I Love It When This Happens

FrizzleFried

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Alright, you all know about the Pole Position cab I got in my recent bulk deal. I'd been trying to off it as non-working for $50 and couldn't even find a single taker. Flash forward to a couple days ago when PPII working boardset comes up on the FS forum. I buy it. I figure if I can't off it, I might as well fix the damn thing and do something with it.

Well, yesterday I start poking around inside to determine if the PS was good, etc. I didn't want to plug in a good working PPII set to find out something in the cab was borked and possibly do damage to the working boardset.

Basically from the get-go I was getting a while raster screen.... that is it. Nothing else. I noted yesterday that I was only getting 4.55v at the mainboards +5 test point. I pop off and re-insert the edge connector, etc... still just a white raster screen. I also note that there is a red LED lit on the main board.

Today I am PMing back and forth with the guy selling the PPII boards and he asks if the video board LED was coming on. I had no idea there was an LED back there. So I go out to the garage and take a look. I couldn't see where the LED was on the back of the boards because there isn't much light on that side so I pull the boardset out, I spot the LED, I then put the boardset back in the cage, plug it in, fire it up to see if the video board LED comes on and it DOES... but I also hear "crash"... huh?

So i check around front and sure as shit...

WORKING1.jpg


NIIIIICE! Now, unfortunately, the gas pedal isn't working...something to screw around with today after work it seems.

I guess I am going to have to figure out how to run both these boards in this bad boy now. Oh yeah, and the +5 is still only running 4.55v... so I will be dropping a switcher in for the +5voltages.
 
When I'm training a new tech I always tell him to "slow down and look for the dumb shit that could be wrong with the game." Make sure its plugged in, make sure its turned on. Make sure your getting voltage where you need it...

Those Pole's always have fried edge connectors. Instead of willy nilly putting a switcher in the game you might want to check your edge connectors and bypass them if need be. I use those hard drive extentoin cables (the ones with the 4 wires) as my GND and +5 connection from the harness to the boards in those games. That way the board isnt married to the cab and vice versa. Dont cut the +5/GND away from the edge connector just strip back some of the jacket and solder to the wire. This also allows a future owner to plug another board into the cab if they desire.

Matt
 
When I'm training a new tech I always tell him to "slow down and look for the dumb shit that could be wrong with the game." Make sure its plugged in, make sure its turned on. Make sure your getting voltage where you need it...

Those Pole's always have fried edge connectors. Instead of willy nilly putting a switcher in the game you might want to check your edge connectors and bypass them if need be. I use those hard drive extentoin cables (the ones with the 4 wires) as my GND and +5 connection from the harness to the boards in those games. That way the board isnt married to the cab and vice versa. Dont cut the +5/GND away from the edge connector just strip back some of the jacket and solder to the wire. This also allows a future owner to plug another board into the cab if they desire.

Matt

The idea was to remove the +5v... and run both a +5v and ground wire to the front and back test locations on the PP boards. You simply attach .187 quick connector to the ends of each line and they plug right on to the test locations. Easy to remove. Easy to swap. I've seen this mod done before and I've had it recommended to me by someone who's pretty up on the Pole Positions.
 
The idea was to remove the +5v... and run both a +5v and ground wire to the front and back test locations on the PP boards. You simply attach .187 quick connector to the ends of each line and they plug right on to the test locations. Easy to remove. Easy to swap. I've seen this mod done before and I've had it recommended to me by someone who's pretty up on the Pole Positions.

I've done just that many times in the past. I find that the test terminals "break down" under that much of a load though. If at all possible your best off soldering directly to the terminals or to the traces on the board which is where the 4 pin molex comes in handy.

For home use I'm sure the .187 QD's will be fine though.

Matt
 
The point of using the multiple test points is also equalized distribution of the +5v

The power draw on the components seems to leave the other end of the board starving for +5

Using the test points seems to help this

Frizz.. sell it while its working.. You got a good deal on the other boards.. E-bay them for some profit

MAMEing a PP is the way Im going next.. after 7 PP (6 uprights and 1 sitdown). Im done with original boards =)
 
What is so bad about hacking the +5 line of the edge connector? Nothing a tiny bit of solder and heat shrink can't fix later.

In my book theres nothing wrong with hacking the harness. But I'm a 25+ year street route tech that will do just about anything to get a game working again. Thats WAY different the the norm in this place! Some of these guys would throw you out a window for using a 40 watt bulb in the place of a 25 watt bulb in a Pac Man header! LOL!

Matt
 
Good news... during lunch today I pulled the pedal assembly from the Pole Position and found this:

PP_PEDALISSUE1.jpg


Ah! Nice simple fix! It seems the pot itself came loose over time, the wire then eventually work its way off the hook in the pedal.

Fixed:

PP_PEDALISSUE2.jpg


Works great now! I do have an issue with the harness though. It seems to be 50/50 whether the game will boot if I mess with the harness at all. Leave it alone and it seems to start up over and over.
 
I do have an issue with the harness though. It seems to be 50/50 whether the game will boot if I mess with the harness at all. Leave it alone and it seems to start up over and over.

Exactly the trouble I was having with my defender before I bought Dokert's awesome repro harness. Maybe he needs to repro PP harnesses next. ;)
 
No one makes a repro PP harness, do they? There seems to be quite the boatload of wires coming off the thing... :)
 
If the wiring isn't hacked up, maybe just replacing the connectors will do the trick.


I've never replaced an edge connector. I assume I get one that has the pins on the back side then re-solder each wire to the proper pin?

Anyone know off hand the number of pins for each connector?
 
You must be living right. you are one lucky person :).. Things never work like this for me.

Glad things worked out for you...

Dave
 
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