How To Repair Arcade Games

How To: Arcade Motorcar Repair

Arcade Repair On first inspection, repairing an arcade machine that is not operation correctly or is completely dead might seem like a chip of a challenge. In that location are PCB boards, plenty of wires and a general feeling of unfamiliarity for anyone more accustomed to repairing say a PC. Still, this is no reason to stop you trying to fix what is well-nigh likely a reasonably expensive motorcar, and if you are annihilation like me it can become a bit of a hobby!

Firstly, a disclaimer: Some of the tips I'll exist sharing today include checking mains voltages, so if you are unfamiliar with working with mains voltages I'd definitely advise you lot ask a qualified electrician to check these areas for you lot – nosotros want to fix your arcade, non get you electrocuted!

At present that'southward out of the way, allow's take a look at what'due south wrong with the auto and how we can set up information technology. Today I'll be focusing on Jamma-based arcade machines (more on what a Jamma arcade is here). As these are some of the near common types of cabinets in people's homes, information technology seems a fair place to beginning.

If you have a specific problem, here are the problems I am looking at today – click to go straight to the reply:

Motorcar completely dead (no sound, no video)
Sound but no video
Video just no sound
Joystick / buttons don't work at all
Joystick not working in ane direction / push not working
Automobile not accepting coins
No light in summit marquee

Problem: Car completely expressionless (no sound, no video)

I'm going to address this problem, by breaking it down into separate sections:

Outside the machine

Is the machine actually turned on? Many arcade machines have what is mostly referred to as a 'rocker' switch, normally adjacent to where the power cord plugs into the auto. These tin can be hard to see, and fifty-fifty harder to tell which country (on/off) they are in – so offset of all cheque to see if this switch is ready to the off position. Sounds simple, but y'all'd be surprised how many times this can turn out to be the issue.
Does the plug socket the machine is plugged into piece of work correctly? Try the motorcar with a known working socket.
Check the mains lead. (Annotation: this may non use to older machines as they may but have a pb going directly into the back) If available, try some other mains lead – normally these are the 'kettle lead' Euro plugs (at least here in the EU they are!), so finding ane to infringe for a minute shouldn't be too hard.
Check any fuses that are accessible on the back of the auto – these can be found near where the mains lead plugs in, and near to where the 'rocker' switch will also be. Employ an ohmmeter to bank check the fuses are functioning correctly. If you don't accept an ohmmeter available, yous could try replacing the fuses to see if that helps matters. Yet please notation that these fuses are not likely to be the same ones you have lying around your house, they vary by automobile and come in many different sizes and types, so it'south more likely than not that you won't have a spare uniform fuse (that's non to say y'all tin can't go purchase i though!).

Within the machine

If none of the to a higher place was the problem, then nosotros know that power is getting into the machine, so we need to get into the motorcar ourselves to endeavour and diagnose what'southward going on in there.

First off, bank check to run across if there is a 'door switch' – this is a switch that cuts the power to the machine when the doors (back and sometimes front end) are opened. If you are doing any of these internal tests, the switch volition need to be in the 'closed door position'. You may just have to wedge this shut, or button it in/pull it out – there are unlike types, but basically it needs to think the door is shut when information technology'south not.
On the motorcar side of the plug (or the end of the mains atomic number 82 if it's the permanently continued blazon) cheque to run across if there is a mains voltage [Warning: This is alive voltage people!]. Use a voltmeter prepare to Air conditioning, using a suitable voltage range to see if in that location is ability making information technology into the machine. No ability coming in could mean there is an issue with the socket where the mains pb is plugged into, or you may need to double cheque the external factors listed higher up.
If there is power coming into the car, we need to be sure that the power goes from here to where information technology is needed. From here the power ordinarily splits off two ways: first to the game side of things, and second to the monitor side of things. Let'southward deal with these separately.

Game side

There should be a ability supply unit of measurement, PSU, where the inbound power goes – this converts the power from Air-conditioning to DC for utilise by the game lath. We need to check that the PSU is doing its task correctly, and then using a voltmeter prepare to DC, bank check the output terminals of the PSU.
Using the voltmeter yous would normally see +5v, +12v and -5v measured betwixt the basis wire (normally blackness in colour) and the different terminals on the PSU. These should be marked as red (or continued to with a red wire) for +5v, orangish or yellow for +12v, and blue/violet for -5v. Of course your PSU could exist different, only these are generally the standard colours.
If you can't see these voltages coming out at all, or they are not at the above stated voltages, this could indicate a problem with your PSU and yous should try another 1 if you have one available.
If your PSU is outputting correctly, use the voltmeter to bank check that the same voltages are on the Jamma connector – but to make sure there are no cleaved wires between the PSU and the game board. The Jamma connector is the long rectangular plug that plugs into the game board.
Ensure the Jamma connector is properly connected to the game board – some Jamma connectors will have ane pin blocked out of the plug to ensure it can only fit one way (as the Jamma connector has 1 pin missing to aid guide you). If yours doesn't, make certain it isn't one pin down from where it should be.
If you accept checked all of the to a higher place and still aren't having any luck, it could well be your game board that has a fault. These unfortunately aren't really user-serviceable, but tin can be repaired past professionals. If you accept another Jamma board to hand, give that a try and come across if the machine works with that board.

Video side

If yous are in the UK, the EU or pretty much anywhere that uses 240v rather than 110v, we have a potential extra stride we need to cheque first. There could exist a transformer in identify between the 240v ability-in and the monitor, if the monitor is 110v. To verify, follow the wire from the power input to the monitor and if at that place is a box in betwixt, you have a transformer and need to check this first.

To do this, but use a voltmeter attack AC to check that the input and output voltages are as expected.

Cheque the video input plug from the game board to the monitor. This tin have several forms, from a more modern VGA mode connector, straight through the Jamma connector (although I haven't seen besides many like this), or through a generic 'plug' with red, green, blue (for the colours), blackness (ground), white (composite sync) and mayhap yellow (horizontal sync) wires. Ensure either of these are plugged in correctly, as with moving the machine or some spirited play they tin become loose over time.
If you accept an older style CRT monitor, check if there is a glow inside of the tube. No glow? And so most likely the monitor is faulty – well when I say monitor it is more than likely to be what is known as the 'chassis board', which is pretty much the brains of the CRT. If it's an older auto then information technology could potentially be the tube that has gone. Although these generally get gradually so you lot would find (unless the machine has been continuing around unused for a very, very long time).
If you practice see a glow, check that the brightness control is turned upwardly high plenty to get a picture.
You can always bank check with an alternative compatible monitor if 1 is available. Just exist sure that the culling monitor is uniform with the output bespeak that the board is giving you.

Problem: Sound but no video

If the car powers up and you tin can hear the game playing, but you lot can't come across anything on the screen, merely follow the above guide from Video side down.

Problem: Video but no sound

Commencement off, check the book control on the game board – information technology could be possible it'due south turned all the way downwards (again, sounds unproblematic but you'd be surprised how many times nosotros hear of this problem!).
Check the wiring between the Jamma connector and the speaker (ensure the wire isn't broken or has get disconnected).
If you have another speaker available, try connecting this to the sound output.
If none of these are working, and so I'chiliad afraid it looks like information technology might well exist the amplifier on the lath that has gone. Once more these are rarely user-serviceable, but tin can exist repaired by professionals.

Problem: Joystick / buttons don't work at all

If none of your joysticks or buttons are working, then my advice would be to bank check the ground wire, commonly a black colour. This wire is connected to each micro-switch (on the joysticks and buttons) and every bit it is a loop, if role of the loop is broken (specially on the beginning button), the whole lot could end working.
Bank check that the other end of the blackness ground wire is correctly fastened to the Jamma connector, every bit it could have come loose – again breaking the loop.
Check that the Jamma connector is inserted correctly.

Trouble: Joystick not working in ane direction / push button not working

Nobody likes to accept their tiger-uppercut fail due to a faulty button. If this is happening to yous, check the following:

Once more have a await at the blackness ground wire (on both ends), but also check the coloured wire attached to the offending button/joystick micro-switch. Brand sure it's properly continued to both the joystick/button and the Jamma connector (the Jamma connector has a wire for each micro-switch, with one ground wire connected to all micro-switches)
To examination if the actual micro-switch inside the push/joystick could be at fault, connect the black footing wire and the coloured wire together. Do this whilst in a game, and the button should fire. If this happens, it'due south time for a new micro-switch in that particular push button or joystick (or only replace the whole thing if yous aren't happy replacing micro-switches – although watch out for an upcoming web log mail on how to do this!).

Problem: Machine not accepting coins

Non all arcade machines are set upwardly to take coins, many operate on 'freeplay' style. But if yours is set up to accept coins, and it'southward non, here's what you lot need to look at:

Cheque that the coin mechanism is correctly plugged in. Well-nigh modern coin mechs are multi-coin mechs; pregnant they can have coins upward to the value of the toll to play, rather than just the one coin, whereas older mechs worked on a micro-switch footing. If you have a micro-switch based coin-mech, joining the two connecting wires together while the game is in attract mode should simulate inserting a coin into the machine – and prove yous need a new mech.
Multi-money mechs are powered by a +12v supply. If information technology is marked on the side if the mech which pins are which (ground and +12v), yous tin use a DC voltmeter to ensure the coin-mech is receiving power. If there is no power going to the mech, check the other stop of the Jamma connector to come across if power is flowing out – y'all could have a faulty wire.
If none of the above works, effort another coin mechanism if 1 is available.

Trouble: No light in height marquee

Nobody likes a night marquee tiptop – it's ane of the most iconic parts of the arcade machine and if yours has gone ho-hum, perhaps this could help:

Older machines would have a fluorescent lite coming straight from the mains, then check the voltage with an Air conditioning voltmeter. If the voltage going to the calorie-free plumbing fixtures is practiced, try another tube/bulb.
Newer machines (most that I have seen anyway) have a 12v cold cathode tube to illuminate the marquee. This 12v volition most probable be coming from the same PSU that powers the game lath, and then bold the game board is working, check that at that place is 12v going to the cathode tube. If at that place is, it might be time for a new one. Although the tube comes consummate with a 12v inverter, and this normally requires swapping them out as a unmarried unit.

And then there we take it. Hopefully by now your arcade machine will be back to doing what it does best – playing games. If you are nonetheless having problems, drop a annotation in the comments and I can effort my all-time to help.

This entry was posted on Thursday, Apr 25th, 2022 at 4:46 pm