Playfield GI Lights - Fixed

[Rockin]

My Checkpoint playfield GI lights hadn't worked since I got the machine. After playing the hell out of it, and dealing with some other issues, I finally got the bulbs fuses and time to tackle this. The left side of the playfield turned out to be a fuse and bulbs, and is working now. The lower right worked briefly, after playing for a while, early in the bulb change, but haven't worked since turning it off. The upper right I haven't got to work at all. I've checked the connectors, and they look ok to me. CN8 on the power board is a little brown, but I think that's from age. I reseated CN 7 & 8, and J5. J2 I could not get off the board. I tried. and got it slightly loose, but was pulling hard enough to flex the board, so stopped so I didn't damage it. The wires are violet and white violet, and one side has been jumpered under the playfield. I think this may be the issue, as the left side lights have not been jumpered.
Thanks for any help.

 

[DRANO]

Brown connector is not from age... It's from heat. GI connectors get burnt all the time because the game lighting is constantly on.

Re-pin those connectors (and try to use the better trifurcon crimp pins and molex housings).

Also, the header pins on the board should have their solder re-flowed. Heat over time can cause tiny cracks in the solder joints that you can't see and break your circuit.

 

[Rockin]

I re-pinned the connector, which did need to be done, however no change. I didn't do anything to the power board, right now board work is out of my league. Also, the board is a Rottendog, less than a year old, it was put in when the original board got toasty in this area (I have the original board), prior to me buying the machine.

 

[DRANO]

Interesting.
So, did you replace the board with a rottendog to deal with some of these issues... or did you buy the machine with the RD already installed and non-working GI?

If you're the one that put in the board than I guess there's less chance of it being a board problem; not unheard of though.

I'd suggest checking the connection from the transformer to your power supply, but since you have (and have had) sections of GI working, I'd be more inclined to suspect the playfield wiring since you've seemingly got power and a new board.

GI is pretty basic. As far as I know, it's all just daisy-chained bulbs getting about 6.5volts from the board.

If you're certain the transformer connection to the power supply is good, the power is getting to your driver board (you have some working lights) and you're connector is properly rebuilt now and the board isn't damaged, start hunting around underneath for some broken wires.

I'm not a DE expert. Have never owned one. Hell, I'm not even a pin repair expert
This is all just my best guess based on what you've written.

Good luck

 

[Rockin]

The board was already installed, when I got it. I didn't notice the non-working GI until after I got it home. I'll double check the connectors, and then start checking wires.

 

[Menace]

The GI chain on these games is pretty simple, and where you have the schematics the only thing you should be doing is ringing out the wires from the source (transformer) all the way through the chain (PCB's) to the socket chains on the PF. You should also be able to probe each pair of GI wire sets for A/C voltage from the source through all the PCB/connectors out to the PF and see where the voltage disappears.

D

 

[Rockin]

The GI chain on these games is pretty simple, and where you have the schematics the only thing you should be doing is ringing out the wires from the source (transformer) all the way through the chain (PCB's) to the socket chains on the PF. You should also be able to probe each pair of GI wire sets for A/C voltage from the source through all the PCB/connectors out to the PF and see where the voltage disappears.

D

Thanks, what little electronics knowledge I have is rusty, but improving from working on this machine. It will most likely be the weekend before I get to work through all this. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Rockin]

Thanks to Menace and Drano for keeping me in the right direction. After checking continuity and confirming voltage to the power board, I repined the other half of CN8 (it was a 9 with a key split into 2, 4s) and the lights worked for 30 seconds. I then repined J5 and voila, lights.
Pinball is better with the room lights turned down...........just like some other things.