Galaga Problem...

[gyruss]

I want to take the best arcade game ever to Eurocade, but there's a small problem:

The game freezes on startup.. i have to turn it back on and off for about 5 times to get it working..

when it's finally running everything seems fine and the cabs keeps running...

What could be the problem?

[Alpha1]

power supply. I would check your +5v on the initial power on and then again every time you turn it on. Sounds like it eventually starts working and the game runs.

[gyruss]

cool, thanks!

[Belike]

I can lend you a Namco or Midway Galaxian pcb for Eurocade.

[ckong]

In a Galaga cab?

[Belike]

In a Galaga cab?

Was just a joke to keep the fire burning among Galaga and Galaxian owners.

[ckong]

In a Galaga cab?

Was just a joke to keep the fire burning among Galaga and Galaxian owners.

 

Sure, I should have known that. Keep the fire burning, baby! 

[level42]

To speak with the words of Jack Tramiel: It's a feature, not a bug !

I guess the game has an identity crisis. It knows it will have to be in the same room as the best Namco shooter ever and wants to be a Galaxian too....

Seriously, sounds like power supply problem.

[gyruss]

Checked the voltage on the pcb today: 5v was around 4.8/9, turned the potmeter up to 5.1 and it started without freezing..

What problem in the power supply makes the voltage go down?

[Etienne MacGyver]

resistence somewhere is my first guess if nothing else changed

try to clean the edge connector and see if the voltage is increasing again

[level42]

These are old fashioned power supplies and couldn't be regulated as accurately as they can now. Depending on temperature, humidity, the "load" on the PSU will change. You should always regulate stuff like PSU voltages after the machine has been running for about half an hour.

Try measuring the voltage from first start up untill completely "hot".... you will surely see differences.

[gyruss]

Ah, that's very interesting because today i only had to turn it on 2 times to get it running and other (colder) days it was like 4 or 5 times so the warm weather must have something to do with it.

The edge connector looks pretty neat (pcb was worked on by robin) but i'll clean it again. What's the best way to do this, with a gum?

[Etienne MacGyver]

Ah, that's very interesting because today i only had to turn it on 2 times to get it running and other (colder) days it was like 4 or 5 times so the warm weather must have something to do with it.

The edge connector looks pretty neat (pcb was worked on by robin) but i'll clean it again. What's the best way to do this, with a gum?

Thats indeed interesting, as in warmer conditions "things" expand so if the board and the connectors expands, they are "tighter" and will reduce the resistence as the contact is better then  

Gum will be fine, but i think as robin worked on it, he did that also already

[gyruss]

okay, cool. i'll measure it again tomorrow, before the warm up and after..

Thanks to both of you! 

[gyruss]

checked again before going to work: When i turn the machine on 5.09v after half a hour 5.10v.

Seems pretty stable so i guess this one is ready for eurocade??