Outrun resurrection..

[dre-w]

So I just got a standard Outrun arcade someone didn't want anymore because they said it simply, "stopped working"  ..whether that is true or not I just need help getting it to work again. 

So I guess first I'll just describe what's happening after plugging it in.  There's no picture on screen or sounds from the game, the coin return buttons light up, a red LED light on the game board lights up, the fan on the back of the machine turns on, and the speakers are making a hissing/crackling sound..  although when I press the service button inside the arcade the hissing noise kind of changes the pitch almost into a long beeping noise..  idk if that means anything.

Now I've heard from a couple different websites and forums that the standard Outrun arcade wasn't equipped with a suicide battery but then others are saying some versions were..  Would these symptoms sound like this may be the cause and if so is there a fix??

I really don't know where to start first so I took some pictures of the inside hoping someone can point me in the right direction.





There was also a couple wires that weren't really plugged into anything and I don't know if they are supposed to be..



Would a blown fuse be a possible cause for no picture / sound in the arcade?


Sorry this is my first actual arcade restoration and being that I love Sega and especially Outrun I don't want to see this arcade go to waste..  I have only 4 other machines but they were all easy fixes..  (coin mechanism not working, missing joystick, etc..)  I'd really appreciate any help or advice I can get and also please keep in mind that I'm a noob.   

[Spyridon]

There was also a couple wires that weren't really plugged into anything and I don't know if they are supposed to be..

Probably not your only problem, but based on those pictures, you can see that the power to the monitor has been cut.  Looks like the connection in your hand is the one that is supposed to connect to those bare wires coming out of the monitor chasis.

This cab didn't just "stop working".


Also, in the picture below, the hanging wires on the right side look like they should go to the monitor.  Trace them back to make sure.

[Spyridon]

Also, check the manual, it may help you track down where those other unplugged wires go.

[dre-w]

Thank you so much Spyridon for the advice and the manual!  I guess I'll start by tracing those wires to see where they lead.  Those 2 wires that were cut, it looks like they used to be forced into that plastic connector piece..  should I try forcing them in there or do I need go out and get a female end piece..?  Or would it even make a difference..  Thanks again for your help I really do appreciate this and I'll post new pics of the results I find up by the monitor.

[Spyridon]

Those 2 wires that were cut, it looks like they used to be forced into that plastic connector piece..  should I try forcing them in there or do I need go out and get a female end piece..? 

You can push them back in as a test, but I wouldn't keep it that way long term

[dre-w]

Ok so took a look at the back of monitor..  I guessed that the 2 wires that were hanging down the side of the machine were supposed to go here.. being that it's the only place on the board where they fit.. and I also forced the 2 cut wires into the connector piece

..and still got no results..  no sound / picture. 
Oh and thanks to jeffhlewis for his Outrun pictures, it really helped me figure out where one of the other wires went, it appears I'm missing something that goes under the steering column.. perhaps the motor that performs the force feed back..? idk where I'm going to find one of those.

my machine above

jeffs machine above

So I could do without the forced feedback motor until whenever I come across one.. but I don't really know where I should go from here.. should I try replacing all the fuses on the bottom of the arcade and on the back of the monitor (I don't have a multimeter to check'm) or does it just seem like the problem is elsewhere..

[Spyridon]

I don't have a multimeter to check'm

Go pick one up.  You can get one at Harbor Freight cheap if you have one near you (I paid $3).  It will cost you more to replace the fuses (which could be good) with new ones than getting a meter.

Plus you will need it to check the voltages on your power supply to make sure that is working.

Does the monitor do anything when you power the game up?  Any neck glow?  Any noise when power is applied?

[dre-w]

Oh cool only $3!!  I was looking online and I saw only $40 and up.  I'll go right now then.  When I plug it in there's absolutely no visual difference glow/flicker to the monitor whatsoever..  I tried listening for sound but the dang speakers are right above it so when it's plugged in the speakers make a pop sound even when they are turned all the way down.. however, behind the monitor it sounds like there's a faint whining beep sound.. a consistent beep noise..  and I know it's definitely getting power because one of the stripped wires fell out of that connector piece and me not thinking went to put it back in when the machine was hot created a spark.. doh

[dre-w]

update.. bought a continuity tester for $4 at ACE, all the fuses got the green light. (4 on the bottom and the 2 behind the monitor) Although, 1 of the fuses on the bottom is a 32V and the other 5 read 250V..  could that be a problem?  Also that continuos beep noise is definitely coming from the back of the monitor and the beep only stops when I interrupt the connection by pulling the 2 cut cords out of the connector piece..  I'm starting to think that I'm just going to need a whole new monitor..  darn I bought the continuity tester thinking only about the fuses and totally forgot about the power supply..  I'm going to need a multimeter for that aren't I?

[Spyridon]

Yes, you'll need a multimeter.  I checked the Harbor Freight website and the one I got on sale for $3 is $7.99. 

You need to be very careful about those monitor power wires when the game is on.  If they are falling out, I would immediately add a molex connector to make sure you have a good connection.  Those wire are carrying full power to the monitor. 

Don't mess around.  Better to be safe.

[dre-w]

  Dude thank you so much Spyridon you are being a tremendous help and yes I'll be a lot more careful.  Yeh tomorrow I'm going to pick up one from Harbor Freight.  Also I was just goin over some of the pictures I took of the Outrun monitor board and I didn't notice it at first until after I zoomed in, the flash from the camera really picked up a lot of details..  I'm seeing some major water markings near the bottom of the board.. if the board was sitting under water for some time could that be a reason for no sound/picture??

[SirPeale]

That's a Hantarex 900.  I hate those damn things.  The one I have came out of an Out Run.  I've never been able to trace down the fault, I just replaced it with a K4600 from another game.  Wish I could get my 4600 back.

I can't see the ends of the "cut wires" for the monitor power connector well.  If they're cut flush, then they won't do a damn thing.  If they still have the Molex pins then they're probably fine.

[dre-w]

I can't see the ends of the "cut wires" for the monitor power connector well.

Thanks SirPeale, the wiring is just twisted at the tips, no molex pins.  I think I have some, I'll go try it next to see if anything different happens.

Also, I didn't have time to get a multimeter today but a guy from work just gave me this!  He said hes had it for a long time, don't know if it works.  Would this help in any way..?




I mean I don't know much about monitors but is it compatible..?  It looks like a 19"..  or should I try connecting the molex pins on the back of this monitor to the connector piece in the Outrun cab to see if it powers up..?  Once again thanks a lot guys for your time

[dre-w]

well today I went out and bought a bunch of tools I needed for this arcade..  Educated myself on crimping, put some molex pins on those bare wires and then just put a connector piece that came from the other monitor my friend gave me..

Well.. finally starting to make some progress, I'm getting some neck glow.  But still no picture or sounds.  Used a multimeter for the first time, I got 120V comin in to the power supply.  Checked the cord going in to the monitor, reads 122V.  I'm so lost.  I read somewhere that hearing a hissing sound from the back of the monitor means your flyback may be cracked..  and I'm definitely hearing a faint whining beep coming from around that area.. I kind of just want to replace the monitor with a brand new one, but then I don't want to if it's still not going to work..  sigh

[dre-w]

Ok so I decided to pull out the monitor to get a better look at the board.  I did my research on discharging monitors but found them all to be no help because none of them stated what size or gauge wire is safe to use..  and being that I have to create this device myself with 2 alligator clips and unknown wire to discharge enough volts that would probably kill me, I decided to ask here first because I wasn't satisfied with the answers I was getting from Home Depot & ACE.. 
Here's my impression of Home Depot:    and ACE guy just handed me some small clips and some 12 wire that stated not to exceed 600V printed on it..
Does it matter what kind or size wire it is..  I mean this wire looks pretty wimpy on here http://www.instantarcade.com/discharge.php is that safe?

[SirPeale]

You'll be fine.  The monitor won't be ON when you do this.  Make sure!

Also note that you do NOT need to discharge the monitor just to remove it from the cabinet! 

And don't just start shotgunning major components without knowing if there's a problem with them.  Swapping out a monitor with a known working monitor if you already HAVE one on hand is smart (to eliminate that as a problem).  Buying another monitor when you're not sure if the one you have is working or not is not.  As you currently have no game sounds at all, I'm guessing there may be multiple issues.

• check the neck of the monitor - do you see a faint orange glow?  It may not come on right away, wait a few minutes.
• You said you bought a multimeter, and read the voltage going IN to the power supply.  Did you meter what comes out?
• Have you tried coining it up?

edit: re-read and saw that you have neck glow.  That's one good sign. 

[dre-w]

Oh cool thank you so much SirPeale!     Now I can pull out the monitor without worrying.  I just want to get a closer look at the monitor board because someone decided to staple gun and nail gun the back monitor area of the cab shut.. so I was only able to open the lower half and the very top where the fan is.

Yeh the neck glow is orange and very faint.

I've been trying to learn how to meter by reading up "how to use a multimeter" in miscellaneous and watching tutorials.  I think I measured it right, put both probes on right where the red & black wires connect to the power supply block.. it read 120 exactly.  Is that measuring what comes out or in?  I then tried inserting both probes into the molex piece that connects to the monitor cords, kept reading 122.  Still trying to learn how to check circuit boards or if that is even a problem..

When I try to coin it up I get nothing, except the click sound from the numbers changing on the credit meter box.. and I know I already mentioned this before but the static noise I hear coming from the speakers changes and becomes louder/high pitched when I press the service button and it stays that way until I turn it off.. so it must be doing something but idk what.

I'm just a little overwhelmed trying to take all these things in at once.. the past 2 days been reading monitor troubleshooting, manual/schematics, multimeter, crimping wires, how to discharge..  mehhh

[dre-w]

In the meantime while I was waiting for a response whether it was safe or not, I got bored staring at it and decided to get ahead start.

took this off put my cool socks on


looks like both inside corners on the bottom were cracked then poorly glued back together



I was going to proceed with removing the glass, yes glass.. (idk if that is common, I've only seen plexi) but then I noticed something


Looks like someone installed the button before putting the CPO on first.. brilliant


Well I couldn't pull the button out either way because on one side I had the molex piece and the other side it was trapped under the CPO.  The wires connected to the back of the button were also crimped and some sort of glue was holding them there along with electrical tape..


I then noticed that all the screws on the CPO were these ones that required a special tool.  I was at least able to get the ones unscrewed in that general area but the ones on the other side.. forget it


Well no biggy I thought, I'll just squeeze it through the side then disassemble there and then reassemble it correctlly through the CPO, nope, it had to be all complicated.  Didn't even know this button had a light in it.


I really didn't feel like cutting wires and having to crimp stuff so I thought of this, remove the molex pins from the molex connector that was barring me from pulling it through.




Then I just put it through the front the way it should've been done and reinserted the pins back into the molex accordingly.

Didn't want to put the green button back on just yet because I want to get that cute lil light replaced so I don't have to do this process all over again..  so yeh.. that's all I got

[dre-w]

Ok so after removing the monitor from the cab I noticed this..  I'm not going to go all CSI on this but I'm pretty sure what happened here is some kid thought it would be funny to dump his soda into the fan on the back of this cab.. this would explain why the monitor board had a bunch of brown sticky substance all over it..  nice job kid


Well a day passed of me checking all the soldering and connections on the monitor board and was contemplating whether I should just replace the whole monitor or get a cap kit and try to salvage this..  but then this happened..


My fiance was walking by it when her robe got caught on the corner of the neck tube area and literally snapped it.. thing exploded and made a loud hissing noise.. sounding like its last gasp of air.  Not a big deal, nobody got hurt.  Well, guess I kind of have to get a new monitor now.. Anyone know much about what kind of monitor is good/compatible for this game?

[SirPeale]

It's just a standard res shelf mount monitor.

 If you can find a 19" TV (older) you can probably do a tube swap.

[dre-w]

If you can find a 19" TV (older) you can probably do a tube swap.

Sounds good.  I posted earlier that a friend from work gave me a 19" monitor from some arcade he was stripping apart because he just wanted the cabinet so I'll just use that.  So I read both tube swap tutorials that are posted on this forum but I have 2 questions.. (it's my first time)

Here's the monitors side by side.  Bad one on the left, good one that supposedly works my friend gave me on right.



1.  Is this bad?  If so, can I just cut down that extra length or is that a big no no..?
 

2.  Can I just remove this green molex connector from the bad monitor and then..


..snip these things off good monitor, crimp some pins on them, use green molex connector..?


Let me know what's good man

[SirPeale]

Why don't you just use the other monitor as-is?

[Spyridon]

Why don't you just use the other monitor as-is?

I was going to ask the same question.  If the monitor you picked up works, no need to do any swapping.

[dre-w]

*face palms*  well.. a week or two ago I posted above asking if this monitor would be useful/compatible and nobody said anything.. took it as a no go.

So you what you guys are telling me is I can use this other monitor without having to swap it over to the old ones monitor circuit board..?  I'm not sure if I'm getting this correctly.  Because that's what I originally wanted to do but since I'm new to the scene I wasn't sure if certain games required certain monitors/boards..  The old monitor had a Hantarex 900 board and this other one I want to use has a brown Sharp Image board.

[SirPeale]

*face palms*  well.. a week or two ago I posted above asking if this monitor would be useful/compatible and nobody said anything.. took it as a no go.

So you what you guys are telling me is I can use this other monitor without having to swap it over to the old ones monitor circuit board..?  I'm not sure if I'm getting this correctly.  Because that's what I originally wanted to do but since I'm new to the scene I wasn't sure if certain games required certain monitors/boards..  The old monitor had a Hantarex 900 board and this other one I want to use has a brown Sharp Image board.

I see no references to this other monitor in this thread, unless I missed something.

As long as that monitor works, it should just be a straight swap.  They're both standard res monitors.

[dre-w]

I see no references to this other monitor in this thread, unless I missed something.

As long as that monitor works, it should just be a straight swap.  They're both standard res monitors.

lol  no worries.  Yeh I guess it was just kind of randomly thrown in there under reply #12.  Well this is great news then, although I think I still have to swap out the chassis/frame it sits in because I don't think this new one will lock in correctly.  Unless once again I'm just creating extra work for myself because I seem to be good at doing that lately.  Today I talked to the guy at work who gave me the monitor and he said it was pretty much brand new when he got it but he just never got around to hooking it up in his arcade.  I'll go try it out thanks!!!! 

[IG-88]

If the "frame" for the monitor is different than your broken one it may still mount in the cab, just bolt in where convient. You may have to drill a few new holes or add some angle brackets but should be easier me thinks than trying to swap the frames around??
Anyone else agree?

[dre-w]

Sound good to me.  LOL

I've been trying to figure out how to connect the Outrun wires to the new monitor..  The previous board had 2 spots for both molex pieces but the new monitor has only one spot so I'm just trying to figure out how I need to rewire them.. and what size molex piece I'll need..  hopefully this will at least fix the no picture issue.  *fingers crossed*

[dre-w]

Well..  before mounting the replacement monitor in the cab I wanted to test it first.  Connected the wires, turned it on, and still no picture..  in fact it started to smell like something was burning so I unplugged it immediately.  Plus I wasn't even seeing any neck glow


...

[solidteezme]

I would love to have one of these upright outrun cabs, but this sounds like its becoming a bloody nightmare for you. Really looking forwards to seeing it up and running.

[dre-w]

I would love to have one of these upright outrun cabs, but this sounds like its becoming a bloody nightmare for you. Really looking forwards to seeing it up and running.

Indeed a nightmare.  I had to put this project on hold due to another unexpected nightmare.  

short story long,

My car had been broken down for a year just sitting in the garage and I finally had enough money saved up to fix it.  After I spent about a $1000 on repairs, I finally got my car back only to realize that my tags were expired.  Went to DMV to get new tags, paid $200.  They waited until after I paid to tell me that they can't give me my new tags until I show "proof of insurance" and pay a $14 "reinstatement fee" because my registration had been suspended after a year of not driving it..?  Paid the stupid fee.  Got my insurance paperwork and went back to DMV the next day (by the way I'm using my vacation days from work for DMV) just to be told that the DMV can't lift the suspension from your registration, that is a seperate branch in Sacramento CA that does that and can only be done by phone or website..  the lady gave me the phone number which was an automated voice teller.  When asked to "say my license plate number" it couldn't understand the letters because they need to be said using NATO phonetic alphabet..  (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc..)  and you only get a couple chances to pronounce them clearly before it redirects your call all the way back to the main menu.  At the time I was not around a computer to google the codes for the letters and my plate has the letters E, F, D in that order so I started guessing..  (Echo, Frank, David..?)  I got so mad that it couldn't understand me I just said  Eat  F=*ng  D--k  and what suprised me was that instead of it being able to simply understand the pronunciation of just letters, they actually programmed it to recognize swear words and it hung up on me.  Later when I found out it was Echo, Foxtrot, Delta (Foxtrot!!?)  I talked to the machine for another 15 mins. and after all of my insurance info was entered it ended up telling me "Sorry, your insurance can't be verified by phone.  Please send an e-mail or send letter to p.o. box.."  Did the e-mail which took them 2 weeks to respond back stating "Sorry, your insurance can't be verified by e-mail.  Send scanned documents to p.o. box.."  Sent them everything I have from State Farm!  It's been a week now since I mailed it out to Sacramento.. nothing.  I can't believe how ridiculous this is..  There's no number to call to talk to an actual live person.. the email is useless being that they are ignoring my questions and just keep resending me the same sorry message..  and how do I know if they ever got my letter.. I can be waiting forever and not know what's going on!!!  I paid $1214.00 to fix a car I can't even drive!!  And that was all I had saved, now I'm literally living paycheck to paycheck for the next month or so and still driving my fiances car to work while my car is just sitting there in the garage.

I wasn't going to post this whole story in here but then I saw it fit with the topic..
being that now I'm trying to resurrect 2 cars.. a Ferrari Testarossa & supercharged Grand Prix

[Ninten-doh]

See, you should have put the money into the Outrun.  Lesson learned.   

Seriously though, that blows about the car.

[solidteezme]

Aha, im from the uk and have heard stories about the DMV. From this they seem pretty bang on.

Isn't freedom of movement one of your constituional rights in the US? and yet its that much hassle to get a car on the road. B*****S

[IG-88]

..and what really cracks me up is when someone goes berserk in a DMV and starts shooting people and the flippin' media acts all surprised.

Sell the car to your girl for $1 and put in-transits on it. Keep doing it back and forth to each other until you can get the mess figured out.

[dre-w]

 




Someone on craigslist was sellin one nearby!

I connected the wires to the monitor but was getting nothing, then I noticed one of the fuses on the bottom of the cab was blown, (32V?).. I found a 250V fuse layin around and put it in.. don't know if that's bad.. but it turned on the monitor!

I was getting all these black & white diaganol lines scrolling on screen.. no sound/no picture.  I pressed the Test button inside the coin door and I got to a blue screen with some scrambled scrolling words..  I changed around the wiring until I finally got it to stop rolling but it's still kind of messed up..  did I connect these wrong or am I missing something?
I know I connected the RGB wires correctly.. and I think the white wire is ground.. but I wasn't too sure about the blue/white striped one..

Then the power cord had 3 wires coming from the monitor.. but I only have 2 wires running up to it..?


I ran all the diagnostics and everything tested good when asked to press, steer, shift, coin, etc..





all the music and sounds played except for #13.  Voice 4..







After I exit the diagnostic menu it does nothing, screen just stays black..  no sounds/picture.  When I try to coin up it does nothing, well.. it seems to record it in the book keeping menu and also the service credits shows up there too when I press the service button..

What is wrong with this thing??!!?