Here I sit... defeated...

Scucci

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2003
Messages
4,497
Reaction score
94
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
Just not one of my days today... I had 3 boards to get going today... None are any better than they were this morning.

Shinobi, still missing sounds and music...

Super Burger Time... still missing all sounds...

Hypersports, STILL resetting... that's AFTER I found a broken leg on 1 EPROM... fixed it, still resetting. Found 2 different EPROMs that were corrupt... cleared them, reflashed them... STILL resetting... cleaned the edge connector, reflowed all pins on all socketed chips, reflowed all pins on the connectors, prayed, sacraficed a goat... still resetting.

This is 2 days after I repaired a Gyruss, PacPlus, Tron, Defender, Bad Dudes (monitor), and I can't remember what else... all in a few hours. I've been at these 3 boards since 12PM today... it's almost 11 hours later... and they're still not any better than they were. The only machine that's better off today than it was this morning is BlazBlue and that was just reseating the RAM... and that wasn't even on the official "list"!

I guess there are good days, and bad days... this was a bad day to say the least.

I just hope the next repair day is better... I can't afford to many more of these days. It makes me look bad!

At least today I didn't have a flyback explode on me (WG4900 in Gyruss bit the dust)... smoked up the entire storage room and paniced the hell out of mall security (the storage room is a vacant shop, big display windows and everything). lol That room STILL smells like burned electronics... But, the boards still worked (played blind) so still count that as a victory.

I've gotta get out of here (still at the mall)... I'm getting no where with these boards and, frankly, they're REALLY starting to piss me off.
 
I don't have a Shinobi (I held one in my hands yesterday at the swap meet, but passed on it). But if I recall right, that board has a mixing amp just upstream of the main sound amp, if that goes out, the main amp won't get any sound signal and it will play silent. You can swap out main amps all day long and get nowhere. Try looking for the small LM something chip about 2 inches fro the main amp (distance may vary do other factors including but not limited to mental cramps on my part :)).

There is also a way to test sound circuits by using a soldering pencil (Wall socket AC not the cordless kind). You walk the traces backward from the sound amp holding the soldering pencil near the traces. It will induce a 60Hz hum into the line. Wherever you lose the 60Hz hum is probably the bad chip.

Don't give up. There are days when you in the zone on board fixes and then there are days you can't find the power switch. It happens. Just go do something else for a while. Play with switches, tune up some leafs, play some games ("Really Boss, I'm testing this game to make sure it's working right..." :D) anything to break the funk.

ken
 
Last edited:
I don't have a Shinobi (I held one in my hands yesterday at the swap meet, but passed on it). But if I recall right, that board has a mixing amp just upstream of the main sound amp, if that goes out, the main amp won't get any sound signal and it will play silent. You can swap out main amps all day long and get nowhere. Try looking for the small LM something chip about 2 inches fro the main amp (distance may vary do other factors including but not limited to mental cramps on my part :)).

There is also a way to test sound circuits by using a soldering pencil (Wall socket AC not the cordless kind). You walk the traces backwards from the sound amp holding the soldering pencil near the traces. It will induce a 60Hz huminto the line. Wherever you lose the 60Hz hum is probably the bad chip.

Don't give up. There are days when you in the zone on board fixes and then there are days you can't find the power switch. It happens. Just go do omething else for a while. Play with switches, tune up some leafs, play some games ("Really Boss, I'm testing this game to make sure it's working right..." :D) anything to break the funk.

ken


I've been using the "finger test"... basically the same as your soldering iron test... I ground myself good, and poke and listen for the buzz. Both Shinobi and SuperBT had a buzz, so they're pretty close. Just not "there" yet... and I can only do so much here... I might just take the boards home with me and hopefully get something working in the next few days at home.

I don't think the bossman would mind. But, you never know...
 
It's ok Scucci, what you need is a shitty arcade game in the shop you can take out your frustrations on kinda like the copier in the movie Office Space. :004_ssmile:
 
Back
Top Bottom