{"id":2063,"date":"2016-09-15T02:35:08","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T02:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/?p=2063"},"modified":"2016-09-15T02:35:08","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T02:35:08","slug":"for-a-vtw-400-video-typewriter-non-functional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/?p=2063","title":{"rendered":"FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – non-functional"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following FOR-A character generator does power on, with the green front panel light illuminated. There’s a beep upon boot-up, fan works, and power is going to each of 4 circuit boards (of which 2 have red lights), but no video signal emerges.<\/p>\n

Upon boot-up, unit is supposed to display one of 5 messages via Video and Line Out on its internal condition, but it seems it doesn’t get that far, as whatever video is inputted into the main unit is stopped somewhere within the boards.<\/p>\n

Main unit doesn’t communicate with keyboard, although keyboard is getting power (as evidenced when keys illuminated on boot-up, and when Shift Lock key is depressed. No other lights on keyboard turn on when any other keys are depressed except Shift Lock, or Shift (which turns on Shift Lock light).<\/p>\n

There’s a reset button on the rear of the keyboard and on the second-from-the-top circuit board, but they have no effect on snapping main unit back to life and enabling some video display.<\/p>\n

I cracked open the unit, blew out dust from the slots where the 4 circuit boards connect with the motherboard, and made sure they were pushed in flush – no change.<\/p>\n

Circuit boards don’t show any visible sign of corrosion or bad capacitors, and power supply seems sound.<\/p>\n

Seller reported this unit was functional until it was pulled in February. Not sure if some severe jostling during shipping affected the unit’s integrity, but everything is encased in very tough metal.<\/p>\n

Suggestions?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"IMG_3285_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter (front panel).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3283_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – Top view w\/o cover.\"IMG_3280_m\"<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3267_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – front panel removed, exposing vertical motherboard + 4 circuit boards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3269_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – motherboard with pilot light on (indicating power flow-thru).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"IMG_3268_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – second-from top circuit board, with second red pilot light on, and (presumably) small black reset button which proved ineffective.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3278_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – top view of top circuit board’s sealed battery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3284_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – view of front, power on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3279_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – security latch for circuit boards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3272_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – right side showing labeled slots for the 4 circuit boards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3281_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – connections on rear of motherboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3273_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – rear panel video connections (inner view).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3286_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – rear panel video connectors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3287M\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – rear serial connections.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3292_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – rear connection to central unit. Reset button has no effect on resetting CG unit to display \/ output any video signals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3293_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – keyboard. When main unit is powered on, keyboard lights up + there’s a beep. No other lights turn on or remain on. Keyboard seems dead…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IMG_3294_m\"<\/a>
FOR-A VTW-400 Video Typewriter – …but if Shift Lock is pressed, there’s a light. Keyboard is receiving power, but there’s no communication between it and the central unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following FOR-A character generator does power on, with the green front panel light illuminated. There’s a beep upon boot-up, fan works, and power is going to each of 4 circuit boards (of which 2 have red lights), but no video signal emerges. Upon boot-up, unit is supposed to display one of 5 messages via Video and Line Out on its internal condition, but it seems it doesn’t get that far, as whatever video is inputted into the main unit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[320],"tags":[298,321],"class_list":["post-2063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-character-generators","tag-character-generator","tag-for-a-vtw-400"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2064,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063\/revisions\/2064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigheadamusements.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}