atari paperboy power brick voltage too high

Mcc313

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I am having some trouble with my paperboy. the trouble is with the power brick. the bridge rectifier is smoking hot. starting to burn the wires coming off of it. I measured the voltages and where it should read 10.3v it is reading 14.3v i suspect this is why the rectifier is so hot. the 2 big blues are pretty much brand new. is there anything I can do to lower the voltage? is the transformer bad? I have not changed the bridge rectifier yet but I did order one. what is my next move?
 
I've read that some power bricks are supposed to read 14.3v now I am confused. am i using the wrong power brick? I believe this one was from a pole position
 
good call. I ordered the rectifier and a new big blue. I should have mentioned the problems with the game also. I can play a game or two then I get resets and seems to lose the voltage and I get a blank screen. maybe the big blue is bad also even though it is pretty new. at one point one of the wires coming off of the rectifier melted through a wire nut and touched the metal of the brick.
 
Start with posting some pictures here.

If you're running the older style brick (A035888 transformer) then who knows how it's been wired up.

Pictures will tell us if you're running two switchers (typically Championship Sprint setup) or a switcher and an ARIII (typical for Paperboy), or something else.

You should clean all your power connections and ensure no oxidation on pins, etc..
 
my cab uses 2 big blues and an ar3
number on the brick 034482 02D
I thought the connectors on the fuse holders were loose, so I soldered them on.
in the photo with the bridge rectifer the wires with the tape burned through a wire nut. looks like it got hot again.
1000005940.jpg
 

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Ok, well that's hella micky-moused. Wire nuts, duct tape, wire gauge step-downs, etc.. Also looks like some corrosion in the quick connector at the bridge. Re-do that all. Do it right. Do it with good wire like the wires going to the external Big Blue. Solder and shrink tube.

It's hard to tell the condition of the fuse block too but that may be suspect.

Mirror this…
 

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the messed up part is i bought this on ebay as rebuilt. I will fix up the wires when I replace the rectifier. I changed the fuse block with a new one. is the 14.3v from the brick ok to use?
 
the messed up part is i bought this on ebay as rebuilt. I will fix up the wires when I replace the rectifier. I changed the fuse block with a new one. is the 14.3v from the brick ok to use?
The voltages these days run a bit higher than yester-year so you'll see higher outputs. The ARIII will step them down as needed, but you should check your output voltages there too.

You also likely have a switcher power supply mounted on the side wall whose output feeds the top CPU board. Check those connections and output voltages too.
 
The voltages these days run a bit higher than yester-year so you'll see higher outputs. The ARIII will step them down as needed, but you should check your output voltages there too.

You also likely have a switcher power supply mounted on the side wall whose output feeds the top CPU board. Check those connections and output voltages too.
yes there is a switcher. I installed a new one today and I am getting 5.2v
 
Your big blue, fuse block, and rectifier are all working fine. The 10.3 runs high, that's normal. It should be between 12 and 15V, and higher is actually better, because it means your power system is ok. (When it gets down to 12V or lower, it usually means there's a dirty connection somewhere, either the fuse block or elsewhere between the brick and AR.)

That wire on the rectifier is all that needs to be fixed. I'd keep everything else original, and save the new big blues for a game that actually needs them. It's common for wires on the fuse block and/or rectifier to get burned up, because those slide-on connectors get oxidized and go resistive sometimes. It's common.

The best way to fix it is to just eliminate the slide-on connectors, and solder the wires to the rectifier tabs. The rectifiers don't fail that often, so if and when it ever does need replacing, it's simple to just desolder the 4 wires and replace it. But soldering the connections will ensure they never oxidize and go resistive.

You may need to replace any wires that are burned up, as those don't tend to take solder well. Just use the same gauge.
 
Your big blue, fuse block, and rectifier are all working fine. The 10.3 runs high, that's normal. It should be between 12 and 15V, and higher is actually better, because it means your power system is ok. (When it gets down to 12V or lower, it usually means there's a dirty connection somewhere, either the fuse block or elsewhere between the brick and AR.)

That wire on the rectifier is all that needs to be fixed. I'd keep everything else original, and save the new big blues for a game that actually needs them. It's common for wires on the fuse block and/or rectifier to get burned up, because those slide-on connectors get oxidized and go resistive sometimes. It's common.

The best way to fix it is to just eliminate the slide-on connectors, and solder the wires to the rectifier tabs. The rectifiers don't fail that often, so if and when it ever does need replacing, it's simple to just desolder the 4 wires and replace it. But soldering the connections will ensure they never oxidize and go resistive.

You may need to replace any wires that are burned up, as those don't tend to take solder well. Just use the same gauge.
on the subject of bridge rectifiers, they seem to use something like 16 gauge wire, maybe thicker. I would venture due to the current pull that's essential, but I've had them where they fried the wires and I have to cut them short and there's barely enough wire to reconnect. is anything less than 16 ill advised?
 
on the subject of bridge rectifiers, they seem to use something like 16 gauge wire, maybe thicker. I would venture due to the current pull that's essential, but I've had them where they fried the wires and I have to cut them short and there's barely enough wire to reconnect. is anything less than 16 ill advised?

I don't know what gauge it uses offhand, but I wouldn't use anything thinner than what's already there.
 
I don't know what gauge it uses offhand, but I wouldn't use anything thinner than what's already there.
kind of what I was thinking. what are your views on quick disconnects to the fuse holders? the one side of the 20A fuse gets barbecued and will cause problems. I soldered wires direct to the holders. and have had holders that arced so much they were ruined and that required replacement. free play arcades are torture for games if left in the wrong hands.
 
kind of what I was thinking. what are your views on quick disconnects to the fuse holders? the one side of the 20A fuse gets barbecued and will cause problems. I soldered wires direct to the holders. and have had holders that arced so much they were ruined and that required replacement. free play arcades are torture for games if left in the wrong hands.

The wires should be soldered to the fuse block, but only for the 20A fuse. The others just need to have the tabs cleaned and they'll be fine. They don't tend to burn up, because they don't handle the same amount of current.
 
The wires should be soldered to the fuse block, but only for the 20A fuse. The others just need to have the tabs cleaned and they'll be fine. They don't tend to burn up, because they don't handle the same amount of current.
you're a good citizen. I'm waiting for some vector game catastrophe to happen after Midwest Gaming Classic. this time I have FPGA catbox at least.
 
update. I reworked the wires to the bridge rectifier and soldered them in place. I have had the machine running for about 5 hours now and seems to be working. thanks for all of the help.
 

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