The Village BBS
Florida Arcade and Pinball Collectors => Technical Questions and Help => Topic started by: Inmyrem on April 06, 2010, 07:20:17 PM
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Okay, I'm done trying everything I could find online to possibly fix my Blast City chassis issue myself. It's killing me to have one of my good Blast City's sitting there not being able to be used. That and the fact I will be having special artwork made for it soon here, it has to be working! I want the chassis fixed and hopefully someone can help out. I'm not exactly sure of the model yet, as I haven't taken the chassis out. I'm pretty sure the monitor is a 29" Nanao. I know I can ship the chassis off to Wisconsin for Chad to repair, but he's on a 2-3 week backlog. I'm also not sure if Jim would even touch a Blast City chassis. If so, I'll take it over this week or weekend if he's available. Anyone else have any other ideas for fixing a Blast City monitor chassis? What have you all done for those of who've had to fix one? I'd honestly like to have my parts machine's chassis fixed as well. The problem appears to be the same on both. That way I'll have a spare chassis handy in case my other good machine konks out. Please let me know. Those machines get played on enough by family that it's worth it to me to fix.
Thanks all,
Jason
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buy similar chassis or replace monitor...?
I would go with a Wells Gardner screen.
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I'm looking into chassis replacements now. Apparently there are at least two that work well. Also looking at a whole monitor replacement price for something as good as the tri-res in there now. I also found two good replacements. Just weighing prices versus only having the chassis repaired.
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check with jomac in asutrialia, maybe he has source? i know he is now "repairing" sega boards.. , jomac also maybe able to make you a new board.
but honestly? replace the chassis, with the robotron chassis, or if you find someone that can fix it,make sure they FIX it so it doesn't break again.. nobody can source the parts, or find the schematics for the nanao 2931 chassis..
i recently PITCHED 3 of these monitors.
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So I take it you no longer have that one tube available, eh? :)
I have feelers out to all the places that can repair the chassis as well as places that can obtain replacements. Received responses from 3 so far, since most are out of country. One doesn't have any replacements, but might be able to repair it. They're in Canada. He's checking on a possible replacement with a Wei Ya. One has the Rodotron chassis available for $180 plus shipping. They're in the UK. And the third is checking their sources. That's in Australia. Still waiting on 4 more places to respond.
Contacted Sega too. The parts woman wasn't much help. After being transferred directly to their tech department, the guy I spoke with said they will no longer be selling the MS-2931 and don't have a chassis either. He did say he has a Sanwa 29PFX monitor in stock for $600 plus freight. His best guess for the freight was $200ish.
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you didn't want it, i didn't want it in my trunk, r3z0n8 got himself a free chassis :)
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Chassis or tube or both? You just mentioned tube last time and I didn't need a tube. If it was chassis and tube, I probably would have taken it. *shrug* Ahh well
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it was a complete nanao 2931 with no gunk, it clicked, but did not come alive, murfe88 gave it to me, so since i didn't pay for it, I could not sell it, as it would be wrong of me.
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Ahhhhh, okay, no biggie. At least one of the guys got it. ;)
Jomac can definitely repair it, but suggested I wait to see if the places closer can as well. If not, I'm keeping them as my fallback plan, since the shipping to and from Australia for even one chassis is gonna hurt some.
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probably cheaper to get on a plane and go on a little trip with a suitcase full of chassis than mail the stupid things :P
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you didn't want it, i didn't want it in my trunk, r3z0n8 got himself a free chassis :)
And If I'm not mistaken that chassis and dead monitor are sitting in a Blast City that plays blind in my garage.
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As of this evening, I've been given more options than I anticipated were going to be available to me. I've even been offered a brand new Nanao chassis at $450. The price is a tad steep, but it's a brand new, never been used for more than a few minutes to just make sure it works, Nanao chassis bought for $650 last year. He never used it because he managed to buy a complete monitor instead for a little more. Another option is to have the chassis repaired. One place in Miami says they might be able to, but they need a tube to ensure it works properly. They don't have a tube to connect it to. I'm not going to ship a frickin tube there and back. Was wondering though, if anyone in Miami has a Nanao tube they're not using which they could let that place borrow for me? If not, that's cool. That's a bit much to ask. :D I still have the repair option from the place in Canada too. He's double-checking to make sure he has the parts my chassis will require. I've also received two quotes for the Mei Ya chassis and one quote for the Rodotron. All are around $250 shipped. And lastly, the place in Australia can most definitely repair the board to like new status, but I'd have to eat up shipping it there and back. The total price for shipping comes out to approximately $130 round trip. Add to that the price to fix the board and I'm at the price of the Mei Ya or Rodotron chassis. However, there's nothing that can replace the excellence of the Nanao chassis. So, I now have to make a decision as to which path I want to take. I was hoping someone would have a working chassis they'd sell me for less. :P
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r3z0n8 is in Miami...he got the last 3 candy projects. He was looking for someone to do repairs as well...PM him and see if he can lend a tube and get his chassis fixed as well.
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250 for the rodotron chassis is a good price, i am pretty sure the rodotron 666a? or b? / wei ya, is identical to the one used in my Billabs monitor (billabs being the US version of Wei Ya)
bad part about having the chassis repaired, is it may die again in the future.
may i inquire were you got a price of $250 shipped ?
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Hey Bill, the Rodotron price was from cosmicvideogame.com for a B. It was an approximation of price since rates fluctuate. They don't have the B in stock though and would have to order it in, which would take about a week. I don't mind having the chassis repaired as everything is going to eventually fail, no matter if it's new or repaired. :)
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I've made my decision to have the chassis fixed by JOMAC in Australia. The shipping plus repair isn't as bad as I was initially thinking and I'd very much prefer to keep the Nanao chassis. Will let those of you with non-working Blast City chassis know what the outcome and total price came out to when it's all said and done. I didn't opt for the cheapest shipping, but I also didn't opt for the quickest. I chose 5 day approximated shipping. He's on a 48 hour or less turnaround, so I should have the chassis back within two weeks time.
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you should detailed pictures of your board before, and after, so you can exactly what he replaces.
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Yep, planning on it. Just have to find the time this weekend to remove it. Any tips on how to quickly remove it without issue?
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also mark your chassis to actually see if you get yours back or another one ;D
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Haha, I'll engrave my initials into the board. :P
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Chassis was removed last night and pictures taken. Had one helluva time removing the flyback and wound up using a flat tipped screwdriver to pry it out. It was kinda stuck in place. Had to ask Mick a few questions, since I've never really taken a chassis or monitor out of a Blast City before. Sadly, I was way too sore from the weekend's events to remove the monitor. Wound up discharging it from the back access panel and disconnecting the couple cables there. Then removed the four chassis screws from the access panel in the front and removed the chassis through there. Pretty simple overall without having to remove the monitor. I am going to remove the monitor while the chassis is out for repair, so I can take the whole thing apart, clean it and repaint it proper. Best time to get it done. ;)
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post up some photos!
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Update time! The chassis has been cleaned and given a full once over. Everything is fine now, except for the flyback. That needs to be replaced or repaired. It can't be repaired unless a schematic or a reference to a similar flyback can be found for it. He's very sure he can do that, but only if a reference can be found. Aside from that, my chassis does now display a picture if and only if the V and H sync are jumped. Not something you want to do for an extended amount of time though. I was considering sending him the chassis from my other plays blind machine and maybe the flyback might be working on that one. Then again, that one could have the exact same problem and will still have to find a replacement flyback. He's never really had a customer as determined as I am to get it working though. I love my Nanao monitors and don't really feel like shelling out $800 for the only one that comes remotely close. :P
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I have a hit in China for the flyback part. I really need to learn more Chinese...just waiting on a price now, which more than likely won't be until Sunday night, Monday morning.
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Wow, sounds like some effort there!
Is it really worth all that? Surely even if you can't get the exact monitor or whatever, couldn't you get a replacement 29in monitor either new or working used for cheaper/less time?
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It's worth it to me. I'd rather spend $300 total to fix it than $800 for a new monitor that equals it. I'd also have to replace the bezel because the Sanwa PFX is flat, not round.
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Call me Ishmael...
;)
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Hehe, yep! To be honest, I'm actually enjoying this whole challenge. People keep telling me there's no way to fix it. There are no parts to fix it with. That I'm better off just replacing the monitor with something else or buying one of the known remaining Nanao chassis new for at least $450. I'm not known to back down. Well, not only have I had the chassis fixed and only need one more part, but I've also tracked down a manufacturer in China on the East coast that has the part. Since I can't speak fluent Chinese at the moment, I have to rely on some people there to speak for me. There's a bit of a time difference, so I just have to wait now for the exact price of the part. :) If this comes out well, I'm sending my other two chassis out to be "renewed".
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I'm with Six, you're spinning your wheels for a screen that probably isn't even worth it in the end. If it were me, I'd be on the lookout for a new Wells Gardner 29" (D9200?) - I have one in the Capcom, and I can say without a doubt it's the best arcade screen I've dealt with in terms of picture quality, picture settings (OSD), and installation/hookup.
I'd say the OSD over pots (for changing picture settings) makes the WG worth it alone.
I think these can be had new for $375 - $450 if you look hard enough.
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/d9200-1.html (http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/d9200-1.html)
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My nanao has a OSD..... The D9200 will not fit in the blast unless you replace the brackets from the Nanao and do some major modifications to the bezel.
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i have a billabs in mine, i ended up using the nano brackets overlapped on mine, and put in 1/4 plastic spacers to set the monitor back, and then took and cut wood 1/2 wood trim to fit round the tube, and cut the curve of the bezel, and then mounted 1/4 inch plexi to the wood, so it had the same curve as the bezel, popped the bezel on, and looks perfect!
and a billabs monitor is reasonably priced.
there is a review at retroblast as well..
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/weiya.html (http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/weiya.html)
Note: it has an identical looking chasiss as the rodotron.. and billabs is the US vesion of WeiYa.
I just wish someone had Replacement speakers!!! I found the japanese manufacture, but nobody sells !
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Been busy today, catching up on things.
Bill, I had actually inquired with Sega about replacement speakers some time ago. Brady Distributing in Orlando can get the speakers for you from Sega. They're still used in a handful of newer Sega games. The part number is 130-5156-01. I just called and their parts department wasn't entirely sure of the exact price and they have to contact Sega. He said probably about $130 per speaker, since they're 8ohm 20 watt speakers. You can call them at 407-872-1666 if you want. Sega won't sell them directly to anyone unless it's a business.
As for the Wells Gardner monitor, if I want to go the cheap tri-res compatible route, I'll go ahead and buy a Wells Gardner D9800 for $380 shipped to my door. The Nanao is the best and the next to it is the Sanwa PFX. It's also expensive too. :(
The good news is I've been in direct contact all weekend with the company in China (they never seem to sleep!) and the bank wire transfer went through this morning. I'm just waiting on verification of the part being shipped out.
I'll be honest, the next one that fails may be getting a replacement Wells Gardner D9800. Depends upon how this ordeal turns out. ;D
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Bill, Brady Distributing just gave me a call after contacting Sega. They can sell the speakers at $75 each, new and it'd be roughly $20 to ship a pair of them to you. They'd have to order them in though, so it'd take at least a week.
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i would rather try to find someone who can speak japanese, and order the speakers from the paper cone company..
my 75 a set, but can't see 75 each.
way to pricey.
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I have a Sega Nano MS-2934 that I would sell for $150. It is only VGA fixed resolution, but has just been gone through and works nicely with no burn in. Originally came from a Planet Harriers.
I can usually repair Nano chassis for around $150 with a 2 -3 week turnaround.
Bill
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Is that $150 just for the chassis or the tube and chassis?
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$150 for the complete monitor. It's in Jacksonville, cash and carry. I am not shipping this beast.
Bill
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$150 for the whole thing, I'd take it...buuuuut, you're too far away. I need to take some time off from driving across the state and work on projects. Anyone heading through JAX towards Tampa anytime soon?
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danger, where in jax are you. I may want that monitor. Could you shoot me a pic of it on?
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He's holding it for me while we figure out how to get it here.
danger, where in jax are you. I may want that monitor. Could you shoot me a pic of it on?
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Copying and pasting from another thread of mine:
Just received word my chassis has been completely fixed and it's the first ever to have been fully brought back to life from those flyback problems. Because I dug and found a vendor with a matching flyback replacement, he was able to adjust for the new layout and repack the coil so no black goo ever again. I'm going to have my other two chassis redone by Jomac as well. My Blasts should last for a very long time unless a tube goes out. :)
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The repaired chassis arrived yesterday. Didn't have much time last night to do much with it, but I did quickly attach it and test it for a few minutes. It works beautifully! It's definitely the chassis I sent in, with a few modifications. Now to get everything situated in the cabinets.