ISO: Advice on Tempest Problem

[HarpuaFSB]

Hey everyone,

Sorry to barge in on the board like this but I have a problem with an upright Tempest arcade machine and was advised to check out this board.

Anyway, when I got it, I would turn it on, all the lights (marquee, coin slots, etc.) would come on and the 1P 2P lights would just light solid and not blink. No video or audio.

After much messing around (including sending the board back to the guy I bought it from for testing, he's a dealer, he said it was fine), I figured out that a fuse blew. Not only that but the wrong fuses were installed in various places (a 5Amp in 4Amp slot, etc.).

Once I fixed this, everything worked just fine.

Then, suddenly, it would crap out in the middle of a game and bring you back to the high score screen and you'd have to start over. A few minutes ago, I turned it on and a blinking upside-down A showed on the screen for a second then the solid lit 1P 2P buttons and no video stuff started again.

I checked and replaced all the fuses and am back at square one, turn it on, everything lights up, but no video/audio and instead of blinking, the 1P 2P buttons just light solid.

Anyone have any ideas on what my problem could be?

Thanks so much!

[Buddabing]

Try the KLOV message boards.

[RayB]

Could be the Audio/Power Regulator board is on its way out (they call it "AR-II" boards for short). Or also the big blue capacitor in the power supply could be on its way out.

[D_Zoot]

That sure does sound like a power supply problem.   Time to break out a multimeter and manual and check all of the supply voltages at the game board edge connector.

Also carefully inspect the edge connector of the game board.  These boards were common to get loose connections/terminals and then burn up the edge connector. Ground and +5 volt terminals were the most common to suffer this fate.

Inspect the ARII board,  look for a burned resistor.  If the is one resistor burned to a crisp, then for sure you have an edge connector problem and the ARII board went up in smoke trying to jack the voltage up enough to compensate for it.

If all seems ok, voltages are in spec and good connections, either the big blue capacitor in the power brick has failed, or you have a gameboard problem.

Good luck!
D