Before buying a Wells-Gardner monitor, read about their problems

[pmowry]

hehe, yeah.  I was able to set the res. down to 320x240, with no problem, but I could not see my menus or get to the icon to start the screentest app    It looked nice and clean, but I did not bother with pictures without the screentest up.  I should have taken a few when playing packman.

[ssndk]

hehe, yeah.  I was able to set the res. down to 320x240, with no problem, but I could not see my menus or get to the icon to start the screentest app    It looked nice and clean, but I did not bother with pictures without the screentest up.  I should have taken a few when playing packman.

Got mine! .. turns out I got screwed by xgaming.. what I received was a D9400 WGM2794-U0FS05S .. not a D9800 as described.. since I live in Denmark it would be uneconomical to ship it back..  oh well, the chassis should be exactly the same.. but the tube might be different.

Generally I think it looks good (I'll post pictures as soon as I get it home to my cab), geometry is nice..  I find the tube to be a bit odd.. maybe it's normal for these kind of monitors, but its like the dpi is lower at the edges of the screen.. you can clearly see it when the monitor is off... Is it the same on your monitor? I can see on your picture with the readability test that the center text is very clear, but the edges is a bit harder to read.. is the picture out of focus, or is that what you see? .. I actually see that on mine.. .. it causes things to be more blurry at the edges than in the center. I've only tried it at 800x600.. I suspect its not a big problem at lower resolutions..

EDIT: After talking with Craig at xgaming it seems I did get the correct D9800 .. It is basically a D9400 with a new tube... and the D9400 they have on Wells Gardner now uses the new tube.. seems kinda strange to me to dump the new name and keep the old.. but it does make sense if the D9800 on wells gardners home page (WGZ2798-U0FS10S) is a different monitor.. it says RCD, while the "old" D9800 (WGZ2798-U0FS08S) is an RCA .. and so is the D9400 ..

[pmowry]

It does get blurred towards the corners.  But I have not tried to adjust anything yet.  My original picture was 4274x2848, I can email you a few if you like.  I hesitate to post 4 to 5 Mb pictures to the forum.  In that version you can see it blur near the corners and a convergence problem in the top right corner.  But other than  the tests screens when I'm looking for it.  I have not noticed anything otherwise.  So I'm actually looking for a faq or monitor guide that would say if you see problem x, adjust setting y.  I actually like they way it looks now, and dont want to make it worse not knowing what I'm doing.  but knowing there is a few minor things will drive me crazy in the long run.

BTW, I purchased mine from xgaming too.  They had a better price when including shipping then WG did when shipping to louisiana.

[ssndk]

It does get blurred towards the corners.  But I have not tried to adjust anything yet.  My original picture was 4274x2848, I can email you a few if you like.  I hesitate to post 4 to 5 Mb pictures to the forum.  In that version you can see it blur near the corners and a convergence problem in the top right corner.  But other than  the tests screens when I'm looking for it.  I have not noticed anything otherwise.  So I'm actually looking for a faq or monitor guide that would say if you see problem x, adjust setting y.  I actually like they way it looks now, and dont want to make it worse not knowing what I'm doing.  but knowing there is a few minor things will drive me crazy in the long run.

BTW, I purchased mine from xgaming too.  They had a better price when including shipping then WG did when shipping to louisiana.

Mine had good convergence too.. only a very slight problem in the to right corner too.. not noticable unless you use the test screens and look for it (I'm pretty sure no monitor is perfect).. .. when the monitor is turned off, go in close and see the brighter vertical lines on the screen... doesn't it have larger spacing between the lines at the left and right ends than in the middle? .. I'm pretty sure that's what gives the blur near the corners.. there would be no way to fix that in the settings.. since its how the tube is made. I'm a perfectionist too.. I notice it when I'm in windows.. like text in the corners are more blurry than in the center, but when I punch up a game I don't really notice it.. it does bother me a little though. Again I've only tested it at 800x600.

When I think about it, it could be due to the screen being flat... and not curved..

[Ummon]

Look up CRTs and you'll see that the dot pitch varies from center to outside.

[ssndk]

Look up CRTs and you'll see that the dot pitch varies from center to outside.

Yep, didn't know that. I had a look at my old 28" too.. and yep dot pitch is larger in the corners.. but I think its noticeable larger on my D9800/D9400 (whatever). Anyway after hooking it up to MAME with a ArcadeVGA2, the only time I notice it, is at 800x600 in windows. As far as gaming goes, this monitor is really nice! great colors! I thought my old Hantarex 25" was nice..  This thing is so crisp and vivid.  I highly recommend!

[Ummon]

Good. Now to see its longevity.

[BlazzingFlippers]

Thanks for all the info guys.  I just ordered my D9800 from Xgaming so probably will get it in a week or so.  One question are you all using a sheet of glass or plexiglass or whatever on top of your bezel?  If so, where did you guy it at?  I know someone mentioned they had a tinted one.  Is this something I need to make on my own?  I didn't see anything at Happs website as I'm order the bezel from them.  Also will I need 2 people to get this installed properly?  And finally, will I need to discharge the monitor before really handling it?  This is my first CRT so this is all new territory for me.  Thanks!

[Ummon]

People have used all sorts of materials. Do a search. Places of supply should be found within that, too.

You could make it yourself.

It will likely be easiest if you have help installing it.

You will not need to discharge it.

[ssndk]

Thanks for all the info guys.  I just ordered my D9800 from Xgaming so probably will get it in a week or so.  One question are you all using a sheet of glass or plexiglass or whatever on top of your bezel?  If so, where did you guy it at?  I know someone mentioned they had a tinted one.  Is this something I need to make on my own?  I didn't see anything at Happs website as I'm order the bezel from them.  Also will I need 2 people to get this installed properly?  And finally, will I need to discharge the monitor before really handling it?  This is my first CRT so this is all new territory for me.  Thanks!

If you using the holes in the frame to mount it to the cabinet using brackets you definitely need help.. the thing is heavy! I guess if you're making a stand of some sort , you could put it there yourself. Don't be too afraid of the high voltage thing.. just dont fumble around the back of the screen with your bare hands, just use the frame to lift and move it around.  I think the only way you could get that high voltage through you is by sticking your hands under the thing that looks like a suction cup, I really don't see why anyone would want to do that.. Maybe the same people that stick their hands into dark holes they find in the forest.

[BlazzingFlippers]

Thanks for all the info guys.  I just ordered my D9800 from Xgaming so probably will get it in a week or so.  One question are you all using a sheet of glass or plexiglass or whatever on top of your bezel?  If so, where did you guy it at?  I know someone mentioned they had a tinted one.  Is this something I need to make on my own?  I didn't see anything at Happs website as I'm order the bezel from them.  Also will I need 2 people to get this installed properly?  And finally, will I need to discharge the monitor before really handling it?  This is my first CRT so this is all new territory for me.  Thanks!

If you using the holes in the frame to mount it to the cabinet using brackets you definitely need help.. the thing is heavy! I guess if you're making a stand of some sort , you could put it there yourself. Don't be too afraid of the high voltage thing.. just dont fumble around the back of the screen with your bare hands, just use the frame to lift and move it around.  I think the only way you could get that high voltage through you is by sticking your hands under the thing that looks like a suction cup, I really don't see why anyone would want to do that.. Maybe the same people that stick their hands into dark holes they find in the forest.

Thanks all for the info.  I saw someone mention on another forum that the WD9800 has a self-discharging feature when it turns off?  Is this true?  I'll still be really careful but wondered about that statement.  I should be getting it anyday now so we'll see how this thing turns out.

[ssndk]

Thanks all for the info.  I saw someone mention on another forum that the WD9800 has a self-discharging feature when it turns off?  Is this true?  I'll still be really careful but wondered about that statement.  I should be getting it anyday now so we'll see how this thing turns out.

I've read the same post somewhere.. don't know if it's true.

[Ummon]

Yes, all the digital multisyncs do. So do PC monitors, I think, as well as tube TVs in the last ten years.

[hughmcl]

Just thought I'd share my experience with my WG D9200.  Bought it in 2004, didn't install it until 2007.  After less than a month of use, the screen went green on me - images still visible, but no red or blue components to the image.  The OSD was displaying colors fine.  Tried it with a different computer with the same problem.  Tried the existing computer with a different monitor and colors were fine.  Went into the service menu (holding down sel and down) and adjusted the color bias to no effect.  I called WG and left a message for a tech.  He called back and I walked him through what I already tried.  Without hesitation he said that I needed a new IC103.  Called one of their distributors from the WG website that happened to be around the corner from me and ordered 2 (they were < $4).  Found and desoldered IC103, soldered in a socket (suspecting that this might happen again), popped in the new IC103 and everything is back to working (colors are fine).  I'm disappointed that this happened and I'm no monitor tech,  so I'm glad I was able to fix it.  It definitely sounded like the tech had seen this problem enough times to be confident in his statement regarding needing a new IC103.

Do you need to re-program the IC103 or does a blank one work?   I de-soldered and read the chip in my programmer and then filled it with ff's.  It read/wrote ok, so i'm wondering if it's not the chip that's gone bad, so much as there's bad data in the chip causing it to only show green?

I guess I'll find out in the next day or so.

          Hugh

[mvsfan]

The third world country appears to be Malaysia, according to the label on the latest POS to come to my shop.

a 13" D7700 arrives new in box from Happ and blows as soon as it's powered up.  Found the Horizontal output transistor blown.  Replaced it.  Still doesn't work.  Call WG tech support.  They tell me that they're having a problem with the oscillating frequency being improperly set at the factory, causing monitors to go down.

Just another example of poor quality control.

ive heard about this for a long time and it does make me wonder. But i currently own 2 U2000 monitors built in 1996 and 1997 respectively, and it seems to me that WG did build their reputation on providing a good product. one is still working as intended and the other the only problem it has wich i just posted a question about is that im installing a cap kit. but ever since they sold to chinese factories the quality isnt their judging by all the complaints i see about the new monitors coming out.

but anyways, my project has a makvision 25" hybrid i bought from quarterarcade on ebay.

ITs been running without a hiccup for 7 years now and counting, and best of all it doesnt have a stupid osd. its got a board with a nice long cable i mounted behind my monitor bezel for adjustments.

Btw, whats the opinions on the quality of makvision? ive never seen anything bad written about them. my opinion is their excellent.

[Ummon]

I'm guessing that american companies know about the potential quality issues in other countries, but are so worried about cash, and are just praying the products at least make it a few months or so. Which of course is ---smurfy---, and you'd think they'd know by now. Or, maybe they're duped by those companies abroad, who show they can produce a passable product, then skimp on the contract units.

Though I didn't have it very long, the D9400 I had was I'd say 95%, compared to other monitors I've seen.

[Larry]

For those of you wanting a Nieman Video Display, I distribute them from Phoenix, AZ.  Good prices.  Good Service.  Good monitor.

Larry

[Ken Layton]

What was the generic chip number type of IC103 for other people's reference so they can buy it too?

For the D9200 series monitor, IC103 is Wells-Gardner part # 086X0394-001 Serial EEPROM, 256x8, 8 pin Dip.

Generic numbers are 24C02, KS24C02, and AT24C02.

Jameco Electronics part # 108839 for the 24C02P and it's only 29 cents!

I believe you can sub a 24C04 which is larger memory capacity chip with same pinout, physical size, and current/voltage ratings.