Quoted from Quench:Just switch it on long enough to get voltage readings at the test points which will probably be about 3 seconds each. At least then you can get some idea which supply rail is abnormal.
BTW, have you visually sighted exactly where the sparks are coming from yet?
Also, you should get a more substantial heatsink on BR1 because it's going to run HOT. You can see long term PCB heat stress around BR1 and a little around the 20 amp fuse clips. Your board actually looks decent, they can get quite burnt up.
I definitely wouldn't leave them backwards, at minimum you must correct the lamp fuse clips. They carry a lot of current and need maximum surface contact between fuse and clips.
The F5 G.I fuse clips should be high current capable clips. You may have noticed the originals were different material to the other brass clips for this purpose.
Are you running incandescent lamps or LEDs in this game?
BR1 and BR3 have ceramic resistors across them which makes diode checking them give some abnormal readings. You need to disconnect one leg of those ceramic resistors to isolate them from the bridges to get proper readings. The diodes inside the bridges will then give normal 0.5 readings one way and open the other way.
Find something to cover the power switch with so you don't actually touch the terminals. I use an old aerosol can plastic top and cut it in a way to create tabs so it can be screwed down. From factory they had a plastic dome covering the power switch.
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Well well well, it appears it was the VR that took a dump because I did replace it for the hell of it, checked positions of the transformer wires, reinstalled BR3, and plugged it back in to get voltages. Lo and behold no more sparking or smoking. I let it run for a solid 20 mins, and I could tell the board was getting hot (which I know is normal), but nothing out of the ordinary. Voltages from all 5 test points tested very close to the numbers I was getting previously in post #17 with the exception of TP2 which was around 170 vDC this time. I am running fresh #47s in the entire machine.
Man, are you for real about that heat sink? Got it in the kit from Big Daddy, so I would have thought it would have been good enough. If you think it will be an issue, even in a home environment, point me in the direction of what one you would consider good.
On the topic of the line filter, that white wire was not touching the ground, it was just a bad camera angle. I wrapped the wire around the left post 1 full time and soldered the hell out of it. It's very secure, but to be safe I bent the non-soldered part of the wire as far away from the ground post as possible.
If problems come up again, I will make a follow up post, but for now, I'm going to fix my mistake with the fuse clips, and potentially order/install a new heat sink. Appreciate your guys' help very much.