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Hehe.

Electric went in today. Gas is going in Saturday.

My goodness, now would you look at that? 

Looks like PSVR2 on PC with the new adapter is, at least initially, a hit.  The reviews have been about 95% positive.

Sony underestimated the demand and actually ran out of stock on the adapters.  Then the scalping started (I'm not for overlegislation, but this anti-consumer and economy crushing practice needs to be ended).  But they can currently be found again at some retail outlets for the correct price of $60, so hopefully the extortionists who firewalled the first batch of them will take an "L".

Reports are that the tracking is spot on, which bodes well.  The binocular crossover is supposed to be very good and of course the deep blacks and bright, vibrant colors of the OLED are getting their due praise.  I still wish it wasn't pentile, but an OLED display of much higher resolution than the old Odyssey headsets (also pentile OLED) should be pretty nice.  Everyone comments about the mura that's visible from the diffuser, but most say that it's only really there on plain, blank surfaces, and everyplace else it's not noticeable unless really looking for it.  Direct DP connection with 120hz refresh and no compression is also a big plus.  Cost adding negatives are that no DP 1.4 cable is included with the adapter and compatible Bluetooth is required for the controllers.

Everyone with a Quest3 who also have a PSVR2 with the adapter, seem to say that they prefer the PSVR2, even though the lenses aren't as good and the image isn't as sharp.  The consensus seems to be that everything else it offers, OLED,  "plug and play" Steam wired usability and no compression/lag, makes it a much better PC-connected VR experience.  As an aside, people have reportedly also already been able to make it work with the Vive/Index controllers.

I suspect I will be able to give some first-hand impressions compared to a Reverb G2 at some point if anyone is interested.  I'm a sucker for OLED displays in VR headsets and I'm not shelling out for the high-end .

Folks,

Whilst I have my MTC9000 apart, I want to replace some of the critical CAPS in the EHT area.  I can find most CAPS except for C40 which is a Polypropylene film capacitor (KP).  I can't find this type from any of the reputable sites (ebay, AliX has them but likely they will be rubbish).  I can find the value in the Metallized polypropylene film (MKP) variant.  Does anyone have opinions on replacing KP with MKP caps in the EHT areas.

Thanks in advance.

Well, if he's replaced the MPU and driver board, you may not need to do this, but I recall Bally games require a resistor across each LED to prevent flickering.  I think some of the repro boards fix this problem.

I use "warm white" LEDs from a seller called Gearius on Ali Express (which look suspiciously like those sold by a US seller under a different name and more expensive).  I held out a long, long time but I finally switched all my games over.  Reduces strain on the boards and wiring.  They don't get hot so you don't have to worry about them burning up plastics.  For awhile I had Firepower next to Alien Poker, one with LEDs and the other with incandescents.  I couldn't tell the difference.  When people first started switching over 20 years ago, the LEDs looked terrible.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803150389968.html

 

Hi Xiaou2!

Thanks for that, interesting stuff

Something worth adding that I've just been reading about, is that Monaco GP cabinets didn't use a potentiometer for the gas pedal, they used 2 optical switches.

Its difficult to find much information about it on the web, but I did come across this video where you see the pedal assembly (See 3.37 and at 6:50):


The video quality isn't great, but you can see the metal bar with holes in it, that slides in-between the 2 optical switches as you press and depress the pedal.

So I reckon the accelerator had 4 speed settings, something like:-

opt1:OFF opt2:OFF  = SLOWEST
opt1:ON opt2:OFF    = SLOW
opt1:ON opt2:ON      = FAST
opt1:OFF opt2:ON    = FASTEST

 Sega's   "TURBO"   also used the same optical pedal system.   (I used to own one... but sadly, had to sell it)

 Another Arcade Oddity, was TX-1..  which used optical-wheel encoders (spinners), for its Gas and Brake pedals

Allright, hope someone can help me with this issue i am having with my R81. When i make the choice for putting on a 45 vinyl, it takes the vinyl out from the right place, puts it on the turntable, but does not play it and puts it right back into the carrousel?

What should i look for or what could the problem be?
Greetings,
Kevin
Belgium

Thanks for chiming in!
The newer Playboy ones are definitely a no-go for me but this one is SO cheesy that it still works, and when Nikki found it funny too I thought screw it.

I figured this could be a skill building exercise I would just sell but surprisingly I like the game play.
Not sure how it stacks up with others from 1978 but the sound, light, mechanics, and scoring are all fun enough to me anyway- certainly for something this vintage.
Even more fun to play with a group of mildly intoxicated people.

As far as the state of the machine goes I have to accept that I enjoy the self-flagellation of something currently beyond my scope.

The last guy had spent all the cheddar to get a few new boards to make (nearly everything) work but didn't know to follow through with replacing the connectors and headers where needed- so that will sort out the remainder of what was flaky.
Even those crazy plasma displays seem to all work- for now anyway.
I need to have a look at those wolf displays again anyway though.

The box and playfield were termite farms for a while as it is so to hell with purist delusions.

The ass-pounding my wallet will suffer is almost entirely in the repro playfield and stenciling the new cabinet I'm nearly done with.
New fasteners are cheap and the effort to strip off, clean, and polish all this other crap to swap over will be fleeting moments of zen for me.

Although I really do want to replace the old bulbs with leds that are the proper color tone of an old incandescent.
Any suggestions on who to give my money to for those pbj?
I have read that I need something to increase load so that they fire completely and don't flicker.

In the meantime I'm expanding on some miter saw stand turned rotisserie examples I have seen to make a pair to use for this and the EBD.

If I can get the freakin picture nazi software to accept something again I'll keep this fiasco more visible.

Theme is a no-go for me, but I’m here to hold your hand and look into your eyes while you ---fudgesicle--- your wallet.

How do the boards look?  As you’re obviously learning, literally everything for that machine has been reproduced. 

I’ll check, I may have some plasma displays laying around.  If I recall correctly, though, the logic on the displays is driven by 5V on each display PCB and you can solder in LEDs and just leave the high voltage disconnected.  (On Williams, all the logic is on the master display board and only high voltage runs out to the displays, so you can’t mix and match those)

Or just buy these…



https://www.wolffpactech.com/6-digit-display-kits



I don’t even bother trying to repair old boards and displays anymore.  But you’re crazier so I’m here for it.

Yup, changed all the caps except those 3 bi-polar ones and the big filter cap in the power section. There was a few caps hidden between the flyback and the heatsink and I replaced those.

But if VR601 H.V ADJ. is the high voltage adjust, then what's this other one (VR501 B+ ADJ)  that's in the power section?