B&W Multivector

[Tithis]

Last year I bought a 19v2000 that only had the frame, wiring, tube & yoke, with the plan of hopefully either making an asteroids or a b&w multivector cabinet.

Last month or so I've been collecting bits to get the monitor up and running, and have started making plans for it.

First pictures of what I've gotten so far

First the frame, tube & yoke. Tube has a bit of burn in and a broken mounting tab, still workable though.



Then I had a chance to buy this and I couldn't resist, NOS tube that should be compatible if I want to do a swap.



Found a guy selling rebuilt deflection boards on ebay


Grabbed an Atari power brick, supposedly from a Battlezone


And I'm currently awaiting a HV cage from a guy on KLOV for a G05-802, which from my understanding is compatible with the 19V2000.



Since I've got a 25" upright and 19" cocktail MAME cabinets, a cabaret seems like a fitting form factor. I know the Atari cabarets only used 19" monitors in vertical orientation, so it will be a bit of a departure. Imagining it similar to this chatgpt generation.


Suppose the next thing I need to decide on and buy is how I'll be generating the vector signal. Figured with current availability I'm looking at either a Masteroids board or a VSTCM. Does anyone here have many opinions on either of them?

[alfonzotan]

I would go with vstcm.  I've tried a Masteroids board and wound up selling it, although I understand firmware updates since then have corrected a lot of the stuff I didn't like (not least including sound in Asteroids itself).  vstcm would give you access to virtually every vector game, and more flexibility in the wiring hardness and controller interface (and on-screen interface, for that matter).  And the open source origins of vstcm should mean improvements in the software available there, assuming it continues to get a bigger user base.

With the Masteroids the simplest thing would be to score an Asteroids or Deluxe wiring harness and adapt that to your build.

[Tithis]

I would go with vstcm.  I've tried a Masteroids board and wound up selling it, although I understand firmware updates since then have corrected a lot of the stuff I didn't like (not least including sound in Asteroids itself).  vstcm would give you access to virtually every vector game, and more flexibility in the wiring hardness and controller interface (and on-screen interface, for that matter).  And the open source origins of vstcm should mean improvements in the software available there, assuming it continues to get a bigger user base.

With the Masteroids the simplest thing would be to score an Asteroids or Deluxe wiring harness and adapt that to your build.

Nice, someone who has used both.

So one thing I was wondering is if you noticed a difference in things like how bright the bullets in asteroids are? I've only seen one video of the vstcm doing asteroids on a b&w monitor and the bullets didn't look brighter vs the videos I saw of the masteroids board.

[alfonzotan]

I would go with vstcm.  I've tried a Masteroids board and wound up selling it, although I understand firmware updates since then have corrected a lot of the stuff I didn't like (not least including sound in Asteroids itself).  vstcm would give you access to virtually every vector game, and more flexibility in the wiring hardness and controller interface (and on-screen interface, for that matter).  And the open source origins of vstcm should mean improvements in the software available there, assuming it continues to get a bigger user base.

With the Masteroids the simplest thing would be to score an Asteroids or Deluxe wiring harness and adapt that to your build.

Nice, someone who has used both.

So one thing I was wondering is if you noticed a difference in things like how bright the bullets in asteroids are? I've only seen one video of the vstcm doing asteroids on a b&w monitor and the bullets didn't look brighter vs the videos I saw of the masteroids board.

To be fair, I have not used a vstcm yet; I have the boards and parts but not the time to build one so far.  But it's very similar to the USB-DVG, and I have used that board, a lot.

I think the issue with Asteroids bullets is due to color vs. B&W vector monitor.  No question, on a color screen, the USB-DVG Asteroids bullets are... lame.  But I suspect on a B&W they would be fine; I actually commented out both Asteroids games on my color multivector--because I have a real Asteroids Deluxe with a Braze kit sitting next to it, and both games play MUCH better on the real McCoy.  I don't remember one way or the other whether bullet brightness was an issue with Masteroids, and based on it not making an impression I think they must have looked okay.

[Tithis]

Decided to go with the VSTCM, the creator said it does handle the brightness correctly, and its cheaper and more versatile than the masteroids.



Had to modify the code a bit to compile, it has some undeclared variables in the vecsim.cpp file, which looks to be the built in emulator section.

Tried to get it working on my oscilloscope, but not even sure if it really has an XY mode or not. Both channels showed activity though.



Would have liked to see the tiny menu up on there, but most I get is a strange diffuse glowing. I've never used XY mode on this scope, so no idea if it works or not.

[Tithis]

Paused any work for a bit due to needing to focus on fixing my car. Starting work on the Atari power block. I don't know why it was here, but I seem to have gotten the international version of the block. I wouldn't care but I cannot find the connector for the harness, so I'm gonna end up replacing the connector on the block with the molex one used stateside. It should fit in the L-shape cutout


Started with just a new power cord, making sure to match our wire color standards to the UK one (blue, brown and green vs white, black and green)


Couple of the spades on the fuse block were loose, and when I attempted to squeeze one a bit tighter it snapped. So I just replaced all the connectors, the old ones were really nasty under the old sticky brittle shrink wrap.
 


Tomorrow I'll be testing out the voltages and pinout before I start putting the new molex connector on. Might put together the wiring harness too, but actually firing up the monitor will wait until I clean up the frame as its got rust I want to clean up and one bit I need to straighten.

[Tithis]

Got around to testing the power supply. Took a bit at first because I didn't realize one of the connectors was for the power switch. I had the right connector on some old coindoor, so I just stole that and made a quick jumper to power the thing up. All voltages tested good, though I only need to the 30v-0v-30v and 6.3v heater voltages.



Since I could never find what power connector my supply actually uses I swapped all the wires over to the more standard molex connector.


Then put together the wiring harness.


Removed this deformed bolt and did my best to straighten the frame back with a big clamp



Replaced the anode cup, the old hardened rubber one just felt like it would hard to put on the tube and get anything under to discharge later. I had the chassis from a 19" TV I harvested a tube from and it had a relatively small cup I swapped over. Took ages to slowly massage the anode wire into place.


And finally I tested all the frame transistors per the instructions in andrewb's 6100 guide. Everything looks good there.


I also need to repair the internal wiring harness. The yellow broken wire is for the cathode I believe. Little confused on what is going on with the white wire though.

So one difference between the 19v2000 and G05-802 is that on the 19v2000 there is a connection between the z-amp output/cathode input, and the screen voltage from the HV cage through 5.1megaohms of resistors. It runs from pin 4 of the HV cage to pin 5 of the deflection board. This connection isn't present on the G05-802 and it's absence doesn't seem to cause a problem accord to two other people who have same type of combintion (G05-802 HV cage and 19v2000 deflection board)

The white wire seems to be for that connection since its on pin 4 of the HV cage, but it should be connector the pin 5 on the deflection board, not pin 4 like it seems to have been.

 

Whatever I guess. Since I'm not using it I'll leave it disconnected when I redo the deflection board connector. Once that is complete I think it will be time to fire it up for the first time.

[Tithis]

Fixed up the internal wiring harness, used some deox on the neck socket and finally assembled it all last night.


Started it first without the VSTCM and HV Cage, then with the HV Cage, then finally with everything hooked up.


Loaded Asteroids Deluxe onto it just to see it running a game. Tonight I'll try getting MAME running with my laptop to give it more of a test.

[jeremymtc]

Black magic! 

[pbj]

Looks beautiful