need help: games in garage don't work

Will76

New member
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
Ohio
Bought a bunch of games for my garage, plugged them in and only two of them worked (Kungfu Master and Zaxxon). None of the other games came on (Narc, Punchout, Operation Wolf, Off Road and Toobin'). They worked perfectly fine when I bought them. I was told that the older games (Kungfu Master and Zaxxon) run on a linear power supply and require less power than the other (newer) games, which are on a switching power supply. I was told that it was a possibility I didn't have enough power in my garage for these games. Is this so? What can I do about it and how much do I need to pay an electrician to fix this problem? Any pointers would be much appreciated. At this point I am thoroughly disgusted. Please note that I have very little electronic or electrical experience.
 
So the ones that don't work, do any of the following occur:

marquee light comes on

coin door lights lit

orange glow of filament in neck of picture tube

If so, then game is getting AC power.

If none of above occurs, then you are not getting AC power. Check the cabinet on-off power switch and the safety interlock switches on the back door and sometimes near the coin door.

Check all fuses in the machine.
 
well, to check if you are overloading pwr circuit, turn them on one at a time.

if each of them runs fine on their own, then your mains circuit may be overloaded in which case measuring the mains voltage with them all on should show a (significant?) drop from a nominal 110v. Measure before you turn them all on, then after you turn them all on. you can also calculate the amount of current drawn if you dont have a mains ac current "tong" tester to meausr eht ecurrent drawn.

it could also depend on what the normal mains voltage is in your region - you may be in a region where the mains supply is already low compared to the nominal 110vac. i am not sure what the lowest tolerable voltage is on 110v 60hz ac, but in aus, switchers set to 240vac can generally tolerate a 25% drop to 180ish before issues arise with regulation of dc outputs.

you could also turn each game on in turn, testing the game power supply DC outputs in each game as you go, so you can monitor when each game dc supply may drop below acceptable levels. keep in mind TTL logic on old games work as expected/predictably (as per specifications that is) when the 5v rail is above 4.75v.

oh, i would also carefully check your mains supply earth to the garage is good at each power point, and in turn, that the mains earth wiring in the game(s) are also good.

hope thats helpful.

EDIT: dont forget to double check all headers/plugs etc are clean and tight and connect properly - some may be shaken loose in transport.
 
Last edited:
KenLayton:

Marquee Light comes on: Nope
Coin door lights lit: Nope
Orange glow of filiment in neck of picture tube: I'll check in the morning, but doubt it.

I'll check the on/off switches, interlock switches and fuses, but it's very weird that it happened to all 5 games.
 
andykmv:

My plan was to check how many games would work on the circuit, but since 5 of them won't power up (even one at a time), I can't tell. Everything else works in the garage: garage door opener, lights, Kungfu Master, Zaxxon, power stip for all the games (indicator light goes on). (I unplug the garage door opener, of course, when turning on the power strip.) Since all the above works, the circuit hasn't been overloaded. I've also tried different power strips.

The only thing I can think of is I'm not getting enough volts, but I find this hard to believe. I may have to contact an electrician.
 
It is VERY unlikely that you don't have enough power to run those games. Unless your garage is a significant distance from your home and you are experiencing a voltage drop through the ac line, it should be fine. You can get a $5 light up plug-in AC circuit tester to test your plug's voltage and wiring.
Most likely in moving the machines the fuses popped out or interlock switches tripped or power cords came loose.
 
Last edited:
andykmv:

My plan was to check how many games would work on the circuit, but since 5 of them won't power up (even one at a time), I can't tell. Everything else works in the garage: garage door opener, lights, Kungfu Master, Zaxxon, power stip for all the games (indicator light goes on). (I unplug the garage door opener, of course, when turning on the power strip.) Since all the above works, the circuit hasn't been overloaded. I've also tried different power strips.

The only thing I can think of is I'm not getting enough volts, but I find this hard to believe. I may have to contact an electrician.

I don't think you need to consult an electrician. Bring another appliance to the garage and plug it in. If it works your ok. 5 games is not that significant of a power draw and if it is you have serious electrical issues with your entire house, which you would have noticed by now.

I don't know how you transported these games from point a to point b but you may have knocked something loose in transit. The problem could be a loose harness connected to the board, blown fuse, or maybe the fuse popped out. If you are not getting any marquee lights or coin mech lights then you have a main power loss somewhere. You need to buy a multimeter and test the incoming voltage. You can find cheap ones at WalMart or even Sears. They are fairly easy to use and will help you pinpoint your issues faster.

Where are you located?
 
1) use a meter to make sure you have voltage at the wall socket.

2) check to see if you have voltage at monitor power connectors

if #1 is no, then that's why they don't work.

if #1 is yes and #2 is no, then check fuses, power switch, interlock switch, line cord, etc.

If #1 is yes and #2 is yes, then check power supplies in games...
 
Many games have an intial surge when they are powered on. Check thecircuit breaker to make sure you didn't overload the breaker when you tried to turn them all on at once. I normally turn a bank of games on one at a time to prevent this.

ken
 
You haven't taken the back doors off have you? There's often an interlock there - white switch that would be pushed in by the door being closed. Also it's possible they have extra on/off switches you simply haven't toggled - try looking on the back where the power goes in, under any parts of the cab that stick out, along the very top, or on the rear of the slope at the top/back of the machine - all common places to locate an on/off switch.
 
can't vouch for the NARC or the others, but I'm fairly certain Operation Wolf and I know Punch Out have safety interlock switches in the back doors. Punch Out probably also has another one in the coin door as well.

check that all your back doors are secured on and in the case of Punch Out, make sure the coin door is locked shut.

I don't reckon NARC has any safety switches like these.

NARC and the others, I would check the tops of the cabs for on/off switches, make sure those are in the on position. (some are labeled with an I and O, I meaning "on", the O meaning "off") or potentially in other cases check down below for an on/off switch.

after that you start getting into silly things like making sure the AC cord is actually physically connected inside the game. I wouldn't suspect any line fuses would be blown since your other game work.

good luck.
 
Thanks to all for the advice. I will report back in a day or two with the results.
 
I don't know if this will help but from my experience with my Street Fighter, switching power supplies need a working ground socket (3rd middle plug) to function. Trying plugging into a socket somewhere else in the house with a known working ground socket and see if that helps. Good luck!

Steve
 
switching power supplies need a working ground socket (3rd middle plug) to function.[/QUOTE said:
That doesn't sound right. The third prong is a safety earth ground. Just directs a frame short there instead of through you to the ground. Safety feature, not function. Makes me thing your switcher is mis-wired somehow.
 
Sorry about the late reply. KenLayton was correct. Found and turned on all the on-off switches, and one back panel was loose on the NARC, which affected an interlock switch. However, Off-Road still does not come on at all. The on-off switch doesn't turn it on and nothing lights up. I haven't checked inside yet to see if anything is loose. If anyone could tell me what to look for I'd really appreciate it. Also, the Operation Wolf powers up (coin door lights come on) and a voice says "operation wolf" but then nothing happens. The monitor doesn't come on and there is no further sound. Lastly, Punch out works, but there is no start button and none of the play buttons start the game (does this mean it's in coin op mode? If so, how do I change it to free play?) Any advice would be great. Since this is an old post, I'll repost this info as a new thread. Thanks, all.
 
Back
Top Bottom