Crystal Castles Troubleshooting help needed

[s***@gmail.com]

Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

[John Robertson]

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

Yikes, a sad story indeed.

Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to
guess what may have happened.

However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any
built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.

We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you
probably want someone else to look at it.

Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have
suggestions for service folk if they can't help.

John :-#)#

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by John Robertson

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

Yikes, a sad story indeed.
Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to
guess what may have happened.
However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any
built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.
We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you
probably want someone else to look at it.
Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have
suggestions for service folk if they can't help.
John :-#)#
--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
[phone] (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

The game board is definitely not booting. The only sign of life on the MPU at all is a single LED lit in the upper corner of the game as you look into the game from the back. I suspect the wire shorted was one of the red, green or blue inputs to the monitor, but it changed the MPU from displaying garbage to displaying nothing at all, and the MPU not booting.

[John Robertson]

Post by s***@gmail.com

Post by John Robertson

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

Yikes, a sad story indeed.
Not knowing which wire the 'technician' shorted to ground it is hard to
guess what may have happened.
However a way to find out if the game board might be running is to turn
the game on, and leave on for however long it usually took to finish any
built-in self test. Then try starting the game as usual and listen for
game sounds. If you have game sounds then the 'tech' likely just damaged
the monitor and you need someone local who is more competent to look at
the monitor - or send it out to the shop that worked on it before.
We service the game boards, but I am six months or more behind so you
probably want someone else to look at it.
Check with Electronforge.com or Eldorado Games in Texas - they may have
suggestions for service folk if they can't help.
John :-#)#

The game board is definitely not booting. The only sign of life on the MPU at all is a single LED lit in the upper corner of the game as you look into the game from the back. I suspect the wire shorted was one of the red, green or blue inputs to the monitor, but it changed the MPU from displaying garbage to displaying nothing at all, and the MPU not booting.

Any of the Red/Green/Blue or Sync lines going to the monitor falling on
the logic board would not have hurt anything, they are running at 5VDC
as well.

Contact the folks I suggested for service of the motherboard.

Good luck!

John :-#)#

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by s***@gmail.com

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

Sent a second email. Still no response. Anyone else repair Crystal Castles? I'd like to get this thing working!

[John Robertson]

Post by s***@gmail.com

Post by s***@gmail.com

Post by s***@gmail.com
Short version - Crystal Castles worked fine but with very dim picture. I sent the monitor out and when I got it back, there was very bad distortion which looked like horizontal sync problem which could not be adjusted out. I sent the monitor chassis back and was told monitor is fine. Might be the Crystal Castles MPU (which wasn't bad when I sent the monitor out originally).
A local tech came over and attempted to fix the problem by messing with the RGB wires on the chassis. In the process, he inadvertently touched a bare wire to the metal chassis, there was a slight pop, and now the game wont turn on at all, other than the fluorescent marquee bulb. I do see an LED lit on the MPU board. No fuses are blown. Anybody have any suggestions on where to start or what to do? Or any recommendations on who I can get to fix it in the Phila, PA area or suburbs? Thanks!

I sent Elektronforge an email but no response. I guess I'll give it a few days.

Sent a second email. Still no response. Anyone else repair Crystal Castles? I'd like to get this thing working!

What about Eldorado Games?

If you want me to look at them it will be a while before I can get to
them - months!

John :-#(#