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Dead Board, Watchdog Running, Broken Traces at 3S
Repair Case Summary
This page documents a firsthand Dead Board, Watchdog Running, Broken Traces at 3S repair case.
It is intended for technicians and collectors troubleshooting original Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man arcade PCB hardware.
- Date: 2017-06-07
- Board: Original Pac-Man PCB
- Category: Boot failure / watchdog / traces
- Symptoms:
- Board completely dead.
- Watchdog was going crazy.
- No pulse at 5M, 3P, or 9C.
- Diagnostic observations / tests:
- The 161 at 3S had been replaced previously.
- Traces beneath the socket looked poor.
- Removing the socket revealed bad traces at pins 2 and 5.
- Components / locations investigated: 3S, 161, 3S pin 2, 3S pin 5, 5M, 3P, 9C
- Root cause: Two broken/bad traces beneath the socket at 3S, pins 2 and 5.
- Repair: Repaired the pin 2 and pin 5 traces at 3S.
- Result: The board booted immediately.
- Search terms: Pac-Man watchdog; dead board; no pulse 5M; no pulse 3P; no pulse 9C; 3S; 161; broken trace
- Evidence: Physically verified repair / firsthand repair log
How to Use This Repair Record
This is a firsthand physical repair case. The same symptom on another Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man PCB can have a different electrical cause. Use the documented diagnostic observations and tests to guide troubleshooting rather than replacing a component solely because it repaired this board.
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