Star Tech Journal

November 1994
can burn up a $1500 logic board
in a fraction of a second.
3 PRONGS
Next, look at the power cord,
make sure it is in good condition
and still has the third wire
ground. If the power cord is in
poor condition it should be re-
placed. If the third wire ground
is defeated then a new A/C plug
should be installed.
STAR*TECH JOURNAL
QD
. .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .
look. Make sure the picture is
nice and square with uniform
brightness across the screen.
Check to see that it is in focus and
there are no tears in the picture.
Carefully make any adjustments
that may be needed and give it
another look see. If you are sat-
isfied with the picture then it time
to move on. If you see any prob-
lems, make a note of them.
Monitor
Proble111s?
Order Th is Tech Pub
J\--tONITORS:
SYMPTOMS/SOLUTIONS
PLAYTIME
Defeating the ground connection
in computerized equipment is a
NO NO. It can cause serious
damage to logic boards and can
pose a risk of electric shock. If
you must plug into a two wire cir-
cuit then use an adapter and hook
the third wire from the adapter
to a good ground (usually an out-
let plate).
You are just about ready to check
the game out under actual oper-
ating conditions. Give the moni-
tor and chassis a once over to
make sure everything is plugged
in and nothing has fallen into it.
If the monitor appears to be
"safe" then you can now proceed
and plug the game into an elec-
trical outlet.
TURN ON
. urn on the power, watch and lis-
ten for anything unusual. If the
picture comes up, give it a close
Now you can pass a couple of
quarters through the coin mechs
to see if it coins up. If you have
coin counters make sure they
function when a coin is dropped
in. Start playing the game mak-
ing sure to activate ALL player
controls at one time or another.
If there are any problems make
a note of them.
Player control problems are com-
mon especially if the game has
been laying around unused for a
period of time. Switch contacts
often get oxidized when unused
but can be easily cleaned up.
IMAGE
While playing the game also take
note of how the video is pre-
sented on the screen. Check to
see that all the moving characters
and backgrounds are intact and
not fragmented. If there is a video
problem this can be caused by
anything ranging from a power
supply that is low or bad to a
problem in the game's circuit
board.
EVALUATE
Before you go any further it is
.. . continued on page 20.
Includes all S*TJ
monitor articles from
1990, 1991, 1992,
1993 & 1994
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D 1994
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