It doesn't really work that way. More like the opposite is the case. The blanking single in your case is reset by the 555 timer on the MPU and "sets all things to off (or blank) in the machine". This is necessary. Without it, the game could turn on with any number of random, locked on coils, lamps, flashers, ect. If the MPU has some other issue, the blanking signal will not work properly. The blanking signal itself really on "resets things to clear". It specifically does not control if the game boots properly or crashes randomly. In other words, blanking signal issues, more than likely, will point to some other MPU failure(s), if not trace repair, bad sockets, bad 555 timer, ect...
If you were having a blanking signal issue, the game would likely show other strange behavior upon first applying power (random things firing and locked on display segments). Especially when reapplying power just after it crashes!
Did you try to burn new game ROMS like I suggested?
Also, do you have a full 5VDC AT THE MPU's POWER CONNECTOR/test points?
From: http://pinball.flippers.info/system6repairpart5.asp
Blanking Signal
-Probably the most misunderstood part of the MPU/Driver board circuitry is the blanking signal. The blanking signal's purpose in life is to turn off or "blank" the lamp, solenoid and display circuits, preventing serious damage to these components in case of a MPU board failure or program lockup.
-If the signal is low (absent), then the game's lamps, displays and solenoids can't be turned on. In a perfect world, the signal can only be turned on by a running game program on an operational MPU.
-The blanking signal is set low by a timer circuit. When the game program is running, a signal from the PIA on the MPU board sets the blanking signal high. This PIA signal is sent at a faster rate then the timer is running (resetting the timer), so the blanking will stay high as long as the game is running. If the game program locks up or doesn't start, the timer will expire and set the signal low, turning off the lamps, solenoids and displays.
-Various posts on the pinball newsgroup, rec.games.pinball, over the years have elevated the status of this circuit to be one of the prime reasons for game failure. Quite the contrary, a missing blanking signal is a symptom of a larger problem (usually a MPU failure). If the blanking circuit is dead, nothing will seem to work.
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The fact that your game turns on, boots properly, and plays properly every time, means that the blanking circuit, in all likelihood, is working just as it should.
Newburgh, NY
