Help! Tron not working...and Switching Power supply

scamp

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Help! Tron not working...and Switching Power supply

Hi,

I had been having issues with my Tron lately where I'd get a garbled screen and if I turn off the machine and back on it would come up correctly.

This was driving me nuts so I purchased Bob Robert's power supply kit and my board was a mess (pads coming up and all)...afterward I couldn't get 5+ on the power board.

I had purchased a backup plan, a switching power supply...but something is just not right and the game will not come on..monitor does not even flicker...I get the marquis lights and all but no game...

I need help!!!

I'm including a picture of the Switching supply ...

In the instructions it says to hook the wires to the monitor wires and connect to AC L and AC N...I've tried connecting it to ground and the power line, and to both power lines..The switcher lights up, but no game....

I really need help on this gang. I'd like to bring it back to life before Christmas...

Thanks!
 

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I'm pretty confident those wires need to be on the live and ground connections, so in my pic it is wrong...but I had it that way first and it still wasn't working....
 
Here is what I've tried:

1. Leveraged working power supply from my Satan's Hollow...My boards work! I can hear and initiate the game...but the monitor did not come on....There must be something up with that...I'm not sure if it is because I tapped into its wire with the switching supply...(hope not)

2. Put the switcher back in and the game does not come on...and no power to monitor....I'm assuming this may be a voltage thing with this..but my switching supply's knob doesn't seem to adjust it (broken?)...

Here is what I need help with:

1. Switching Supply/Adapter board...wiring..I need to make sure it is correct

2. How to test voltage on the switching supply...I'd imagine right on the supply where the adapter board mates with it..maybe just the screw heads themselves?

3. ***Monitor...How do I figure out what is going on with it??? (Is there a fuse or something to check first?)

Thanks!!

-S
 
I just tested all the fuses on the power block on the bottom of the game (7 fuses total)...all are fine..

I'm not seeing any glow at the monitor...not sure where to check....
 
The monitor should not be powered off the switcher. Your board needs to be powered of the switcher.

Not only that the two lines you have the monitor connected to in the picture, are the AC inputs on the switcher so you wouldnt get anything. Those need to have incoming power from the old power supply. If you're going to power on the Tron with this power supply you need to have the appropriate lines running from the tron board to the 5v, 12, etc.

I don't know how that particular kit works, but you do not have anything hooked up correctly right now, even from a laymans view like myself. Only the board is powered from the switcher.

The power flow should go like this

AC wall----old power supply----switcher-----PCB(s)
___________________l
___________________l--------monitor

Connect your monitor the way it originally was. This has nothing to do with the actual game or re-doing its power. Then wait for someone who has rewired for a Tron switcher to explain the finer details.
 
The switching supply adapter board comes with wires that clamp onto existing wires in the cabinet to feed the switcher power...those wires get tapped into the wires feeding the monitor (black and white)....
 
The switching supply adapter board comes with wires that clamp onto existing wires in the cabinet to feed the switcher power...those wires get tapped into the wires feeding the monitor (black and white)....

Ok maybe I misunderstood you. But those wires you clamp onto the monitor Ac cords go to the spot you have wires connected on the switcher. In order to test your switcher, just touch the screws with your multimeter. To test 5v- red wire goes there, black wire goes to ground. Same with 12v- red goes to 12v black goes to ground. Are you sure you didnt sever the wires you tapped into for the monitor? Or inadvertenly loosen the molex connector that powers the monitor further up?

You should be getting neck glow at least.

As far as connecting up the proper leads to the switcher- I can't say. Either the instuctions should detail what you have to do or someone else here who has done this will chime in- you have to give it a little time though. Wait a few hours and someone will help you out with this.
 
Yes I'm starting to think the same thing that maybe those clamps chopped through the monitor wire completely and the monitor is not getting power...I'll need to check after work...thx
 
look at the powersupply cable going to the main board, look for a purple wire, thats 16v from the charge pump generator for the audio. if that is off by a little it, it can mess with the sync. also check your power supply voltages, when i fixed mine i found that the system has a very low voltage wariation tolerance, make sure 12, and 5 are within .2+- of the value, the system will freeze/crash/wigout if they arent perfect. if you find that the 16v line is at 0v, try cutting the line and powering it up, if it boots then, you will need to get a new power supply. its not exactly the most awesome fix, but it may be neccary, if you want i can take a few pics of my machine and show you, i ended up retrofitting my system with a 300wat computer psu to get the power i needed (i also replaced the amp with one that could run on the 12v rail of that psu.
 
I'm not seeing any glow at the monitor...not sure where to check....
First measure 120v AC going into the monitor. Second, you don't always see a glow in the neck of the monitor so a better test is to crank-up the brightness and look for the screen to fill white.

2. How to test voltage on the switching supply...I'd imagine right on the supply where the adapter board mates with it..maybe just the screw heads themselves?
Yes it's ok to measure +5v right at the screw heads, although it's better to measure at the game board since there can be significant loss across the wiring harness. The most convenient place to measure on a Tron is across the electrolytic capacitors at each corner of the board.

look at the powersupply cable going to the main board, look for a purple wire, thats 16v from the charge pump generator for the audio.
This is not accurate -- that line is not 16v and has nothing to do with audio. Purple is an active-low signal for power-on reset. This is described in detail in the MCR Troubleshooting guide (link). Audio is powered by an unregulated 12v supply on a separate wire.
 
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I'm betting on the monitor wires being cut...

1. With SH supply the game works..no monitor..

2. With switching power game doesn't work and no monitor..

The switcher needs a load to produce power...if wires are cut, then no draw...no power to anything...

I think it makes allot of sense...
 
First measure 120v AC going into the monitor. Second, you don't always see a glow in the neck of the monitor so a better test is to crank-up the brightness and look for the screen to fill white.


Yes it's ok to measure +5v right at the screw heads, although it's better to measure at the game board since there can be significant loss across the wiring harness. The most convenient place to measure on a Tron is across the electrolytic capacitors at each corner of the board.


This is not accurate -- that line is not 16v and has nothing to do with audio. Purple is an active-low signal for power-on reset. This is described in detail in the MCR Troubleshooting guide (link). Audio is powered by an unregulated 12v supply on a separate wire.

derp yeah, i pulled out my schematics, i forgot :p but yeah i remember what happened with that, the _reset line is tied to the powersupply, and my issue was that one of the regulators on the board was out, so the psu kept resetting, which i traced to the part of the psu that sends the power to the audio amp lol, thats what you get for posting after you wake up -.O

also i dont know if you have seen this: http://www.mikesarcade.com/arcade/manuals.html they have the manual and schematics for tron, thats what i used to fix mine, if you have a good grip on circuitry, the schematics in there are accurate and really helped my narrow down problems to specific sub systems, and components within them.
 
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Update: Game works..Monitor doesn't!

So I removed those wire clamps and snipped/spliced the wires and my game it alive...I can hear/play it..but the monitor is not on at all...

So I need some help testing the power to the monitor, and the monitor itself...

I see no glow at all...

Prior to all of this ordeal the monitor worked fine...so I'm not sure if it's just some fuse or what..but I do not know where to begin...

I'll need specifics for testing it since I'm not sure where to simply determine the monitor is getting power etc...and I know these things are dangerous....

It's almost back!! At least the game wasn't fried...just need to figure out the monitor!!

THANK YOU!!!
 
If you want to test the monitor, back your satans hollow up to the tron and plug the monitor wires and ac monitor power from the SH into the tron monitor and see what happens.

Then do it the other way, see what happens.
 
So I removed those wire clamps and snipped/spliced the wires and my game it alive...I can hear/play it..but the monitor is not on at all...

So I need some help testing the power to the monitor, and the monitor itself...

I see no glow at all...

Prior to all of this ordeal the monitor worked fine...so I'm not sure if it's just some fuse or what..but I do not know where to begin...

I'll need specifics for testing it since I'm not sure where to simply determine the monitor is getting power etc...and I know these things are dangerous....

It's almost back!! At least the game wasn't fried...just need to figure out the monitor!!

THANK YOU!!!

before you do anything, check the 2a slow blow fuse between the isolation transformer (big brick) and the monitor, should be inline with the black / black-white wire, and make sure that is good.


then, i would cut the wires for the monitor a/c, strip them, and reconnect them with solder/heat shrink tubing or some butt connectors. you very well may have cut the connection to the monitor power.

after that, if none of that has fixed it, start probing for b+ and what not on the monitor. most likely it's either that fuse or the monitor power wiring.
 
I get 125.1 VAC at the molex providing power to the monitor....

So it must be something is zapped at the monitor... I'm not sure what checking for B+ means...but I'll need to know where to go next...

I could remove the chassis I guess..but wanted to ask first in case I'm missing something...I hope it's just a fuse!!!
 
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