38 replies to this topic

[nvrmndtheruins]

Stumbled across as Vulgus machine at a random junk shop yesterday afternoon for only $50!

Drove 100 miles with it hanging out of my car to get it back home

powers up and I get sound and video

but it wont read a quarter!

I think the coin mechanism is shot, Is there any simple way to get it playable? like a way to bypass it and make the game free?

I've never worked on a stand up arcade before and i'm quite lost looking at the insides

[bennybingo]

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:16 AM, said:

Stumbled across as Vulgus machine at a random junk shop yesterday afternoon for only $50!

Drove 100 miles with it hanging out of my car to get it back home

powers up and I get sound and video

but it wont read a quarter!

I think the coin mechanism is shot, Is there any simple way to get it playable? like a way to bypass it and make the game free?

I've never worked on a stand up arcade before and i'm quite lost looking at the insides

Nice find!!!

Here are the dip switch settings for the board:

http://www.solvalou....e_dips/V/vulgus

These aren't always accurate, but if they match your machine, you can easily set it to free play. This may act as a work-around for the current problem, if in fact the coin mechanism is the only thing broken here. Sometimes, it isn't.

A perfect example...my Tempest machine just decided to stop working this weekend. It fires up, but won't accept quarters or free play. I have a strange feeling it is something wrong with one of the boards.

At least in my case, I should be able to find the parts. A machine like Vulgus might be a tad difficult to locate, as it wasn't distributed in huge numbers (comparatively speaking with regards to games like Asteroids, Tempest, Space Invaders, etc.)

There are lots of knowledgable folks here, so someone may be able to help more than I have...though, I hope the dip switches do the trick!

[nvrmndtheruins]

bennybingo, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:42 AM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:16 AM, said:

Stumbled across as Vulgus machine at a random junk shop yesterday afternoon for only $50!

Drove 100 miles with it hanging out of my car to get it back home

powers up and I get sound and video

but it wont read a quarter!

I think the coin mechanism is shot, Is there any simple way to get it playable? like a way to bypass it and make the game free?

I've never worked on a stand up arcade before and i'm quite lost looking at the insides

Nice find!!!

Here are the dip switch settings for the board:

http://www.solvalou....e_dips/V/vulgus

These aren't always accurate, but if they match your machine, you can easily set it to free play. This may act as a work-around for the current problem, if in fact the coin mechanism is the only thing broken here. Sometimes, it isn't.

My Tempest machine just decided to stop working this weekend. It fires up, but won't accept quarters or free play. I have a strange feeling it is something wrong with one of the boards.

At least in my case, I should be able to find the parts. A machine like Vulgus might be a bit harder, as it wasn't distributed in huge numbers (comparatively speaking with regards to games like Asteroids, Tempest, Space Invaders, etc.)

There are lots of knowledgable folks here, so someone may be able to help more than I have...though, I hope the dip switches do the trick!

Hot diggity damn!

I was having trouble finding much at all about the machine. Other then that there wasn't many of them.

Hopefully I can figure it out and play a bit after work today.

All in all the cabinet is in pretty good shape. needs a little love to bring it back to glory. But it came with all the artwork (except for the sides? Unsure because it's a conversion), the keys, and the original conversion instructions (which I don't understand very much of yet)


Thank you very much for your help! I can't wait to see if it works (stupid job!)

[bennybingo]

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:47 AM, said:

Hot diggity damn!

I was having trouble finding much at all about the machine. Other then that there wasn't many of them.

Hopefully I can figure it out and play a bit after work today.

All in all the cabinet is in pretty good shape. needs a little love to bring it back to glory. But it came with all the artwork (except for the sides? Unsure because it's a conversion), the keys, and the original conversion instructions (which I don't understand very much of yet)


Thank you very much for your help! I can't wait to see if it works (stupid job!)

I hope it helps! Welcome to the world of arcade cab ownership. You will find that you need to be resourceful when it comes to keeping these things running as well as repairing them. There is little to no customer support from the original manufacturers, as they (for the most part) have discontinued these machines and no longer stock replacement parts. Also, in many cases, the original manufacturer is still around, but they are in name only. They have either sold the company or have moved in a different direction entirely (console games, software only...etc).

On the upside, there are a lot of hobbyists out there, so you can glean a ton of information from boards like this and other websites like the link I gave you. The only advice I can give you is that when monkeying about inside the cabinet, steer clear of the monitor and wires leading to it. The capacitors in the monitor can store a ton of electricity (even when unplugged for years). You can get a very nasty shock from that (rumors that it can even be fatal). Just watch yourself around the monitor. I've gotten zapped by my Out Run machine when I was installing new capacitors....it sucked.

[nvrmndtheruins]

bennybingo, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:06 AM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:47 AM, said:

Hot diggity damn!

I was having trouble finding much at all about the machine. Other then that there wasn't many of them.

Hopefully I can figure it out and play a bit after work today.

All in all the cabinet is in pretty good shape. needs a little love to bring it back to glory. But it came with all the artwork (except for the sides? Unsure because it's a conversion), the keys, and the original conversion instructions (which I don't understand very much of yet)


Thank you very much for your help! I can't wait to see if it works (stupid job!)

I hope it helps! Welcome to the world of arcade cab ownership. You will find that you need to be resourceful when it comes to keeping these things running as well as repairing them. There is little to no customer support from the original manufacturers, as they (for the most part) have discontinued these machines and no longer stock replacement parts. Also, in many cases, the original manufacturer is still around, but they are in name only. They have either sold the company or have moved in a different direction entirely (console games, software only...etc).

On the upside, there are a lot of hobbyists out there, so you can glean a ton of information from boards like this and other websites like the link I gave you. The only advice I can give you is that when monkeying about inside the cabinet, steer clear of the monitor and wires leading to it. The capacitors in the monitor can store a ton of electricity (even when unplugged for years). You can get a very nasty shock from that (rumors that it can even be fatal). Just watch yourself around the monitor. I've gotten zapped by my Out Run machine when I was installing new capacitors....it sucked.

Thanks I am glad to be a new member of this group!

As far as repairing, i'm not bad at soldering and such, but since I don't know a ton about the machines yet, I never do know what parts are the problem. unless they are clearly burned up.

I will post pictures when I get a chance to take some of it. Hopefully they will end up being the before pictures for after I make it all shiny again

[nvrmndtheruins]

Also, does anyone know if this thing ever had side art?

I know mine is a conversion. Were they all?

Looking at the sides of my machine yesterday, I can tell there is something painted underneath the blue paint that's on it. I assume its the art for whatever game it was before Vulgus.

I'm Just curious. It's my first machine and I want to try to recondition is as close to how it should be as possible. And i'm a bit of a completest when it comes to things like this.

Any info/experiences would be appreciated

Edited by nvrmndtheruins, Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:26 AM.

[rmaerz]

Some games do not support Free Play, believe it or not...

If your board does not, an easy fix is to disconnect the wires from one of coin chutes and wire it directly to a micro switch button. You can mount the button inside the coin door. You can take two small pieces of plywood (say 4" x4"), drill a 1-1/8" hole into one piece and attach it to the other piece so that it's shaped like an "L." Then, screw the piece that does not have the hole into inside front of the cabinet that is accessible through the coin door. Insert the micro switch button into the hole you drilled, wire it up and you can then use that to credit up the machine.

[rmaerz]

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:25 AM, said:

Also, does anyone know if this thing ever had side art?

Check this link on KLOV

http://www.arcade-mu...p?game_id=10382

[nvrmndtheruins]

rmaerz, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:26 AM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:25 AM, said:

Also, does anyone know if this thing ever had side art?

Check this link on KLOV

http://www.arcade-mu...p?game_id=10382

I'm hoping it will let me go free play, if not I will most likely rig something temporarily until I can get a new coin setup.

I had found that site a little while ago. But that all I found with side art at all, I can't even find a better picture of it. But I do like that wood-grain look a lot

Also while I caught you on here, as I work on this I was going to start working on a write up for retrocade as I go. All in all, how I got the arcade and a lot of circumstances surrounding it make for a very amusing story I think. Of course along with my write-up on the repair and renovation of the machine as well. Lemme know what you think!

[rmaerz]

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:33 AM, said:

Also while I caught you on here, as I work on this I was going to start working on a write up for retrocade as I go. All in all, how I got the arcade and a lot of circumstances surrounding it make for a very amusing story I think. Of course along with my write-up on the repair and renovation of the machine as well. Lemme know what you think!

Yes, go for it.

Grab lots of pictures of the renovation as it progresses.

[nvrmndtheruins]

rmaerz, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:47 AM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:33 AM, said:

Also while I caught you on here, as I work on this I was going to start working on a write up for retrocade as I go. All in all, how I got the arcade and a lot of circumstances surrounding it make for a very amusing story I think. Of course along with my write-up on the repair and renovation of the machine as well. Lemme know what you think!

Yes, go for it.

Grab lots of pictures of the renovation as it progresses.

I already started taking pictures yesterday of me trying to even get it home lol Arcade+coupe=WTF!

[nvrmndtheruins]

@bennybingo

Thank you so much for your help she is up and running.

The dip switches were all kinds of messed up. Set to settings that weren't listed/Don't Exist

If we're ever in the same place at the same time I owe you a beer!

Now, onto being glued to the CRT for the nest 137hrs

[UberArcade]

Another trick for games without free play is to run a wire from the coin switch to the 2 player start button. Press 2P to coin it, 1P to start your game. Press 2P twice to coin and start a 2P game. Learned this from Bob Roberts website.

[nvrmndtheruins]

Spent some time playing yesterday and got a high score

But it didn't save

I assume there is some kind of battery backup but the insides are still nasty and full of spiderwebs and a ton of dust. Thus I couldn't find it in the short time I could tolerate working inside the cab

Can anybody give me a clue as to what i'm looking for inside the cab to fix the high scores?

And I apologize if it seems like i'm asking a lot of dumb/easy questions. I'm very new to arcade cabs and I really don't want to screw something because I didn't ask or have some clue what I was doing.

[UberArcade]

Most older arcade games won't save scores when powered off. If it did there would probably be a battery holder on the motherboard with something like two AA batteries on there. I bet Vulgus doesn't have any.

[SEgamer]

UberArcade, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:34 AM, said:

Most older arcade games won't save scores when powered off. If it did there would probably be a battery holder on the motherboard with something like two AA batteries on there. I bet Vulgus doesn't have any.

Which is probably a good thing. I've seen a lot of old boards trashed from leaking/corroded batteries to the point that they couldn't be fixed. Recently, I was going to buy an early solid state pinball machine at a great price, but unfortunately the company who made it decided to put the battery on/near a lot of ICs. Needless to say, a lot of the pins on those chips were corroded as well as the board.

[nvrmndtheruins]

UberArcade, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:34 AM, said:

Most older arcade games won't save scores when powered off. If it did there would probably be a battery holder on the motherboard with something like two AA batteries on there. I bet Vulgus doesn't have any.

I'll have to take a look on my day off. From the bits I found online some games use rechargeable NiMh AA's I'm hoping there is a way to make it save high scores. I didn't notice a battery holder coming off the board when I had it out to reset the dip switches. But It was very clean and rust free. So if there was batteries the haven't leaked.

If there is no batteries is there a way to add them so the machine will keep high scores?

for some reason it really bothers me having all 5 slots be the default ones set by the machine, I don't know why

[bennybingo]

A little info about the cabs w/ batteries:

http://users.erols.c...rman/webbat.htm

I researched this a while back because I have an Out Run machine, and these are notoriously known for something called the "suicide battery". In this situation, the battery can take out the board's functionality if it dies:

http://www.arcadecol.../dead/dead.html

Luckily, mine doesn't have one of those...*phew*.

[nvrmndtheruins]

bennybingo, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:34 AM, said:

A little info about the cabs w/ batteries:

http://users.erols.c...rman/webbat.htm

I researched this a while back because I have an Out Run machine, and these are notoriously known for something called the "suicide battery". In this situation, the battery can take out the board's functionality if it dies:

http://www.arcadecol.../dead/dead.html

Luckily, mine doesn't have one of those...*phew*.

Thanks! I wish there was more info about Vulgus floating around online. I still have yet to find more pictures of the artwork/bezel.

I didn't think the game would be that, I guess rare?

Seems like there isn't to many around

[SEgamer]

nvrmndtheruins, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:52 AM, said:

Thanks! I wish there was more info about Vulgus floating around online. I still have yet to find more pictures of the artwork/bezel.

I didn't think the game would be that, I guess rare?

Seems like there isn't to many around

If you haven't yet, you can sign up over at arcade-museum.com forums and ask someone to take pics of their machine.

I wonder if the game shares any similarities with a 1942 machine. Both were supposedly made the same year, and may have similar parts if you need any.

[nvrmndtheruins]

SEgamer, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:11 PM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:52 AM, said:

Thanks! I wish there was more info about Vulgus floating around online. I still have yet to find more pictures of the artwork/bezel.

I didn't think the game would be that, I guess rare?

Seems like there isn't to many around

If you haven't yet, you can sign up over at arcade-museum.com forums and ask someone to take pics of their machine.

I wonder if the game shares any similarities with a 1942 machine. Both were supposedly made the same year, and may have similar parts if you need any.

Good Thinking!

I read online somewhere that they were very similar but Vulgus came out first.

I'll have to sign up over there and hope someone is willing to snap me a few pictures

[bennybingo]

nvrmndtheruins, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:52 AM, said:

I didn't think the game would be that, I guess rare?

Seems like there isn't to many around

According to the KLOV:

"Capcom, the Vulgus maker, released 208 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1984."


I would say that it is pretty uncommon. Regardless, you should be able to get it up and working properly and looking very nice in no time.


As for artwork, if you are going to find it anywhere, it would be in the arcade forums at arcade-museums.com.


It sounds like a fun restoration project for the right person. You should have a blast!!!

[nvrmndtheruins]

bennybingo, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:22 PM, said:

nvrmndtheruins, on Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:52 AM, said:

I didn't think the game would be that, I guess rare?

Seems like there isn't to many around

According to the KLOV:

"Capcom, the Vulgus maker, released 208 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1984."


I would say that it is pretty uncommon. Regardless, you should be able to get it up and working properly and looking very nice in no time.


As for artwork, if you are going to find it anywhere, it would be in the arcade forums at arcade-museums.com.


It sounds like a fun restoration project for the right person. You should have a blast!!!

I already am having a blast!!


Now time for me to go see a man about a sega master system!

[keilbaca]

Corroded batteries are the worst. I just bought a Qix board not too long ago, it just did a memory check and that was it, they never installed the battery in. From what I read it needs the battery to boot fully... and I don't have a Qix cab to install it in, and to get it working as a Jamma board, its going to take a LOT of work... so I never got around to fixing it yet.

I looked on the board and I found the spot where the battery used to be, and it looks like there isn't any corrosion anywhere other than around the actual battery contacts. I hope its all ready to go.

[Cynicaster]

Anybody with MAME could probably check whether this game stored high scores after powering down--if it has the capability, it will create an NVRAM file.