Article on the Atari Audio Regulator SENSE mod

nice write up

you could also use a 0 ohm resistor in place of R29 and R30 to keep the illusion that there is a resistor at those two locations.
 
Nice write up! Guess it's time to mod all my AR/II's now :) Like you, I would rather have game act flaky then burn up the PS.
 
Good, I hope this gets the word out. I've sense mod'ed all of my games. Centipede, Tempest, Red Baron, Asteroids Deluxe. It has saved my games. Before I knew about the sense mod, my Centipede had gone through two monitors, completely killing one beyond the repair skills of an arcade monitor tech. It was about to eat a new Happ Vision pro before I deduced what was going on with the power to the main board from the ARII. Maybe this will help some new Atari owners out.
 
Great write up.. how about adding something about Switching Power Supplies?

That's a little bit beyond the scope of the article. You can run the +5V off a switcher but the article is written mostly for folks who want to continue using their AR.
 
I'm not a purist so I really dont care about SENSE mods or installing switching power supplies in these games making them "less original." To me its whatever it takes to make the game work.

While the sense mod is great for getting rid of the frying resistors on the power supply boards it doesnt fix the actual problem, the edge connector and the connector pads on the game board. I understand the part about the +5 dropping to a point to where the game board starts acting crazy so why not REPAIR the main board and edge connector rather then let it get to the point that the game starts going nuts?

The sense wires are what 18/16 ga? The +5 and GND wires are at least 12/14 right? If the larger wire fails the game board is going to try and draw more current via the smaller wires. While up front thats not a big deal down the road it is... Imagine the harness from the power supply board MELTING TOGETHER... Now ask yourself this question. Would you rather have two stupid resistors fry on the power supply or have to replace a wire harness?

Dont get me wrong here, I like the sense mod in that it gets rid a potential break down. But if the original problem isnt fixed your asking for a new one. If you added that in the write up then I didnt see it. I just glanced over the article so I may have missed it.

FWIW, I'm of the school of bypassing the edge connectors GND and +5 connections. I use one of those computer hard drive power supply extension cables, cut it in half and solder in as needed. This keeps the original harness in tact, the original edge connector intact and makes it so that you can still remove the board if needed.

Nice write up BTW.
 
i'm not a purist so i really dont care about sense mods or installing switching power supplies in these games making them "less original." to me its whatever it takes to make the game work.

While the sense mod is great for getting rid of the frying resistors on the power supply boards it doesnt fix the actual problem, the edge connector and the connector pads on the game board. I understand the part about the +5 dropping to a point to where the game board starts acting crazy so why not repair the main board and edge connector rather then let it get to the point that the game starts going nuts?

The sense wires are what 18/16 ga? The +5 and gnd wires are at least 12/14 right? If the larger wire fails the game board is going to try and draw more current via the smaller wires. While up front thats not a big deal down the road it is... Imagine the harness from the power supply board melting together... Now ask yourself this question. Would you rather have two stupid resistors fry on the power supply or have to replace a wire harness?

Dont get me wrong here, i like the sense mod in that it gets rid a potential break down. But if the original problem isnt fixed your asking for a new one. If you added that in the write up then i didnt see it. I just glanced over the article so i may have missed it.

Fwiw, i'm of the school of bypassing the edge connectors gnd and +5 connections. I use one of those computer hard drive power supply extension cables, cut it in half and solder in as needed. This keeps the original harness in tact, the original edge connector intact and makes it so that you can still remove the board if needed.

Nice write up btw.

so what can be done? The best thing to do is to periodically inspect your edge connectors for any signs of dirt, oxidation or damage and clean or replace the crimps as needed. You can use a clean lint-free rag and rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) or acetone. A q-tip works well for getting between the crimps in the crimp housing. You can also use a fiberglass pencil or a pencil eraser to clean them. How often is often enough? It depends on the game, how much use it gets, etc. Checking them once every few months should be more than enough. A good way to tell if you currently have a problem is to leave the game on for an hour or so and then feel the crimp housing with your fingers. If the crimp housing is warm, then you should clean or replace.

:)

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Gamefixer... you beat me to it. The sense mod annoys the hell out of me because it takes one failure condition and replaces it with a much more dangerous one.

Cutting the sense wires achieves the OP's aim without requiring any board mods at all. The 5v supply will then droop at the PCB if the connectors are bad.

AR1 boards (Asteroids, etc.) need special treatment. Before cutting the lines, the diodes (CR3+CR2) should be swapped out for resistors (wires if you must).

--
Dave
 
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:) I still think that we should be "fixing" the probelm not putting a band-aid on it.

My bypass option fixes the issue for ever. It may not look pretty but as I said I dont care.

Matt
 
Gamefixer... you beat me to it.

I've been in the coin-op biz as a tech for almost 30 years so I've seen a lot of "fixes" in my time. The Sense mod works if you dont want to have fried 1/4 watt resistors but thats about all it does. If thats all your looking for then I guess its cool.

I recall one funny fix from BITD... It involved Pole Position so its relevant to this topic.

The 25AMP Slo-Blo fuse on the +10.3VDC fried A LOT on Poles. The fix was to get 3 feet of zip cord, extend the wires from the transformer assy's fuse holder and wire in a new fuse holder at the other end zip cord. Put your 25 amp fuse in the new holder and HANG THE NEW HOLDER AND FUSE IN FRONT OF A FAN!!! LOL!!!!! I loved this one. Worked great until the zip cord melted. :)
 
I'm not a purist so I really dont care about SENSE mods or installing switching power supplies in these games making them "less original." To me its whatever it takes to make the game work.

While the sense mod is great for getting rid of the frying resistors on the power supply boards it doesnt fix the actual problem, the edge connector and the connector pads on the game board. I understand the part about the +5 dropping to a point to where the game board starts acting crazy so why not REPAIR the main board and edge connector rather then let it get to the point that the game starts going nuts?

The sense wires are what 18/16 ga? The +5 and GND wires are at least 12/14 right? If the larger wire fails the game board is going to try and draw more current via the smaller wires. While up front thats not a big deal down the road it is... Imagine the harness from the power supply board MELTING TOGETHER... Now ask yourself this question. Would you rather have two stupid resistors fry on the power supply or have to replace a wire harness?

Dont get me wrong here, I like the sense mod in that it gets rid a potential break down. But if the original problem isnt fixed your asking for a new one. If you added that in the write up then I didnt see it. I just glanced over the article so I may have missed it.

FWIW, I'm of the school of bypassing the edge connectors GND and +5 connections. I use one of those computer hard drive power supply extension cables, cut it in half and solder in as needed. This keeps the original harness in tact, the original edge connector intact and makes it so that you can still remove the board if needed.

Nice write up BTW.

Yup, my thoughts exactly! I'd much rather replace 2 three cent resistors than what's going to happen if the connector isn't addressed. I've said it tons in the past....sense mod.....do it or don't.....I don't care.....but if you do it, make damn sure you fix the REAL problem. Replace that freaking connector. I see and hear so many people recommending the sense mod to others like it's some genie in a bottle fix (I'm not talking about bit slicer, I know he understands what he's doing:)....it's the people who blindly recommend it to others). They have no idea what they are talking about.....they're just repeating what they have heard or read online. So many "sense mod" recommenders fail to mention the real issue....your connector is shot. It's going to be great some five years from now.....all the people who did the sense mod and DIDN'T replace their connector. Repair guys are going to have a blast patching that shit up.

Edward
 
I'll be honest, I expected to get beat over the head for what I typed. Good to see that there is an understanding of the real issue here.

Louisville huh... I'll be that way in two weeks and might need some help setting new games up. You game?
 
I'll be honest, I expected to get beat over the head for what I typed. Good to see that there is an understanding of the real issue here.

Louisville huh... I'll be that way in two weeks and might need some help setting new games up. You game?

Give me a shout. (502)-584-6804

This is the shop line. I'm in noon-7:00pm (Monday-Friday).
Give me a PM if you need a cell/personal number.

Edward
 
It has saved my games. Before I knew about the sense mod, my Centipede had gone through two monitors, completely killing one beyond the repair skills of an arcade monitor tech. It was about to eat a new Happ Vision pro before I deduced what was going on with the power to the main board from the ARII. Maybe this will help some new Atari owners out.

How did you deduce this? From a tech position.....I don't see how this is possible. I'm not going to say it's impossible:), one thing I've learned....these games can do crazy shit, but I truely don't understand how this could happen (which is why I'm asking, I'd like to know).

Edward
 
I'm no expert, but I'm a fan of replacing the split pins in the edge connector, at least the power and ground related ones. You'd be surprised how flattened and worn they look, compared to a new pin. It's a PITA to do, but goes with all the other work..

In trying to track down an issue on a Centipede harness, I started replacing the pins. Some were just flattened to where they wouldn't seem to make contact with the board anymore. Connector pins do have a limited lifespan.
 
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