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Author Topic: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*  (Read 41100 times)

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ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #120 on: April 06, 2009, 09:07:09 am »

Good news!  The backup BSC (RAM board) I got in the ebay lot works.  Plugged it in and boom I'm back up and running.  Not sure at the moment what happened to the original one.

shardian

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #121 on: April 06, 2009, 03:56:01 pm »

Stepping aside a bit, looking at the rest of these spare boards, they all have broken dip banks.  Does anyone know of a suitable replacement?  I asked at KLOV and came up dry.

Run jumpers set to TG standards and abandon dip banks?  ;)

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #122 on: April 06, 2009, 04:49:24 pm »
Run jumpers set to TG standards and abandon dip banks?  ;)


I don't want those goons in here inspecting my games! 

More seriously, most of the dips actually used are for line breaks/signature analysis reasons.  They are useful to better techs than myself.  Not many are game settings.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2009, 05:03:35 pm by ChadTower »

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #123 on: April 07, 2009, 09:25:22 am »
Now you need to get yourself one of these:

My current collection:  Arkanoid^3, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong w/DIIK, Frenzy w/Berzerk multi, Galaga, Galaxian, Gyruss, Mappy,  Missile Command, Multi-Williams, O'Boyles Arcade (Mame), Pac-man,  Sinistar, Star Wars, Tempest, War Gods

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #124 on: April 15, 2009, 08:29:46 pm »

Been too busy lately for game work... just finished capping the spare audio board.

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #125 on: May 05, 2009, 09:38:59 am »

Woo!  Moving some stuff around the basement last night I found the joystick grommets I had lost.  Now I can rebuild the stick.

I had been saving it for a surprise but may as well mention it now.  I ordered an original Berzerk stick from a forum member and have been really looking forward to putting that in.  Still waiting on the package to arrive, though, and it was shipped at the end of March.  To be fair it's coming from Australia.

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #126 on: June 01, 2009, 09:45:38 am »

That stick still hasn't shown up.  I have pretty much given up on it.  As such I pulled the stick I have apart last night to replace the grommet.  Got it back together, it's not right, so I take it apart and compare the replacement grommet to the original.  Shaft diameter is different so I guess this is for a different stick.   :banghead:

I did compare the stiffness of the rubber on the old grommet vs the new grommet and it is pretty much the same.  So it appears that the issue is not that this grommet is worn out - I just don't like the throw on this joystick.  It's really long and sometimes the thing doesn't hit the diagonals as well as I'd like.

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #127 on: June 04, 2009, 08:37:08 pm »
Okay, been playing with Bob Roberts' width kit for quite a while now.  C38 originally had a .39uf cap in it... so I tried moving up to .47uf and the pic either didn't change or got a little worse.  So I moved down to a .334uf and it almost looked like it got even wider, which makes no sense, for it to get worse with both a higher and lower cap.  Just tried going to .808uf (.334 and .474 in parallel) and the width didn't seem to change but the pic got really dark.

 :banghead:

Anyone have a good 4600 or electrohome for sale?


EDIT:  last try, put in a .104uf... I think it fried something.  This kit did more harm than good.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 08:56:30 pm by ChadTower »

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #128 on: June 22, 2009, 07:15:44 pm »

Put the original "width cap" back in... replaced chassis... promptly smoked the ceramic resistor on the side of the chassis.

Bob Roberts' width cap kit = epic fail.


ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #129 on: June 23, 2009, 09:17:29 am »

More positive progress:  new CP!




Shelves too close to get a good shot of the front right now.




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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #130 on: June 23, 2009, 01:32:37 pm »
Nice control panel.  Was that one of the recent ones that sold on eBay? 
My current collection:  Arkanoid^3, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong w/DIIK, Frenzy w/Berzerk multi, Galaga, Galaxian, Gyruss, Mappy,  Missile Command, Multi-Williams, O'Boyles Arcade (Mame), Pac-man,  Sinistar, Star Wars, Tempest, War Gods

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #131 on: June 23, 2009, 01:37:08 pm »

I did get it off ebay... listed as NOS but I'm pretty sure this is a repro.  The price was right either way so no big deal I guess but no feedback for him!

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #132 on: June 23, 2009, 01:42:33 pm »
I was watching that auction.  I considered bidding on it even though I don't have a Berzerk...but I hope to one day.
My current collection:  Arkanoid^3, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Donkey Kong w/DIIK, Frenzy w/Berzerk multi, Galaga, Galaxian, Gyruss, Mappy,  Missile Command, Multi-Williams, O'Boyles Arcade (Mame), Pac-man,  Sinistar, Star Wars, Tempest, War Gods

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #133 on: June 23, 2009, 01:48:57 pm »
I was watching that auction.  I considered bidding on it even though I don't have a Berzerk...but I hope to one day.

Heh.  You weren't bidding on it, were you?

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #134 on: September 25, 2009, 09:08:10 pm »

It lives again!  Bought a working chassis.  The old one goes onto a shelf until I feel like fixing it.  This one had a good width coil so I was able to get the width right.  Had to adjust it all the way down to the narrowest pic to get the whole maze onto the screen.  It's there now, though. 

Next up:  adjusting the colors.  I suck at that.

Next next up:  T molding.

Next next next up:  sealing/cleaning the bezel.

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #135 on: October 02, 2009, 11:10:24 am »
Right on! I love Berzerk. I completely suck at it, but I Love playing mine. The taunting from the robots really makes the game. Damn you Evil Otto!

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #136 on: February 11, 2010, 10:42:00 am »

Okay, back to this.  Now there is substantial progress.   :)

I never could get the colors right on that k7000.  The best I could get was back to where the original chassis was to begin with.  Probably spent 3 hours just on color adjustment.  I couldn't even get a pure white without a video signal - it never got closer than a grey/blue.

I even tried swapping out the game's color board.  Berzerk isn't actually generated in color, it passes the game signal through a small PCB that adds color before it gets to the monitor.  It was originally intended to be a black and white game but they correctly recognized that with color games hitting the market they better get Berzerk in color too or nobody would buy it, speech or not.  The change in color board didn't change a thing.

At this point I decided if the problem isn't in the color board... and it's consistent across two chassis... gotta be in the tube.  I put forth some effort to find a full replacement monitor but although I would usually get several responses to WTB ads nobody would ever actually set up a time for me to show up with cash in hand.  Got fed up with that, too, and I don't ever plan on having many raster vids...

So I decided to check out the scan converter sold here.  Some forum searching turned up one solid positive review and a lot of posts asking if anyone had bought one.  I bought one.


ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #137 on: February 11, 2010, 10:48:26 am »



The converter came in about ten days, well packed, drop shipped from Canada despite clearly being a Chinese product.  It came with cables for power and a couple of different types of video in.  Connectors attached for the converter and nothing on the other end so you can easily attach your own connectors.

I had a spare 5v-2A wall wart so I used that for power. 

<pic placeholder for power>

Snagged a late model 19" VGA monitor off Freecycle (people are just dying to give away their VGA CRTs).  Made a quick adapter to get video from the Berzerk harness and fired it up.

<pic placeholder for adapter/video line>

Took a little menu tweaking to get the video perfect but the firmware in the converter is good - once you find how to change the language from Chinese to English.  The game displays perfectly.  Colors are crisp, black is true black (and that is important in Berzerk), I'm very happy with it.


ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #138 on: February 11, 2010, 11:09:13 am »

So next issue here is mounting this VGA monitor in the cabinet.  I thought this was going to be difficult but it turned out to be very simple.

I wanted it to be as close to original as possible so I used the original plywood frame.  In Berzerk this has bolts through the side of the cabinet so I wanted to keep it that way.

PLEASE NOTE THAT MY SON IS WORKING THE CAMERA FOR PROJECTS NOW AND HE'S VERY ENTHUSIASTIC

The only real challenge here is that this little lip of metal stuck out too far to fit onto that frame.  Take note of the adjustment PCB hanging off there - that's going to be a small issue in a minute.




We found a quick solution to that.




Gone!







ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #139 on: February 11, 2010, 11:19:17 am »
With that piece of metal we were free to get this baby mounted to the frame.

Ryan attaches the corner brackets to the frame.  These are standard 90 degree brackets we picked out at Lowe's after trying and deciding against 3-4 other potential solutions.  These are attached via bolts in through-holes with washers on both sides for support.  I did all the measuring and drilling - Ryan did the securing.




Fully mounted from the backside (couldn't find a way to type that without snickering).




From the front.  My intention was to run that adjustment PCB wire through that little opening and mount it on the protruding piece on the front.  As you can see I forgot about that when I mounted the monitor.  I had to take it back off and do it again.   :P




I was a little bit nervous that those CRT tabs were not designed to bear weight and would either be shaky or snap off when I tried to put the monitor in the cab.  I was wrong.  They held up great and I had no issues.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2010, 11:20:52 am by ChadTower »

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #140 on: February 11, 2010, 11:23:46 am »
Stern did a great job on the slide drawer for PCB access but a truly crappy job on the monitor removal.  It's either a two guy job or you have to be able to hold the monitor - CRT neck facing your chest - out in front of you with straight arms to mount it.  It's not easy.  And you have to disconnect the harness (on the left in the pic) from the speaker/light/power switch in the top of the cab so you can move it out of the way.  There is not enough clearance to get the frame in otherwise.  There is no way to do this via the front of the cabinet.

Back in the cabinet!




And, of course, the money shot... the game in action.  Note this time the adjustment PCB is where it should be.  Also note that the monitor has been back in the cab for 90 seconds at this point and Ryan is already jockeying for position to play.   ;D



« Last Edit: February 11, 2010, 11:35:07 am by ChadTower »

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #141 on: February 11, 2010, 03:24:44 pm »
O man, why didn't you buy a real arcade monitor....... :'(

ChadTower

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #142 on: February 11, 2010, 03:33:02 pm »

This actually looks much better than a 20 year old burned in end of life monitor.  No burn in! 

I never did care about 15khz, scanlines, color bleed, etc.  I put forth more than a token effort to get this running on a "real arcade monitor".  I ran out of patience with sellers who had monitors but wouldn't ever actually make a transaction.  Seems like right now everybody with extra monitors are sitting on them waiting for the prices to go up as people get desperate.  I'm not looking to play that game anymore for raster monitors that display just as well on a VGA monitor that can be had all day long for free. 

Eventually it's either going to be this or the raster games will end up like vectors - good working games parted out because the monitors are worth more than whole games.  At least this time we have an alternative.

I could have put in LCD in there!   ;D


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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #143 on: February 11, 2010, 03:40:52 pm »

This actually looks much better than a 20 year old burned in end of life monitor.  No burn in! 
I love my burn in. It BELONGS there :D
I'm really lucky with the G07 in my machine. The picture looks like brand new. I'm _not_ going to cap-kit this.

I meant buying a Vision Pro from AS for instance, a new one, he won't be sitting on them I'm sure.... man, you're in the states, you can actually buy new arcade monitors....I was VERY lucky to find one recently here. NOS (but for another game).

I could have put in LCD in there!   ;D

Of course, but then I would have had to kill you, wouldn't I.
 




:D





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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #144 on: February 11, 2010, 04:14:07 pm »
Dude, you live in New England, which is like Arcade Game Mecca...you couldn't find one person to sell you a working 19" standard res monitor?

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #145 on: February 11, 2010, 08:10:52 pm »
Dude, you live in New England, which is like Arcade Game Mecca...you couldn't find one person to sell you a working 19" standard res monitor?


How many WTB posts did you see me make?  Never turned up one deal that wasn't someone who stopped responding, changed the terms after the fact, or didn't actually have one.  Closest I came was a collector we both know in southern NH who consistently would stop responding when I tried to set up an actual time to come get it.

The more I think about it, though, the less of an actual problem I see with this.  It doesn't look all that much different than an arcade monitor would if it weren't 20 years old and burned.  It's Berzerk, a stick figure running around a monochrome maze shooting robots that are practically nonanimated.  What's the difference between putting in some random arcade monitor vs some random VGA monitor? 

I just don't get how people who consider MAME to be a "faithful representation of the game" can be so adamant about a display that isn't actually part of the game.  Emulation is a way bigger bastardization than a VGA monitor used with original game PCBs.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2010, 08:18:35 pm by ChadTower »

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #146 on: February 12, 2010, 01:40:36 am »
How many WTB posts did you see me make?  

None, actually.  I don't venture into BST that often, and when I do it's to berate people for not putting their location in their thread titles.

If I'd known you were looking I probably could have set you up.  But hey, you're actually up and playing now, so that's what matters.

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Re: CHICKEN RESTORE LIKE A ROBOT (Berzerk) *IT LIVES*
« Reply #147 on: February 12, 2010, 01:48:54 am »
The more I think about it, though, the less of an actual problem I see with this.  It doesn't look all that much different than an arcade monitor would if it weren't 20 years old and burned.

.....  What's the difference between putting in some random arcade monitor vs some random VGA monitor?  
The difference is that the pixels are way too small on that VGA monitor....plus the converter looses quality, no matter what.

I just don't get how people who consider MAME to be a "faithful representation of the game" can be so adamant about a display that isn't actually part of the game.
I don't think that. Mame is nice if you have no alternative, but it never plays exactly like the same hardware.

 Emulation is a way bigger bastardization than a VGA monitor used with original game PCBs.
100% agreed !

Don't take this too seriously, it's not like you hacked a Xarcade CP and a MAME PC in it....
And there is always the cost question, I realize that very much (always struggle with it). A brand new monitor is 200 bucks excl. shipping. The converter only 50....

By the way, form what I've read it looks like your problems may have actually been with converging the tube. It's not that hard to fix that really, but I can see why people don't want to try it. So you still have some good chassis there.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2010, 01:51:10 am by Level42 »