Spyhunter help

[ViggenAK]

Looking for some direction here as this is my first arcade that I own.

Loved this game back in the day and had to have it again. I knew it was not perfect, but felt I could deal with some issues as it was playable.

Right now, I open it up and wow that is alot of boards to grasp.

It plays, however, it has several nagging issues that come and go.

Not that it would exist, but just to ask, is there some sort of first pass refurbishment guide that I should look at in general, before I start digging into specific issues?

Here is what I seem to see as issues.

1. Steering wheel calibration / pedal issue.
a. My steering wheel values shift by 2 numbers to the right when I press the pedal to the floor. Where would you look to fix this?
b. Is there a way to recalibrate the steering wheel other than decoupling the gears and spinning to the right value then recoupling?
c. It seems to lose calibration over time. If I recalibrate it, it is good. It seems like if you bang the steering wheel one way or the other hard, it loses calibration sometimes.

2. Sound works good, but every once in a while, it just becomes a droning loud humm and I need to disconnect the speakers just to stand near it.


I am sure I have other issues as well but these are the majors right now.

Again, is there some general refurb steps that I should attempt to bring it up to a more solid machine? I saw where someone mentioned resoldering all the components or something, is that standard procedure?

Thanks as I embark down my new path of arcade games.

[p1899m]

The hum may be a few things......

wiring issue, like a loose wire that is not connecting well or is contacting something it shouldn't

bad amp board, possible I suppose but I haven't seen one yet in the many spy hunters I've had or any other MCR game for that matter

large capacitors on the power brick are failing, if this game is one you plan to keep and these caps are still the originals I would replace them. They can actually cause many issues as they go bad, from a loud hum to rendering the game completely dead.


oddly with all the spy hunters I've owned I've never had to deal with calibrating the pedal or steering. I've been lucky and they have just worked correctly. May be wrong but I doubt you have to take the gears apart. Probably just have to loosen the screw (I believe it would be probably take an allen wrench) and reposition the pot so when turned it stays in the range you want it to. It's probably just slipped out of position little by little over time from play. Like I said I've not done this just taking an educated guess.

[ArcRevival]

doesn't Spy Hunter have the same kind of board set up as Tron ? The interconnects on the main boards can be bad if thats the case. Like he said, lots of potential for loose wires. Also need to learn how to use a multi meter for some basic checks if you arent famliar with one. Testing the voltage to the motherboard is the first thing i do on every game i pick up.

[cdjump]

1. a. I've tried several boardsets and abs. pos. boards in my machine, and mine does this too regardless of the boards used. Not sure what the issue is, but i think its common and may be just inherent to the machine. If i had to guess, i'd guess though that its caused by current draw when you actuate the pedal, causing a voltage drop to the steering pot, thereby causing the numbers to shift. I've not really bothered with it, as it seems common, and probably just a quirk of the machine.
b. There is a calibration, iirc in test mode.
c. You most likely have a loose gear somewhere as described, or the pot is just wore out, or both. It should be noted that if the pot is out of calibration, and your using test mode to set it, if your battery backup is not working or has been removed, it'll have to be calibrated every time you start the machine.
2. Cold solder joint, or bad connections. Most likely the header pins on the amp board and or the CSD. Could also be a bad connector, to either the amp board, or the cheap squeak deluxe.
3. replace the ribbon cables is pretty much SOP on all MCR games, as is checking the voltage at the 3 pcb stack. Most people check the power supply board for corrosion, and remove the onboard nicad battery (if its still there), and replace it with either a coin cell, or an off board rechargable battery and repair any corrosion damage. Also check all of the power connectors on the Power supply board for corrosion, and the connectors that plug into it. These are common problems with mcr games. Last, you can replace the capitors on the power brick, but if the game's working ok, i'd not bother with that.

[armi0024]

Some people have reported that the MCR adapter from Arcadeshop to put a switcher in solves the hum if you don't want to repair the power board...this did not work for me though. Good luck, I LOVE THAT GAME!!!

[demogo]

Originally Posted by armi0024

Some people have reported that the MCR adapter from Arcadeshop to put a switcher in solves the hum if you don't want to repair the power board...this did not work for me though. Good luck, I LOVE THAT GAME!!!

Geez, I think I've found one person that had a switcher in a Spy Hunter and was satisfied with it.

In almost every case putting a switcher in a Spy Hunter, whether using the Arcadeshop version or not, is a recipe for a loud HUMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Stick with the linear power board -- you'll be glad you did.

And replacing the gas pedal pot is almost a given if it is original and you're shooting for high scores. The pots age and don't work well anymore and you need a nice responsive blast of turbo power if you're going to do well at the game.

[supertechnoboy]

Originally Posted by ViggenAK

b. Is there a way to recalibrate the steering wheel other than decoupling the gears and spinning to the right value then recoupling?

The pot for the wheel is slotted. Put the game in calibration mode, then loosen the screws on the pot and adjust it until the reading is correct and retighten.

[armi0024]

My hum didn't get worse...it just didn't get better

[demogo]

With a good linear power board there's very little hum -- almost none.

I'm pretty damned picky and I barely notice it, even when I'm listening for it.

With a switcher it's blatantly in-your-face obvious.

[p1899m]

cdjump has a good list of things to check although I disagree with him on the big caps on the power brick. I've seen enough spy hunters with a loud hum that work perfectly otherwise where the problem is those caps. If I were trouble shooting this SH the first two things I would look at would be wiring issues or those caps.