Sony PVM 1910 15kHz V-Hold Issue

[ArtMAME]

I have some Sony PVM 1910 monitors that I tested using Powerstrip and Soft15kHz.  They apparently accept a 15kHz input... but, at least with this setup, they have trouble with V-Hold.  The monitors have a V-hold knob in the front and you can tweak it to get the picture steady, but as soon as the game changes to a different scene, or attract mode, the picture starts moving again and you have to adjust the V-Hold again.

I am using the R G B and XT sync inputs on the back, with a VGA to 5BNC cable.  The H BNC connector is going to the XT sync. 

The display looks beautiful when it is steady, but it just keeps loosing its V-hold.  I tried this on 2 different 1910 monitors and they both behaved the same way.

I have tested the PC/video card setup on an arcade monitor and it works fine.  It will also work on an NEC XM2950 and a Sony PVM2950.  Or course, these monitors have RGBHV inputs, which I think is the reason why the Sony 1910 with only RGB H inputs will not keep its V-hold.

Has anybody tried the Sony PVM1910s or any other monitor with only RGB H inputs?

Here is another post I did about the same monitor:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=60198.msg652775#msg652775

Not a big deal, I have several of these monitors just sitting around, and it would be nice to get some use out of them

[Zebidee]

You need to combine your H & V sync signals

You need either a VGA-BNC 4-way RGB+sync, or to hack up your 5-BNC cable and twist the H&V syncwires into one.

An easier way is to short pins 13 & 14 (H & V sync) on the VGA D-Sub end.  You could just twist a tiny piece of bare wire between the two pins in a figure 8 pattern (make sure not to short anything else), and then you wouldn't have to hack up your 5-BNC cable.  This may be a temporary solution, but its a cheap way to test the theory without  damaging anything.

So long as your video card is outputting negative on both H&V, you should be fine without anything fancier than this.

Oh, lucky you got having a collection of such nice monitors

[ArtMAME]

Thanks for the response.

I was thinking of trying the same thing.  I found a BNC T-connector and I was going use it to combine the signals.  I just got another Radeon card from Ebay today (other one is being used in my Pole Position dedicated-MAME cab).  I will get this one up and running so I can test out that theory.

These are some beautiful monitors.  If I could get them up and running, I will have an excuse to build a few more cabinets...   

[Zebidee]

Thanks for the response.
I found a BNC T-connector and I was going use it to combine the signals.

That's a brilliant idea!  Gosh, I even have a few of those T-connectors lying around somewhere ....

I wonder if those 19" Sony's would fit into a cocktail cab decased?  Would make a great vertical cab monitor too (maybe vertical cocktail?).  I've decased and mounted several 27" Sony PVMs before, very successfully (into larger cabs, obviously).

I run both ATI Radeon w/ powerstrip and arcadeVGA here, but have just ordered more AVGA cards because I like the convenience and reliability.  And better range of choice for native modes. 

[ArtMAME]

Do you have any pics or documentation showing how you de-cased and mounted the Sony PVM2950s? 

I have a couple of those also, and if I want to use them, I would have to find or build HUGE cabinets for them.

Did you stick them in standard cabs or did you build the cab around the monitor?

I do know a bloke down here who took a 32" NEC or Mitsubishi and made a vertical cocktail modeled after the Track and Field cocktail.  It was on casters, so it was easy to move around.  Very resourceful. 

[ArtMAME]

I combined the H and V using a T-connector and the thing works now. 

It is beautiful...

Here are some Robotron pics...

[Zebidee]

I'm sorry - I can't find my digital camera anywhere    Also, sorry for the long post following ...

Your Robotron pics look fantastic!  Yes, the Super Trinitron screens are very nice (wonderful colour!). 

The ones I mounted are the Sony PVM 2730QMs (I think the "M" just denotes 240v PSU).  Your 2950QMs are a bit bigger again, but other wise basically the same.  I stuck mine into standard cabs designed for 26" monitors, but they had a little extra room to spare.  All three re-loved cabinets are of the same "Leisure and Allied Industries" design which is very sturdy and quite heavy.  I bought another two cabinets after doing the first one, because I knew that the monitors would fit and look good. 

As it was, the 27" Sony PVMs barely fitted in.  In fact, one the 2nd & 3rd cabs I had to pull out the wooden monitor bracket and recess it by a further 8mm so that the front glass wouldn't touch the screen!  But I didn't want to recess it too far, because then the top of the chassis would be too close to the back of the cab.  But they fit perfectly, and a little door at the back gives easy access to all those lovely monitor inputs and outputs as well.

For a 2950Q, the diagonal distance between outer edges of the screen mounts is probably going to be 31" (nearly 79cm), which tells you what kiind of cabinet you will need.  Should be about 29.5-30" diagonally between "centres" of the screen mounts (ie, where you'd drill the mounting holes).  That means you would need a cabinet with a monitor bay that internally measures at least 25 inches (63cm) wide.  I'd have to recommend that you get a cab that is not only big, but heavy in the base as well.  The 2950Q weighs over 50kg, so it needs to have a solid base

When removing the case, start at the back. Focus on the few screws that hold the back on rather than those that hold it together.

Once you remove the back, you will see that the chassis is built is a box-shape around the yoke.  This is good because it protects it well.  But it also means that you have to be careful to make sure that the chassis won't hit anything in your re-loved cab, especially at the top of the monitor bay as many cab slope back behind the monitor.  In my case, I had to unscrew and relocate the bank of control knobs (at top/back) for v-hold, H-centre, etc., but that was really very simple.

So, to allow for the box-chassis, I needed min 34cm from the front edge of the cab's top screen mount to the back of the cabinet, measured perpendicular (90 degress, right angle) to the plane of the monitor bracket.  Does that make sense?  For your 2950Q, I estimate that you would need nearly 37cm, or about 14.5 inches.

Decasing these monitor requires a bit of time and patience.  Don't do it quickly.  I ended up using a hack saw on each in just one strategic location to remove the last part of the frame (from around the screen) without pulling the whole lot apart.  Once you have removed the last of the case, there will be *nothing* holding the frame/chassis/tube together, so you *must* use some large bolts/nuts/ and large washers to put back in and hold it all together.  Only after doing all this can you actually move it anywhere.  Of course, you will eventually need to remove these bolts in order to mount the monitor properly in the cabinet, but you will need them in order to get the monitor there in the first place.

You might need to get a friend to help you actually lift the thing onto the cabinet, as it's big and unwieldy.

The manual control panels (left & right sides) can be disconnected and reconnected once the monitor is mounted.  I found that there was just enough room to put them at the front edges, in front of the monitors, without them intruding on the visible screen area.  This means that they can be recessed behind a cardboard bezel, but still be available if you really need them.

Ive just worked out how to run the monitor input through (JPAC or PCB)-JAMMA-SCART without overloading the monitor SCART inputs, so I'm very happy with my cabs at the moment.

Oh, I have an electronic copy of the user manual for the Sony PVM 2950Q, and also an electronic copy of the  service manual for the Sony PVM2010QM if that these are things you might be interested in .......