Does a raster Sega cab really need a fan?

gwarble

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I'm wondering if anyone has had a problem with running a Sega raster convert-a-cab style cabinet without the rear cabinet fan?

I can understand the vectors with G08s, but does a raster Congo Bongo in that style cab really need that rear fan behind the monitor?

Just lookin for opinions or stories either way... I'll probably get a new/quiet fan on order since this original one is loud as f?&@! but compared to a typical raster cab i'm questioning its necessity

thanks
- joel
 
I was wondering the same thing. The fan in my Zaxxon doesn't work. I haven't had a chance to look into it. The manual has a nice cabinet wiring diagram that I briefly looked at. Somebody replaced the switching PS but did not remove the original. I am thinking that they disconnected the fan in the process.

The monitor is just a WG4900 vertical mount. No excessive heat there. I have read that the Zaxxon PCB draws a fairly high amount of current which means more heat. The Congo Bongo PCB is similar, so maybe the fan is important. I have only had my Zaxxon for a week and haven't run it for an extended period of time.
 
I don't know if my Zaxxon NEEDS it, but the air coming out is hot enough to raise the temp in my office about 5 degrees over several hours (I almost never have it running long enough for this). Damn thing sounds like the Concorde in cruise mode. When you have to turn up the volume of the game to override the fan noise, that's something.:rolleyes:
 
yeah having that fan in the first place seems excessive, but this cab is new to me (not counting space fury, but i leave that fan running usually)

and mine is the same, its louder than the game... so replacing it with a new fan seems logical, but i prefer the cabs running silently (the couple games i have with atx power supplies (fanned) in them are annoying, but not "loud") besides the gameplay of course :) so i'm hoping to just nix the fan completely

i disconnected it and have had it on since i posted (a couple hours), opening the front panel, or putting my hand by the stopped fan on the back, is noticeably warm, but i wouldn't say more so than any other game i have...

when i have a bunch on for a while there might be a noticeable heat generated in the room, but usually one or two on won't make any significant difference
 
I disconnected the fan in my Zaxxon, but leave the back door off. It has run this way for a couple years with no issues.
 
I can understand the vectors with G08s, but does a raster Congo Bongo in that style cab really need that rear fan behind the monitor?

I don't think so. Like you, I got tired of my Congo Bongo being loud as f*ck and like you I asked myself the same question. I finally just disconnected the fan because the jet engine sound really got on my nerves. So far it still runs fine, along with 26 other games in the same room, for hours at a time. With the fan off, the air coming out of the fan's portal feels warm but not enough for me to worry about.
 
I'd replace the fan.
Did it on all my Sega.
Now they are quiet.

801600-03-0.jpg
 
All this talk has made me really want to take a look at my fan and see what is up. Later tonight if I have time.
 
thanks for all the opinions... i will be running without it for a while and report back with anything noteworthy... so far it doesn't seem to be any warmer than any other game

OregonPacman: there is a molex inside the front panel to the left of the transformer, thats where i disconnected mine and maybe you'll find one of those disconnected... it shouldn't be related to the power supply really

Edit: marker labeled P-16 on mine:
 

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I removed the fan from my Sega Outrun cabinet, it's been working fine without it. I think those fans often were a precaution just in case the machine ended up in a crowded hot humid poorly ventilated arcade. For home use it doesn't seem to matter much, as least as far as I can tell.
 
Electronics that run hotter die sooner. The fan will help cool the cabinet and make the electronics last longer... So fans are good to have even if annoying sound sometime...
 
Those processors were cutting edge at the time and run hot. You should not operate that game more than an hour without proper air exchange.

I'm not noticing any difference in heat with or without the fan, but the old fan was half dead anyways and mostly just made noise. It still has the vent at the top so heat will still naturally escape, so I'm not worried about it especially since it doesn't feel all that hot to begin with.
 
thanks for all the opinions... i will be running without it for a while and report back with anything noteworthy... so far it doesn't seem to be any warmer than any other game

OregonPacman: there is a molex inside the front panel to the left of the transformer, thats where i disconnected mine and maybe you'll find one of those disconnected... it shouldn't be related to the power supply really

Edit: marker labeled P-16 on mine:

That plug seems to be the same one that whoever replaced the PS ran the AC input to. There seem to be a couple of wires still attached to the old PS but I can't see them. The manual's block diagram shows the fan's power coming from the switching PS. I am just going to have to pull the whole board that everything is mounted on out of there and see what is what.
 
I did find the plug to the fan, it is in the back and you have to remove the monitor access to get to it. It was simply unplugged, as I suspected. It is "arcade quiet" but "home arcade loud". Seems to work fine and blast some good air through there. I will find a quieter alternative. Man, I thought Megatouch fans were loud.
 
I ran my Zaxxon for hours with the fan disconnected, but i think they would have saved the costs of those fans if they weren`t necessary in hot conditions. Will look for a quiet replacement because those cabs sound like full server racks in a data center.
 
I picked up a 12VDC fan from Rat Shack. It was the last one and was on clearance. Perfect fit. I wired it up to the PS and it works great. Only cost me $3.74. Been running with it for a few days whenever I have time to have the game on and it works fine. A nice cool air flow where as before, you could feel the heat through the vent with no fan on. It is loud enough to notice but the two Megatouches drown it out when they are on. They are damn loud.
 
I removed the fan from my Sega Outrun cabinet, it's been working fine without it. I think those fans often were a precaution just in case the machine ended up in a crowded hot humid poorly ventilated arcade. For home use it doesn't seem to matter much, as least as far as I can tell.

Just an FYI, I heard that game really does need it.
 
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