Challenger Crane/ Claw Machine- ever heard of it or worked on one?

john2654

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Challenger Crane/ Claw Machine- ever heard of it or worked on one?

I have a Challenger crane machine that I recently picked up. Don't know much about it.
When I plug it in, nothing happens. I noticed a keyed switch on the side. Since I didn't have a key, I just touched the two wires together to see what would happen. Well only the small power supply makes a constant clicking noise. It has 5, 12, and 24 volt outputs. Does that power supply control everything because the chase lights don't light up or neither does the credit display. Where can one get a replacement? I have ones that only have 5V and 12V. This one also needs 24V for something.

Schematics anywhere?

Thanks!

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Biggest piece of garbage I've ever worked on (next to Greyhound cranes of course).

The rope light is controlled by the CPU. The power supply is open frame and mounted
inside the door. It supplies +5v and +24v. There may be a +12 in there too depending
if the model has sound or not.

The CPU is mounted on a door at the bottom of the prize area. So basically if
you have a full crane and the board goes, you need to remove all the prizes
just to get at the board. It's accessible through the front door but really hard
to remove that way.

The dipsticks at AGE scraped all the numbering off the IC's on the boards.
The machine is poorly grounded and the harnesses tend to get cut up on the
metal cabinet and blow the board. I've seen many revisions of the boards
too.

Replacement boards are available at S&B (http://www.sandbsales.com/)
but are $450 a piece !!!

JD
 
I knew I should've passed on it, but I also received two other working arcade games - $200 for all three.

First I guess I am looking for the 5, 12, 24 volt power supply.

And if I can get it working, a crane belt is broken...but I will see if I can get it working first.
 
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I measured the volts coming out of the power supply and there is not much coming out. Pretty sure it is defective. Here is a pic if anyone has some thing similar.

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+5V 1A, +12V 1A, +24V 2.7A
???? I'm guessing yellow is +12V, black is negative, red is +5V, orange is +24V ????
If someone can confirm, maybe I can hack in another power supply.

Here is the CPU board:
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I measured the volts coming out of the power supply and there is not much coming out. Pretty sure it is defective. Here is a pic if anyone has some thing similar.


Yup, see the important chips on the CPU with the numbers etched out ?

Pull the power supply board off the frame and check the connectors for
bad solder joints. I've seen a lot of those that were resurrected just by
resoldering them.

I don't remember the pinning, but you should be easily able to trace the
wires back to the main board. The large silver heat sinked area is the 24 volt
drive section for the motors. The black heat sinked chip is the audio amplifier
where you should have 12 volts.

The manuals for these things had minimal information. No schematics
or wiring.

The board will run off 5 volts alone. The display will flash 4 4 indicating
a motor error.

JD
 
Power Solutions Inc.
Model: AE070UT124004
S/N: 9404-69248 2
Input: 90-250VAC, 2-1A, 47-63HZ
+5V 1A +24V 2.7A
+12V 1A
 
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere.

http://www.powersolutions.com/products/part-numbering-2/

It would appear this is your pinout of the output connector on the power supply you pictured:

Pin 1: orange is +12 volts
Pin 2: Red is +5 volts
Pin 4: The 2 blacks are ground (common)
Pin 6: The two yellows are +24 volts

This "Mean Well" brand enclosed power supply with screw terminals will work to replace your original power supply:

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_323679_-1

Granted you'll have to cut off the original flat wafer connector on the wires of your old supply and crimp on spade terminals on the wires to attach to the screw terminals on the new one.
 
Thanks Ken, just what I needed.

I ordered the power supply so I will see how it functions after that. If it works, then I can seek a couple rubber belts and new locks.
 
Hi John,
Well I took the measurements on my working Challenger, and here is what I found.
Pin 1: Orange is +24 volts
Pin 2: open
Pin 3: The 2 blacks are ground (common)
Pin 4: Open
Pin 5: Red is +5 volts
Pin 6: Pin 1: Yellow is +12 volts
 
Hi John,
Well I took the measurements on my working Challenger, and here is what I found.
Pin 1: Orange is +24 volts
Pin 2: open
Pin 3: The 2 blacks are ground (common)
Pin 4: Open
Pin 5: Red is +5 volts
Pin 6: Pin 1: Yellow is +12 volts

Hmmm, you and Ken seem to disagree on the +12V & +24V.
I guess I will have to trace the wires.

The motors are 24V and the coin counter is 12V, right?
 
The coin counter meter will have it's operating voltage stamped on it.

In general, crane motors are 24 volt DC.

My power supply pinout came straight from the manufacturer's website. That's the way they listed it.
 
I questioned myself, I measured the voltages last night at about 6, I sat down to write you then re-read Ken's post. Then went back and measured again around 10, and it was what I wrote. The motors are 24V on models later than the J-series. In your post you mentioned a Black belt though, you just may have a J-series. Pull the trolley out and check the motor tags as well. If it is a J-series they would be 12VDC.
 
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I looked at the website too, and saw the same, that got me scratching my head a little.
Tonight I am going to check the full part # for John, I am wondering if they (AGE)changed the output pinout configurations through the years.
on another note have you been out to Power Solutions website? They are now Unipower.
 
Ok
Orange is 24V
Yellow is 12V
Red is 5V
Black is Negative

I plugged the new power supply in and it too did a constant ticking, just like the old one. So I hooked the old one back up and bypassed the AC input on the power supply by plugging it directly into a outlet and it works fine now.
When the machine powers on, the coin counter advances once and the coin lights briefly blink on then stay off. Then the credit display shows "4 4" and that is it.
 
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Ok
I plugged the new power supply in and it too did a constant ticking, just like the old one. So I hooked the old one back up and bypassed the AC input on the power supply by plugging it directly into a outlet and it works fine now.
When the machine powers on, the coin counter advances once and the coin lights briefly blink on then stay off. Then the credit display shows "4 4" and that is it.

4 4 is a gantry error. It's not sensing the gantry moving to its home position.

Check those tiny fuses on the main board. If one is blown you have
either a bad motor, coil or main board.
 
You mean the claw thing? That might explain it. It is about half way down right now. I will try to raise it to the top.

$(KGrHqJ,!qEE63Z2fW0YBOzpErk8+Q~~60_3.JPG
 
Ok, I got the crane to the top and in the front left corner so all switches are engaged. It now powers on and the credit display says "0 0", allows me to coin up, the timer then starts a countdown when I move the joystick.
Only problem now is the crane does not move at all.

$(KGrHqZ,!oME63(ZymfmBO0Ch2DGdw~~60_3.JPG
 
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