• Crystal Castles Troubleshooting help needed

    From sbmaniabill@gmail.com@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 17 08:25:12 2020
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis
    back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the
    fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

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  • From John Robertson@21:1/5 to sbmaniabill@gmail.com on Fri Jan 17 10:16:16 2020
    On 2020/01/17 8:25 a.m., sbmaniabill@gmail.com wrote:
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis
    back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!


    Yikes, a sad story indeed.

    Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to
    guess what may have happened.

    However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
    the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
    game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
    the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
    the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.

    We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you
    probably want someone else to look at it.

    Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have suggestions for service folk if they can't help.

    John :-#)#

    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
    John's Jukes Ltd.
    MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
    (604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
    www.flippers.com
    "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From sbmaniabill@gmail.com@21:1/5 to John Robertson on Fri Jan 17 13:54:22 2020
    On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 1:16:24 PM UTC-5, John Robertson wrote:
    On 2020/01/17 8:25 a.m., sbmaniabill@gmail.com wrote:
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor
    chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!


    Yikes, a sad story indeed.

    Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to guess what may have happened.

    However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
    the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
    game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
    the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
    the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.

    We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you probably want someone else to look at it.

    Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have suggestions for service folk if they can't help.

    John :-#)#

    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
    John's Jukes Ltd.
    MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
    (604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
    www.flippers.com
    "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

    The game board is definitely not booting. The only sign of life on the MPU at all is a single LED lit in the upper corner of the game as you look into the game from the back. I suspect the wire shorted was one of the red, green or blue inputs to the
    monitor, but it changed the MPU from displaying garbage to displaying nothing at all, and the MPU not booting.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John Robertson@21:1/5 to sbmaniabill@gmail.com on Fri Jan 17 17:20:47 2020
    On 2020/01/17 1:54 p.m., sbmaniabill@gmail.com wrote:
    On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 1:16:24 PM UTC-5, John Robertson wrote:
    On 2020/01/17 8:25 a.m., sbmaniabill@gmail.com wrote:
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor
    chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!


    Yikes, a sad story indeed.

    Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to
    guess what may have happened.

    However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
    the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any
    built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
    game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
    the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
    the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.

    We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you
    probably want someone else to look at it.

    Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have
    suggestions for service folk if they can't help.

    John :-#)#


    The game board is definitely not booting. The only sign of life on the MPU at all is a single LED lit in the upper corner of the game as you look into the game from the back. I suspect the wire shorted was one of the red, green or blue inputs to the
    monitor, but it changed the MPU from displaying garbage to displaying nothing at all, and the MPU not booting.


    Any of the Red/Green/Blue or Sync lines going to the monitor falling on
    the logic board would not have hurt anything, they are running at 5VDC
    as well.

    Contact the folks I suggested for service of the motherboard.

    Good luck!

    John :-#)#

    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
    John's Jukes Ltd.
    MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
    (604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
    www.flippers.com
    "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From sbmaniabill@gmail.com@21:1/5 to sbman...@gmail.com on Tue Jan 21 07:08:58 2020
    On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 11:25:14 AM UTC-5, sbman...@gmail.com wrote:
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis
    back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!
    I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From sbmaniabill@gmail.com@21:1/5 to sbman...@gmail.com on Fri Jan 24 07:21:25 2020
    On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 10:09:00 AM UTC-5, sbman...@gmail.com wrote:
    On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 11:25:14 AM UTC-5, sbman...@gmail.com wrote:
    Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor
    chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!
    I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

    Sent a second email. Still no response. Anyone else repair Crystal Castles? I'd like to get this thing working!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John Robertson@21:1/5 to sbmaniabill@gmail.com on Fri Jan 24 08:23:27 2020
    On 2020/01/24 7:21 a.m., sbmaniabill@gmail.com wrote:
    On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 10:09:00 AM UTC-5, sbman...@gmail.com wrote:
    On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 11:25:14 AM UTC-5, sbman...@gmail.com wrote: >>> Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor
    chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
    A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than
    the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!
    I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

    Sent a second email. Still no response. Anyone else repair Crystal Castles? I'd like to get this thing working!


    What about Eldorado Games?

    If you want me to look at them it will be a while before I can get to
    them - months!

    John :-#(#

    --
    (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
    John's Jukes Ltd.
    MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
    (604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
    www.flippers.com
    "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)