Tech: TFTC Resets (Help SOS)

[movingpictures]

OK so my buddy just picked up a Jurassic Park and it has no sound.
He called asking me to pull the ribbon cable from my TFTC and bring it to him for testing.

So in my haste, when I re-inserted the cable, I did so backwards.
The game made some abnormal sounds and I quickly switched the cable back to its proper alignment.

Now the sound works fine BUT the game has developed a reset issue.
The cpu will now randomly reboot.
The game works fine in attract mode, but once solenoids are engaged the resets start.

WTF did I do? :FP: :FP: :FP:

 

[Pharoah007]

Bridge Rectifier ?

 

[Menace]

I'm thinking your reset issue is completely un-related to the ribbon cable incident, and it's just a coincidence it appeared afterwards. Start with the basics on DE resets and go from there.

D

 

[movingpictures]

I'm thinking your reset issue is completely un-related to the ribbon cable incident, and it's just a coincidence it appeared afterwards. Start with the basics on DE resets and go from there.

D

I must have jostled something loose when wrestling with the ribbon cable. :FP:

I'll work my way through the Data East repair guides, unless you have any other suggestions.

Thanks guys

 

[brad808]

You sure it isn't power supply related? Not sure where your located but if your in southern Ontario worst case scenario you could pull your cpu and toss it in mine to eliminate it as the culprit.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[movingpictures]

After 4 hours of troubleshooting, we have come up with the following:

No reset when sound board is unplugged.
With sound board plugged, reset seems to happen during multiball when one of the 2 upper VUKs fire.

Voltages into soundboard:

+5 = 5.03
-12 = ranging from -17.62 to -18.4
+12 = 11.02

Also interesting:
after powering off machine, reseating molex to CN12 on soundboard causes spark on -12 pin.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Menace]

Your 12V seems low as that I believe should be regulated. I would unplug the sound board and see what the 12V line is, and if it's low you will need to figure out if it's the PS that has an issue, or if it's the sound PCB dragging it down. It should be right at or a little over 12V.

D

 

[movingpictures]

Your 12V seems low as that I believe should be regulated. I would unplug the sound board and see what the 12V line is, and if it's low you will need to figure out if it's the PS that has an issue, or if it's the sound PCB dragging it down. It should be right at or a little over 12V.

D

Thanks Menace.
I am waiting on a friends JP sound board to test and carry on with the process of elimination.
Yesterday was not fun.

Where can I test for the 12v?

:geek:

 

[movingpictures]

The board has been repaired and molex connectors changed, it runs nice and cool now and no resets so far.

Now I am having a problem with inserts lighting when they should not that started during the old reset issue.
eg. Multiball and extra ball inserts lit when they aren't qualified, two items on the creature feature wheel at once, 2 drop target lights at once during skill shot.

I am assuming the low power must have taken out something before the board was repaired.

Any ideas on where to start? Thanks in advance!

 

[Menace]

Lamp matrix. Check the matrix table and see if there is any sort of pattern with the double lamps. (same row or coloumn)

D

 

[movingpictures]

So I have 3 or so several columns that are acting strange:



i found this info in Clay's old guide, should I start by testing the diodes on each lamp in the bad columns?
Or is there another process? Thanks

"Two Lamps On Instead of One.
If a lamp diode is shorted on (or installed incorrectly), this can cause two lamps to act as one. This can be seen in the "Single" (or "One") lamp test. Each individual lamp in the lamp matrix (as displayed on the screen) should flash. The "start game" button will move the test from one lamp to another. If TWO lamps flash in this test instead of just one, suspect the chosen lamp has a bad or mis-installed lamp diode."

 

[Menace]

Yep, that is a great place to start.

D

 

[Grauwulf]

What I typically tend to do is take the lamp matrix diagram and a highlighter and step one at a time through the single lamp test and highlight whatever isn't working correctly. It doesn't take too long and it makes it really easy to see a pattern in your failures if you have a fair number of lamps behaving odd.

 

[movingpictures]

Thanks guys!

Once I find the misbehaving lamps, the next step is to replace the diode right?
That should get me back in business? Or is there something else to do also?

 

[Menace]

You can test the diode with a DMM or just replace them, but that's just the first thing to try and sometimes it can be an unrelated diode that causes the issue and can be a bit of a pain to track down. It's usually easier than switch matrix issues, but still a pain. Don't get frustrated if you replace some diodes and it doesn't fix the issue.

D