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CRT Monitor Troubles – Newbie
Question from Alec: Hello! My name is Alec. I am a new owner of an original Galaga Arcade machine. I recently purchased it for $300, working and all. I am looking to invest in getting it restored, as there is very little wrong with it and I’d like it to be perfect.
Recently, due to a stupid mistake, I fried a small portion of the power supply circuit board that delivers power to the rest of the components in the machine. I have diagnosed the only noticeable damage is that the monitor no longer displays. However, the game still plays and the speakers still function when the arcade is plugged in. It all sounds perfect, the buttons even react, however there is no picture being displayed.
Is it possible to fix this CRT monitor? When I fried the power supply board, it also forced me to flip the fuse switch in my garage, so the volt jump was pretty severe. There is only a small charred spot near one of the cords where the power goes to other components, but the power supply still functions from what I can see. Is it possible the monitor just blew a fuse and needs it replaced? I know there could be a multitude of things wrong but I am fairly new to working with CRT monitors and am not quite sure where to start aside from the fuses.
Any help is deeply appreciated. I enjoy watching your videos! They have helped a bunch.
-Alec
1 answer
Response from Jonathan: Alec,
Hello and thank you for your questions. Let’s take a look at them and see if we can’t help you out…
> Is it possible to fix this CRT monitor?
Yes, it is possible to fix the monitor and from your description that seems to be where the problem is located. The fact that the game is playing blind (i.e. you can hear the game playing but cannot see a picture on the screen) is usually a good indication of a monitor issue.
> Is it possible the monitor just blew a fuse and needs it replaced?
Yes, it is possible that the monitor just blew a fuse and it needs to be replaced. This would be the first thing we would check. Make sure you check the fuse (or fuses) on the monitor chassis as well as the ones located in the power supply section of your cabinet. Please see our post on Checking Fuses With A Multimeter for more information on this process.
> I know there could be a multitude of things wrong but I am fairly new to working with CRT monitors and am not quite sure where to start aside from the fuses.
Yes, a multitude may even be an understatement. 😉 So, the fuses are definitely the starting point. You will also want to make sure that your monitor is getting power from the isolation transformer as well. If the fuses are good and the input voltage is correct but the problem continues, then we probably have an issue with the monitor chassis itself specifically in the power supply section. At this point, we will refer you to our post on Troubleshooting Games That Are Playing Blind as we go through a couple of steps concerning this section. It is possible that some of the diodes blew as well when you had your voltage spike so check out our post on Checking Diodes On An Arcade Monitor as well.
Now, you may not feel comfortable doing this type of repair yourself. We totally understand that. In this case, we do have several people we recommend for arcade monitor repair services if you would like to go this route. Chad at arcadecup.com is a very reputable guy and has a pretty fast turn around time. You could also contact our friend Arthur at highscoresrepair.com. He has answered several questions on our Facebook page in the past and definitely knows what he’s doing. There is a list of additional monitor repair technicians on our resources page under the Monitor Repair Services & Information heading as well. Keep in mind that you will need to remove the monitor chassis to send it off for repair. Check out our post on Safely Discharging An Arcade Monitor and Removing And Installing A Monitor Chassis for more information on this process.
Hope that helps. Thank you for your question and good luck with your repair.
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