Battlezone +5V low - need some help

tng25

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I have a Battlezone that was working fine. I went outside for a while and came back in and the screen is blank. Marquee still lights up, but the +5V LED's are not lit up on the AVG or AUX board.

Here's what I've tried so far:
Tested voltages on the ar2-02 board and they all tested fine except for the +5V, it's showing 0.7V. I tested the wire from pin 6 of connector J7 since there is no header test pin for +5V.
Tested the voltage on the game pcb and it's also showing 0.7V at the edge connector and on the test lugs.
Disconnected the game boards and just ran the AR2-02 board. It's now showing +5.1V.
So the voltage regulator on the AR2 board seems to be working.

Not sure what would cause the voltage to drop so low when the game board is connected.

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!
Torin
 
Thanks for this post. I was diagnosing the exact same problem today and didn't think the issue could have been with the 2N3055 on the regulator board (since the +5V was fine with no load). That fixed it!
 
This is a common issue with AR's. There are many threads with the same issue and fix.

This is also why you want to replace the 2N3055 on any 'new to you' AR. Any original ones have thousands of hours on them, and they do fail. Half of the time you get lucky and they fail with low voltage. But the other half of the time they short, and send 12v to the game board.

Replacing the 3055 with a quality replacement part will make the AR good again for decades of home use, and practically eliminate the chance of the 3055 failing for a very long time. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy for your game for $5.

Just be sure to get a replacement from a reliable source. APAR is one, as are Digikey and Mouser. Not eBay, Aliexpress, or Arcadeshop.
 
Is that 3055 regulator known to age out just sitting on a shelf? I have a bag of new ones from Radio Shack who knows how long ago and wondered if I should risk putting them in or buy new parts.
This is a common issue with AR's. There are many threads with the same issue and fix.

This is also why you want to replace the 2N3055 on any 'new to you' AR. Any original ones have thousands of hours on them, and they do fail. Half of the time you get lucky and they fail with low voltage. But the other half of the time they short, and send 12v to the game board.

Replacing the 3055 with a quality replacement part will make the AR good again for decades of home use, and practically eliminate the chance of the 3055 failing for a very long time. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy for your game for $5.

Just be sure to get a replacement from a reliable source. APAR is one, as are Digikey and Mouser. Not eBay, Aliexpress, or Arcadeshop.
 
Is that 3055 regulator known to age out just sitting on a shelf? I have a bag of new ones from Radio Shack who knows how long ago and wondered if I should risk putting them in or buy new parts.
Former RS store manager (6545 and 6544, Richton Park and Homewood IL)
Radio Shack routinely bought factory seconds and rejects for chips and components.

Use with caution.

I'd chuck the lot and use ones from Digikey or APAR.
 
Sorry, my previous terse reply was because I was on mobile.

On one hand, someone like @toledoflyer might say that older stock transistors could potentially be better quality, because they were produced with different methods than ones today. And I don't disagree. However ATGW also has a valid point, if it's Radio Shack, you don't really know what you're getting.

So it's one of those things where even though what you have might be ok, is the extra $5 too much to spend to know you got a good part? Chances are the ones you have are probably ok (and are likely better than original ones with thousands of hours on them). But if you're going to replace it, you might as well be 100% sure you're using a good part, as the risk to the game board is too great in this case if you aren't.

And don't feel bad. I've tossed my fair share of 'probably good' parts, because I couldn't be sure of their provenance. It sucks, but it's arguably the right thing to do.
 
Exactly the answer I was hoping for gents! Thanks everyone for chiming in.
Not worth it to me to use a potentially questionable $5 part and blow something up.

This may of course explain why I'm getting ever dropping voltage in the Tempest machine. I think when I rebuilt that AR I used one of those Radio Shack 3055s.
And a heave ho they will go!
 
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