PC - Jpac - JAMMA cab problems!

[keyamon]

i've been trying to help my mate sort out his JAMMA cab which has a jpac and pc in it with an Arcade VGA card.. i thought is was maybe a software/drivers problem, but we're reinstalled stuff and it's still the same.
the problems are:-

1. the screen will never stop rolling (can sometimes get it to go real slow)
2. you have to press F1 for the PC to load windows!? or it just hangs with a blue flickering line.
3. i put in a ATI Rage Pro to try and run the PC on a normal monitor so we could see what the error message was but the monitor wouldnt even turn on.. just sat there on standby, like nothing was plugged in 
4. he is now on the second J-Pac and this one seems to be faulty now too, the controls dont work, and the keyboard wont work if its pluged in to it. and the LEDs dont come on.

i have no idea what's going on with the PC and why we need to press F1 to start..
i have a theory that the monitor rolling is maybe caused by faulty wiring, because the monitor controls have been removed from the chassis and wired up so they are mounted on the outside of the cab. and this all started to happen a little while after he rotated the monitor.  i could easily re-solder them, and do a better job, but i dont know anything about monitors and have a phobia of electrocution

and is there any way a short on the monitor could cause the JPac to blow??

so if anyone has any ideas on any of these problems. and any advice please let me know
thanks

[Bursar]

If the PC is requesting that you press F1 to boot up, there is something wrong.

It would probably be worth removing the PC from the cab, using a 'normal' video card and running it without the JPAC.

Reseat all the components such as RAM, IDE cables and so-on.

If it's a modern PC, go into the BIOS and have a look at the event log. It should list any problems.

It could simply be that the PC isn't detecting a keyboard, and so gives the classic error: No keyboard found, press a key to continue.

You should be able to change the settings in the BIOS with regard to what error conditions it stops on. Something like: "All but keyboard" should do you.

With regards to the JPAC in particular, I can't help, as I haven't used one I'm afraid.

[keyamon]

that's the problem with the PC.. i cant get it to work with a standard graphics card, it just doesnt power on the PC monitor.. and the Arcade VGA card with the arcade monitor wont display the BIOS screen, it's just a flickery blurr... so i'm a bit stuffed.

i cant see that it would be a keyboard detection error (although i cant make out what it says so i dont know) because the keyboard works fine. it's just when it's plugged in to the JPac that it doesnt. 

[Bursar]

If the PC won't work with a standard graphics card, then you've got some serious problems somewhere.

Is there a BIOS reset switch or jumper on the motherboard? Might be worth doing that and seeing if it helps.

[keyamon]

there is a CMOS clear button that i did press but made no difference.
i'll get him to see if he can find the make and model of the mobo and i'll try and download the manual.

although there is definitely something other than just the PC wrong with it, it's on it's second jpac (soon to be 3rd).

[Bursar]

Is it really likely that so many JPACs are faulty, or is it more likely they are being killed/damaged by the PC?

Until you get the PC fixed, I'd be wary of trying anymore JPACs.

[RayB]

You emailed the great Andy at Ultimarc right?

When a keyboard is not connected properly, it will say "No Keyboard detected. Press F1 to continue".

Weird.

Might need more details regarding your setup. Do the SYNC and signal LEDs do anything ever?

What software did you install? Did you go and install PowerStrip or anything like that?

[keyamon]

not my cab i'm afraid so i dont know.. and he bought it already set up.. it was fine untill after he'd
1. rotated the monitor
and
2. replaced the joysticks

the wireing on the joysticks is fine. which is why i was wondering if it was maybe a short on the monitor controls, which like i said have had extra wires added so it can be mounted on the side of the cab.

anyway i've just been trying out his Jpac and AVGA card and i got the same thing problems.
the controls didnt work and the keyboard wouldnt work if plugged in to the Jpac.
when i first plugged the Jpac in to my PC, the PC beeped constantly which indicated that there was a problem with the keyboard device
i tried to run the programmer from the Ultimarc site to attempt to reset it but it just crashed my PC as soon as i clicked "program".

with the AVGA card in my PC and My JAMMA cab i couldnt get the screen to stop rolling either. although it wasnt quite as bad cos i could see all of the startup instead of just flickery blue/red bars like on his

[RayB]

Here's a question... was any of the work done while the power was on?

[CheffoJeffo]

I may be a little slow on the uptake here, but was wondering how you are connecting the JPac to your PC (e.g. USB or PS/2) ?

Cheers.