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Post by mikesk8 on Sept 8, 2022 6:27:16 GMT -5
Hello, Does anybody know any repair service in The Netherlands? My Vertex is still working, but I was thinking to have it cleaned and checked as the layer of dust/dirt is amazing inside (from the previous owners as I keep it always covered). I don't feel technically skilled enough to work with it  Thanks, m. |
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Post by Peer on Sept 9, 2022 1:54:10 GMT -5
Hello, Does anybody know any repair service in The Netherlands? My Vertex is still working, but I was thinking to have it cleaned and checked as the layer of dust/dirt is amazing inside (from the previous owners as I keep it always covered). I don't feel technically skilled enough to work with it Thanks, m. Hi there,
sorry, I do not know any repair service in the Netherlands, but, in the past, I came across one German company who offers such a thing. Unfortunately, the prices they charge are rather, let's say, not that amusing. PM me if you are interested nontheless.
Cleaning the inside of a Vectrex is not that difficult though, if you got the right tools. You need screwdrivers that are long enough to go into the deep holes on the back of the console, but I guess that you have already successfully opened your Vectrex. To get rid of the dust, I suggest not to use a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner literally "sucks", and there is some danger of damaging the delicate parts. I found it much better to first use a compressed air pistol (not to be comfused with an air gun), operating at a medium pressure setting, if you find access to such a thing. With that you can simply blow away the dust, even the more obstinate particles. You still have to be a bit careful, do not get too close to the electronic parts. Also, a soft paint brush can easily be used tackle the layers of dust. After that, I then use a regular vacuum cleaner at a very low setting and from a certain distance to suck up the remaining and now loose dust particles.
Hope that helps, many cheers, Peer
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Post by mikesk8 on Sept 12, 2022 5:23:18 GMT -5
Thank you Peer for your reply and tips! I will try to find some Vectrex fan here in the NL to help me maybe.
Kind regards,
m.
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Post by Peer on Nov 15, 2022 10:23:25 GMT -5
Maybe this information is of help to others:
I managed to finally fix a broken console of mine. It was a case of the we hear the sounds of Mine Storm playing, but there is no picture and the screen is blank phenomenon.
After some intensive probing and taking of measurments I found out that there was 0 Volts between pins 6 and 7 of the flyback transformator (this is the large metal box right where the brightness potentiometer is located), meaning that the ray gun of the CRT was not driven (indicator: no faint orange glow visible in the glas bulb at the back of the CRT). As the values of all other readings I took were fine and identical to the values of a working console which I used for comparison, my last guess was that the flyback itself was internally broken. So I unsoldered the metal plate at the back of the flyback and removed it to take a look inside. That look did not help me at all, so I put the metal plate back in place, and more out of habit I then switched on the console one more time to check that I had not made things worse, and suddenly the screen worked and the picture was back!!!
The only plausible explanation I have at the moment is that there was a micro-fracture where one of the pins of the flyback is soldered to the analog board, and the mere act of moving and shaking the flyback a bit while removing and putting back the metal plate temporarily closed again the micro gap caused by the fracture. I heated up all those connections and put some additional solder on them. Since then the console is running fine again. I will put some workload on it over the next days and check if this condition remains stable.
Note that in general, of course, there can also be other reasons for the described phenomenon.
Many Cheers, Peer
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Post by drsnuggles on Nov 16, 2022 12:16:42 GMT -5
"...and suddenly the screen worked..." Gratz! Can't remember how many devices i repaired this way. Sadly it's not always like that. Having a working example is golden! Even for software i prefer a working example over not updated documentation  |
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Post by VECTREXER on Nov 19, 2022 14:55:47 GMT -5
Reparamos una vectrex City Game youtu.be/yHjBXKJMgXc Contact Victor Fernandez (City Game) via GMail: victorcitygame@gmail.com whatsapp: 0034 692531347 FB Messenger: @ victorfernandezcitygame #Vectrex / #光速船 / #Kousokusen #Reparamos #repair #Avila #Spain #españa |
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Post by nexus6 on Dec 21, 2022 4:52:43 GMT -5
Maybe this information is of help to others:
I managed to finally fix a broken console of mine. It was a case of the we hear the sounds of Mine Storm playing, but there is no picture and the screen is blank phenomenon. I had the same problem. The culprit was a rusted wire on the line transformer. Thanks to the help of someone who is better with the soldering iron than I am, the Vectrex is working fine again.  |
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