Star Tech Journal

5
{"CENTIPEDE," "BATTLEZONE," "WARLORDS,"
"ASTEROID DELUXE," '"ASTEROIDS")
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"CENTIPEDE"
Past Atari games have given little or no maintenance problems except for routine
cleaning. Atari has made several important changes to make this particular game
even better. They are as follows:
1. New latches to open the control panel.
2. A foam pad on the rear door (037427-01) to keep the AC interlock switch
closed .
3. Nylon free buttons and new cross bar points. I feel this will be the best
fire button in the industry .
4. New Mini-Track Ball assembly. This is a very well designed unit. It may be
opened for oiling or inspection in a few minutes. As with any action
controls with bearings, it must be oiled once in a while. Atari
recommends only two drops of "3 in One" oil in each bearing every 3
months or 6,000 plays. With a game like this, 6000 plays means every few
weeks. This will assure the game keeping its new feeling for years .
It is my feeling that you should place a can of "3 in One" oil inside the
game .
"BATTLEZONE"
Atari has just released an open face for the full-size game. This will give the game a
better attract mode and enable others to see the game easier while being played .
Contact your Atari distributor for details .
"WARLORDS" &
ASTEROID DELUXE"
11
In overly illuminated areas, these games may be difficult to play due to glare. Atari
has a kit available that changes the angle of the gloss. Your distributor can furnish
you with the kit .
"ASTEROIDS"
As a result of the tremendous use of this game, the buttons chaff, causing the
points to get dirty. Now, available is a new nylon push-button assembly that will
eliminate most of this problem (178030-001) .
The early contact points worked well, but didn't clean themselves properly. Atari
has introduced a new cross bar contact point that will be better for cleaning itself
(160013-001). This type of point was used on some Atari pinballs. I installed one
of these points on an "Asteroid" fire button that was worn 6 months ago with no
failure. (Cross bar points are used on critical applications like computer
keyboards.)
I recommend replacing all the buttons and points on these games. If the point is
bad on the control panel, it would be wise to install an overlay at the same time.
The price of all these parts is about the same as a service call. It appears
"Asteroids" will continue to be one of the strongest games for some time. Money
spent on this game is money well spent.
Many other games also use these original points. The new contact points and
buttons may be purchased through Wico or your Atari distributor.
AUGUST 1981
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