|
|
March 31, 2000
The final problem with vertical hold was solved today when I realized that the -v sync line on the monitor plug was jumpered over to -h sync. (Composite sync setup) After putting the right wires in the right places, vertical hold was locked and I was set for a night of gaming. I had to move a couple of buttons and had left/right reversed on one of the joysticks, but everything worked otherwise.
March 30, 2000
I connected a Wonderboy arcade board to my monitor last night and duplicate the same problems I had with ArcadeOS/MAME. This was quite a disappointment until I started randomly connecting sync wires and got a centered, still picture. Excited with the results I quickly connected my PC but had no success. After some more time playing around with the sync wires - I got it. A centered picture with a slight vertical scroll. I was able to stop the scrolling but it doesn't remain stable forever. I'll have to work on that. This is how my PC is connected now:
| PC | Monitor |
| h Sync | -h Sync |
| v Sync | -v Sync |
| Ground | Ground |
*** Both positive sync leads on the monitor are connected together.
March 29, 2000
Last night I tried 4 different video cards in an effort to get my monitor working. 3 video cards worked and 1 didn't. They all had the same symptoms as the ATI card. The video is still partially on the left and partially on the right horizontal edge. (Horz/Vert in the photos below. My next step will be connecting an arcade board to the monitor to figure out if the monitor has a problem. I also worked on my Space Invaders power supply and should finish it tonight.
March 28, 2000
I'm working diligently on my MAME cabinet. I've had endless problems with getting the monitor to behave properly. I finally have a stable picture with the vertical sync connected to negative vertical on the monitor and horizontal sync connected to positive horizontal sync. Unfortunately I can't get the picture centered now. The center of the screen is blank and the image is on the top/bottom (which is really horizontal left/right because the monitor is turned. If you can help or have ideas on how to get the monitor working then please help! I put a couple of photos below so you can see what's happening.
I'm continuing to replace/troubleshoot components on my Space Invaders power supply. I haven't been too rushed to get it working because the boards are still out for repair. Yesterday I received the final cap for it and I think the only other problem is a couple of diodes that I'll replace shortly.
March 24, 2000
I've been so busy with guests, remodeling bathrooms and staining furniture that I haven't done a whole lot on my arcade machines. Here's the latest. I received almost all the parts I need to get my MAME cabinet and Space Invaders power supply working. I also received an ATI 3D Rage II+ which I bought for $20 from a place I found through pricewatch.com.
I replace some components on the Space Invaders power supply but still have a few left to go. I also had to re-order a huge cap because I received the wrong one. For my MAME monitor, I need to improvise a solution to putting a potentiometer with 5mm pin spacing into a PCB with 10mm spaced holes. Apparently the industry standardized on potentiometer footprints sometime after my Defender cabinet was made.
March 8, 2000
My order of replacement parts for the monitor and Space Invaders Power Supply arrived.
March 6, 2000
I modified the power supply I previously made to put out +5v.
March 4, 2000
I tried connecting a PC power supply to the coin door lights but had some trouble with it cutting off when I put a load on it. My assumption is that there's a sense line on it but I don't have any of my old pin-outs to look at. I ended up making a linear power supply (+12v) to handle the lights. I managed to use an existing coil from the isolation transformer, which greatly simplified my design. I'll be modifying it soon to also put out +5v. I've posted some photos for now but will be posting the schematic soon.
March 3, 2000
Today I sent my Space Invaders board set out to be repaired. I won't say who's doing it until I'm sure he's OK with the advertising. He promised that I could post the repair info when he's finished though.
March 1, 2000
I finally got some time to work on my MAME cabinet again. I did some wiring on the transformer, power supply, etc. I also drilled holes for the player start buttons and escape/tab buttons.
I added several photos around the MAME cabinet area of the web site. There's a new page that describes the internal wiring.