Help me find closure! It really was just a fuse!

[coleco1981]

I was lucky enough to recently pick up a tutankaum on the cheap..nonworking. Aside from the horrible popcorn paint that I am carefully removing - the game is clean and appears to be untouched. Gameboard was immaculate as well was the g07. No burn.

The guy I picked it up from is certainly a character. Nice neighborhood in a well to do area in CT. He picked it up in the 90s from a shop that sold pinball and vids. He paid extra to have the guy put the popcorn paint on.

The guy said it just stopped working and offered to plug it in. I have learned never to test a non working game onsite if the seller knows it's not working, if it happens to fire up or you fix it onsite the price goes up!

All I asked was to open the game so I could look to see if all the parts were there. He was able to open the back up but not the bottom which has the pcb and ps (locked area on the bottom that has a pull out drawer). Apparently he didnt have the key to open the the bottom and hasn't for a long time. So I asked when he did have it open was there boards in it? He said all he remembered was a metal plate.

Luckily my skinnyass arm was able to reach in through the wiring hole and I felt some boards. Phew!

I could go into why I think this dude and his neighbor who came over were characters. Lots of talk about prison and strip clubs..but that's for another post maybe..

After loading up the game and chatting him up he hands me some extra locks and keys..the. just says keep them? Wtf?

So I get it home, fangle the lock open and there the boards are. Unhacked and beautiful. The only thing missing from the entire game is the 3amp fuse connected to the incoming ac line. Its not burnt. It's missing.

I was able to find the fuse holder cap that was randomly rolling around. The fuse itself was nowhere to be found. The fuse cap was broken in a way that would no longer allow the fuse to be held in. So replaced that, pulled the dc out plug ensuring no power was going to the board so I could safely test voltages with a meter. I was fully expecting the fuse to pop or find ps fried.

DC voltages were right on!

Alright so time to plug in the monitor and pcb surely one of those is screwed up right? Nope not really. It fired up!

Some graphic artifacts came up. Shut down the game, pushed in a few roms that came a bit loose. Bam. Perfecto!

The g07 was so crisp and clear I didnt even need to adjust it nor do a cap kit.

This has never happened to me. It really was just a fuse.

Most people would be happy and just move on. I myself dwell on unanswered questions. I message the guy who sold it to me explaining what was wrong and out of curiosity asked if he knew why the fuse was missing. He doesn't remember ever messing around with it and stuck to the story that it just stopped working one day.

So my question to the collectors community is what do you think really happened?

My only theory is that the game starting showing artifacts and at some point he did find the key, opened the drawer, inspected the fuse and couldnt figure out how to pop it back in because he broke the cap? I feel like this would be something I would remember doing. Why would he play dumb? Why would he give me these random extra locks?

It boggles the mind. For the record. "Its just a fuse" does happen! Kind of.

 

[VectorCollector]

Bjork says, "pics or it didn't happen".

 

[nagamitsu]

I suspect the fuse cap just popped off, he tried powering on the game and just assumed it was f'ed and that was the end of it

Tim

 

[coleco1981]

I suspect the fuse cap just popped off, he tried powering on the game and just assumed it was f'ed and that was the end of it

Tim

May explain it except the fuse was no where to be found and no holes for it to fall out of.

I'm calling unsolved mysteries so they can do an episode on this.

 

[mrdude]

Can verify! Coleco1981 sent me pics of it working!! But now I want the story of why they were characters...perhaps the next time I deliver something to you from RI! I just installed the HSS Kit on mine...must have for this game because freeplay just throws it on a static screen. Plus the default scores on the high score table are waaaayyy too high to beat for an average person like myself.

 

[coleco1981]

I still dont have closure on the missing fuse but I do have pictures of the game after spending hours stripping the black paint off.

This is the original finish touched up with the same color of my bleeding fingers! I used some cleaner wax on it which gives it a mr clean look and helps with the dull spots. I debated on ordering the sword art but I dont think it's worth it...does the dude in the game even use a sword? I thought it was a lazer gun.

The cp has a crack in it but I'm not going to fuss about it. Can you see it?

Picture doesnt do it justice but I cant believe how crisp the monitor is. This might be the first time I have never had to cap or even adjust a monitor.

Hopefully one day I will be able to put a pooyan next to it. These skinny sterns are neat! What else came in this style cab?

 

[FrizzleFried]

Nice! Love when that happens.

 

[ArcadeTechGW]

First off, nice job stripping off the popcorn paint and getting back to the original.

Second off, your fuse question. One thing you wrote jumped out at me.

"The fuse cap was broken in a way that would no longer allow the fuse to be held in."

That's the key.

To the uninitiated, this is an "unobtainium" part. They don't know what it is.

I have seen those break (usually the socket, but sometimes the head) and then the game won't work. So the guy finds the cap and fuse off, and it won't stay engaged. So next, he tries it without the fuse.

In frustration, he throws the cap into the game, and then forgets about it.

A few years later, the wife gets on him about that "big non-working game in the basement, and when are you going to get rid of it."

So he posts it. You saw the post and bought it.

Because of his lack of skills, you now own the game that works, looks good, and you just had to replace the fuse holder / cap / fuse, and push on some ROMs.

My only suggestion is this: the next time this happens, BUY A LOTTERY TICKET. Because you are one lucky person.

 

[mylz]

I have a kind of similar story but with a games console.

When I first started getting into repairing games and stuff I bought a Sega Genesis off ebay that was listed "as is/for parts" for cheap. My intent was to practice on it and get it working.

When it arrived and I plugged it in it powered on and worked just fine. I sent the seller a message asking why it was listed "as is" and he said that he only did so because he didn't finish recapping it.

Not only that, but he explained that he had actually tinkered with the video circuit to get a clearer picture AND replaced the old audio amplifiers with more modern ones for better sound.

So I bought what I thought was junk and got a primo, souped up machine.