Strange Time Crisis 4 load related issue

[Hydreigon]

One of the sides on a Time Crisis 4 twin I do periodic work on has developed some strange symptoms related to failure to load content from the hard disk. These symptoms being:

• The main attract cutscene would freeze but the scrolling text up top would still scroll.
• The ingame attract sequences would stop playing background music.
• Game softlocks at a "Now Loading" screen.

Attempting to load something from the hard disk (either it transitioning to the next attract sequence, starting a game or entering test mode) when currently under these symptoms would crash with this screenshot attached. The owner of the cab would say eventually (around an hour) the game would play fine without load related bugs.

This isn't a hard drive issue (swapped drives from both sides and the issue didn't follow). I may swap power supplies in the near future (although I doubt that since it initially was 4.9v and raised it to 5.05v). I unfortunately don't have access to this cab often since I live around 1.2 hours from that arcade that has it.

 

[ArcSys101]

Maybe the system super 256 is the problem, check the fans in the system too, or try to clean the dongle maybe it has moisture in the pins

 

[Hydreigon]

Quite frankly, I did switch the dongles between the two and it didn't follow either. The fan is spinning well (since that fan itself isn't factory and has been replaced by me around a year ago). It's likely a board issue since I exhausted most other parts but the main board.

If someone were to give an explanation, I may know what they might say (BGA IC related).

 

[ArcSys101]

Well if even you switch the other system in the cab if that symptoms still persist maybe that is really the graphics Problem

 

[Hydreigon]

It's come to my attention that I forgot to consider the IDE cable or port would be at fault. What I will do next is replace the cable and reflow the port sometime in the future (but not this weekend because working on this worn me out).

Another friend of mine is having a similar load related issue with a Tekken 5 and already replaced the DVD drive. I will get to the same things above and cleaning the disc to see if that improves anything.

 

[Hydreigon]

Finally resolved.

Been weeks since I decided to take on that cab again fortunately with success in fixing the defective side. Ended up replacing the IDE cable (original one I noticed had an exposed wire so it's likely some of them were bent and cracked). I also reflowed the IDE connector to fortify the connection there too.