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New to repairing my games
Question from Mike: I have 3 classic arcade games, but only recently have I needed to do repair. For one, it is playing blind. I watched your video on that. I already swapped the power supply based on the suggestion of a local tech. There is still no glow in the neck and when I check the line going to the flyback with a multimeter, it registers nothing. So, I think the problem is the isolation transformer. Do you have a video on swapping those out? Thanks! Mike
1 answer
Response from Jonathan: Mike,
First off, welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding) world of arcade repair. =) It sounds like you are off to a great start.
As for your issue, yes the problem could be in the isolation transformer but it actually sounds like it might be an issue with the power supply section of your monitor chassis. If you want to see if your isolation transformer is working properly, you should be able to disconnect the monitor chassis from the isolation transformer via a connector then test the voltage at said connector with your multimeter. If you are getting pretty close to what you are getting out of the wall socket (give or take a 10-20 volts) then your isolation transformer is probably working properly. At this point, you might want to go back through our post on Troubleshooting Games That Are Playing Blind and try touching up some bad or cold solder joints on your monitor chassis.
If you are not getting voltage at the connector that runs from the isolation transformer to the monitor chassis then you might have an isolation transformer issue or an issue with power getting to the isolation transformer itself. In order to determine if it’s the isolation transformer or power not getting to the isolation transformer, you can measure the input voltage on the isolation transformer itself using a multimeter (usually the prongs located at the bottom of the isolation transformer are the input voltage). If there is input voltage but no voltage at the connector then you do have an isolation transformer issue. Otherwise you will need to figure out why the isolation transformer is not getting input voltage. To answer your question, no we do not have a video on swapping out an isolation transformer but it’s really just as simple as removing the 2 input and 2 output wires from the old one and connecting them to the new one.
Of course, please feel free to contact us again if you need additional help. You might send us some pictures of your setup especially if the issue ends up being with the monitor chassis. This will help us better troubleshoot the problems that may be going on with your arcade game.
Hope that helps. Thank you for your question and good luck with your repair.
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