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Assistance Needed on Clean Sweep Troubleshooting


Furtak

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I'm looking for assistance in troubleshooting an older Clean Sweep Crane machine.  I bought it used with no prior history record.  I believe I have a logic board issue but don't have a manual for the model of machine that I have (the only thing I've found online is a 5th generation but my schematics don't match the board).  Before the machine failed, it would reset back to home upon power-up and the claw would momentarily engage.  After clicking the coin acceptor, the claw would set to "center" before play would begin.  I got about 15 plays out the machine before it "died".  Now when powering on the machine, it does not reset back to home.  If I toggle the coin acceptor several times, the claw will engage and move towards the back of the machine (move left and back at the same time) until it hits the back, runs for about 10 secs and then quits.  If I play with the coin acceptor, sometimes the the claw will move to the center and sometimes the claw will drop and then raise.  It's important to note that the claw does not stop moving to the back if any of the switches are engaged.  It just keeps movinge for about 10 seconds.

 

Since I don't see a reset of the claw when powering on the machine (a post boot check, I'm guessing) like I used to, I'm assuming I've got some type of logic board issue.

 

Thoughts?

 

~J

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Yeah, we definitely don't have a board in the crane. The crane wires go from the gantry to a plug that plugs into the back of the PC board (on the right in the PCBoard picture in my gallery). Each one of those wires go directly to switches in the gantry. When the unit moves, the toggles on the relays flip open (an audible clicking sound) and then the relays close to stop the claw mechanisms. I believe flipping the coin acceptor is causing some-type of signal short since all of the relays open at the same time (which is the cause of the claw moving left and backward (and the string to tighten)) and then all close after the 10 seconds.

My board is identical to the one in the attached pictures.

After playing with this thing two days solid, I'm just out of ideas without the manual for troubleshooting.

~J

post-1-0-41214500-1419820128_thumb.jpg

post-1-0-50076600-1419820140_thumb.jpg

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After speaking with Smart Industries, they figure I either have a problem with the EPROM or a 27 ohm resistor.  The EPROM doesn't have the sticker on the window and could possibly have the programming erased, but hopefully, the problem is with resistor.  I'm sending the board for troubleshooting.  If the EPROM is bad, I'm out of luck as they don't manufacture these anymore.

 

I may have to look at installing a kit.  Any recommendations?  

 

~J

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sorry I didn't see this sooner since it sounds like you already sent the board off.  check your joystick switches.  if they are old switches the button part of the switch may be sticking and staying activated thus giving the crane the wrong signal of where to go.  

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ZapJones,

 

I greatly appreciate your response to my inquiry.  I haven't sent the board yet but I can tell you that it's not the switches.  In troubleshooting, I disconnected the switches to rule them out.  The carriage moves to the back and left because all of the relays snap open when the board is shorted out through the coin mechanism.  The nature of the problem starts with the claw returning home and going through a post boot initialization which does not occur, unfortunately.   It's definitely looking like an EPROM problem, however, I'm going to test out the resistor and capacitor that are likely failures based on information I got from Smart Industries; coupled with the background that the dollar bill acceptor kept hitting the board at the capacitor just before the failure (a bad spring which has since been fixed).  This machine was a gift to my son for Christmas, and learning the ins and outs of the mechanics of the machine, including the electronics, was the goal after all (my 11 yo son is a engineering wizard, even at his young age and I knew this would be a great gift after I saw him build a custom claw machine from his Lego Mindstorms... on his own).  Who knows? Perhaps we'll determine a failure with the circuits, fix them and learn some cool stuff in the process and save on shipping and diagnostic/repair costs.

 

I'll give everyone an update either way.

 

(Further troubleshooting assistance is welcomed until I send the board out)

 

Stay tuned,

 

~J

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