STAR*TECH Journal
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Tradewest IKARI WARRIORS
Edge Connectors
By Avery Petty
A.P. Engineering
Huntington Beach, California
Fdge connector problems exist on the !KARI
WARRIORS which have the solid interface
board between the logic board and the edge
connector.
One of the problems is that the edge
connector, the one on the interface board
that plugs into the logic board, does not
fit correctly. '!he connector is longer
than the logic board. It has a 1/8 of an
inch play there, which means every pin
could be missed completely! Usually, the
pins are about half-on and half-off, which
rreans that only half of each pin is being
used. This results in pranature burning of
the pins.
'!he corrrron symptoms are intermittent coin
failure, no video and oost camon -no
sound. You can correct this by putting a
small, I rrean 1/16 of an inch piece of
a anthing, (plastic, wood, etc.), on each
W side of the edge connector. This should
center it on the pins. If this hasn't
happened to your !KARI WARRIORS yet, it
will. So when that out-of-order call cares
in, check the edge connector first.
Rerrerrber also, that there are two
connectors and two finger connectors,
which is a total of 88 connections. The
pins that carry the power are usually
burnt by now. If not burnt all the way
through, check closely for small bum
marks. If your good at soldering, put a
thin layer of solder on all the fingers of
the edge connectors. But most inp:>rtantly,
center the edge connectors on the fingers
to prevent future failures.
•
Sorce !KARI WARRIORS have an interface
wiring harness instead of the interface
board with an edge connector on one end
and fingers on the other. This is better
than the PCB type interface board, only
because it has connectors that fit right
and the wires can carry more current that
the PCB type, but this interface can still
cause problems.
There aren't any parts oounted on the
interface boards, such as on the Midway
PAC MAN anti-static board. ?-k>rmally, this
October 1986 (5)
type of interface board or harness is used
to adapt a wiring harness to a different
board than what it was originally made
for. You cannot plug the edge connector
from the main wiring harness onto the
logic board directly like other games. So,
for this reason, it must be used.
r.:bw let rre direct your attention to the
player joysticks. They are the same ones
used on TANK II. I suppose everyone has
found out by now that Tradewest made
another s1ight error: They used flat rretal
stops to hold the switch box steady, \#then
the joystick is rotated!
Well, they goofed and they are the first
to admit it. They should have used the
solid round stop p:>sts, that they used on
the last runs of WARRIORS. Mlen the old
flat rretal stops wear off, the player can
turn the whole asserrbly, which rreans he
doesn't have control and you have an out-
of-order call! Sorreti.Ires, the wires will
break and it is hard to tell, because
there is long heat-shrink tubing on all 12
wires coming off each switch block. If you
haven't replaced your old ones yet, get
the new round stops '1001\Y.
If your joystick assenbly was destroyed
beyond repair, due to the flat stops
wearing off, call Tradewest for a
replacerrent asserrbly. And the new stop
p:>sts are available, at no cost, for your
!KARI WARRIOR through your distributor.
Also, you will find that the spring, which
is used to center the joystick, breaks in
half, but remains on the asserrbly ...
Also,· the rretal plate, that holds the
square switch with the 12 wires on it,
breaks away from the center p:>st •••
You can tie it back together, but if you
have one of the early garres and the
plates' flat stop bracket has warn off,
get the new round p:>st, and mickey rouse
it back together. (It won't feel the same
to the player, but they don't care how
rruch noise it makes or how loose it is,
just as long as it works!)
And ••• when you unlatch the control
panel, because you're down on your knees
reaching in the game, when you unlatch the
last latch, the control panel drops open
right on your head -real hard. (SO be sure
your other hand is holding it shut! )