New grail - Defender - resetting issue

Syngefinger

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I recently picked up another personal grail, Defender off of E-bay. Got it from a guy down in Grand Blanc. I'll post a few pictures, cause without pictures...it didn't happen. As you can see it has some major burn marks on the CP. I'll probably be getting a repro CP somewhere down the line.

Anyway, the game plays fine...most of the time. Infrequently while in the middle of a game, the monitor will go blue, and will reset. Run through the test patterns of wavy lines, etc. I remember looking at another Defender quite a few years back near Mt Pleasant that had the same problem. Is it a common problem with Defenders?

Any ideas what may be causing this? It has the battery upgrade and the dude claims all boards were tested, repaired as needed, and all RAMs were replaced in 2008. It has the original power supply that he also claims was tested in 2008 by a professional. He also included a 2005 Bob Roberts Williams Power Supply Switcher as well.

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

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Was the guy smoking a cigar or what?

Well, not sure. It looks like a lot of regulars played that were smokers. Maybe it came from a bar?

I've never had to replace a CP before. I'm assuming that you simply remove the buttons, peel the old CP layer off and adhere the new CP. Then install the buttons and that's it? Is there more to it than that?
 
Just because the previous owner tells you something was looked at, doesn't make it so.

Just because the previous owner says it was looked at by a profressional, doesn't make it so.

Get your meter out and check the voltages the power supply is putting out and then test the voltages at the RAM. Most likely the voltage is marginal and when there is a lot of stuff going on screen, the addtional load on the RAMS will pul one of the voltages low enough to make it reset.

While you are in there, check for burnt connectors and corrosion on the header pins. This could contribute to the power issues. It could also be a loose connection or a cold solder joint that comes loose when you are playing hard.

As for CPO's. On original Defenders, there is a thin plexi sheet with the control panel graphics silk screened on the bottom of it, so you can do exactly what you described, but it won't look right without the plexi on top.

ken
 
I've never had to replace a CP before. I'm assuming that you simply remove the buttons, peel the old CP layer off and adhere the new CP. Then install the buttons and that's it? Is there more to it than that?
That's pretty much it, but you'll want to sand all the old glue off the CP before putting on the new overlay. I removed the buttons, joystick and switches, peeled off the old overlay, and took the CP to a friends woodworking shop and had it squeaky clean in a matter of minutes. Note that there's a little trim piece on the joystick handle that goes *under* the CPO in a little dugout in the CP. Remember to put it back in place *before* you stick the CP down. Pretty simple job that can make a world of difference in how the machine looks. I got my CPO from http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Graphics and I'm very happy with it.
 
Thanks for the tips. Will check the voltages and hopefully it's something that simple. I've really started to enjoy playing the Defender and was starting to improve greatly, but now can barely make it thru the first wave without it resetting.
 
Yeah, I wondered the same thing, Dokert. I just went down and installed the switcher, and got the same results, in fact it seemed to get worse. So I unhooked it and hooked up the old power supply and now it goes through the start-up, starts the demo screen and immediately resets itself, repeating over and over. I'll have more time to work on it over the coming weekend, hopefully.
 
Was the guy smoking a cigar or what?

People rested them on either 1 or 2 player start button with burning ash inward.
This is EXACTLY how I remember every Defender looking. Its a true arcade battle scar, and I'd leave it!
 
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