Tron spinner quit working!! help!!

wdaev03

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ive got a tron i got a couple weeks ago and ive listed it on ebay...it worked perfectly but i went out to play a game and the spinner has quit working. any ideas why it wont work? when i got it the guy said the spinner didnt work but i got it home and it worked perfect for me but has now stopped again. the wheel isnt rubbing as it goes throught the part that reads it. ive also checked the plugs and double checked them....nothing loose...any ideas are appreciated...the auction which has a ton of watchers ends in like 3 days and i really need the $$$... i hate to have to cancel it due to a minor problem. if anyone has ever experienced this prob, or knows how to fix it id really appreciate your help...thanks in advance to those who offer their knowledge thanks, dave
 
Could be cold solder joints on the encoder board. Try reflowing the solder on the header for the encoder board. That would be the board that the spinner goes through if you didn't know.
 
ok, is the header the plug the harness hooks into or the little thing that reads the optic wheel? thanks, dave
 
well, i resoldered the plug joints....there are 10 a couple spaces and then 2 on the plug...i redid all 12 and it didnt help at all.....any other ideas?
 
Definately check your power supply voltages. There is one voltage (12 volts I think) that only gets used on the encoder board.
 
Since it is operating intermittently, odds are that there's just a bad terminal inside the molex connector (harness connector that plugs into the board header) or a just bad plating on the header pins (try pulling the connector 1/3 to 1/2 way off but still leave it on and see if that makes it work. If yes, then the header should be replaced and it wouldn't hurt to replace the terminal inside the harness connector housing (you just snip them off, strip the wire back 1/8" and crimp on a new terminal). If not, then the problem is like a failing opto (that's the little black plastic thingy that the slots in the wheel fly by and the infrared light beam goes through the slots). The optos are easily replaced by someone who knows how to solder properly. The optos can be purchased from many electronics distributors, or from online arcade parts stores, or from other arcade enthusiasts. I've also heard that certain older PC mice have them inside.

Be aware that the spinner plugs into a counter PCB but there's also a wiring harness that runs from the PCB to the game board. An intermittent connection/terminal could exist at either end of that harness so wiggle and check both locations.
 
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