Tech help: space invaders video on/off

[DefJam]

Hi,

Hope this is the right forum...

I have a space invaders deluxe game that could use a hand.... essentially I turn it on and I get video for very brief intervals intermittently.... when the video is there it looks real good... problem is its not there that often...   Any ideas ?
Thanks for the help...

Jim

[D_Zoot]

When you don't get any video can you coin up the game and get sounds like the game is playing?

Sound =  Monitor problem, most likely a connection or solder joint problem on the monitor chassis.

No sound = Game board isn't running. Connection problems at the game board edge connector or at the daughtercard connector are common.  Power supply connector pins also suffer from bad solder joints.


D

[DefJam]

D_Zoot....

Thanks for the advice.... very very helpful.

The game does appear to be playing blind (much more challenging this way).  So it's probably near the monitor chasis.  I've been trying to stay away from the monitor as I know its a danger zone.

[D_Zoot]

Cool, since it works sometimes that pretty much rules out a component failure on the monitor board. 

If it's got the Wells Gardner 19v1001 monitor in it go ahead and pull the chassis out.  Read the monitor discharge FAQ to see how to do it.  Make sure you mark the 4 wires going up to the yoke on the tube as they are not in one common connector and easy to mix up when you put it back together.

Once the chassis is out check for loose connections and bad solder joints. In particular, look at the rows of pins around the edge of the board, you may want to go ahead and resolder them even if they look ok.


Good luck!
D
 

[DefJam]

Zoot,

Thanks.   I have cleaned and reseated all the connectors on the mother and daughter board.  Same problem still exists... so definitely something closer to the monitor.

Not sure if I have WG 19v1001 or not,  basically I can see the monitor and the wires running up to it....  there is a piece of wood mounted accross the cabinet just below the monitor with a board and some electronics on it (which some of those wires attach to the monitor)...   looks easy enough to pull this piece of wood out, but I will need to cut a few wires that feed up into the monitor to do it.  Does that make sense ?

Thanks again... I'll go read the monitor FAQ

Jim

[quarterback]

I have an SI cab with the same problem.  Except that I've only seen the video show up one time.   

My width coil was gone bad (IOW gone away)  I thought that this was causing the complete lack of picture, but then there was the one time that it all appeared on screen, bright and beautiful.   That makes me think that there's something else going on in addition to the width coil.

In any case, I look forward to hearing of your success

Here's a pic of my most visible problem

[D_Zoot]

The whole board can be a little tricky to pull out, I usually take out the 4 bolts that hold the monitor chassis to the board instead. 

The wires that go up to the tube:  4 are for the yoke and those unplug at the yoke (those are the ones you have to mark where they go),  the next is the anode (big red cable), that unclips at the tube or if it is a WG 19v1001 (it probably is) you can sometimes pull the wire out at the flyback, lastly there should be a ground lead, it will unplug at either the tube or chassis. It *might* not have a ground lead, it could have a metal strip or spring bolted to the chassis that touches the back of the tube.  In a nutshell, you should not need to cut anything.


D

[grantspain]

def sounds like a heat related issue,so therefore it will be a bad solder joint or an electrolitic cap-the previous the most likely

[DefJam]

I just want to say a big THANKS to  D_Zoot  and Grantspain  :applaud:for their guidance... I know this is an old post, but I finally had time to get the monitor board out of the cab and reflowed a bunch of the solder (maybe all of it)...  put it back in and presto... Space Invaders Deluxe is back up and running!!!  I still stink, but its great to be able to play again.

While I was at it, I did a bunch of other cleaning and tightening of screws and stuff (the mother and daugterboard were basically swinging free...  (why would somebody ship it that way).  The other thing I figured out was how to get the front glass out...  there hasn't been any lights on behind the glass (good news is that the glass is in great shape, no peeling at all).  I need to find some replacement bulbs.  I think they are 12V, can't tell what watts (no bulbs in the sockets).

Question for anyone.  When you shoot the mothership that goes across the top, isn't it suppose to make a woowoowoowoo sound ?   

Thanks again, I love BYOAC!

[Q*Bert_OP]

Question for anyone.  When you shoot the mothership that goes across the top, isn't it suppose to make a woowoowoowoo sound ?   

Yes.