Paperboy power issues - super high voltages

bongoben

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Picked up a Paperboy project from KLOVer Low-Gain today. I'm excited to get this thing restored. It was sold to me as "working before I stored it" but apparently it has been in storage for a minute. After cleaning it up a bit on the inside (layers of dust) and checking all of the connections I decided to fire it up to see what I got. Oh, I should mention that the only thing inside I see as being not original is that the 5V Power Supply (mounted to the right wall) was at some point replaced with a switcher.

So, I powered it up. Screen came up but all I got was a clicking out of the speakers. Every so often a split second of game sound would come through but that was rare. After verifying that the picture came up I went back around to make sure all was well back there. I noticed that the switcher that was installed had a "key/legend" on it stating that if the light is green then power is good, if it's red then power is high, etc. etc. Well, the light was red. I first checked the 10.3v tp on the ARIII pcb and was getting right around 30V. Checked the +5V tp on the Video pcb and was getting right around 11V. So, getting a bit nervous I quickly checked the +5V on the switcher and was pulling 11V on that also. And I turned the game off. Here's where it really gets good... I did a check on the ARIII pcb since something was obviously up and noticed that R18 is cracked in the middle and looks like it is about to burn, R25 is missing and all that remains is a black burn mark on the pcb, and R27 is crumbling away down to the coiled wire inside.

So, anyone know what's up? Although I do have some ability to troubleshoot there are two issues... 1) I haven't worked with the Atari power setup (i.e. Big Blues, etc) before and 2) I really don't want to turn the game back on again with voltages like that flying through the pcbs.

Thanks

(edit) attached some pics of the entire cab as a "see what I'm starting with" type of thing and a couple pics of the issues on the ARIII
 

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#1: Did you wait 24hrs before powering up the unit after it had been sitting indoors.

#2. Did you make sure nothing fell onto the PSU pcb and or Board set during transit
and is creating any shorts?

#3. If you have a switcher supply handy... try replacing it to see what the supply reads.

#4. Unplug the power lines from the board set and measure your supply voltages.
If they read fine with out the board set load then the supplies are good and there is an issue on the board set. If the supply voltage are goofy with out the board set load, then you have power supply issues.

Moisture is going to be your biggest enemy here. The machine has been sitting in a dry (no leaky roof, etc. ) garage for a little over 6 months. it's cold out side, and naturally.. when electronics are in cold weather then injected into warm weather, condensation builds up. Which can cause shorts, etc, if power is applied. this is why it's good to leave a machine or monitor recently transported for at least 12-24hours before power is applied.


Those are my first step recommendations to figure out what is goign on.
I had the machine up and running when i bought it, and we moved it into my storage garage and it sat there for a little over a half year.

Let us know what you find out!
 
Actually, without a load, your voltages will usually read high... though I'd probably use a dummy load and not a real board if you think the voltages are way off. But I'd replace the obviously bad components on the ARIII first, and go from there.

DogP
 
#1: Did you wait 24hrs before powering up the unit after it had been sitting indoors.

#2. Did you make sure nothing fell onto the PSU pcb and or Board set during transit
and is creating any shorts?

#3. If you have a switcher supply handy... try replacing it to see what the supply reads.

#4. Unplug the power lines from the board set and measure your supply voltages.
If they read fine with out the board set load then the supplies are good and there is an issue on the board set. If the supply voltage are goofy with out the board set load, then you have power supply issues.

Moisture is going to be your biggest enemy here. The machine has been sitting in a dry (no leaky roof, etc. ) garage for a little over 6 months. it's cold out side, and naturally.. when electronics are in cold weather then injected into warm weather, condensation builds up. Which can cause shorts, etc, if power is applied. this is why it's good to leave a machine or monitor recently transported for at least 12-24hours before power is applied.


Those are my first step recommendations to figure out what is goign on.
I had the machine up and running when i bought it, and we moved it into my storage garage and it sat there for a little over a half year.

Let us know what you find out!

Thanks for the reply...
#1... no (hangs head in shame). I did get the monitor inside as soon as the game was home to let that get to room temp and the rest of the game was inside for about 4 to 5 hours before I tried anything with it.

#2... I did a full cleaning on the PSU to get rid of all dust and whatnot. I will dig deeper today to make sure I got everything.

#3... I will try another switcher today.

#4... I will give this a shot.

I know I shouldn't have powered it up lastnight but it was sitting there calling to me. The cab and I spent some quality time while I cleaned it off and I felt it was necessary to satisfy my own urges and see its beauty shine. That was wrong and I'm sorry.


Actually, without a load, your voltages will usually read high... though I'd probably use a dummy load and not a real board if you think the voltages are way off. But I'd replace the obviously bad components on the ARIII first, and go from there.

Yeah, I figure dealing with the issues on the ARIII would be an appropriate first step.
 
thanks for the pictures. Definitly replace those resistors, i'd actually replace all 4 to be safe. considering they get a lot of heat (super easy fix) and go from there.
while you're at it.. replace all the electrolytic caps. ! :)
 
ok, so a quick resistor question. The 4 in the 3rd picture are rated as:

0.1ohm, 5W, 5% Wirewound Resisitor

Should I be looking for an exact replacement for these ratings? Bob Roberts doesn't have these in particular but I did find them at mouser or www.futurelec.com (never used this site before).

(edit) I answered my own question... basically, from older posts it looks like I should try to get the new resistors as an exact match to the old ones... especially on the ARIII. Mouser it is...
 
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i believe radio shack actually carries .1 ohm 5 watt tub resistors.
go and check their resistor section before ordering online.

typically resistor values under 1 ohm are picked that close to spec because they need exactly that value.

i have .47 ohm and .56 ohm 5 watt's but those were used in specific applications for something else.. one would think i could just
take 2 1ohm resistors and put them in parallel but if the application calls for .47, then i have to use .47ohm not .5. the tolerance at lower resistor values
is a lot more precise then larger resistor values..

i.e. 5% of 1M00 and 5% of 1ohm in their application, the higher resistor value can be any variety of values as close to 1Meg as posible.. how ever
if 1ohm is being used, then it's serving a much more precise purpose and going with something close to but not exact could mean life or death of a circuit further down the chain.
 
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The A/R III needs a complete rebuild at a minimum.

Weather was NOT a factor in this game not working when you powered it up.
 
The A/R III needs a complete rebuild at a minimum.

Weather was NOT a factor in this game not working when you powered it up.

with regard to the PSU.. i agree. probably not. These things are hell to keep running.
I'd be more likely to toss a switcher in it, rebuild the psu, and make it look pretty but use the switcher for every day use of the game.
 
with regard to the PSU.. i agree. probably not. These things are hell to keep running.
I'd be more likely to toss a switcher in it, rebuild the psu, and make it look pretty but use the switcher for every day use of the game.

I was thinking it would be easier to go this route too, for the time being... but I need to find some documentation on what power the boards are supposed to be getting before I could even start that. Additionally, how would I provide something like 10.3V as is required on the ARIII pcb from a switcher? Oh well, later tonight I will be able to get down there and spend some time working on this game again. Also need to get an order setup with Bob Roberts to pick up his ARIII rebuild kit and an order with mouser to pick up the other resistors I need.... .... ....
 
you might email a certain someone who happens to have restored one of these. he might have digital copies of the schematics. not 100% sure though.
 
you might email a certain someone who happens to have restored one of these. he might have digital copies of the schematics. not 100% sure though.

Good call... PM sent to that certain someone. Hopefully he will make an appearance on this thread.

Well, I have all the parts ordered to rebuild the power supply and the A/R-III pcb. I also started disassembling things so I can finish removing the flaking vinyl and get the metal parts repainted and/or powder coated. I am so excited for this restoration. I want it to look amazing inside and out when I'm finished. Oh, are the 1/8" hex screws that hold on the monitor glass retainer, marquee brackets, and the control panel something that can be picked up at a hardware store? The threads are pretty stripped on the ones that were in the cab.
 
Any progress?

Actually yeah. It's going slow because with work and family I really only allow myself an hour here or two hours there after my wife and kids have gone to bed... if I'm not too tired. I had initially taken off all of the vinyl from the outside of the cab, removed all the metal brackets and whatnot and had started sanding and bondo-ing as I didn't intend on doing anymore than the outside of the cab. Then I looked back at Chris25810's restoration pics on coinopspace and realized that I really had to go all out with this one. The cab is now 90% disassembled with only the bottom and top remaining to hold it together as well as the very base of the front assembly, and the bottom piece on the back of the cab. Anyways, lastnight I finished disassembling everything and this weekend will go back to sanding and bondo work. Should only be one more night of that to get the cab ready for primer, paint and vinyl. I already know I will need to pick up some more black vinyl as I originally only picked up enough to do the outside of the cab and the small amount of "interior" walls that were in front of the monitor. Now I've got another 30 square feet (or so) of vinyl I will need. Oh well. I also have the white vinyl which I picked up from a source that Chris recommended to me... got a great price on it, have picked up the parts to rebuild the power supply and the A/R-III pcb, and have all the new t-moulding I will need for the entire cab. I still need to pick up some more black vinyl, primer, white and black high gloss paint, and side art. I will be taking the extra cp that you gave me to have someone hit one spot on the underside with a welder as the support beam is detaching on one side and rattles. I will be buying a dremel tool to route out the t-moulding slots as this is a tool I have needed to pick up anyways so this project gives me a good excuse. And I need to find someone to borrow a stapler and air compressor from to reassemble the cab once the vinyl has been put on the inside. After the cab work is finished and reassembled I will begin focusing on the metal parts, the electronics work, and the handlebar assembly. I'm definitely putting more money into this than I originally intended but I'm enjoying the process. I've taken a few pictures so far and will eventually start a restoration thread to document the whole process. For a first full restoration this is quite the task but, as I said, I am really enjoying it. I just wish I had more time to work on it. Pics will hopefully follow this weekend.
 
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