to replace. After some derusting and decreasing the periscope cleaned up well. The audio circuit consists of 100% discrete components - no ics. There`s an fx board for the two sounds ( torpedo and explosion ) and an amplifier board. I shunted the amp inputs and disconnected the fx board to determine the source of the hum. The power supply is 18v derived from the 12v ac and a single diode and capacitor. Adding capacitance reduced the hum but did not eliminate is. All transistors are good. It`s just that 1/2 wave regulation that`s not very good. As far as I can remember these games always had some hum. Do I just put in a new IC amp or continue with the hum perhaps beefing up the cap The fx board, on the other hand, has other issues. The torpedo sound is fine - a nice filtered white noise. The explosion sounds like pure a pure 60 cycle BUZZ. - That`s not right. I got the radar ping sound to work - a transistor was breaking down in the circuit which tested fine with my meter.
Hate when this happens. The last thing I`m having issues with is the `ship hit` sound which, currently, is just a 60 cycle buzz. Also, there`s an odd little relay off to the lower left of the sound board which has a 3 inch arm on it.
It looks like something is missing. This relay closes when the `ship hit` sound occurs. If anyone has one of these please let me know. Ok - 3 days later an now it makes sense. Something IS missing. I drew a schematic of the audio circuit of the board to help make this more clear. ( audio-pcb-schematic. jpg ) The circuit looks more like an amplifier than an oscillator. Also, looking at the solenoid with the 3 inch arm, and the position of the coil about 8 inches above it - this looks like a reverb tank from an old Fender amp. That`s it - a spring is missing. The solenoid whacks the spring and the reve 🔗 External reference