RGB modded TV for Arcade Monitor

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PL1:

--- Quote from: Rocketeer2001 on June 07, 2024, 08:17:48 pm ---I realized that the Big Buck Hunter game board is essentially just a computer motherboard, and like any other computer you don't switch monitor resolutions using the motherboard, you use the operating system. My theory is the Kit version of this game that you'd buy for retrofitting an old cabinet came with a slightly different hard drive that had the programming to allow you to use the resolution dip switches on the motherboard.

--- End quote ---
There are three BBH2 versions in MAME:
bbh2sp - (v2.02.11) http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=bbh2sp
bbh2spa - (v2.02.09) http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=bbh2spa
bbh2spb - (v2.02.08) http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=bbh2spb

The XML for all three versions show a resolution of 512x384@60Hz . . .

--- Code: --- <display tag="screen" type="raster" rotate="0" width="512" height="384" refresh="60.000000" pixclock="11796480" htotal="512" hbend="0" hbstart="512" vtotal="384" vbend="0" vbstart="384"/>

--- End code ---

. . . and a dipswitch SW5 named "Resolution".

--- Code: --- <dipswitch name="Resolution" tag="SW5" mask="3">
<dipvalue name="Medium" value="1" default="yes"/>
<dipvalue name="Low" value="0"/>
<dipvalue name="Low_Alt" value="2"/>
</dipswitch>
<dipswitch name="SW5-3" tag="SW5" mask="4">
<dipvalue name="On" value="0" default="yes"/>
<dipvalue name="Off" value="4"/>
</dipswitch>
<dipswitch name="SW5-4" tag="SW5" mask="8">
<dipvalue name="On" value="0" default="yes"/>
<dipvalue name="Off" value="8"/>
</dipswitch>

--- End code ---

The BBH2 manual at https://amusement.itsgames.com/downloads/manuals/BBH%20Manual_0304a.pdf says this about the dipswitches . . .

Page 6

--- Quote ---The SW5-Dip switches can be found near the flashing green LED.
Dip switch 1 (OFF): Medium Resolution (DEFAULT)
Dip switch 1 (ON): Low Resolution
**Dip switch 2 (OFF): Low Resolution B Adjust
Dip switch 2 (ON): Low Resolution A (DEFAULT)
Dip switch 3 (ON): Always "ON" (DEFAULT)
Dip switch 4 (ON): Always "ON" (DEFAULT)
**If you are experiencing a “jittery” image, try this mode to
correct. Restart the game and adjust the monitor

--- End quote ---

. . . and this about low resolution monitors.

Page 7

--- Quote ---If you have a lo-res monitor, Big Buck Hunter II will
work with the addition of a special Monitor Scaler
Board. Check with your distributor for more details.

--- End quote ---

Looks like you need to get one of those Monitor Scaler Boards to make it work with your setup.
- The Monitor Scaler Board is not listed in the kit contents on page 7.
- No idea what the part # is, where to buy one, or where to find more info about it.
- Not sure if the Monitor Scaler Board is emulated in MAME.

Scott

Rocketeer2001:
Hey Scott, that's some great sleuthing! Once again highlighting my oversight when it comes to reading the manual.

I did recall reading about that 'special monitor scaler board' back when I first got the machine and read the whole manual, but it's been so many months since then that I forgot about that part.

In summary, different eprom chips won't help me, a different 'kit' game board won't help me, and a different HDD or image won't help me. I need that stupid scaler board that nobody's heard of :badmood:

I did email tech support at Incredible Technologies and they told me they didn't have any parts to make this game work in low-res mode. They probably meant that board, which makes sense now.

I'm back at either trying to fix the D9200's chassis board, or I travel 8 hours away to see a guy with a repair shop that has a rebuilt k7500 chassis paired with a med-res monitor for $500, and just swap out the D9200.

Rocketeer2001:
Gained some intel today.

Since my D9200 is on the fritz I thought I should at least be able to hook up an old VGA monitor directly to the graphics card on the game board to see the boot dialog in VGA resolution. First monitor I tried would only say "OUT OF RANGE" and displayed nothing else. Second monitor did the same thing. The 3rd monitor also said this, but this one was smart enough to tell me what signal it was receiving. This was great, because now I could test those dip switches too!

I discovered the switches do in fact work! Here's my results from playing around with them:

DIP 1=ON DIP 2=ON (low res) the monitor says: 15.9kHz / 55Hz
and shows a blank screen

DIP 1=OFF DIP 2=ON (med res) the monitor says: 25.7kHz / 61Hz
and shows a blank screen

DIP 1=OFF DIP 2=OFF (med res with Low res B adjust?) the monitor says: 640x480 / 60Hz
and totally shows the boot screen! It's like it's in VGA mode with these settings.

However, this is where things got interesting. I couldn't see the game, I could only hear it playing over the speakers. After the boot screen is done and the game loads, the monitor goes blank and I get that same "OUT OF RANGE" message I had before, but this time it says the resolution is 25.7kHz / 61Hz.
I thought I was in VGA mode, so what gives?

Having DIP 1 in the OFF position meant it was in medium res, so this time I tried it in the ON position to enable Low Res. I knew I wouldn't be able to see the boot screen, and likely wouldn't see the game either, but the monitor should still list the resolution it's running.
I fire it up and during the boot process the monitor says it's in 15.9Khz / 55Hz. The switches work! The boot sequence is working! This is it, I'm gonna get the game running in low res mode!
Then after the game loaded and I could hear the music playing, the monitor was black and said "OUT OF RANGE" 25.7kHz / 61Hz. What the?

Now I was back on my theory that the operating system was setting the resolution, so if I tried different versions of the game, maybe I'll find one that's from a kit? I have an IDE adapter and CF card so I downloaded and tried CHD version V2.02.11 , V2.02.09 , V2.02.08 and they all had the same result. What did change was the volume, oddly enough. It became quiet and would make subtle squealing noises, like it was picking up interference. When using the HDD, it isn't nearly as quiet, but does still have some of that interference. Extra odd was the volume buttons in the coin door not having any effect to change the volume...a different problem for another day.

In summary, the dip switches work to change the resolution, but my prior assumption that the data on the hard drive sets/overrides the resolution must be correct. What else could counteract the dip switch setting after the game loads?

If I could get this thing to stay in 15.9Khz, then I could use a standard TV with an RGB mod, and that 55Hz vertical refresh wouldn't matter since RGB doesn't care about that.

Zebidee:
I am concerned your tv might only support ntsc at.60hz. This is fairly common in certain regions like USA.

Even when TVs support a range of resolutions close to both 50 and 60hz (PAL and NTSC), which are common in regions like Australia, they often have poor support for 55hz. Even the expensive brands.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rocketeer2001:
I agree that normally those Hz would be an issue for a North American TV, but from other forums talking about RGB modding, it involves bypassing the jungle chip which usually looks for that 50 or 60Hz. From what I understand, if the jungle chip isn't involved then the Hz don't matter. It's worth a shot to see what happens, but that 25Khz is still an issue.

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