Star Wars Upright Amplifone Help Needed

[BlaineLocklair]

Hi Dez,

That's a good suggestion. However, I hadn't changed the wire at all when I plugged the lamp back in, and the voltage is still affected. The blue wire is an original factory wire; only the one wire I added to connect the 6.3v to the HTR WHT is an add on.

I haven't looked at the game today, but the same thought is still running through my head. I keep asking myself how it can lose the 6.3v AC voltage through a line simply by reconnecting a lamp. It seems it must be a short somewhere, but not at the coin door since I disconnected it and had no difference in end result.

All ideas are welcome!

 

[BlaineLocklair]

Just as a heads up, I've ordered a replacement flyback (at a reduced price, thanks to the kindness of Arcadeshop). This oughta take care of the 6.3v issue, and really is something I should do in the interest of doing clean work on the game anyway.

Will be in on Friday, will post results.

 

[bheineck]

I've been following this thread. Crossing fingers for you!

Just as a heads up, I've ordered a replacement flyback (at a reduced price, thanks to the kindness of Arcadeshop). This oughta take care of the 6.3v issue, and really is something I should do in the interest of doing clean work on the game anyway.

Will be in on Friday, will post results.

 

[BlaineLocklair]

Ok, finally got it all figured out. I had one side of the 6.3VAC From the coin door connected but not the other, hence the reason for the voltage drop.

So, it works! I went ahead and added two DC fans to the cab, one for each monitor board. The AC fan for the game board is already present and working. I was going to tidy up some wiring with some ties, but I don't want to stress any connections.

Some other odds and ends:

* There was a short in the brightness that I was convinced was at the pot. Turns out it was a short on a component in the middle of the solder side of the HV board. I reflowed the solder points, and everything worked fine.

* I finally dealt with the broken focus pin issue by putting a new wire up to the stump and electrical taping it into place. I can't find a damn thing that will stick to the stump - not solder, not conductive glue, nada. At least the wire is now secured in place and the game is happy.

One more thing - there is a small phosphor burn spot in the center of the monitor. It is highly visible in the following video, but only because I used a bright spotlight during filming. It is much less noticeable during gameplay with the tinted cover in place.

So, here it is... Star Wars #6535, back in service and in 720p HD!

At some point soon, I plan to better document the restoration process I went through. I suspect that others wanting to save burned up Amplifone monitors will find them in the same condition I found mine, dead with a big burn mark on it.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to help me get it going. I'll be going back through this thread and repping any posts that helped get this game fixed. I'm proud to be a KLOV member and look forward to the things we will accomplish together for the betterment of the gaming community.

Blaine

 

[omegaman]

Nice job!! so you can stick the heater back on the HV board now?

 

[BlaineLocklair]

Well, sort of. The 6.3 is still coming from the coin door wiring, but it's wired to the WHT HTR and brown solder points. The browns then still go to the yolk. It ain't perfect, but after scorching two new flyback cores, I'm content to leave it as it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I can't stand for a game to be broken. It may be the loss of playtime, but I think it has more to do with feeling like a broken game kicked my ass. This time, I won, thanks to the help of the KLOV community!

 

[BlaineLocklair]

Ok, I repped as many folks in this thread as the forum would permit. Thanks again to all that have contributed!

 

[Token420]

Great thread. My 3 yo daughter came over as soon as she heard the Star Wars theme playing. Now she want to go play. Enjoy the game!