Could be a very weak sync signal. A friend is going to do some tests on other Namco System 1 titles to see what's up, https://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=524
Apart from Splatterhouse - things are working ok?
- Thread starter invzim
- Start date
Apart from Splatterhouse - things are working ok?
System 1 > Jammafier > Scaler A1 with no SD card > cab worked fine for me just now. It's a conversion to Splatterhouse just like yours however I tested with a NNC Toshiba as my NC is held up at the moment.
Edit: if you haven't done it yet be sure that you're on the latest firmware, it fixed a lot of sync issues I had
Edit: if you haven't done it yet be sure that you're on the latest firmware, it fixed a lot of sync issues I had
The issue @8bitforlife has with splatterhouse as that the scaler doesn't see any sync activity with normal sync, so the issue is related to input.
My unqualified guess is that there is a 74ls08 chip driving the sync-line that outputs a weak signal on his particular board.
If it's weak/distorted, the scart setting may pick up something (again, scart sync is NOT for arcade boards
), but the TTL sync channel will not.
Pac-Mania schematics found here, http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/AR...t Printing) [Schematic Package] [English].pdf
My unqualified guess is that there is a 74ls08 chip driving the sync-line that outputs a weak signal on his particular board.
If it's weak/distorted, the scart setting may pick up something (again, scart sync is NOT for arcade boards
), but the TTL sync channel will not.Pac-Mania schematics found here, http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/AR...t Printing) [Schematic Package] [English].pdf
could be the reason I got no picture on ossc no matter what setting I choose.
I tried
I did have to adjust the horizontal on chassis as the older games had black bars on side but looked nice but no black bars anymore
- black tiger
- fighter&attacker
- ninja gaiden
- tekken2
I did have to adjust the horizontal on chassis as the older games had black bars on side but looked nice but no black bars anymore
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Great stuff! I've updated https://irkenlabs.com/retro-scaler-a1/tested-sources - thanks to all who have contributed so far.
I will get back with results from Namco System 1 testing, but as @sammargh already tested a conversion title, it will likely be OK.
ya kinda sucks I can't really afford to get it fixed if it is the issue.
Updated with Namco System 1 (ref splatterhouse) , https://irkenlabs.com/retro-scaler-a1/tested-sources
The list is getting pretty good, I'm starting to believe it's only those pesky Toaplan 2 titles that have issues.
The list is getting pretty good, I'm starting to believe it's only those pesky Toaplan 2 titles that have issues.
BroadwayJose
Professional
Tried with Tekken Tag Tournament (Namco System 12) and could not get the image to sync. The video kept rolling. I'll test with other monitors and will look into a firmware update if you think that might help.
Yes, everyone is encouraged to update the firmware here:
https://irkenlabs.com/retro-scaler-a1/firmware-update
It's pretty straight forward and you can't "brick it".
Have a humdinger of a specimen for you over here.... Have you looked at IGS PGM at all? Do you happen to know if the video circuit evolved over time?
Two IGS PGM systems:
Cartridge version - works fine, works fine with the monitor, doesn't need SD card or anything
Demon Front v1.1 PCB - has battery damage, jumpered over the suspect traces however I think I might be having a weak signal issue. On the New Net City through Jammafier the screen is very jittery at the top to the point of being unusable however the net city works fine with the board.
Retro Scaler with default settings/no sd card can't sync at all
Retro Scaler switched to scart settings for sync the system is able to lock on to the signal and function properly however it drops constantly like the MSX2 does so yay, another candidate for this weird dropping sync issue!
There's a test spot I can see that goes from the sync pin on Jamma edge as well as over to an IC IGS023 which is where I assume the sync is generated from. This leads me to believe either the custom is failing or perhaps there was a change with how sync was generated over time. If I were to put the sync on my scope would it be able to tell you which case is probably happening?
Two IGS PGM systems:
Cartridge version - works fine, works fine with the monitor, doesn't need SD card or anything
Demon Front v1.1 PCB - has battery damage, jumpered over the suspect traces however I think I might be having a weak signal issue. On the New Net City through Jammafier the screen is very jittery at the top to the point of being unusable however the net city works fine with the board.
Retro Scaler with default settings/no sd card can't sync at all
Retro Scaler switched to scart settings for sync the system is able to lock on to the signal and function properly however it drops constantly like the MSX2 does so yay, another candidate for this weird dropping sync issue!
There's a test spot I can see that goes from the sync pin on Jamma edge as well as over to an IC IGS023 which is where I assume the sync is generated from. This leads me to believe either the custom is failing or perhaps there was a change with how sync was generated over time. If I were to put the sync on my scope would it be able to tell you which case is probably happening?
Something may be up with the electrical signals of PGM. RetroRGB is doing a review and reported that "pgm" was not working, Ketsui (PCB) is confirmed working, and your cartridge version works. Could be a coincidence.
If you have to set scart for a Jamma game, 99.9% certain something is up with the PCB and it's not giving TTL sync. On the A1, the first thing TTL sync hits is a a schmitt trigger for anti-jitter, and which will trigger positive edge at about 1.8V and negative edge 1.4V.
A scope trace of what sync looks like would be most interesting! When set to TTL sync (like it should be), it just sits on red with no blinking?
If you have to set scart for a Jamma game, 99.9% certain something is up with the PCB and it's not giving TTL sync. On the A1, the first thing TTL sync hits is a a schmitt trigger for anti-jitter, and which will trigger positive edge at about 1.8V and negative edge 1.4V.
A scope trace of what sync looks like would be most interesting! When set to TTL sync (like it should be), it just sits on red with no blinking?
Yep that's correct. I also have Demon Front as a cartridge which works fine. I'll see if I can grab a scope from both. Luckily at least comparing Demon Front to a PGM board the IGS023 doesn't appear unique and I should be able to harvest one if needed.
Been looking over the two boards just tracing out the sync. It's definitely a different circuit as Demon Front appears to go straight from the sync pin up to pin 83 with a 10 uF capacitor while the mother board goes through a bunch of vias and has no capacitor but also goes to pin 83. I'm still going to chaulk this up to a faulty custom that needs replaced. Too bad it's a QFP256, I'm not wasting my time for a reeeally long time.
Been looking over the two boards just tracing out the sync. It's definitely a different circuit as Demon Front appears to go straight from the sync pin up to pin 83 with a 10 uF capacitor while the mother board goes through a bunch of vias and has no capacitor but also goes to pin 83. I'm still going to chaulk this up to a faulty custom that needs replaced. Too bad it's a QFP256, I'm not wasting my time for a reeeally long time.
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Looking closer with a magnifying glass the capacitor is just really close and my eyes are bad. Both systems just link the sync pin from Jamma edge directly to the pin on the custom. I'll still see if I can get a scope of it vs the PGM though.
Well that mystery is solved.... I think the custom might be a tad fucked. Probably doesn't need much explanation but 1 is the console PGM while 2 is the Demon Front PCB. Trigger threshold wasn't even changed, I had to go into auto and pause the readout on Demon Front.
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I wish all my customers had scopes 
0.7V from a Jamma PCB is not good, but the signal itself doesn't look terrible. Something else on the board pulling it down, or the custom not getting the power it needs?
0.7V from a Jamma PCB is not good, but the signal itself doesn't look terrible. Something else on the board pulling it down, or the custom not getting the power it needs?
I'm measuring 5.16V to the VCC pin on the custom so I think it's the chip itself unfortunately. Tracing the sync pin out it goes nowhere on the board other than to the custom pin and the breakout.
Edit: nothing makes sense anymore!!! Down is up? So I started comparing the Net City to New Net City to see if I could spot any config changes that could account for the signal issues. Net City was at 5.07V while NNC was at 5.16V. After adjusting down to 5.07V the sync issues got worse. So the natural reaction is to crank 5V to 5.2V and now it syncs fine on the NNC? Still not strong enough for the scaler but I'll take it as a win?
Edit: nothing makes sense anymore!!! Down is up? So I started comparing the Net City to New Net City to see if I could spot any config changes that could account for the signal issues. Net City was at 5.07V while NNC was at 5.16V. After adjusting down to 5.07V the sync issues got worse. So the natural reaction is to crank 5V to 5.2V and now it syncs fine on the NNC? Still not strong enough for the scaler but I'll take it as a win?
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would this be my problem with my splatterhouse maybe?
Lemony Vengeance
Champion
Just picked one of these up for my upgraded chewlix. It'll be nice to have one of these in an HD cabinet 
