Got a SWEET Gyruss cocktail....and almost killed myself. :|

Frax

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Got a SWEET Gyruss cocktail....and almost killed myself. :|

Okay, so I responded to a craigslist ad for this Gyruss cocktail for 250. Sweet! I've been wanting a Gyruss for a while, but all the uprights showing up in D/FW area are 2 hours away and I don't want to pay what they're asking and it's a big ol cabinet, which is why I got rid of my other arcade games for pinball machines.

Fantastic, so it's a cocktail. Guy says it's been restored a few years ago, pic on CL looks *awesome*.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/vgm/3053570548.html

AD's still up for now...

I call him yesterday, I go over and pick it up tonight. It's on rollers, +1 awesome, I have hardwood parquet floors. He turns it on, powers right up, +1 awesome. The monitor comes on, and I about shat myself because it's even nicer than the monitor that was in that Galaga I picked up and sold a few months ago, +1000000 AWESOME. I pay and drive off fast.

Get it home, only issue is that the machine won't power on without being open. Look at it for about 10 seconds, door isn't making full contact with the interlock. Bend the bracket over a bit, problem solved. Check coin mechs, they both work. Go to pull up the boards to see how they look...*clink*

"What was that? Oh well."

Remove the edge connector, pull the boards up, yep, they're clean. Let's see, there's a pot for the volume and no dip switches. Damn, guess that means Gyruss has no free play. Time to get some quarters for the change machine I got for 10$ at auction the other week...

Close up the machine, play a few games, kids wake up and want to play. Goobs. Alright. Let them play a few games and... "Daddy! It's not working!" "Crap, really?" Open it up, edge connector is loose because I didn't push the boards all the way back into the holder. Idiot! Push it back down. Game comes on. Kids play a few more, go to bed. I notice that there's a loose wire in the bottom of the cabinet.

Now...mind you, the interlocks are both in OFF position at this point. I haven't pulled them out to give the cab power. Obviously this wire's right by this big chunky metal fan, that's what it goes to. I tug on the loose wire to pull it up and examine it, it brushes the fan grille and

ZZZZAAAAAP *SPARKS FLY EVERYWHERE* *SMELL OF BURNT HAIR*. "FUUUUUUUUUU....."

Okay, that was bad. Okay....looking at where it arc'ed, I notice some ground braid screwed into the screws mounting the fan...at least we know where all the voltage ended up. That's good. I'm just gonna check the fuses and see if I blew one of them. *reach* ZAAAAAAP "OW!! @#)%&@)! " That was bad.

Unplug the machine. Check the fuses, both are fine. Game will not come on fully. Board will not boot. Take the edge connector off so I can lift the board out of the cabinet. *clink* "Okay, wtf was that?" This time I see something actually drop, I pick it up...it's a pin from the connector. That's what fell out earlier as well, I'm guessing.

So now here's my dilmena. I've got this beautiful Gyruss cocktail, with a beautiful monitor, and pins falling out of an edge connector. I've got a crimper, where the heck do I get the pins and how do I fix this edge connector so that I can get back to playing this pretty table that I now own?

*Edit* I already fixed the loose wire. The fan works now, greatly.


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr


Untitled by Fraxcat, on Flickr

Video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39867093@N06/7185598267/
 
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Good luck fixing it. It's the nicest Gyruss cocktail I've ever seen. And they're rare. :)
 
Great looking game!

Probably a molex split pin. If it fits your edge connector.
http://www.twistywristarcade.com/edge-connectors/776-molex-bifuricated-split-pins-for-ec.html

Bob Roberts also carries them.

molex-bifuricated-split-pins-for-ec.jpg
 
Have the joysticks been replaced? I thought Gyruss used the Monroe joytsicks. Or was that just for the upright?
 
Gyruss has free play and you can clearly see the dip switches on the pcb.......

You're right, I even see them in the pic. Was just too zonked last night to notice them I guess. Wouldn't have saved the edge connector, unfortunately. =\

Hewitson, respectfully, I can repin a connector. If the game doesn't work again after that, then I'll probably *need* someone with more experience to step in and look at the boards and see what got wasted. All stray voltage went to ground though thanks to someone putting that ground strap on the fan chassis. Thankfully it was the chassis that was grounded and shocked, not ME. I'm not a PCB diagnosis guy.

So, what's the point of the interlocks if they don't actually shut off power to the transformer/power supply? You would think they'd place the connection in front of the line voltage to the filter/transformer. Maybe I'm just ass-backwards in my logic. Have never had an issue nearly getting zapped like that with the pins I own when they're switched off...even when one had a broken ground plug before I fixed it. I don't see any actual power "switch" other than the interlocks on it.

At least I know not to touch the back of the monitor. ;)
 
Hewitson, respectfully, I can repin a connector. If the game doesn't work again after that, then I'll probably *need* someone with more experience to step in and look at the boards and see what got wasted. All stray voltage went to ground though thanks to someone putting that ground strap on the fan chassis. Thankfully it was the chassis that was grounded and shocked, not ME.
According to your first post you tried to inspect a fuse while the machine was connected to the mains and got shocked...

Regarding the interlocks I have never seen the point of them either.
 
According to your first post you tried to inspect a fuse while the machine was connected to the mains and got shocked...

Regarding the interlocks I have never seen the point of them either.

Okay. Everyone's got to learn sometime. Removed a shit-ton of fuses from my pins without ever having that issue. Lesson learned, arcades place fuses before the interlock. Frankly, I'm not sure that I've ever had a repair experience of any kind, pinball or arcade, without some kind of personal damage. I just consider it normal at this point. Cuts, nicks, bruises, scars, shocks.....meh. Still alive. *cue Portal music*
 
I absolutely agree, but if you are working with mains voltages, ALWAYS SWITCH THE POWER OFF. People who assume things with electricty end up dead!
 
Yep. I'm usually pretty careful with that stuff....figured the interlocks would have cut off power. Should've traced those wires before I did anything, or failing that, unplugged it. My bad. Friend pointed out that maybe the pins that fell out might not be used, there's no wire going to those holes in the connector and I don't see any strays, but I've gotta run off to work now. Troubleshooting will have to wait.

Pisser, it's murphy's law at work again. :)
 
Wow!! Beautiful machine and a killer price. Is that glass scratch free? It looks flawless!!

There's like 2 or 3 small scratches, other than that, no. None of them really in the monitor area. To be fair, this cab isn't all original, I can tell you that. The guy said it was cleaned up a few years ago. Regardless it looks great and at least the 1p side was playing great.

Regarding if those are original style sticks or not, I've got no clue. They seemed funny to me, visually, but they play just fine and feels natural.
 
Gryuss cocktails did come with the Monroe sticks, at least mine did. But mine didn't come with a glass, that one is sweet and the control panels look great too. I did find a glass a few months ago but still nothing like that.

Great game and even if the board got hurt bad they usually go for $60-$90.
 
is the monitor original or was that part of the "clean-up"? Also, were the CPOs replaced (repros)?

Dang nice either way!

Scott C.
 
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