Capt Fantastic

This is a great pinball from the 1970s

Capt Fantastic











There were many issues I came across as I was fixing this game.

There were 5 fuse holders that needed to be replaced. Also many lights and rubbers were replaced to help with the aesthetics of the machine. The Right flipper seemed to have a bad coil, but upon further investigation, there was a bad power wire going to that flipper.

This is when I learned about how most pinballs actually work.

All coils for the flippers, bumpers and slingshots are energized by their 30v or 60v power lines. The Logic in the CPU PCB brings the other side of the coil to ground, actuating the solenoid.

So, if you take a ground and touch the control line of the coil(the lead not attached to the other coils), the coil will energize actuating the solenoid.

Dell Laptop Charger Cable

My charger cable broke, again :(

I was able to fix it again, this time I used a connector instead of a splice. The Dell charger I have uses a double shielded coax cable. The outer shield is the ground, the inner shield is the positive, and the center conductor is the "ID". Without this "ID" signal, sometimes the laptop will no longer charge.

I hope this lasts!

I am still plugging away at JustAnswer.com

I have enjoyed most of my experiences, the people that can not understand that electronics unfortunately breaks sometimes.

This is a good opportunity to let you find out what is happening with your stuff! Satisfaction Guaranteed visit JustAnswer.com

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LED Outdoor Displays

I had some experience recently dealing in a round about way with a Taiwanese company that manufactures LED displays for outdoor digital signage like Dodge Theater and Tempe Cinemas.

When we first got involved I determined the video processor was at fault and proceeded to find a source for repair for the unit. It turns out, CBS Outdoor is the only company in the USA for getting this system repaired.

The repair cost was reasonable, as was the deal. The customer had 3 units, one belonged to CBS, the other two belonged to our customer. The first thing we did was return the loaner to CBS. Our policies and procedures dictate we need an approved PO or Billing Statement completed before we can send anything for repair outside of our facility. The loaner was to take 30-60 days for repair, then they would send it to us until the unit that was approved would come back.

I spoke with them nearly 90 days after sending the loaner in. I was told the loaner was on its way back to them and we would get it soon.

Sometime between then and now, CBS decided to not send the loaner and charge us for the customer's unit. This would have been fine if we had agreed to this 3 months ago. Anyways, the customer's unit came back to us in the same condition it was sent:

The LCD display and backlight connectors were not connected, the LED 5v dc power LED indicator was still mangled. We tried the unit as is, tried to wire up the unit properly, we still had no display,also the VGA output was very distorted. I knew something was up. I did not think Opto-tech had done anything but end up getting a sizable repair fee.

I can not blame CBS for the bum unit, but I wonder what would have happened if the loaner had been sent to us ASAP as was the plan. I also found out a very curious fact, things sent from Taiwan by 9pm can arrive the very next date(possible more than 24 hours) even though CBS quotes 2 weeks as the transit time overseas.

The worst part is, the video processor is not even necessary if the content can be sent through VGA/MDA(which it can). This was proved by my customer while he was out a video processor. He now has the same issue as before, the bottom row is random pixels. This has nothing to do with the video processor, that is for converting composite video or svideo to MDA.

Bottom line, do not limit yourself by hiring a company that is only represented by a single entity.



That's all now, please check back soon!

Welcome back all, I have been busy the last few months. My wife is pregnant! We are having a baby girl this September.

I have been working for this website JustAnswer.com It has helped me make almost $1000 since May. This is a great place to find out important information on nearly any subject. Please let me know, or just check out the site!

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Vizio HDTV

I have noticed that there is a lot of talk about Vizio HDTVs. In my experience, Vizio uses LG parts inside, just like Toshiba, NEC and others. They put their own label on it, but the Panel, Y-Sustain, Z-sustain (the newest LG Plasmas have a combined Y and Z sustain single board) are all LG parts. In my opinion, the company that has the best service is the company to go with. LG used to have a 2 year warranty on all of their new plasmas. They have reduced that down to a year, so I need to re-evaluate my stance on Plasmas.

LCD tvs have come a long way since their proliferation in the PC world. The price fixing scandal said it only pertained to cell phone TFT-LCDs, but I think they are all too expensive. 120 hz sounds good, but the refresh rates of plasma TVs have gone into the 180hz range.

I personally have not purchased a flat panel TV. With the hundreds I have fixed, all of the parts are too expensive to fix, even if I replace the parts myself. I prefer CRT rear projection HDTVs. They have enough parts that a skilled technician can perform many repairs for under $100. The cheapest parts for plasmas and LCDs range from $2-300. Some Main Boards cost well over $500.

Bottom line, Vizio is a value priced TV, but you have to take into account the service available. I will be reviewing the policies and procedures of numerous TV brands over the next week. I hope to have enough time to publish some results before Christmas.

'til next time

Jeff

First Day

This is my first entry in my JFB HDTV Blog. Actually it is the first Blog I have ever done anywhere. I plan to show the new developments in HDTV and all other aspects of Consumer Electronics from USA to Japan, and anywhere else.

If you have any comments please write to JFBHDTV@Gmail.com