Entex - 3-D Grand Prix repair - ALMOST WORKING ... HELP!!

[lordsardonyx]

Hello everyone!
I just scored an Entex Grand Prix!

This was my first LCD game purchase, I've mainly been a fan of only VFD games, but I figured Entex makes such great quality games that this one would be another fine purchase.

Boo hoo.

I shoulda guessed it wasn't working correctly since I got it so cheap.
Cosmetically, the game is beautiful. It appears new and hardly used.

Anywho, when I put the batteries in, only the bottom part of the LCD works. It just shows the TIME and LAPS, etc.

The batteries seemed to fit VERY TIGHTLY in the compartment. After I closed the battery door, it was almost impossible to open again without using a screwdriver to push out the door again and try other batteries.

Still, no matter what I buttons I push, no response.

So, I turned it over and suddenly I hear just a few seconds of sound, then the whole screen comes on for a few seconds. So, obviously the display isn't damaged.

I have always used rechargable batteries for all of my games. Has anyone had problems with rechargable versus disposeable ones?

Any ideas where I should start in the repair of this bad-boy??
Thanks!

[lordsardonyx]

Yay, got it working!
I took the whole unit apart thinking that there can't anything too wrong with it, since it still comes on.

On to the solution:
The Grand Prix has those rubber buttons with the black stuff on the bottom that completes a circuit underneath on the circuit board. When I pushed the buttons, the game would not respond. So, i used my metal screwdriver tip to complete the circuit on the pad that would normally be pushed by the button. Lo and behold! The game started!

So I cleaned the back of the buttons and the little open circuit contact areas underneath with contact cleaner. Then put the control panel and buttons back together and YAY I now have a fully-functionally game!

Whoopie - ding - dang, all that Electronic Training actually paid off, he he!

[LM]

Slowly but surely, as I acquire more and more of these, I'm learning that a number of 'non working' games are really common sense fixes for anyone with half a brain and a screwdriver to take the caseback off.

I really look forward to learning more about electronics and how this stuff works (I know very little) but the two of the last three "non working" games I bought were all repaired on my kitchen table by cleaning out gunk or rebending a metal contact that had become misshapen due to use...

Now, if I can just figure out what's wrong with that damn Bambino Boxing