Interested.
Where are you located?
Got any pics of the machine?

You are right, I need to not be intimidated by soldering and I intend not to be in the not so distant future, it's just that I don't think it would be a great idea for me to try the soldering on the actual game board as a first effort.

Before I go poking about any deeper, does anyone with an actual Robotron machine know off the top of their head if the RAM chips are socketed or soldered? Certainly someone must have experience with this? If they are indeed socketed, do I need any specific tool to pull the RAM chip or will they come out by "hand"?

Thanks for any information that anyone is willing to share.

Thank you so much for your guidance to this point. I truly appreciate it. I can certainly attempt to re-seat all of the ribbon cables with out much effort. As you point out, it couldn't hurt.

With respects to taking the RAM chip out and swapping it around, would I need to de-solder the RAM chip(s) to do this? I have never, ever, soldered before and therefore don't have the confidence to do so to the pcb. If I wouldn't need to solder/de-solder, would I need any sort of special chip pulling tool that you could recommend?

As far as if it comes down to board repair, would you or anyone else have any recommendations for someone trustworthy enough to send the board out to?

ok. I got the batteries out and replaced them. No joy. 
The LED displays 1, then 3, then 1 and then repeats 1,3, and 1 and then it goes blank for a second followed by 1 and then 0 then the rug pattern on the crt goes black for a moment. The sequence then repeats.

From the manual, to me, this code seems to be suggesting a bad RAM chip. As I'm a total newb on the electronics front, this might be more than I know how to handle at the moment. Should I be looking at getting a local company to service the machine or is there some other way I should go?

Appreciate whatever advice you might offer.

So, I looked and there are batteries. Looks like 3 AA's. I was not able to remove them with just light to medium finger pressure and was scared to try to use a screwdriver to pry with. I figured that might not be a great idea. Can you recommend the best way to try to remove the batteries? Do I need to remove the mainboard from the back panel to do it?

Also, I can see the L.E.D. on the mainboard flashing 1 then 3 then 1. I looked in the manual but am a tad confused about what exactly the code means. I see one code that looks like maybe a bad RAM chip in Bank 3 Slot 1 but, then there's another code later in the table that to me looks like it could be the batteries, as you previously suggested. I'm unsure of how to proceed.

Hello all.

I have a Robotron 2084 that I've owned for quite a while and only recently caught the bug to start trying to play again. Upon attempting to start the machine everything appears to go okay up until the initial loading screen(s). I get video and can observe the normal standard Williams first screen (rug) that is the scrambled looking screen. This screens stays for a few moments and the the monitor goes black as if it was about to actually load the game but, then the scrambled screen returns and this process just repeats.

Did a small amount of Googlin' and saw some articles that mentioned DRAM replacement as a possibility. I am a total "newb" on the electronics front and wouldn't really have a clue how to do this.

Can anyone provide advice on how I should proceed or what I might be able to learn to do to "fix" this and get the game to a playable state again?

Thanks.

Disregard...I found it.  It was right in front of me!

I must be 'simple' because I fail to see it. Would anyone be kind enough to take pity on my poor reading comprehension and re-post the latest and greatest iteration of the query?

TIA

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-80K-40-High-Voltage-Probe/dp/B000LDQ672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437160357&sr=8-1&keywords=hv+probe

Or this?

http://www.amazon.com/Precision-HV44A-Voltage-Probe-Meter/dp/B000LDFNF8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437160357&sr=8-3&keywords=hv+probe

I've seen several of John's videos where he discharges an arcade monitor. He uses what I believe he said is a homemade tool to do the job that looks like an old long flat-bladed screwdriver with a wire electrical taped to it that has an alligator clip on the other end of the wire. I was wondering if we could get a more accurate description of how to specifically build this tool? I also wonder if there is an actual "real" produced tool to do this job properly.
I gotta admit, being relatively new to the idea of fixing up games and possessing no proper electronics training, fooling with a potentially dangerous electricity source like a monitor kinda intimidates me. I'm a firm believer in having the right tool for the job and I'm also a big fan of continuing to live a bit longer. 

Hello All.
My name is Frank and I'm from Westminster, Md. I've been an avid MAME gamer for years and only just recently discovered the whole John's Arcade phenomenon. Love the videos.
I currently own an original Robotron that I've had since the early 80's. It's currently down and I'm trying to learn how I might "fix" it. My kid is just getting ready to leave for her first semester of college so, I'm guessing I'll finally have adequate time to pursue the hobby. I also have a MAME cab that I bought off of a guy a few years back for pretty cheap. It's mostly just the guts of an old Compaq desktop that has been shoved into an old Killer Instinct cabinet. It functions but, BARELY so, that could probably use a good tear down and "proper" rebuild into a real cabinet!  ;)

Looking forward to reviewing more of John's video's and trying to learn this hobby a good bit better.

Peace