Main Restorations Software Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Everything Else Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements Monitor/Video GroovyMAME Merit/JVL Touchscreen Meet Up Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing Woodworking Software Support Forums Consoles Project Arcade Reviews
Automated Projects Artwork Frontend Support Forums Pinball Forum Discussion Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board controls.dat Linux Miscellaneous Arcade Wiki Discussion Old Archives
Lightguns Arcade1Up Try the site in https mode Site News

Unread posts | New Replies | Recent posts | Rules | Chatroom | Wiki | File Repository | RSS | Submit news

  

Author Topic: Arkanoid Spinner problem - only moves 'Vaus' to the right!  (Read 4991 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

gocmpn

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
  • Last login:September 14, 2021, 09:17:34 pm
  • I want to build my own arcade controls!
Arkanoid Spinner problem - only moves 'Vaus' to the right!
« on: July 25, 2021, 09:51:29 pm »
New person here!   Was given ($20 cash) an older Arkanoid Arcade Game!   After some tinkering, I've got everything working except the Spinner will only make the "Vaus' go right , but cannot get it to spin left.

I think i've checked all the correct wires, I have the original manual, found stuff online but still not working!

Is there a way to test a spinner? 

Any other ideas?

I am fair with electronics but by no means an expert ( I know how to use a test meter, solder, etc.

Thanks, Roger

PL1

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9390
  • Last login:Yesterday at 07:39:08 pm
  • Designated spam hunter
Re: Arkanoid Spinner problem - only moves 'Vaus' to the right!
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2021, 12:58:31 am »
the Spinner will only make the "Vaus' go right , but cannot get it to spin left.
You get a quadrature waveform like this on the data lines when you turn the spinner clockwise. (. . . 1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4 . . .)

When you turn the spinner counter-clockwise the pattern is reversed. (. . . 4  3  2  1  4  3  2  1 . . .)



Since the Vaus moves to the right, we know that the spinner optical circuits for both data lines are working correctly, providing logic highs or lows depending on whether the encoder wheel is blocking or not blocking the gap between the LED and phototransistor.

The problem must be on the game PCB where the logic levels on the spinner data lines are translated into movement steps for the Vaus.

One potential issue is that Arkanoid was widely bootlegged, so the first thing you should do is find out if you have an original or a bootleg PCB.
- The rest of this post assumes you have a non-bootleg PCB.

The schematics for the non-bootleg PCB are somewhat difficult to find, but I found a partial version at http://wiki.pldarchive.co.uk/images/e/ec/Arkanoid_schematics.pdf.
Quote
The schematics are incomplete. Various signals and custom chips are not present in this schematic

The closest things I could find are on page 4, top center where you see ovals with G-15, G-16, G-S, and G-T.
- These are the data lines for P1 spinner and P2 spinner (cocktail cab) according to page 2 of the manual here.

The connections aren't shown in the schematic, but it looks like the data lines might pass through the 74LS157 to the 74LS669 chips on page 4, upper right.
- Far as I can tell, the physical location of these chips on the PCB is shown on page 5, coordinates G-8.
-- On page 5, the 74LS157 is labeled "IC 11" ("IC 7" on the PCB) and the 74LS669s are labeled "IC 23". ("IC 5" and "IC 6" on the PCB)
-- Check if there are traces connecting the data lines to these chips.

74LS669 chips can be used as quadrature decoders as mentioned here.
- One output from the 74LS669 will tell the PCB when to move one step and another output will tell it which direction to move.
- Looks like something (bad chip, broken trace, short circuit, etc.) is preventing the directional output from changing.


Scott

gocmpn

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
  • Last login:September 14, 2021, 09:17:34 pm
  • I want to build my own arcade controls!
Re: Arkanoid Spinner problem - only moves 'Vaus' to the right!
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2021, 10:41:14 am »
Thank You PL1 !

I will do some tracking down, eyeballing of the PCB and more reading of all the info you sent !!

Thanks again!   Roger