Fixed a game today...by myself!!

Silverunicorn

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Donor 2011-2012
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Now I know this is not a big deal to most people here, but I am NOT an electronics whiz.

I can fix mechanical stuff on pinball machines and the like, but for some reason, I can't get my mind around video games.

Anyway, I have an Atari System 1 that has worked on and off for a while now. Would turn on when it felt like it. With the help of EagleTG, we decided it was the power supply (switching).

Anyway, he was ordering parts, so he got me one. Due to scheduling conflicts on both sides, it sat. And sat....and sat.....until today!

I opened the PS up. Looked at the old one. Moved the wires one by one to the matching spots on the new, plugged the game in, flipped the on/off switch and......NOTHING. :(

Oh, the power strip was not on., DUH! Flipped that, and....NOTHING!!!. What the?

Grrrr. So I flip the on/off switch again and VOILA!!!!!!!! The PPR startup noise and the background music. Music to my ears!!!!

So game is on and looks good. Now to fix the control panel I dropped months ago. Got everything re-sttached and plugged it in. Everything works except for the jump button. Find 2 wires that cane undone, fixed them, and now it is working again!!


I know this is a small repair, but it is a big victory to me. I am trying to leard how to be more self-sufficient with repairs. This could be step one :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Chris
 
Glad to hear it man! Even if you are great at repairing things, even the small victories like wiring in a new switcher really pay off once you hear it come alive.
 
Now I know this is not a big deal to most people here, but I am NOT an electronics whiz.

I can fix mechanical stuff on pinball machines and the like, but for some reason, I can't get my mind around video games.

Anyway, I have an Atari System 1 that has worked on and off for a while now. Would turn on when it felt like it. With the help of EagleTG, we decided it was the power supply (switching).

Anyway, he was ordering parts, so he got me one. Due to scheduling conflicts on both sides, it sat. And sat....and sat.....until today!

I opened the PS up. Looked at the old one. Moved the wires one by one to the matching spots on the new, plugged the game in, flipped the on/off switch and......NOTHING. :(

Oh, the power strip was not on., DUH! Flipped that, and....NOTHING!!!. What the?

Grrrr. So I flip the on/off switch again and VOILA!!!!!!!! The PPR startup noise and the background music. Music to my ears!!!!

So game is on and looks good. Now to fix the control panel I dropped months ago. Got everything re-sttached and plugged it in. Everything works except for the jump button. Find 2 wires that cane undone, fixed them, and now it is working again!!


I know this is a small repair, but it is a big victory to me. I am trying to leard how to be more self-sufficient with repairs. This could be step one :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Chris
Same here. I love to work on my pins, cannot work on vids. Do I need therapy?
 
I'm also good on mechanical things, I can fix almost anything but circuit boards are a mystery to me. When I got my Star Wars I thought I was in over my head but a simple cleaning on the edge connectors got it running. I did the exact same thing too, flipped the switch with the power strip off and was let down for a second when it didn't do anything. It's those little victories that will keep you going and getting better at repairs.
 
Now I know this is not a big deal to most people here, but I am NOT an electronics whiz.

I can fix mechanical stuff on pinball machines and the like, but for some reason, I can't get my mind around video games.

Anyway, I have an Atari System 1 that has worked on and off for a while now. Would turn on when it felt like it. With the help of EagleTG, we decided it was the power supply (switching).

Anyway, he was ordering parts, so he got me one. Due to scheduling conflicts on both sides, it sat. And sat....and sat.....until today!

I opened the PS up. Looked at the old one. Moved the wires one by one to the matching spots on the new, plugged the game in, flipped the on/off switch and......NOTHING. :(

Oh, the power strip was not on., DUH! Flipped that, and....NOTHING!!!. What the?

Grrrr. So I flip the on/off switch again and VOILA!!!!!!!! The PPR startup noise and the background music. Music to my ears!!!!

So game is on and looks good. Now to fix the control panel I dropped months ago. Got everything re-sttached and plugged it in. Everything works except for the jump button. Find 2 wires that cane undone, fixed them, and now it is working again!!


I know this is a small repair, but it is a big victory to me. I am trying to leard how to be more self-sufficient with repairs. This could be step one :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Chris

That's great! Keep it up and you will be a pro in no time!
 
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