Asteroids Deluxe PCB repair... who do you recommend?

Jedimojo

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Asteroids Deluxe PCB repair... who do you recommend?

I recently bought an Asteroids Deluxe UR a few weeks ago.... previous owner swore that he never had a problem with this game. Needless to say, it's got problems.

Frequently it starts just fine (perfectly actually)..... but after anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour later the screen would just blank out and the game would play blind.

Now it continues to play but the vectors become more bright... with additional vectors (lighter) follow all the objects. Additionally, all objects show a dot in it's center. This screenshot is from another post from someone with an identical problem:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2830&d=1226440852

That thread mentioned 'z-blanking' circuits, etc. Ok... now I'm in over my head. So, the question for me is:
Can you recommend someone to do pcb repair? I don't want to gamble on 'untested' boards for sale. OR........ anybody have WORKING boards that they want to sell at a reasonable price?

Thanks!
 
I recently bought an Asteroids Deluxe UR a few weeks ago.... previous owner swore that he never had a problem with this game. Needless to say, it's got problems.

Frequently it starts just fine (perfectly actually)..... but after anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour later the screen would just blank out and the game would play blind.

Now it continues to play but the vectors become more bright... with additional vectors (lighter) follow all the objects. Additionally, all objects show a dot in it's center. This screenshot is from another post from someone with an identical problem:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2830&d=1226440852

That thread mentioned 'z-blanking' circuits, etc. Ok... now I'm in over my head. So, the question for me is:
Can you recommend someone to do pcb repair? I don't want to gamble on 'untested' boards for sale. OR........ anybody have WORKING boards that they want to sell at a reasonable price?

Thanks!

PM road.runner, he fixed my Asteroids board.
He has test rigs for
Lunar Lander
Asteroids
Asteroids Deluxe
Battlezone
Red Baron
Space Duel
Gravitar
Black Widow
Tempest
Go to this post to send him a message
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showpost.php?p=1475334&postcount=12
 
If you want to eliminate one possibility the connectors on the HV board are notorious for cold solder joints.. I had one with the same problems...and I cleaned all the connector pins and reflowed new solder...and have not had a problem since...I would try that before sending them off if your capable of soldering as they are very basic repairs that anyone with some experience can do themselves.
 
I dont think that this is a game board problem but maybe a high voltage problem within the monitor. Most common failure is the high voltage diode. Since it works cold and fails as it warms up its either the diode or cold solder.
 
if I remember correctly, it's a wellS 19v2000. I'm at work on my cellphone now, so I'll have to check when I get home.
My solderings skills are pathetic. I tried to repair an lcd monitor once... what a disaster that was. I won't have the uninterrupted free time to work on this until the weekend.
It looks like I'll be taking out my old soldering pen... and practicing on some junk circuit boards. I've probably avoided this longer than necessary.
 
Well, I don't have a HV probe to make adjustments at R905... and the one post I found that had somebody do this ended with fried components.
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/archive/index.php/t-135491.html

It seems most people agree that this is a HV board issue or adjustment that's needed.... I know that if I attempt it, this will end in disaster.
Sorry for being such a newb concerning these issues... but I know my limitations at this stage.
 
Well, I don't have a HV probe to make adjustments at R905... and the one post I found that had somebody do this ended with fried components.
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/archive/index.php/t-135491.html

It seems most people agree that this is a HV board issue or adjustment that's needed.... I know that if I attempt it, this will end in disaster.
Sorry for being such a newb concerning these issues... but I know my limitations at this stage.

I had a HV probe and turned mine down, I wasn't suggesting blind adjustment

They are cheaper than most people think (HV Probes)

http://cgi.ebay.com/BK-Precision-HV...267?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c5f91ac3

Plenty come up on eBay under "HV probe"

My probe was like this, but was only $35.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/FLUKE-MODEL-80K...846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cefb97b4e

Don't get the 80K/6, as it only measures 6KV. You need to read 14.5KV (See chart) From ataricade


 
I read the thread for the hot resistor and fuse
See diagram


His fault is laid out in green, too much current = fuse blowing and hot resistor - caused by either too high voltage coming from the 4 way rectifier

Your problem is lines on the screen.
Do you have a hot resistor and are you blowing R102?

Yours may be just brightness adjustment or contrast - No HV adj needed
 
I didn't post this earlier but, when I first had this problem where the screen would blank out and the game would play blind... I reduced brightness by roughly 25%. For a very short while I had thought that this had solved the problem. The game no longer plays blind, but it now shows those additional vectors as previously stated ( and only after it warms up ).
My link to the other thread was to point out that even though the other guy had a high voltage probe.. he still managed to fry is monitor when making that adjustment.
 
So the problem happens only when it warms up?
Hmmmm

By the way have you checked the brightness and contrast pots are OK? Sometimes a bad pot can cause these sorts of things, they are cheap to replace.

Big Blue replaced??

I will hand it over to others
My chassis is different to yours, all the best sorting it out
 
Aside from adjustment...I don't know how to test a pot. Brightness seems to work...and I havn't touched the contrast yet.
No.... I havn't replaced the big blue.... I will.... I was going to when I ordered from Bob Roberts.....I assumed I would be ordering other things as well based on reccomendations from here.
Is it just me?
Bob's site isn't the best layout. Ug.

Thanks for your time by the way. Don't know where to go from here.
 
Aside from adjustment...I don't know how to test a pot. Brightness seems to work...and I havn't touched the contrast yet.
No.... I havn't replaced the big blue.... I will.... I was going to when I ordered from Bob Roberts.....I assumed I would be ordering other things as well based on reccomendations from here.
Is it just me?
Bob's site isn't the best layout. Ug.

Thanks for your time by the way. Don't know where to go from here.

It's set up like someone writing in a book

Not easy, I use the "find" function on my browser when on Bob's site

Do you own a digital multi meter (DMM)

A pot is tested with a DMM, the value changes smoothly if the pot is OK

Measurement is taken from an outer leg to the inner leg while turning the pot.

If it's jumpy - replace the pot.
 
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