Vectrex games not starting

[binary]

Hello!

I have a major problem with my console and hope that someone here can recommend a fix.

i bought a Vectrex many years ago off ebay. When i switched it on, the machine would display the title of the game and stick on the following screen (usually displaying something like "player 1"). Eventually after five mins or so, the game would start. As time went on, this little problem cured itself and it could quickly start a game by pressing the 1 button.

I moved recently and ever since the issue has come back - except games won't start at all now...except Protector for some reason, which runs as perfectly as it ever did. i also recently bought a 72 in 1 cart to see if that would let me play games but it only let me browse the menus and select a game....and then it just freezes like every cart except Protector.

Has anyone come across this problem before? i know the controller is okay as i can use all 4 buttons to play Protector. It could be that a component inside has got knocked - but it's a bit odd that it displays the title page and start screen. It's the same on Minestorm as well.

Are there anyone who still does repairs out there? I'd be very grateful for any advice!

[kokovec]

I've repaired a few Vecs in my time but this is a new one to me.
Normally I would say the Vectrex cart connector is dirty and would simply require a good cleaning.
The best thing to use would be a contact cleaner that you can purchase from an electronics supply shop.
The one thing that makes me wonder if that's really the problem is that running Minestorm seems to also produce the same issue.

The only other thing I can think of is a bad solder joint or an issue with either the RAM, ROM or PIA chips. When chips heat up sometimes a cold solder joint will start to give you problems.
Hopefully it's not the CPU.
Could also be a bad cap.

I guess I'm not much help here but welcome to the wonderful world of electronics troubleshooting.

Kokovec

[jasonbar]

Sounds like bad buttons on the controller. Can you download & use the Test Cart to test your buttons?

Another culprit may be the socketed AY38912 chip, which handles controller input. I once had one go bad on a Vectrex--player 2 button 3 was stuck closed...or so my Vectrex through. Discussion is here (make sure to not replace with an AY38912A/P, which is incompatible!)

-Jason

[VectorX]

^The link originally didn't work, so I fixed it.

[binary]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. i have no technical knowledge whatsoever so i'm very grateful!

I agree that it's unlikely to be the cartridge port as Minestorm suffers the same problem.

As for the controller, all the buttons do work during Protector - the 1 button controls reverse and functions perfectly when playing. Then again Protector is the only game that actually starts at all when none of the others do. Is there something different about the way Protector is set up do you think? i will try and borrow a friend's controller at some point to see if it makes a difference at all before i attempt to fix/break anything!

[Mayhem]

Does the problem occur (with the other games) if the controller is not connected to the Vectrex?

[sj]

I had start-up problems on a Veccy I bought from ebay a couple of years ago. I found the easiest fix was to toss it in the bin and buy another one.

ps. Without any technical knowledge don't take the back off and fiddle. It may end up being your last fiddle.

Good luck.