The 3 beeps?

Have you tried reseating all of the ribbon cables in backbox?

The light show is running, so your game is booted. Likely you have an issue with your ribbon cabling to the DMD controller board, the controller board itself, or the ASIC on the mpu board needs to be seated better.

The DMD is just a peripheral to the mpu board, it doesn't do any handshaking or anything back and forth. You should be able to start a game and play etc.

The clock moving/not moving could also be an issue with the +12v supply for the optos. You won't really know where to go from here until you get the display back.

Curious as to what you mean by the 3 beeps as well - does the game have some kind of alternate sound board in it that has a bootup sound?

I think he means the 3 bongs indicating you have an error?

Anyways, its proboably a connector somewhere, go over and reseat everything and spray with electronics cleaner if you have it, will proboably fix your issue.

Yeah, as others have said, ribbon cables, particularly the one that goes 5 places. Shut off your game, unplug and plug back in, taking special care to not be off a row or off a pin on the ends.

Now, as to why you think it's normal behavior for three beeps...

Hehe.

That's not normal behavior! That's the machine saying you have a problem! If you were to open the door and press the test button (furthest from the door) your machine is complaining that something isn't right. Could be time and date not set (common after batteries were replaced (you have replaced the batteries recently, haven't you?))

But seriously, the sound board and the dot matrix are not communicating to the CPU, so reseat all the plugs on that ribbon cable and things will likely be well.

It's not so much 'reseat' the ASIC. It's more like, shut power off, and press on the ASIC firmly with your thumb to make sure it's seated.

You aren't getting sound (other than maybe a power on 'bong' that the sound board might do by itself) because the computer is not talking to the sound board. You aren't getting display (other than the random garbage) because the computer isn't talking to the display driver board.

You probably aren't getting Fliptronics board either, because it's connected to the same ribbon cable also.

In the lower left corner of the Power Driver Board are four small connectors. Make sure they are all present, and plugged in. One of these powers your DMD display. If the Fliptronics board or the sound board or the dot matrix controller board aren't getting power they might be dragging down everything connected to the ribbon cable that connects those boards together.

Connectors are the overwhelmingly likely issue here. Either ribbon cable connectors or power to those three boards.

Though it might be that you've blown F115 or F116. LED 1 and LED 7 need to be on. LED 1 is at the corner of the fat short ribbon cable that connects the power driver board to the CPU, and is associated with F115. LED 7 is in the upper left corner of the CPU, and is associated with the fuse right next to it F116. The connection here would be J112, which is in the upper left corner of the power driver board and is usually hidden in a snarl of wires.

J202 and J201 seem to be on a different height.
One row off ?

J201 J202 (resized).png

Sounds like you are overloading the circuit with the light kit. Unfortunately, you need to remove it.

Play without it and see what happens. I am surprised it ran as long as it has with it installed.

LED strips do not do well on this 12Vunreg circuit. There are many threads on this matter.