Ms. Pac Man Cocktail Lights

wxforecaster

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Guess I can't be happy with anything short of perfection. I picked up a Ms Pac cocktail a few weeks ago and with the help of you fine folks, got the monitor working once again.

The cp/coin door lights did NOT work when I got the game, but at some point while working on the monitor chassis, I must've jostled something as they started working. Now that I've brought the game into the house from the garage, I alas have no lights again.

I have tested continuity which is strong across all the lights to both the white/green connector on the power supply, as well as the yellow/black connection on the power supply. All the solder joints across the bulb sockets are strong as are all the various molex connections -- again the buzz tone from the PS connections to all the bulb sockets is strong.

Kinda stumped here and am not sure how/where to test the voltages coming off the PS. I don't want to do any more damage since everything else (monitor, game play and sound) are all perfect.

Thanks in advance,
Evan
 
One of the fuses on the transformer board assembly protects the CP lights AND the coin door lights. I'd bet you either have a blown fuse(doubtful) or a bad connection between the fuse holder and the fuse itself....those fuse blocks are known pains in the ass........
I can't remember which one it is off the top of my head, but it is a 1.5amp slow blow fuse.
I'm guessing that fuse just got lose when you moved it......
 
Continuity is good across all fuses.

I have one brick that goes to 3 fuses (12V, line, 115V) and another brick that goes to 4 fuses (12, 12, 7, 7).

With the black lead on ground and the DMM set to volts AC, I'm getting 17V at each of the 6 bulbs (which are #555 wedges by the way).
That doesn't seem right (the bulbs are still good)

Evan
 
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Those bulbs should have 12V to them. It could be that there is not a good enough connection in that fuse block/fuse assemly to allow enough current through to light those bulbs?
That's just a guess though.
Reguardless, I would clean the crap out of those fuse blocks, and or replace them....I haven't seen many of those transformers go bad, but plenty of those fuse blocks...
Your problem sounds like a loose connection/bad ground to me.....
Make sure the ground wires are still attached, they are green and will have a little O-ring attached to a screw on the inside of the CP...
 
Oh and those can't be 555 bulbs in there, those are 5V bulbs, those require 194 bulbs, or 161 12V bulbs. Now that I think of it, I would almost bet money your fuse assembly and transformer are FINE....those 555 bulbs will blow after only being in there a couple minutes.....
Your going to have to use the right bulb! :)
 
Hmmm really? I grabbed a few out of my pinball supply because they matched the socket and the originals in the machine were so black they were unrecognizable.

I guess I'm curious as to why the filaments are still good??

Will order some proper bulbage. Thanks Zork!
 
Well the SOCKET is the same....just the voltage is different. Those 555 run on either 5V or 6V I can't remember. But they will burn bright in a 12Vsocket, and will burn out in about 5 minutes EVERY TIME!! :)
194 bulbs are a lille tricky to find.
I use 161s in all mine, they work GREAT!
 
Welp, finally got my 161s delivered.

Bad news -- still no lights. I'm stumped. Anyone have an original cocktail that can verify the voltages that are coming off each of the two power bricks and what the voltages should be at the 6 lamp sockets?

Everything remains as stated from the beginning of this thread. Game play is excellent. Just want some ambient lighting :)

TIA,
Evan
 
Since those lights are 12 volts, you want to measure the 12 volts off your transfomer. Are your transformers marked?

Have you checked and unplugged the coin door electrical connection?

I use #194 auto bulbs in mine, as stated they are 12 volts and can be found anywhere really. Never heard of a #161 but if its 12 volts or higher you are fine.
 
i just read the whole post
but you said your getting 17 volts on the AC setting.
You should be testing for the DC setting
Test again with your DMM at the DC setting.
Then let us know.
ty
frank
 
http://www.interwarn.com/pictures/mspacvolt.jpg

Maybe I'm going about this wrong? The bottom brick measures the correct voltages, but the top brick seems way off. This is measuring AC voltage. If I put the multimeter in DC, the numbers fluctuate all over the place.

Readings from top to bottom are 17.6, ~63, ~63, 12.6, 12.6, 7.5, 7.5.
The cards underneath read 12V, line voltage, 120V, 12V, 12V, 7V, 7V.

Evan
 
I get .17V DC at the sockets (placing black on ground and the red lead on either of the socket solder tabs), but now I don't even have a game.

Before I started troubleshooting this, I had a perfectly working game with no control panel/coin door lights.

When I went to get the readings you requested, I noticed that I now have no game play. When I power it on, the fan comes on and the monitor comes on, but there's nothing on the picture. There's no sound when adding a credit, nor does anything happen when pressing the player start buttons.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should replace the fuse holders as that's the only thing that's been touched in this process.

Deep breath...
 
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Pull the fuses, check them for continuity with a meter....
In regaurds to your original problem, there aren't too many things it can be. You are going to have to start at that transformer and work your way down the line....make sure your are getting proper voltages off the transformer, check the fuses, the fuse block itself(these are notoriously bad), test each pin on the transformer side of the connector for the proper voltage, make sure the connector is getting good contact, make sure all your green ground wires are hooked up properly.
 
Don't waste your time testing anything else until you replace the fuse holders. If you still have a Radio Shack, they may have them.

You'll need one set of 4 and another set of 3, you can cut the tabs off and separate them to get the right count.

Replace each wire one at a time and use a 1/4" nut driver to remove the old holder and reuse those screws to fasten the new holders in the very same spot.

I'll bet dollars to donuts you'll have a fully working game after that.
 
I sure do have a Radio Shack (walking distance from the house) and they have actually made a HUGE recent push to get more component level stuff in stock (in fact those drawers have doubled in the past 3 months). Hopefully taking Radio Shack back to the success it once was.

They have the 4-part fuse blocks in stock. That has to be what this is because nothing else makes sense and the numbers coming off them now are squirrly to say the least and the tabs look almost completely oxidized.

Now we get to play "fun with lead infused soldering in the house". Excuse to open the windows and get the kids outside.

Fuses all tested (and look) good. <--- post edit. See end of thread. Apparently not.

Evan
 
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i just read the whole post
but you said your getting 17 volts on the AC setting.
You should be testing for the DC setting

Hello, McFly...

It should be AC. Not DC. Coin door and control panel lamps are powered directly off a winding on the isolation transformer. Pac games do not have an offboard DC power supply. There is a fuse in the game (1 1/2A slow blow) that protects the coin door and control panel lights.

If he's getting power at the lamp sockets, then the lights should work. Did you try testing while you have the lamps are installed?

You can troubleshoot this really, really easily - check the 12v winding on the transformer, and follow the wiring in the game. Chances are you just have a bad connection somewhere, or a bad fuseholder.

-Ian
 
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Now we get to play "fun with lead infused soldering in the house". Excuse to open the windows and get the kids outside.

Not a very good excuse. Soldering with conventional solder is harmless, especially in small doses. Saying things like this is just pointless hyperbole. Soldering isn't going to give you lead poisoning. Cell phones don't cause cancer. Aliens aren't trying to read your mind - you can take off the tinfoil hat.

:D

-Ian
 
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