Good Vectrex gone bad?

[MrRetroGamer]

I've owned a used Vectrex for almost 10 years which worked very well. I have not played it in a while, but when I tried to turn it on, I got sound and only a dot on the screen. I understand that things inside go bad after time, but there is no way I have the skill to even begin to find out what is wrong. Even if I was able to get a set of new CAPS I don't know where to bring it or if that would fix it. Also, what is to say that if I was able to buy another working Vectrex that that one wouldn't eventually have the same issue?

[SlowCoder]

I don't have a Vectrex. But wish I did.

 

Also, what is to say that if I was able to buy another working Vectrex that that one wouldn't eventually have the same issue?

 

I think this hits it on the head. All of our consoles, Vectrex and others, are eventually going to fail. It's a product of age, care and use.

[MrRetroGamer]

I realized that I had the console still plugged into the wall socket for the last year or two. Did that help speed up the process?

[SlowCoder]

No electronics expert, but if it was plugged in it could have been spiked. On the other hand, capacitors can go bad of not used over a long period of time, and they don't even need to be plugged in.

 

Some consoles, like the Colecovision, have problems with their power switch where it can get finicky when the switch gets dirty. Possibly you have a problem as simple as that?

[dendawg]

Before ANYTHING, try fiddling with the brightness knob on the back...sometimes it really is as simple as that.

[+thegoldenband]

I like parsing the name of this thread as the title of an exploitation film. "When good Vectrexes go bad...see the shocking details!"

 

(Maybe in the trailer, there can be a shot of a Vectrex leaning over a table, looking weary and haggard as it looks up, traces of white powder on the screen. "Hey...wanna do some lines?")

[boxpressed]

(Maybe in the trailer, there can be a shot of a Vectrex leaning over a table, looking weary and haggard as it looks up, traces of white powder on the screen. "Hey...wanna do some lines?")

 

"Vector lines, the good stuff. None of that raster garbage."

[Hatta]

You should replace the capacitors. There's a list of the parts you'll need here. No guarantee that it will bring yours back to life, but it's worth a shot. If you decide not to do this, at least pass the broken machine on to someone who will.

 

Your symptoms sound exactly like what you'd expect from bad caps. So don't give up hope yet.

[MrRetroGamer]

Anyone in the NYC area know how to solder caps into a Vectrex?

[Kirbot]

Anyone in the NYC area know how to solder caps into a Vectrex?

 

Replacing the caps in most things is super easy.

 

I've never done a vectrex, but replacing them on an old pc motherboard was no trouble at all.

 

Just practice soldering a little if you've never done it before and take your time.

[VectrexMad!]

You should replace the capacitors. There's a list of the parts you'll need here. No guarantee that it will bring yours back to life, but it's worth a shot. If you decide not to do this, at least pass the broken machine on to someone who will.

 

Your symptoms sound exactly like what you'd expect from bad caps. So don't give up hope yet.

 

before replacing the caps, might be worth replugging the 4 wire connector. Failing that reheat the solder connections of the plug connector. This is a common problem, see the following text which I extracted from the Vectrex FAQ. There are high voltages in the Vectrex even when it is unplugged and switched off, so if you don't know what you're doing, read up beforehand:

 

"My Vectrex just shows a white dot when I turn it on. I can hear the game playing but there is no picture. Can I fix it?

 

There is 1 common problem that will cause this symptom. Inside the unit

there is a 4-wire power connector connecting the side board to the

bottom board. Often units with no picture have bad solder joints on

this connector. Try resoldering the pins and see if that helps."

Edited July 6, 2011 by VectrexMad!