Blitz 99 Arcade keeps resetting - already replaced HDD - HELP!

[jimbomame10]

I bought an NFL Blitz 99 dedicated arcade that was in non-working condition.  The problem was the game would load but kept resetting.  I was told it needed a new HDD so I bought a new one and installed it.  All of the initial startup tests run fine and the game image loads and the initial game sound occurs every time but then shortly after (within 5-45 seconds) the game resets itself.  here's a few videos of what happens:

http://s372.photobucket.com/albums/oo165/curiousjim10/blitz/

In the last video you can see a close up of the LEDs that light up when it resets.  LED2 turns red and LED1 turns green at the same time and then the game resets.  Any ideas?  I'm a totally noob so go easy on me. 

[MonMotha]

This is usually caused by bad power.  There can be some substantial voltage drop across the wires running to the PCB, so you have to check voltages AT THE PCB.  5V is the most critical, but if 12V drops low, the HDD can reset and cause issues eventually leading the game to crash and watchdog reset.

It can help substantially to power the HDD via a separate power run from the power supply as this will lessen the load on the lines running to the PCB.  It may also be worth just replacing the power supply even if cursory inspection with a multimeter says it's OK.

[jimbomame10]

I hooked up another power supply directly to the HDD to see if that would do the trick but alas same problem.  I'm not quite sure how to test the power supply's voltage.  I have a multimeter but have no idea how to hook it up to the power supply or what to hook up to it and where.  If the power supply has gone bad, is that the only thing that probably has to be replaced?  I just don;t want to throw too much money into this project. 

[MonMotha]

Multimeter on volts setting (20V range if you have a manual range meter).  Poke the black probe at the ground wire on JAMMA (should be black) right at the PCB edge.  There may be marked test points.  Use those if available.  Red wire on +5 (usually red) for testing 5V and +12 (usually orange in arcade cabinets but sometimes yellow) for testing 12V.

5V should be 4.75-5.25V. Obviously, the closer to 5.0V, the better.  12V should be 11.25-12.5V or thereabouts.  Again, closer to 12.0V is better.  Most arcade power supplies have a knob on them to adjust voltage.  Try to get things as close to 5.0V as possible.  12V is less picky.

Of course, these are all just DC measurements.  There are some things that can (somewhat rarely) happen to power supplies that cause them to read OK on a DC meter but actually not be good.  Without more sophisticated test gear (true RMS meter or o'scope, mostly), it's difficult to test for these conditions.  Usually one just replaces the power supply if this is suspect.  A power supply is usually only about $25 shipped, so that's not too bad.

The other thing that can sometimes cause this failure is overheating.  The stock kit (which you should have in your dedicated cabinet) has a fan.  It's usually directed to cool the speaker amps and blows a little air over the GPU.  You can redirect it to cool the CPU and GPU instead if you want.  In most home setups, the volume isn't loud enough on the cabinet for the amps to get very warm.

[jimbomame10]

I am thinking about just replacing the power supply but I've been looking around and the only one I've found on eBay was this: http://cgi.ebay.com/CRUISN-WORLD-CARNEVIL-NFL-BLITZ-ATARI-POWER-SUPPLY-NEW_W0QQitemZ150402440030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2304af1b5e

But the price is $70 with shipping.  Is there any specific arcade power supply I need for blitz 99 or do I just need a regular old 150 watt arcade power supply?  If so, any suggestions on where to get one for cheap? 

[MonMotha]

Anything with that little 9-pin plug on it should just plug straight in.  You can buy them from Happ (or a local forum Happ vendor) amongst other places.  $60 is a little steep.  People on ebay will do that to you with those kind of keyword spam listings trying to catch people who don't know better.

You may need one with a plug for your monitor and/or an unusual input plug.  Check your cabinet to be sure.

[jimbomame10]

Got it working!  I checked the voltage and instead of 5v the power supply was putting out around 10v.  I adjusted back down to 5v and everything runs perfect.  No resetting.  Thanks everyone for your help!

[lilshawn]

10V on the 5v line?!?! yowza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , i would seriously still consider replacing that power supply! IMO (unless somebody mistakenly cranked up the 5v line) if you had to turn it down to the minimum to get 5v i would still replace it, you might be risking cooking the works should the powersupply TOTALLY fail.

if it was just mistakenly cranked up, then great!

[MonMotha]

I'm surprised you DIDN'T fry the board at that point.  Most of the parts on there are spec'd for 6V absolute max.

I'm also surprised that the adjustment knob on that thing has enough pull to get it all the way up to 10V.  Woah.  It might be broken.  I'd also consider replacing it.

[NewJoystick]

Hey guys.

Been having the same problem. Starts and shows screen with sound and coinage etc.. then theres a loud tone (I guess sound check) and then resets and goes back to the same screen and loops. I checked the voltagr and set it to as close to 5V and 12V as possible. Still same.

Any other ideas?!