HOTD4 cabinet not starting properly

[BigGuy]

I am currently repairing a HOTD4 cabinet and I am running into a frustrating issue. When I put power to the machine everything boots up. Computer boots up, IO boards boot up, and the tv. Problem is, there is no signal coming to the tv. I made sure all connections are secured, replaced the CMOS battery, and have changed the output cable. When making sure all connections were secured, I had slightly pushed the HDD cable in and the machine gave me a signal for the first time. I was greeted with an error 6 but it was progress. After restarting the machine though, I ran into the same problem, all systems boot up and no signal. I tried fiddling with the HDD again but to no luck. I’m pretty stumped on this one and I was curious if anyone had any ideas.

[lilshawn]

video and/or motherboard is toast. you can try changing out the caps on it, but if it's acting dead, you chances at resurrection are less than 50 %

[BigGuy]

Thanks for the reply! I think I'll start by trying to replace the video card. If all else fails, do you know of where I might be able to send in the computer for repairs or do you think I would need to purchase a refurbished one somewhere online?

[lilshawn]

i wouldn't jump right in to replacing the video card, it's not particularly going to be the problem you are experiencing, i just mention it because it could be. without proper diagnosing i can't say for sure. ideally, just toss it in your computer and see if it works.

both are options. with ebay, you might end up with the only parts that are available to buy are parts known for repairing arcade machines and video games... these can typically fetch 3 to 10x their value. sometimes you can find a seller just blowing out a motherboard to get rid of it. crap shoot.

its a used part, with unknown history and it could work for a day, or 20 more years.

that said, price out what it would cost to get a replacement used board... and compare it to what it would cost for a place to swap out the caps on the board you have for you...with a 50:50 chance of working... then roll the dice as to what you want to attempt.

if it doesn't have one, hook a speaker up to the motherboard to listen for any BIOS POST error beeps. if it does nothing but spin up fans, it's something with the motherboard. if it beeps out a message, go from there. the motherboard will tell you if you have a botched video card or ram or bad CPU with it's POST test beep code.