Screen

[Michael Denvir]

Hi,

To all.
I have a starwars machine love it I put it away for about 6 months now the screen flashs lines red and gray left it on for a while now it all gray with shadowing in the back ground. I was going to buy a new one but until I get this one working its on hold any one have any ideas. I am looking a guide or manual as well.

Thanks
Mike

[drcrippen324]

hi play guides appear now and then i havent got a starwars one at the moment but it may be worth shooting Arbycoffee a pm and see what he can do for you

as for your screen problem starwars dose suffer from cold and neglect if cold or not used for a while the video chipset produces theses siymtims but all is not lost just turn on and leave on fro about 5 / 10 mins in a warm room then turn machine off and back on a few times waiting to see if the screen appears each time and your problem should be cured

if not its time to check conectors ect as the slightest movment could be enough if a conector is loose to dislodge it compleatly

hope this helps

[alstonj1]

I take it its your first machine since your new here.the star wars machine tends to have start up issues that have been reported from time to time . My personal theory is it has something to do with long term shut downs more than anything .These machines don't have batteries to keep internal settings they have a capacitor instead which doesn't last anywhere near as long . Most people have had problems when starting the machine most report the machine having been cold or in a cold area prior to turning on and having a problem . I personally ran into this problem when i visited dawn and tried her star wars machine and had the same problems it took around 5 or 6 times to get the machine to start properly each time it seemed to get stuck during different parts of its self diagnostics (r2-d2 dancing around)but eventually made it through to start up . then as long as it wasn't unplugged for prolonged periods it starts normally . I suggest you re boot the machine a few times in secession say 5 or 6 times and see if the same is the same for your machine .

[Michael Denvir]

Thanks for the info R2 does keep moving back and forward how do I rest and whats the small black button near the power switch for I will dive it another go now.
Thanks agin
Mike

[daverob]

Leave the machine switched on for about five minutes, then switch the machine off using the power switch on the back of the machine. Hold down the reset button (the little black switch next to the power switch) and turn the power back on, keep holding the reset button for about 10 seconds or until the machine makes a noise from the speakers.

You should be able to switch the machine back off and on again, and it should be cleared and working properly. If that doesn't work, then you might have a loose connector somewhere. One by one unplug the connectors on the power supply board (where the power switch is) and plug them straight back in again. Then repeat the process on the big white and green connectors on the sub control board (The long thin one near the top of the machine). If neither of these suggestions help, then post back and I'm sure we can come up with some more suggestions.

BTW. A translated version of the technical manual for the Lumina Frame (the style of case that Star Wars is supplied in) can be downloaded from this post , that should tell you all you need to know about resetting the machine and any fault codes that may be shown.

[Michael Denvir]

Daverob,

Had a go at that no joy when I hold the black button no noise from the speaker there was a volume mod done on it and the black switch at the back is all the way to the left (it has a pic of a speaker on it) I take it thats the master volume. I have a volume controll hanging off the side. I checked the leads and had a look at the fuse box bottom left still nothing.
Any more ideas

Thanks
Mike

[daverob]

Check that all of the LEDs on the power supply board are on, there should be 10 of them, one above each of the fuses. Then check the 7 segment LED digit on the payout control board for any error codes.

After this, leave the machine switched on and drop a ball into the start pocket every few minutes to see if there is any response (ie audio, video or just flashing lights).

It might be time to post a picture of exactly what is showing on the screen when you turn it on, as this might help work out what's wrong.

[Michael Denvir]

I have taken 3 pics of the machine how do I post/send all the lights on the back are on and the other board has a - - on it.
I can mail them direct if needed.

Thanks
Mike

[azlew]

hmmmm I have never experienced this and I have had my custom made arbycoffeeStar Wars at times in storage for a couple of months and then the urge to play it hits and it has always been instant on with immediate play

So maybe storing it in extreme cold and moisture might make a difference as here in the desert that is something we don't experience very often

[drcrippen324]

heres the pics mike was trying to post

looks like a screen driver or a cable to me both would have that sort of effect but money would be on a cable probebly the thick ribbon cable running to the screen itself

[luckydog]

a video connection or one going to the bosrd may just need to be unplugged and reseated.

[daverob]

The picture of the screen doesn't look anything like I'd expect for the startup problems usually encountered on Star Wars machines (unless anyone else has seen this before!).

The key to knowing what's going on with this machine is to see if any of the other features work. The '-' on the error indicator on the payout control board shows that there are no faults on the payout control board and that it is getting comms from the main control board, which means that you can assume that the main control board is booting up OK.

I really need to know what happens when you drop a ball into the start pocket, are there any sounds, any extra flashing lights on the cell or frame, and are any balls paid out. (adjust all the volume controls to centre position first, just to make sure you'll hear if any audio is present)

If there's a payout, then you can definitely assume that the main control board and payout control board are powered up and running OK. If there is audio or flashing lights in response to ball in the start pocket, then the A/V control CPU is running, but it is likely that the signals are not getting through to the LCD or there is a video processor fault.

The Sankyo A/V control board can run quite happily with no LCD connected, or sometimes even with a faulty LCD panel. So if everything else works, the main suspect would be the LCD panel itself.

If you don't get any sound or lighting effects, then unplug the LCD panel cable from the sub control board (the big green connector in the top right hand corner of the sub control board), and power up and see if there is any difference when you drop a ball into the start pocket. If everything starts to work again (obviously apart from the LCD!) then it's an LCD fault. If it all looks the same then it's most likely to be the sub control board itself.

[Michael Denvir]

I took all the boards off put them back on inserted cables fully. The balls will fire and it will pay out balls no sound but lights work fine. I looks like its stuck in a boot up. oh and the lines on the screen have changed colour to Blk and White.
Should I take the case off the screen and check the cables?

Thanks
Mike

[Youngjedi]

There are two connectors in the screen that can be accessed by taking the clear shell off the screen. It's a chore to do this and I did this to clean my screen (lots of dust). I was very careful and slow when I took it all apart, and I would suggest that if you do this, do it only as a last effort to fix the screen.
Have you checked your transformer? Maybe it's not putting out enough power.

[daverob]

The balls will fire and it will pay out balls no sound but lights work fine. [...] Should I take the case off the screen and check the cables?

As the lights are working fine, then it's quite likely to be a problem with the LCD panel or the connections to it, so uncasing the screen and checking connections would be a good idea.

The connectors for the small white ribbon cables (inside the display case) can be a bit tricky to remove and replace. The plastic bodies of the connector are made in two halves, one half can usually be pulled out by about 1mm to release the cables, then the cables are re-inserted and the connector half can be pushed back towards the PCB to lock the cable in place. It's worth doing this to any of the accessible ribbon cable connectors as the cables can sometimes shift and not make good enough contact.

If the display problem is due to this, then it wouldn't explain the lack of sound, so that could be a seperate fault.

[Michael Denvir]

I took it apart checked the screen there are 3 light burns at the base of the screen I think its gone. Can I get spares

Thanks Mike

[StatFreak]

Looks like I'm thanking you guys again.

This is exactly the problem I was having with my Star Wars machine and just the solution I needed.

Whew! I thought there might be something seriously wrong with the thing. I was so relieved to find out that it just needs a blanket an electrical hug now and then. :lmao:

Interestingly this happened a couple of weeks ago after the machine had been off for months, but it came up after a couple of power cycles. After it came up my friend played it for a few minutes and left. Then I hit 2 fevers in a row -- the first ones ever since buying the machine (Looks like I have a ZF). Boy was that fun. So I left the machine on and when I came home later it was off. I thought it had blown up. But it turned out that the crummy ps (with its own reset button) had turned off due to (I guess) overheating.

But unfortunately I didn't notice the reset button on the ps for a week. Then when I turned the machine on again I got this same problem only this time it didn't clear itself with any of my attempts. That's when I came here.

So now I'll leave it plugged in and if the ps shuts down I'll replace it.