Troubelshooting - Astron Belt (Galaxy Ranger)

Scott C

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I finally have my Astron Belt put together and am now focusing on getting it working. As it stands now, I am not getting much signs of life, so any help is appreciated.

*What I have tried or verified*

- The 3 main fuses are fine
- The laserdisc player is getting power (twice two) and does turn on,
but doesn't start the disc on its own (if I hit play it spins).
- Verified the monitor is good
- Tested all voltages. As first, the +5v line was showing +10v, but
all other lines were showing less than a volt. Replaced the switcher
with a new and saw similar results. Went back to the original and
tried connecting the various wires one at a time to see if one is
dragging down the PS. Found all lines are closer to their respective
voltages now (+5v is a little high, while -12v is a tad low). However,
with +12v disconnected (no load) it reads +11.98v, when attached it
drops to +0.3. I detached two of the three wires and still see it
dropping (plan to try the third wire shortly). The +5v LED is lit on
the boardset.
- I made the power connector myself, based on specific details from
another collector with the game.
- Verified the correct # of PROMs and set is installed (Hitachi), but have
not verified each PROM against as master image.
- The marquee light works.

There is no video on the monitor (the monitor is on and with the black level turned-up I can see white), no sounds, etc. The cable is original, but I don't know if it was altered. One end was verified, but I don't know what the monitor side of the cable is suppose to be pinned as, so I guessed. However, since I get nothing (at all) on the monitor, I don't think the cable is the issue.

I realize this isn't much to go on, but anyone have any ideas on what to check next? I can't determine if the PS +12v is bad or if something on the boardset is dragging it down. Should I get video even without the +12v, either from the laserdisc player or the CPU board? I tried powering the game without the coin door, control panel, speakers, etc. being attached to the harness, but nothing changed. detaching the +12v from the PS did nothing to help it boot either. :(

Scott C.
 
I made the power connector myself, based on specific details

got to be problem in the connector(s).

double check all the to/from of each and every pin on all the connectors/adapters.
i know that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier to write, than to do, but.

i noticed on my new batch of switchers from BOB ROBERTS, he has a warning label that says not to hook up switcher without a load.

i would try a new switcher after verification of correct connector inputs.

those chips probably didnt like +10V going into the +5V line but they're probably ok.

is part of the problem you dont have schematic? i think MODESSITT has a bunch of manuals.

just turn it into a 48 in 1. heh, only joking...
 
got to be problem in the connector(s).

double check all the to/from of each and every pin on all the connectors/adapters.
i know that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier to write, than to do, but.

i noticed on my new batch of switchers from BOB ROBERTS, he has a warning label that says not to hook up switcher without a load.

i would try a new switcher after verification of correct connector inputs.

those chips probably didnt like +10V going into the +5V line but they're probably ok.

is part of the problem you dont have schematic? i think MODESSITT has a bunch of manuals.

just turn it into a 48 in 1. heh, only joking...
This is a goofy one, since the problems are actually with the original switcher from SEGA. The only time a switcher from Bob Roberts was used was after I saw the weird voltage on the SEGA switcher. Using the Bob Roberts switcher, all voltages were very low or missing (it wasn't ever run without a load). After that, I went back to the original SEGA switcher and connecting voltages one at a time led me to see the +12v is the issue. As it stands now, all voltages are stable, even when the +12v is hooked-up, but again the +12v drops to +0.3v.

Scott C.
 
This is a goofy one, since the problems are actually with the original switcher from SEGA. The only time a switcher from Bob Roberts was used was after I saw the weird voltage on the SEGA switcher. Using the Bob Roberts switcher, all voltages were very low or missing (it wasn't ever run without a load). After that, I went back to the original SEGA switcher and connecting voltages one at a time led me to see the +12v is the issue. As it stands now, all voltages are stable, even when the +12v is hooked-up, but again the +12v drops to +0.3v.

Scott C.
Perhaps I should have been more specific in a few areas, so let me clarify.

The initial problem with the high +5v was with the original SEGA switcher. I swapped in a new switcher from Bob Roberts and saw low voltage or NO voltage across the board (with everything hooked-up), so I switched back to the original SEGA switcher. By attaching one wire at a time, I was able to confirm all voltages measure fine now, except when the +12v line is attached. Therefore, the problem is somewhere in the +12v line. The +10v on the +5v line problem never came back.

I disconnected everything on the wiring harness trying to determine what is causing the power drop. The only thing I could find that causes it is when the header is plugged into the PCB itself. The plug that connects to the demodulator PCB doesn't cause the +12v drop. Therefore, I disconnected the three +12v wires coming from the switcher one at a time to see if a specific pin was causing the issues. This showed that position F and 6 on the main harness header are the issue. +12v goes to the main PCB, the demodulator and the coin door lights. When this +12v lines that goes to F and 6 are dettached the +12v works fine. Therefore, we are back to a PCB issue. With the coin door lights and demodulator getting +12v, it reads +11.96v, which should be close enough (coin door lights are on bright).

I have been going through the schematics and the power section appears to be wired correctly. Again, another collector sent pics and confirmed his working wiring, so I feel fairly confident it is correct.

I have two more main CPU boardsets, but only one more demodulator PCB, unless someone can tell me the specific pots these used, since my last demodulator PCB is missing a bunch of the pots. :( I can try swapping another demodulator PCB in, but the problem still seems like the main CPU PCB. I don't want to fry a boardset trying to troubleshoot this issue.

I have been hunting through the DLP archives trying to find something specific to what I am seeing. Of what I found so far, all mentioned there being some signs of life, not completely dead.

Thanks for the helps, so keep the suggestions coming!

Scott C.
 
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