A power surge zapped my MVS cab...advice?

[Dan Elektro]

Okay, so yesterday sucked. Woke up to a power outage. Took about five or six hours for power to come back on. About two hours after that, we got a very small power surge, but it came while I was playing my Neo 1-slot. It went from Aero Fighters 3 to a dark screen immediately. When I try to turn on the machine, I get the marquee lighting up and a very sharp oscillation from the monitor, but no image, no LEDs on the motherboard, and the fan in the power supply doesn't move. I pulled out the motherboard (it's one of the nice old large 1-slots with the controller ports etc) and it works fine through a SuperNOVA, so that's a relief; I also threw in two other JAMMA boards into the Neo cabinet (including a 1-slot FZ mobo) with the same marquee-oscillation-nothing results. Since the motherboard LEDs don't light up at all and the fan is dead, I'm guessing it's the power supply...but a little nagging voice says it could be the monitor.

For the record, I had one of those little cube surge protectors but it was only rated to about 300 joules. Its light is still on; it apparently didn't do anything. The NBA machine has its own power strip with 1700 joules...and it wasn't even plugged in. Doh.

The power supply is like a PC AT style--it's an A-Matic 150w power supply, silver box. It screws into the base of the back of the cabinet (it's a standard American Neo 1-slot) and it has some wires going into a square Molex connector. There are also wires coming out the other end and they're screwed into a big scary lump which I'm assuming is a transformer of some kind.

My Qs:
1) Prognosis?
2) I have my trusty, unfathomable, Radio Shack digital multimeter in festive Banana Yellow. What kinds of tests should I be doing? I am still learning how to use the thing, so be as stupid and base as you can in your instructions.
3) Where the hell does one get a 150w power supply in this day and age?

 

[Arakon]

1) PSU dead or fuse popped.
2) not much to test if the PSU fan isn't even coming on.
3) any AT power supply for 10 bucks off ebay will do.

 

[chimpmeister]

I had a similar problem with a vertical Twin Eagle II cabinet I bought at an auction, although it wasn't a power surge. I vacuumed the inside of the machine, including the power supply (AT style, 200W) and while vacuuming it, the fan on the PS was spinning very fast (due to the air moving over it, the cab itself was unplugged).

Turned it on later, and the fan on the PS didn't run, although I could hear the monitor power up. No picture at all displayed on the screen, either, no power to the jamma harness.

I ordered a replacement power supply from Happ Controls, 150W, AT style but with the different square molex power plug (I don't think standard PC AT power supplies have the same plug, they typically have two long plugs for PCs, not square ones). Installed the new PS, and everything is working great again . . .

Go to www.happcontrols.com, click amusement products, then power supplies, and I got the Ultimate Power Supply 150W. The new one I got fits my cabinet perfectly, has the silver power on switch and is rather large (as those older PS's typically are). Cost was $47 plus shipping. Good luck!!

 

[Dan Elektro]

Cool, thanks. I am familiar with Happ and have the catalog for reference (even went to their booth at an ASI show once) but have yet to order.

Another friend also suggested the fuse. Sounds like the first course of action--and the cheapest. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0"> If not, then a new power supply sure won't kill my budget (I don't know how to wire the new Molex stuff so I'd love to get one ready for plug-and-play in a cab). Thanks for the help, I'll report back.

 

[Dan Elektro]

Update: I changed the cabinet fuse, which was very obviously blown, and the fuse holder came apart in my hand. So $3 later I'd replaced both. Didn't solve the main problem, but hey, one step at a time.

I opened the power supply and that fuse had blown as well, and it was soldered in there. I got it out; tomorrow I'll go and get a replacement fuse for that. Same ratings as the fuse I just replaced in the cab (5a/250v) but the power supply fuse is much smaller.

Maybe the power supply blew and then the second one blew after that, in series? Or maybe it was the sparks that flew when I tried to remove the cab fuse without unplugging the machine. The fuse holder broke and I touched metal to metal. Stupid me.

I'm so scared whenever I do anything like this but I guess there's no better way to learn. Well, okay--on someone else's machine, that's a good way to learn, right? <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

 

[Dan Elektro]

Update: Replaced the fuse in the power supply. Still nothing. Maybe the whole damned power supply really is shot.

I saw Happ's offerings; the $45 one has no remote on/off switch, and the $65 one does. My cab has the remote switch in it so that'd be a nice perk. And from the illustration, it looks like both will screw in as a direct replacement, same dimensions as mine etc.

However, Arakon mentioned just using a regular PC power supply. I have a spare 300w here with one problem--the +12v wire is cut. That's one of the ones I'd actually need, right?

 

[Arakon]

you need +5V and +12V for neogeo.you should be able to get both from any of the HD/CD power supply connectors.. red wire is 5V, black is GND, yellow 12V. I recommend you test it first with a pc power supply before spending 65 bucks on a new arcade one.

 

[Dan Elektro]

Hmm...the yellow wire is clipped on my only spare PC supply.

If it's not the power supply (which I think it is, and I found a better one with all the proper wires for just $40, so that's good), what else could it be?

 

[Dan Elektro]

In case anybody else still cares, I went and ordered the dual-power-switch 200w power supply from Happ for $40. Comes ready to plug and play, apparently. I will let my friend play with the flaky power supply for our mutual amusement but I would rather just pay for new equipment and get my baby runnin' again.

 

[aria]

I wish you all the best in this time of tragedy <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

 

[chimpmeister]

Originally posted by Dan Elektro:
<STRONG>In case anybody else still cares, I went and ordered the dual-power-switch 200w power supply from Happ for $40. Comes ready to plug and play, apparently. I will let my friend play with the flaky power supply for our mutual amusement but I would rather just pay for new equipment and get my baby runnin' again.</STRONG>

Yes I'm very interested in what happens, having gone through that recently myself Dan. Please let us know how the replacement works out and all the details. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

 

[wjw123]

Dan,

Hope the board is not fried - its a real pain to live in California - power out every week all most - this time it's the weather.

A 300 joules protecter fried my friend's cpu once.

Good luck!

 

[Dan Elektro]

Originally posted by wjw123:
<STRONG>Dan,

Hope the board is not fried - its a real pain to live in California - power out every week all most - this time it's the weather.

A 300 joules protecter fried my friend's cpu once.

Good luck!</STRONG>

That's the good news--I know it's not the motherboard. I removed that, tested it in a MAS SuperNova, and it's A-OK. Having found two blown fuses in the cabinet in different places, I think it's probably that the power supply got hit, blew its fuse, then got hit again with another small surge in rapid succession and had no protection. That's my current theory anyway. But the good news is that the old-style 1-slot, which I'm about to add a memory card reader to and everything, is not dead. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

I expect the power supply to show up this week. Thanks for the support. <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">

 

[RevQuixo]

Not to be a wet blanket, but if the other two fuses blew, there is a possibility that you may have blown the fuse on the monitor (if it has one) and/or taken out some of the monitor components. I crossed wires once in the lighting fixture and it fried the flyback and some of the more fun stuff on the monitor.

:/

 

[Robert]

I hope that things will become better for you. It's a true lesson for all MVS owners.

 

[Dan Elektro]

I think I blew the fuse on the cabinet, actually. I moved it while the machine was still plugged in and the fuse holder came apart in my hand. I touched metal to metal and got sparks--and screamed like a little girl in the process--and I think that's what caused the cabinet fuse to blow. But I will check the monitor!

 

[eggplant_casserole]

U wanted suggestions, right?

How about.... Mr. Insurance man, this cost me 200 bucks....

:P

 

[Dan Elektro]

And so the saga concludes...the new power supply works great in all ways that matter. The remote power switch does not seem to work; it could be a setting on the power supply itself that I overlooked or something, but even though it came with all the proper Molex connectors, only the main power switch works. Know what? That's okay because it was the cheapest pre-wired power supply anyway, and the beefiest at 200w. I wired up a MonsterGame power strip (555 joules--it was the only rated strip I had on hand that was not in use), added a little screw to the inside of the cab, and hung it just inside the coin door. Ta da! Low-rent remote power switch.

So the cab works, the motherboard works, the monitor works. And it only cost me $40 and some learning experiences.

But you're right, it's a cautionary tale to everybody else out there...don't freak out about spending $20 or $25 on a good surge/spike protector for your machine! Even at the barest minimum, the alternative repair route is more expensive and more hassle at $40...

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.