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No video or sound on MVS cabinet
Question from Josh: Hello, I have been searching through your blog posts and videos to try and get an idea of what is wrong with an MVS-4 machine I have been trying to get running, but I haven’t found a solution that seems to fit the situation. I was hoping you could help me identify the problem.
A few months back, the machine was working fine. One day, the monitor started to act strangely, then all it would display is a horizontal line running across the middle of the screen. After restarting the machine, there was no picture at all and no sound. The credits counter lights up and when I add credits, the count goes up. Nothing else displays and there is absolutely no sound coming from the machine.
I took out the game board and cleaned everything thoroughly, but to no avail. I recently took out the monitor chassis (Wells Gardner 25K7193) and it appears to be in very rough shape. It was completely caked with dust when I took it out and there is a transformer in the center of the board which is leaking some substance. I am relatively new at repairing, so I am not sure how to test if the chassis is good. Does the sound have anything to do with this component? I would think the game board controls the sound output, but I am not sure.
I have been searching around for a replacement chassis, but as a rebuilt/refurbished chassis runs about $130, I am hesitant to purchase one without knowing for sure that it is the problem. I guess my question then is where should I start? Is there a simple way to diagnose this problem? By the way, I also have an extra MVS-2 game board which I believe to be working.
I really enjoy your videos, they have been informative so far. Josh
1 answer
Response from Jonathan: Josh,
A horizontal line running in the middle of your monitor (which we call horizontal collapse) is usually indicative of an issue with the vertical IC or vertical section of your monitor chassis. The monitor chassis is typically not related to any sound issues you may be having although there are some exceptions to this rule (Nintendo cabinets are an example). Make sure you check out our post on Repairing Monitor Collapse Issues for information on horizontal collapse.
It does sound like you need to repair your monitor regardless of if you’re getting sound at the moment. Of course, if the problem is truly with the monitor then you should be able to play the game and hear sound which we call “playing blind.” The fact that you can add credits and the count goes up at least means that your board is somewhat working. We would probably focus on getting your monitor chassis repaired (or getting a replacement chassis) and then see what’s going on the screen once it’s working.
Hope that helps. Thank you for your question and good luck with your repair.
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