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Notches Missing From Pac-Man and Ghost Graphics
Repair Case Summary
This page documents a firsthand Notches Missing From Pac-Man and Ghost Graphics repair case.
It is intended for technicians and collectors troubleshooting original Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man arcade PCB hardware.
- Date: 2017-04-07
- Board: Original Pac-Man PCB
- Category: Graphics / character ROMs
- Symptoms:
- Pac-Man had a notch missing on the side opposite his mouth.
- All ghosts had a notch missing from the tops of their heads.
- Diagnostic observations / tests:
- Original masked ROMs were in use.
- Swapping the suspect ROMs removed the problem.
- Components / locations investigated: 5E, 5F
- Root cause: Bad 5E/5F masked ROMs.
- Repair: Replaced the original masked ROMs at 5E/5F with known-good ROMs.
- Result: Pac-Man and ghost graphics returned to normal.
- Search terms: Pac-Man notch; ghost head notch; missing sprite pixels; 5E; 5F; masked ROM; character graphics
- 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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