Tron Switching Power Supply Adapter

I wanted to provide a bit more detail on the switching power supply adapter that I purchased and installed. Tron and other Midway MCR platform games used similar power supplies. Twenty years later the problems like I have are the result of batteries being mounted on those power supplies. That problem in combination with the overall complexity of the MCR power supply and game PCB power needs make these very difficult to maintain long term.

Many classic arcade games are easily converted to using newer “switching” power supplies, which are much more reliable and easier to maintain. However, MCR games have had issues using them directly due to some of the power requirements of the boards. They would have problems such as a hum in the audio of the game, maybe due to grounding.

Tom Wisnionski later created an MCR Switching Power Supply Adapter to properly interface a switching power supply to the MCR cabinet. I purchased one of these from Arcadeshop and installed it this week. I decided to tap into power using the power line distribution blocks on the main power assembly in the bottom of the cabinet. Installation was very clean and worked great. Here are a couple preliminary pictures of the adapter and power supply I used. I will take better pictures once I reassemble the cabinet during restoration.

Here are a few MCR game links for more information:
Bally Midway MCR System Games FAQ - Great document telling you all you need to know!
Wizzes Workshop - Designer of the MCR Switching Power Supply Adapter
Tron Freeplay - Great ROM modification to allow true freeplay in the game