STAR*TECH Journal
November 1992
------------~.
THE
TEST
BENCH
Gary A. Hughs
'
General
•,
.
• •
··.•·=·
.··
SERVICE PROCEDURES
Coin
Portland, Oregon
&
APPROACHES
(PART 2)
In this issue, we continue to take a
look at the servicing procedure
itself Skill is something that can
be learned, evaluated, perfected,
and increased. Those who do well
at a job tend to be those who get
excited about not only doing it,
but doing it faster, better, and
cheaper.
nents that made it successful. If
we can concentrate on what
works, then we become more effec-
tive in what we do. Thestepsgiven
apply and are used in all forms of
repair, but of course we are look-
ing especially from the amuse-
ment viewpoint.
Troubleshooting is by and large, a
mental discipline. A skilled tech
is one who can think his way
through a complex problem and
arrive at the solution. The process
is a mixture of analysis and de-
duction, coupled with tests, mea-
surements and substitutions. A
large part of being a really good
technician is being able to main-
tain that mindset.
So, along comes
The enemies of productivity are
discouragement, apathy, failure
to force one's mind to think logi-
cally, and the temptation to beat
yesterday's high score on what-
ever game is currently in the shop.
Mister Unwary
Tech ...
SUBSTITUTION
DISC PLAYERS
One useful test is substitution. If
a problem can be switched from
unit to unit, or can be traced to a
specific part or assembly, then
you know you are on the trail.
There are some very important
cautions here, though.
Another substitution nightmare
centers around the disc players in
a Pioneer juke box. If a player
fails, the CPU will lock out all
songs on that unit until it is reset.
So, along comes Mister Unwary
Tech, tests the players by switch-
ing them, and first thing you
know has two or three players
locked out. Here is where the
team helps him out because as
soon as he calls his distributor to
try and get an advance for two or
SPECIAL PROBLEMS
Like all trades there are proce-
dures one tends to follow. In other
words, a successful repair will
have several elements or compo-
Still want to fix your own games?
Just learn the procedures.
Problems are not al ways isolated.
In some cases there is a problem
or condition in an assembly that
causes other parts to fail.
("'8".