July 2017 : No more playable!This issue came at the worst moment... when I had guests inside the Nuno's Lair!
Symptoms : the game boots... everything looks normal except you can't start the game.
On Galaxian3 you can credit the game as a normal arcade game , or start the game in the 'operator mode', via a special operator panel (see
here)... but none of these work anymore...
All the inputs are managed by three identical PCB inside the first rack. They are called by Namco 'personal PCB'. Here they are
Well... a green led one each board is supposed to light when they are operating... and it's not the case anymore. Because all the three boards are not lighting up anymore, it's obviously a power issue...
The power for these three boards a coming from the black power supply, the one on the right of this pic
Indeed, the multimeter shows me random issues on that one... sometime output voltages are ...double then expected!
-30V instead -15V, +10V instead +5V... sometime no voltage at all!
So let's see if its still possible to order this power supply SANKEN SSP50615 model. Well, nothing found on internet...
I contacted Sanken Japan about it, here's the reply :
We thank you for your inquiry for SSP50615.
This model was developed exclusively for certain customer and
it has been obsolete and we do not have any stock at all
since the model was terminated long time ago.
We unfortunately have any alternative either to be replaced.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Takashi(Tac) Sato
Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.
1-11-1, Nishi-Ikebukuro
Toshima-Ku, Tokyo, Japan 171-002
I eventually found one in USA, from the same brand, that have the voltages I need (+5V, +15V & -15V)... here's the BEAST :
...a way bigger than the original one, probably because the additional output voltages in there (+12V, +24V), more powerful (see load/amperes values) but because this one can be monitored via an interface. I believe this is the kind of power supply used in a medical environment, where equipments have to be monitored? See
Comparison
While I'll figure out if the original power supply can be fixed, let's hook up that replacement power supply. I've built custom connectors in order to NOT damage the original ones. I'm ready for the test!
Power on... it's a good start...see the green light on the three personal PCB
Don't spot them, huh? Seeee!
Damn, this power supply itself is already a spectacle to see...all these lights... cool!
As usual, the game boots...
... but can it be playable now? Let's press start!
Hell yes!
Next steps : figure out what could be the issue on the original power supply, and of course insulate my temporary wiring used to connect the replacement power supply.
But for now...GAME ON!
