Lethal Weapon 3
Data East, 1992
The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard
Data East, 1994My tech was in and said I need my CPU board repaired on my LW3. Is there a place that I can just send in my board and get a fixed one back without waiting a month or more? I am looking for a quick turn around. I found a guy that will repair it for $85 but he is backlogged till late January.
Sounds like a fine tech 
There are a couple good guys on RGP, I can't recall their names, maybe someone can chime in.
Yea I was a little disappointed. He just looked at it for awhile and said "I am not sure" but I would bet the CPU needs repaired. There is no acid damage. This pin is just a "PITA".
Clive is the one with the big backlog. He said not till mid January 
I was hoping someone might have a different person that could get it back to me before Christmas company.
OK, my pin will play fine if it warms up. If you turn it on cold the sound is all messed up, nothing on the display and nothing works. He checked the chips and pins and said they look good. If I leave it on for about 20 mins and turn it off and back on it works fine. There are other issues when I turn it back on but it works and you can play it all night (the music select option does not work, all other sounds work fine, but the nusic select has never worked). It is a rottendog board so it was replaced before.
I would say if it works after warming up then you have capacitor problems. If the opposite were true it would be cold solder joints.
Have you checked the 5 volt, 12 volt, and -12 volt test points when you fire it up cold?
You need to check the display voltages to determine if it is a problem with power getting to the driver board or the display getting enough power. Again start with the 5 volts.
What is a Rottendog, the display/PS/what?
If the display isn't coming on until it warms up, and it's patchy as it does it, it is gassed, and you need another.
Quoted from Jgel:He checked the chips and pins and said they look good.
It doesn't sound as though he knows what he is talking about, so don't trust that.
Quoted from dung:Have you checked the 5 volt, 12 volt, and -12 volt test points when you fire it up cold?
I am new to this and still learning this stuff. I have no idea where or what these are?
Quoted from Atomicboy:If the display isn't coming on until it warms up, and it's patchy as it does it, it is gassed, and you need another.
A new display was just put in a few months ago so I don't this that is the issue. Rottendog.com is the maker of the board I think. That is what is printed on it. I really have no idea what is going on with this machine and am just going off of what the tech said.
Yes but it is much more than the display. When I turn it on NOTHING works. Lights, flippers, start button. I mean dead. Don't know if that makes a difference or not.
Sounds like a voltage problem to me....Probably a bridge rectifier and/or its associated capacitor.
We can probably talk you through it if you have the schematics, a meter and aren't afraid of electricity 
Otherwise, try some of these (all reputable and around for years doing repairs):
Borygard (does excellent work) http://lockwhenlit.com/default.aspx
Ray Bracken (in the Philly area) widearearepair (AT) comcast (DOT) net and his phone is 610-873-2620
Ed Cheung (in the MD area) http://www.edcheung.com/album/album06/Pinball/pinball.htm
I read what you wrote wrong, I though you meant it would play but it took time for the displays to come on.
This sounds like a cap issue on the PS...? The PS is original I'm guessing. This doesn't sound like a mpu issue, but I agree, you need to verfiy the voltage when it is turned on and then when the game boots.
Quoted from robertmee:Probably a bridge rectifier and/or its associated capacitor.
On a new RD mpu? I am reading everything wrong, I'm assuming now that there is a RD mpu in this, is it only a RD display?
I sent him a copy of the guides. He needs to read up on how to recognize error codes.
The game plays after it has warmed up. To me that points to an old 5v capacitor. There are other issues at work, but until he learns how to give us more info we are shooting in the dark.
Quoted from dung:I sent him a copy of the guides. He needs to read up on how to recognize error codes.
The game plays after it has warmed up. To me that points to an old 5v capacitor. There are other issues at work, but until he learns how to give us more info we are shooting in the dark.
I agree shooting in the dark...I also agree that based on 'NOTHING' working on power up that sounds like the MPU isn't booting, so a 5V issue as you suggest. I'm 'guessing' that the Rottendog board is the MPU since he said it was replaced before and he started out by talking about sending the MPU in for repair. So that maybe leaves an original powerboard which is where the 5Vdc is generated.
Too much guessing at this point. Need some more clarification.
Oh wait.....Rottendog's DE board is a combo replacement. It replaces the MPU and driver boards. Now I'm really confused
OK I will read the guides and let you know what I find. After reading what you guys are thinking I am even more confused. The tech did put in a new power board, but that did nothing. I will let you know.
You need to trace the 5v from where Clay states. This will start from the PS, and go to each board. If the machine doesn't run at the start, but does "warm up", this indicates a cap issue, and that at some point the 5v is there running fully, indicative of a fully working mpu.
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