Original monitor woes

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Troz
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Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

I've installed the ArcadeVGA card and put the original monitor back into the machine. When I do this, I cannot get the picture to fill up the screen horizontally once NuCore starts. The BIOS and Ubuntu status screens fill the monitor edge to edge. I have adjusted the horizontal size controls as much as possible but I still have about 1/4 or so of the screen unused. As such, the image does not line up properly as one would expect.

The original monitor is the Wells Gardner model, and that horizontal size knob is a pain to reach! I didn't know it existed until I found spec sheets for the monitor earlier today. I'm also unable to use the horizontal position knob to push the screen all the way to the right. The monitor was fine prior to NuCore and as I said, is fine during boot screens. I have a feeling that the 640x480 resolution mode may be the main culprit.

As a test, I used a newer, spare 19" monitor I used to have in a cocktail cabinet. No problems, so I know the issues lie with the original monitor. I'd put this monitor in the cabinet but it doesn't clear the back of the head. I'll build a new back to the cabinet to use this newer monitor if I can't solve the issues with the original monitor, but I'm hoping someone can help me.

Any thoughts?

-Karl D.
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Chuck
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Unfortunately I'm no expert on 15k monitors. I have read about this before and I think I'm having the same issue with my Tron arcade game. I read that it could be a cap issue and re-capping should fix it. Again, I'm no expert so you might want to post on the arcadecontrol.com forums. Those guys know a lot about these monitors.
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Jazman
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Jazman »

Chuck wrote:Unfortunately I'm no expert on 15k monitors. I have read about this before and I think I'm having the same issue with my Tron arcade game. I read that it could be a cap issue and re-capping should fix it. Again, I'm no expert so you might want to post on the arcadecontrol.com forums. Those guys know a lot about these monitors.
It sounds like the original monitor works fine with the stock computer though. It also seems to display fine during the boot screens. Did one of your beta testers (or yourself) test with a ArcadeVGA and the most common WG monitor?

I'm pretty concerned at this point right now. I was about to order a card, but I also have a WG monitor so I'd be in the same boat. I'm kind of stuck right now as I don't want to drop another $100 on this endeavor unless I'm sure it will work.

Jaz
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Chuck
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Jazman wrote:
Chuck wrote:Unfortunately I'm no expert on 15k monitors. I have read about this before and I think I'm having the same issue with my Tron arcade game. I read that it could be a cap issue and re-capping should fix it. Again, I'm no expert so you might want to post on the arcadecontrol.com forums. Those guys know a lot about these monitors.
It sounds like the original monitor works fine with the stock computer though. It also seems to display fine during the boot screens. Did one of your beta testers (or yourself) test with a ArcadeVGA and the most common WG monitor?

I'm pretty concerned at this point right now. I was about to order a card, but I also have a WG monitor so I'd be in the same boat. I'm kind of stuck right now as I don't want to drop another $100 on this endeavor unless I'm sure it will work.

Jaz
Two of our beta testers used it and I also used it.
Troz
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

Thanks for the link Chuck. I had run into Bob Roberts for the cap kit but missed that page.

Jaz, no need to worry as I'm certain it's my monitor because..... IT'S DEAD NOW! :lol:

I tried a tip to press sw301 on the chassis here at arcadecontrols.com. After doing that, the monitor wouldn't turn on anymore. I'm messaging Ken Layton over there to hope he'll send me the repair guide he wrote for this monitor.
Troz
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

Cap kit ordered along with a few other parts based on the information I received from Ken Layton. I'll update this thread with results once I have them. This will be my first monitor discharging.... eek!
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Jazman »

Chuck wrote:
Jazman wrote:
Chuck wrote:Unfortunately I'm no expert on 15k monitors. I have read about this before and I think I'm having the same issue with my Tron arcade game. I read that it could be a cap issue and re-capping should fix it. Again, I'm no expert so you might want to post on the arcadecontrol.com forums. Those guys know a lot about these monitors.
It sounds like the original monitor works fine with the stock computer though. It also seems to display fine during the boot screens. Did one of your beta testers (or yourself) test with a ArcadeVGA and the most common WG monitor?

I'm pretty concerned at this point right now. I was about to order a card, but I also have a WG monitor so I'd be in the same boat. I'm kind of stuck right now as I don't want to drop another $100 on this endeavor unless I'm sure it will work.

Jaz
Two of our beta testers used it and I also used it.
Ok cool. Thanks Chuck.
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Chuck
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Troz wrote:Cap kit ordered along with a few other parts based on the information I received from Ken Layton. I'll update this thread with results once I have them. This will be my first monitor discharging.... eek!
Troz,

What's the status on this?
Troz
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

Sorry about the lack of info. I've been working on my other pin projects since the Pin2k is finally finished.

Everything went fine after replacing the components recommended by Ken Layton. I'd think I'm in the minority of preferring the CRT over the LCDs, but I'm very happy to have it up and running. I've got two photos to post of the comparison between CRT and LCD once I get around to it, along with an auto-launcher mod using Stern parts since they're widely available.

-Karl
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Troz wrote:Sorry about the lack of info. I've been working on my other pin projects since the Pin2k is finally finished.

Everything went fine after replacing the components recommended by Ken Layton. I'd think I'm in the minority of preferring the CRT over the LCDs, but I'm very happy to have it up and running. I've got two photos to post of the comparison between CRT and LCD once I get around to it, along with an auto-launcher mod using Stern parts since they're widely available.

-Karl
Karl,

Please post a quick step by step of what you did if you will. I'm sure it will help other people.

Thanks
Troz
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

Basically there's not much too it if you're familiar with replacing components on a circuit board. To discharge the monitor, I first watched the videos linked over at a thread on Arcadecontrols.com and followed the directions shown there. I didn't run into any surprises with my monitor. Looking back, this made me more nervous than I needed to be. There really isn't much to discharging a monitor as long as the proper precautions are taken.

Once I had the chassis removed, I began to replace the components. For my issue, I needed a cap kit which was available at therealbobroberts.com (K7302 Color) along with a few additional components listed below, which I purchased from Mouser.com:

- R812: 68ohm, 1/2w resistor
- Q801: NTE375 Transistor

After the components were replaced on the chassis, I reconnected all of the plugs and was good to go. This fixed my dead monitor along with the horizontal width/positioning issue I had. Both RFM and SWE1 line up perfectly now as they should.
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Chuck »

Thanks for posting that Karl.

I take it the resistor and transistor were the parts that failed and the cap kit took care of the alignment issue.
Troz
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by Troz »

Yes, the failure was fixed by those items as well as C807 (100uf 16v) which was in the cap kit, although I can't verify this since I replaced all of the components at the same time. The cap kit is what I assume took care of the alignment issue.
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Re: Original monitor woes

Post by JB »

Due to a lack of available replacement CRT monitors, I too had to rebuild my original. After a cap kit and replacement of the transistor and resistor, mine still had the horizontal-shift problem. I asked "The Real Bob Roberts" about it and here is what he said:

"Width problems are not shift problems... you'll have equal amounts of black
on both sides of the pic instead of just one side with a shift.

That [the WG K7302] came out after I retired, so I've never seen one, let alone worked on
one, but I can tell you the problem is not the pic tube.

One thing that caused that problem on the K7000 chassis' was when the sync
line was hooked up to both VS & HS & I would guess that the next generation
chassis would have been the same. They only need one sync line hooked up to
HS only.... no connection to the VS. Some of the K7000 chassis' also had
jumper wires to shift the pic Left-Center-Right & Up-Center-Down."

I believe I have the wrong sync wire connected! I will get to it tonight and post back here as to the results.

Thanks,
-JB
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