Donkey Kong Repair Log



Donkey Kong PCB's are known for their inferior quality sockets. I had been getting graphic glitches previously and replaced the sockets for ROM's 4R and 4R. Recently I began getting graphic glitches again so I decided to replace the sockets for ROM's 4M and 4N. I carefully removed the two ROM's and set them aside.

I removed the old sockets by cutting them into pieces which just left pins. I then carefully removed the pins one at a time using a small amount of heat. The minimal amount of heat I put on the board lessens the risk of ruining a via or lifting a trace. I used my Aoyue 474A+ to clean out all the vias from old solder. If you meticulously maintain this tool it always does a great job.

The new sockets have been installed.


I carefully replace the ROM's and tested the board. No more glitches!

Once I got the game working properly I decided to return the game to its original condition. The game is one of the earliest blue Donkey Kong games known so I wanted to keep it as original as possible. At one time someone had installed a free credit switch. Since that is not original to the game it had to go!
Tracing the wires revealed that the orange coin switch wires had been cut and the credit button wires were spliced in. I removed the wires for the credit button and reconnected the orange coin switch wires as they originally would have been. This repair also allowed for the coin counter to function as it now advances with each quarter drop!
The credit button and associated wiring were removed. The game was once again ready to accept quarters.
At one time a switcher had been installed. In order to make the game as original as possible this also had to be removed.
Luckily, the original Nintendo PP-7B power supply was still in the bottom of the game! It was disconnected but looked fairly complete.
The power supply was removed from the game and opened. Everything looked good inside. There appeared to be no damage, corrosion, swollen caps or anything out of the ordinary that pointed to the reason as to why the power supply was originally taken out of service. With the power supply completely disassembled I decided to install a  cap kit.
All recapped and ready to be installed in the game! I verified all the voltages on the power supply before installing it and found that they were all present and within specification.
Listed to the left are what the voltages for Nintendo PP-7A and PP-7B power supplies should be based on the schematics. The voltages for my power supply, which is a PP-7B are written in pencil. NOTE – My game has an early TKG3 four board set that has the ladder cheat but does not have the Nintendo Of America Inc. line. Thus, your voltages may be different. Also, pin one and pin two of the 7P SOU connector on the power supply do NOT have any voltages. This may be different for other power supplies, board sets or games.
Unfortunately, when the switcher was installed all the connectors on the cables were cut off. Thus, I had to remake a 7P SOU cable, a 9P CPU cable and a 10P CLK cable. I had to add new SCH crimp connectors to each wire and install them into a new molex. I used a pair of SN-01BM ratchet crimping pliers for this type of connector.
After a lengthy process the cables were done and ready to be installed!
I carefully connected the cables to the power supply and prepared for the initial power up.
Success!  Kong Off here I come!