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Author Topic: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine  (Read 22614 times)

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Offline arcade_jim

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1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« on: July 22, 2015, 04:42:17 PM »
Hello all. I'm new to NLG and recently acquired a 1983 Cal Omega Double Up video poker machine. It's not fully functional, so I'm sure I'll have questions as I attempt to bring it back to life, but I thought I'd share a few pictures and maybe solicit advice on where to start troubleshooting.

The machine seems to power on OK, but the buttons do not light up and there is no sound. The cabinet fan and monitor come on, though. I tested and reseated the fuses I could reach easily and the buttons seem to be grounded correctly (they passed a continuity test over the entire chain).

Any thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated.

Offline arcade_jim

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2015, 09:43:43 PM »
I'm pretty new to this type of electronics repair... Should I be able to read a DC voltage across the F5 fuse on the backplane?

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2015, 10:06:47 PM »
If you get a lit-up and intelligible screen, but not button lights, you are on the right track looking for a dead power-supply section.
You should get A voltage on the fuse, but maybe not DC. Some machines just used 12 or 24 volts AC right off the transformer.

These machines are pretty simple, but inconsistent in build. I've never seen one like yours: A CalOmega arcade game with two coin slots and a 905 board. A very common cause of dead lights is in the harness and connectors: the harnesses crack where they are flexed, can put a lateral strain on connections at either end, and the connectors themselves are often poor quality or poorly soldered to the board.
It only takes one open lead (the ground) to kill all the bulbs on a panel.

But, it looks like you have at least 3 separate harnesses going to the front panel, and the bulb failure is across all of them. Therefore the problem is likely on the backplane board itself. I would continuity trace the common lead from the panel bulbs back to the board, and from there  back to the transformer. Look for a dead transistor/rectifier, bad connector, cut/cracked trace, etc.

Keep us posted!  (By the way, what's the number on the backplane: 910, 911, or something else?)

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2015, 05:32:40 AM »
Thanks for the info. I'll keep poking it with my multimeter and see if I can find something.

I haven't been able to find a model number on the backplane yet.  I had to take a vacuum to the game board before I could see the model on it. :)  Here it was before being cleaned:

Offline Amechanic

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2015, 09:40:52 AM »
I picked up a CEI machine last year and I found that I had a bad IC at U62 if I remember right.. Also you have to resistors at R45 & R46 that look to have gotten hot, maybe a little too warm, Maybe??  I was able to locate the IC on Ebay. Once I replace it on my board, I was up and running..

Gary
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Offline Paul

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2015, 06:05:21 PM »
I was thinking about the capacitors, 1983 was a long time to be in service.
1st rule of electronic repair.
"Thou shall check voltages"
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Offline arcade_jim

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2015, 06:40:20 PM »
R45 and R46 do look pretty rough. They tested at 72 and 74 ohms, so if they are blue/white/black/gold resistors, I think they're still functional. I haven't been able to find a schematic for the board yet, so I'm not sure what they're supposed to be.

Offline Amechanic

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2015, 09:01:23 PM »
I was thinking about the capacitors, 1983 was a long time to be in service.
:I_agree_1:  Caps are a cheap fix and should away be considered..
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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2015, 09:27:34 PM »
My multimeter isn't able to test capacitance, but I'm always looking for an excuse to buy a new tool. :)

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep testing things and keep posting the results. I was hoping to avoid pulling the backplane out of the cabinet, but I'm not sure how I'm going to follow through on the recommendations so far without doing that.

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1st rule of electronic repair.
"Thou shall check voltages"
⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Offline Amechanic

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2015, 11:03:09 PM »
Cap testers can get expensive. I got lucky and found a good used one on a Ebay auction. You want one that you can test the caps while still soldered to the boards. I never realized how many weak, or dead caps can be found....
Please remember to make a donation to NLG for mine/our help in repairing your machines problem.. Your donations help keep this site on line.
And remember...
If it's jammed, force it.. If it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyways...

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2015, 02:17:46 PM »
I finally got around to pulling the CRT out of the cabinet and located the ID stamp on the back plane. It's a 909, picture attached.  I'm in the process of taking the back plane out to test the circuit paths.  I'll post more pictures when I've done some of the testing.

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2015, 02:48:43 PM »
Looks a bit dusty!


You can take it outside and blow it off with a air compressor.
1st rule of electronic repair.
"Thou shall check voltages"
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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2015, 02:53:22 PM »
Looks a bit dusty!

Understatement!

Got the backplane out and vacuumed off. Now, to start poking it with the multimeter to see if I can find anything.


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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #14 on: August 13, 2015, 03:20:54 PM »
I'd start with the basics, and that's the power supply voltages that run the machine. Check all fuses, make sure they are good and fit tightly in the fuse holders. If the fuse is good it will have the same voltage on both ends of the fuse since a fuse is essentially a short piece of thin wire or metal. Measure all power supply output voltages, write them down for future reference when you find out what they should be. You can check the voltages with the black meter lead on chassis ground or power supply ground/neutral and the red meter lead touching the place you want to measure. If unsure if ac or dc you can select ac on the meter and measure, if the reading looks goofy then lift the red lead and switch meter to dc and try again. Select highest meter range and work downward to avoid potential damage to meter. 

If you pull any power connectors off take a look at the contacts and male pins they mate with to see if they are very tarnished or corroded, may need to clean them to make better contact.

The voltage amounts might be written on the boards or panels near the fuses or other test points and connectors but I didn't see any in the photos. Would be handy to have the schematics, wiring diagrams or other information. I looked in the NLG file library and didn't see anything for this machine but I might have missed it.

The video monitor probably makes its own voltages, just needs 115vac coming in.

I don't know if you've already seen this, here is a related thread with some good info:
http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=1031.0
« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 03:40:28 PM by rokgpsman »
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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2015, 03:54:19 PM »
Thanks for the tips. I'll see if I can find a good way to test the voltages. It's really hard to reach components with everything installed in the cabinet.

I was able to find a bad solder joint on the backplane (first pic below).  It's on the left most pin of the header for the KAR Board ( second pic) and goes to the component in the third picture.  I'm not sure what that is, though...

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2015, 05:11:53 PM »
Thanks for the tips. I'll see if I can find a good way to test the voltages. It's really hard to reach components with everything installed in the cabinet.

I was able to find a bad solder joint on the backplane (first pic below).  It's on the left most pin of the header for the KAR Board ( second pic) and goes to the component in the third picture.  I'm not sure what that is, though...

The squarish metal thing in the 3rd photo looks like a heat sink attached to a component underneath, maybe a rectifier module, a power supply part or a part in the lamp circuit that gets extra warm. A heat sink helps to remove excessive heat from the electronic part it is attached to, similar to the way the heat fins on a motorcycle or lawnmower motor work. But that's just a guess, would need to remove the metal piece to see what is underneath, or peek in from the side. It looks like there is a single screw that holds on the metal cover, if you remove it the part underneath can be inspected.

That bad solder joint looks like it got over heated, enough to melt the solder, that's why it is gray and pock marked looking. You can see that the trace going to it got extra warm also. I wonder if that connects to the 2 over heated resistors you posted a photo of earlier?


Some of the other solder joints on that same connector look fractured and intermittent. That is a common problem on these type connectors, and the solder likely needs to be reflowed, or removed and fresh solder applied. When you see cracking in the solder around a pin that is a good indication of intermittent contact. Probably caused by the mating connector being removed and reconnected multiple times over the years. That flexes the pins and causes the solder to crack.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 06:17:39 PM by rokgpsman »
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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2015, 07:58:09 PM »
I'm still very much a novice at electronics, so how good of an idea is it to take everything out of the cabinet and set it up on a table to troubleshoot?  Aside from finding a way to support the gameboard as it needs to plug in perpendicular to the motherboard, what do I need to be worried about?  Do i need to do anything special with the transformer?  What about the CRT?

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2015, 08:02:40 PM »
The squarish metal thing in the 3rd photo looks like a heat sink attached to a component underneath, maybe a rectifier module, a power supply part or a part in the lamp circuit that gets extra warm. A heat sink helps to remove excessive heat from the electronic part it is attached to, similar to the way the heat fins on a motorcycle or lawnmower motor work. But that's just a guess, would need to remove the metal piece to see what is underneath, or peek in from the side. It looks like there is a single screw that holds on the metal cover, if you remove it the part underneath can be inspected.

I tried to loosen the screw holding the heat sink on, but the nut underneath the component spun with it.  I don't know if I can get anything on the nut to keep it in place to remove the heat sink.  If I get really adventurous, I could try to desolder the component, but I'll probably hold off on that for a while.

That bad solder joint looks like it got over heated, enough to melt the solder, that's why it is gray and pock marked looking. You can see that the trace going to it got extra warm also. I wonder if that connects to the 2 over heated resistors you posted a photo of earlier?

I'll see if I can trace the circuit from the motherboard to the gameboard where those resisters were.  It'd be interesting to see if they were part of that situation.

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Re: 1983 Double Up Cal Omega machine
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2015, 08:47:04 PM »
I'm still very much a novice at electronics, so how good of an idea is it to take everything out of the cabinet and set it up on a table to troubleshoot?  Aside from finding a way to support the gameboard as it needs to plug in perpendicular to the motherboard, what do I need to be worried about?  Do i need to do anything special with the transformer?  What about the CRT?
I've not worked on your particular machine model but that could be quite involved getting all the various parts and then the wiring harnesses out of the machine that would be needed to connect everything like it is inside the machine. Most of the time people start by verifying the power supply voltages work and getting the power supply repaired and working as needed. After that you see if the machine runs, and if it doesn't you go from there. I suppose in theory you could get all the electrical items assembled and connected on a work table but take a look at what you'd need to do before starting that, it could be a lot of effort. Is it difficult to reach inside the machine to check things?

You mentioned earlier that the crt monitor lights up. Is there an image or anything on it, or just a blank white raster? If you get a lit screen that's good sign the monitor might be ok, just needs the mpu board to work and provide the video to it.

 
« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 09:12:00 PM by rokgpsman »
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