I got my first Woody

[Kavas]

So I was casually perusing the interwebs looking into CPS2 stuff, hoping to stumble upon something that could help me kick start my journey towards a Darksoft multi kit. One thing led to another and I found this in my home last night...

It all happened so fast. I had to rent a truck and drive 2 1/2 hrs to get it. I started around 12 noon and didn't get home until 8pm

It was advertised as broken screen. It turns on but nothing appears but a single color. The seller knew nothing about it. He said he called a tech, and they said it needed to be "rebuilt" and wanted $250. He never went with it because he wanted another $150 just to come out and look at it. He apparently picked it up from a storage unit he bought out. I was able to talk him down cheap ? If it was just the body and the screen is one thing, but I noticed something else in the pictures...

Ok so that takes care of the Darksoft per-requisites? Apparently this grey board is the Asia model? Is there anything else I should check to see if it's working/legit ? I plugged the cab in and can hear the obnoxiously loud fan spinning. There is no sound coming out the speakers, but there is also no video to see what I am doing either. When I turn off the cab, the speakers make that pop sound you hear when you unplug a TV when the sound is up so maybe they are working? The sticker on that board says "new fan - ok".

The main issue is this picture. It powers on, but as you can see there is a blue screen and green stripe on side. The seller said there was "shadows" on the screen. I think he was referring to burn in. It doesn't really come up in the picture but very faintly you can barely see the life bars burned it. I am not sure if this is an original cab or if it was converted, but the controller art looks like it was never tampered with and the move lists and marquee are yellowed so they must have been in there a long time.

I know next to nothing about tube screens. I briefly went over the parts one time with someone who was showing me some stuff but only the course of a few minutes. Ive heard the terms "yoke" and "flyback" and "neckboard" thrown around but I couldn't tell you where they were. I understand the basics of how these screens work and am watching videos currently about it. That said I still don't know where to start. I am well aware of the safety hazards and how dangerous these screens can be. I don't want to start sticking my hand back in there until I know where the dangerous spots are and how to discharge the monitor. I have some soldering skills and have recapped most of my consoles. I just need a direction on where to go to fix this screen.

Also, the power supply is very gnarly. Could this also cause problems?

Overall the condition seems to be good. Scuffs here and there but I've seen worse. It was very heavy. I would love to get into cleaning it up but I am worried about getting shocked. Is it safe to stick a shopvac in there to get the dust out? How do you go about cleaning it?

The controls seem in decent shape too, a good cleaning and they might still be worthwhile.

tl;dr Any advice I can get to get this up and running would be great. Once I know the safety precautions so I don't kill myself, I will focus on restoring it and making it look pretty.

 

[ekorz]

I’ve never worked on one of those cabs but honestly it all could be fine, just that the pcb has suicided. I’d take out the board and plug in a known working jamma pcb to start.

The obnoxious fan is the cps2. There are a bunch of threads in the cps2 section where folks suggest replacement fans.

 

[RealMFnG]

I've worked on these cabs plenty. You'll be fine shopvac'ing the bottom as long as it is unplugged from the wall. Don't get anywhere near the monitor until you've discharged it.

As for the rest of what to look for:

• I'll echo what ekorz stated, I also believe your CPS2 is suicided
  • But test voltages first. Buy a multimeter, even a cheap one from Harbor Freight for now ($5). Then wait for further instructions.
  • After testing voltages, grab/borrow another JAMMA board and plug it in to see if the monitor still works
  • If it still works, likely your CPS2 is dead
  • You'll want to confirm that the CPS2 works first before using it as a donor candidate for the multi
  • That will require a special effort that I don't think you are ready for yet
    • You'll need a good soldering iron, good solder, some good 30 AWG wire, before you are ready
• Your monitor is a Zenith K7000A, the superior version of the K7000 which was also made by Wells Gardner, the most common chassis of all time
  • The problem with this monitor is that if the flyback craps out, you can't replace that part as it is almost impossible to find. Check that that monitor works with another JAMMA board before you proceed
  • Looks like your chassis was recapped with high quality parts. That is a good start. But confirm it works first. You'll need another JAMMA boar
    I still see glue on the caps. So It might not have been recapped. Still test that it works.
• The PSU connector wore off. You can steal that part off an unused/old PC ATX PSU but you'll need to do some soldering to reconnect it. Otherwise it is just a physical inconvenience (the power cable shall be connected loosely, but as long as the lines are still soldered, should be fine
• Look up the following on Youtube and do it:
  • Discharge arcade monitor
  • arcade monitor simple green wash
• Do not attempt to adjust the monitor settings until you get something like this.

Report back what you find and we'll help you along the way.

 

[Kavas]

• • But test voltages first. Buy a multimeter, even a cheap one from Harbor Freight for now ($5). Then wait for further instructions.

I have this exact multimeter already. Awaiting further instructions.

After testing voltages, grab/borrow another JAMMA board and plug it in to see if the monitor still works

I have a neo geo mvs 1c board already on it's way to me. It was listed as working. Unfortunately I don't have a game for it yet. I thought of using other JAMMA boards but I also don't know anything about setting the voltages, as I think different boards require different levels? Is there some JAMMA Board that is known to be "cheap" that I can just purchase?

That will require a special effort that I don't think you are ready for yet


You'll need a good soldering iron, good solder, some good 30 AWG wire, before you are ready

I own a Hakko FX-888D soldering station and Hakko FR300 desoldering gun. As mentioned above, I have recapped most of my consoles, about 10 or so, a few game gears, other various wiring situations. Replaced voltage regulators. I installed the PSIO for the PS1. I just have trouble with flex cable installs like you find on the HDMI mods such as DCHDMI, Wiidual. Need more practice on that.

Look up the following on Youtube and do it:


Discharge arcade monitor

arcade monitor simple green wash

I've been told to discharge the anode, I will look more into this specifically. Others say I may need to discharge the larger caps on the monitor board. Looks like they use a long screwdriver with lots of tape, and gloves. Didn't wanna start poking stuff until I knew what I was poking first. I'll research this.

The simple green wash is the term I was looking for, looking into that as well now.

Thanks for your help guys!




From more browsing today, it seems suicided board might be more likely. Some say a all blue or green screen are telltale signs it's battery is dead. I had thought this indicated it was a candidate for a "phoenix" fix, or for a multi install. I will almost certainly send this cps2 board out to someone on here for the install as there are always nuances involved in such work.

 

[ekorz]

I have a neo geo mvs 1c board already on it's way to me. It was listed as working.

That will boot to a test screen even with no cart. Give it a try after testing your PSU (I’m sure @acblunden2 will be back for that...)

Set your voltages to 5v at the jamma edge under the load of the Mvs pcb. All jamma arcade pcbs want 5v to them on the 5v lines, and you adjust the power supply to deliver it.

And my .02 is to test that mvs motherboard in the cab before poking around with anything else, especially the monitor.

 

[RealMFnG]

I have this exact multimeter already. Awaiting further instructions.

Cool. With your CPS2 installed now, set multimeter to DC test in the correct range. I think the Harbor Freight meter has a range for up to 20 volts DC and a range for all higher DC voltages. Set it to the the range closest to 5 volts DC and 12 volts DC. You'll want to plug the leads into the back of the harness with the CPS2 connected so you are testing under load. This is the side where the wires go into the edge connector. Just make sure you are touching the metal pins and you'll get a reading. Dial in the voltage right at 5volts and if you can 12 volts. Here is the pinout so you know where to insert the leads for ground, 5 volts, and 12 volts:

I have a neo geo mvs 1c board already on it's way to me. It was listed as working. Unfortunately I don't have a game for it yet. I thought of using other JAMMA boards but I also don't know anything about setting the voltages, as I think different boards require different levels? Is there some JAMMA Board that is known to be "cheap" that I can just purchase?

ekorz covered this already. Listen to his sage like wisdom here. When you get it, plug it in just to validate that your monitor works. MVS boards use the same voltages on the same pins. They also uses the same pins for video signals. You'll be fine for testing the monitor.

I own a Hakko FX-888D soldering station and Hakko FR300 desoldering gun. As mentioned above, I have recapped most of my consoles, about 10 or so, a few game gears, other various wiring situations. Replaced voltage regulators. I installed the PSIO for the PS1. I just have trouble with flex cable installs like you find on the HDMI mods such as DCHDMI, Wiidual. Need more practice on that.

Cool. You should be good with the required soldering for resurrecting the CPS2 to confirm that it works before you use it as a donor candidate for the multi. You should also be good with the required soldering for the multi installation. CPS2 stuff is no where near as difficult as HDMI mods for consoles or even console recap jobs.

But you might not be ready to resurrect the CPS2 to validate if it is a donor candidate. The next part is if you have a programmer; do you? No telling if your EPROM's were wiped out or if it is just suicided. Let's work off the assumption that it is just suicided. If so, then you can install an InfiniKey and if it is just suicided, your CPS2 should boot back up. You've then confirmed that it is a good donor candidate and you are ready to go to installing the multi. Problem is that InfiniKey's are sold out. I do have a spare or two I can sell you at my cost. But you'll pay shipping ($10 is what they sold for + $5 USPS 1st class shipping). PM me if you want it. You can also install a Suicide Free Modchip, but then again, you'll need a programmer to program that.

If your board does not boot back up after installing an InfiniKey or Suicide Free Modchip, then you might have to reburn your EPROM's at a minimum. The aim here is that it is just suicided so let's shoot for that. I'd say if after installing the InfiniKey you don't get your CPS2 working, this is the point you would consider sending it off to Mitsurugi-w.

If you have a programmer, burn the Phoenix or Avalaunch CPS2 set to confirm your B-board works. If so, you're ready for the multi.

I've been told to discharge the anode, I will look more into this specifically. Others say I may need to discharge the larger caps on the monitor board. Looks like they use a long screwdriver with lots of tape, and gloves. Didn't wanna start poking stuff until I knew what I was poking first. I'll research this.
The simple green wash is the term I was looking for, looking into that as well now.

Thanks for your help guys!

Once you have a JAMMA board that you can test with to ensure the monitor works. If it works and is problem free, leave it as is unless you want to just recap it for good measure. But if you Simple Green wash it, discharge the anode cap. I've never discharged caps on my monitors, although I should, and never have had any problems.

From more browsing today, it seems suicided board might be more likely. Some say a all blue or green screen are telltale signs it's battery is dead. I had thought this indicated it was a candidate for a "phoenix" fix, or for a multi install. I will almost certainly send this cps2 board out to someone on here for the install as there are always nuances involved in such work.

I think you have all the requisite tools and experience needed for this job. Give it a try yourself. You can always send it out to Mitsurugi-w if you encounter issues.

I think the prevalent thinking today is to start with a known working CPS2 donor B-board. Also, who is to say your A-board isn't dead either. I'd recommend confirming that what you have works before proceeding.

 

[Kavas]

So I took the board out, but its a real pain in the ass. I don't have the keys for the coin mech doors and don't know how to open them. The only access I have to the whole cabinet is this window in the back of the unit. I dropped my flashlight in there and it took me several attempts with a pole arm grabber to get it

As you can see the JAMMA harness only comes out so far, and I have no other way into the cab. The kick harness comes out all the way.

There's also this other cable that wasn't connected to anything. Not sure what it's for.

I've read online that the boards battery can leak and cause damage, so I took it out and inspected it before doing what you asked regarding checking voltage under load. It looks like the board was never opened as the void stickers were still in place. It was mostly clean except in one place it was dusty as all hell and a couple dust bunnies and cockroaches.

Doesn't look like any fluid leaked, and it still has a charge?

Cool. With your CPS2 installed now, set multimeter to DC test in the correct range. I think the Harbor Freight meter has a range for up to 20 volts DC and a range for all higher DC voltages. Set it to the the range closest to 5 volts DC and 12 volts DC. You'll want to plug the leads into the back of the harness with the CPS2 connected so you are testing under load. This is the side where the wires go into the edge connector. Just make sure you are touching the metal pins and you'll get a reading. Dial in the voltage right at 5volts and if you can 12 volts. Here is the pinout so you know where to insert the leads for ground, 5 volts, and 12 volts:

Are you saying you want me to connect this board up and turn it on, and stick the multimeter into the -5 +5 +12 jacks of the JAMMA harness? And see if it is outputting those values? If so, I am going to have to come up with some kind of balancing act to pull this off.

The next part is if you have a programmer; do you?

No I do not.

Problem is that InfiniKey's are sold out. I do have a spare or two I can sell you at my cost.

I watched undamned's video about the install. If by uninstalling the battery and installing that board is all I have to do, then I am more than capable of doing that.

If it works and is problem free, leave it as is unless you want to just recap it for good measure. But if you Simple Green wash it, discharge the anode cap.

I will want to recap it for good measure. Any recommended sites that sell cap kits? Earlier you alluded that my monitor is an A revision. How can you tell? Is the flyback something I should also look out for? Are they common to fail?

I watched videos on Simple Green washes..... very scary stuff. Water in Florida sucks, so I would have to pickup some distilled water from the store.

 

[ekorz]

Pick those locks! I bet there's a key in there, but otherwise you can take out the locks and replace them with new ones.

 

[Psyko-M1]

I concur, it looks suicided.
That Zenith Tube and Wells Gardner combo was made right here in Chicagoland not too far from me, cool to see.
The NeoGeo board you'll be getting should give you a good test bed to verify the monitor is not toast.
Sucks that the CPS has potentially taken a crap and has gone senile.
Good luck and congrats on your cabinet.

 

[RealMFnG]

• Follow ekorz's sage-like wisdom here to get that coin door open. You will need to do that to service the cab. Once the coin door is open reach your hand in there and aim to place it just under either corner where the control panel and the glass bezel meet. There are two latches there (if you are lucky, more than two if you are not lucky) that unlock by flipping down from the back down. Then they unlatch by pushing up and towards the front. Careful as you do this as the CP can flip down violently damaging the game or hitting your face.
  • From here, there is a PCB tray that slides out after unlatching two sliding latches on either side.
  • You can then remove the glass to access the monitor for removal.
  • The access panel in the back is just for monitor adjustments and connections.
  • Once you have the CP open and the PCB tray slid forward, performing the voltage test as prescribed is easy
• That extra wiring is a CPS1 kick harness. But it looks like it won't work because the grounds are sliced from it. You can remove it if you want.
• After testing the voltages, replace the B-board firmly onto the A-Board and retest it to see if it works
  • Might be a chance that it isn't suicided if the battery is good. Unlikely though.
• Don't worry about the programmer too much, or right now. Just wire up the InfiniKey. PM me if you want it.
• arcadepartsandrepair.com has good cap kits for the K7000 (K7000 caps work for the Zenight K7000A)

 

[Estenze]

Where in Florida are you located? I remember seeing this on Facebook Marketplace. I'm in Tampa if you need any help.

 

[Kavas]

Ok quick update:

I drilled out the keyholes because I couldn't get the lockpick hack to work after 30 minutes. There were no keys inside, so I have to buy new coin mech and key locks anyhow.

I received my Neo Geo board finally and plugged it up. It gave me a Crosshatch display at the very least (I have no games to test it with).

I also received the infinikey from acbluden and installed it. Had to make sure it was put together tightly as the fan didn't turn on at first. It turns on and the game now works! It is set to free play so I was able to get into a match and all the controls work. Only now the problem is the screen...

I did check the voltages (not under load) and they were 5.40 for the 5 volt lines and 10~ish for the 12 volt line. I am thinking this disparity maybe calls for a new power supply? Is there anything else I should look into ? Inverter? OR is it just some settings on the monitor itself need fixing?

I concur, it looks suicided.
That Zenith Tube and Wells Gardner combo was made right here in Chicagoland not too far from me, cool to see.
The NeoGeo board you'll be getting should give you a good test bed to verify the monitor is not toast.
Sucks that the CPS has potentially taken a crap and has gone senile.
Good luck and congrats on your cabinet.

I was in Chicago for the first time in February of this year! Stayed a week at Galloping Ghost! Super fun.

Where in Florida are you located? I remember seeing this on Facebook Marketplace. I'm in Tampa if you need any help.

I am in Port Saint Lucie. Help is welcome, but that is about a 3~ hr drive

• arcadepartsandrepair.com has good cap kits for the K7000 (K7000 caps work for the Zenight K7000A)

I have the extra wires you sent along with the infinikey, not sure what to do with them just yet.

I will order a cap kit, but before I do that I want to make sure there isn't anything else I need to order/ look into.

 

[ekorz]

On the neo geo, you should be able to press P1 Start or Button 1 to cycle through some other stuff. Color bars, etc.

You should turn down the 5v line and turn up the 12v line, assuming the power supply is adjustable like most are. Look for some potentiometers to turn. The 12v doesn't have to be nailed, but your 5v really should be 5v, not 5.4.

edit: UNDER LOAD though. You should test voltages under load, the PCB needs 5v.

 

[Kavas]

On the neo geo, you should be able to press P1 Start or Button 1 to cycle through some other stuff. Color bars, etc.

You should turn down the 5v line and turn up the 12v line, assuming the power supply is adjustable like most are. Look for some potentiometers to turn. The 12v doesn't have to be nailed, but your 5v really should be 5v, not 5.4.

edit: UNDER LOAD though. You should test voltages under load, the PCB needs 5v.

Ok got it close to 5v under load on the neo geo board. Still greenish screen.

I don't think there's a way to turn up the 12v without also turning up 5v. It hovers around 10.5 volts.

 

[RealMFnG]

The extra wires and connector I sent you are for the CPS2 multi kit when you are ready. The connector has 6 positions, but only 4 positions are needed for the kit. I didn't plug them in so you can decide color coding of the wires when you get around to installing the kit. Save those until you are ready. It is good that you spent the extra money to validate that your CPS2 works. Saves a lot of headaches later down the line. Also, allows you to play the game until you get the kit going.

 

[Kavas]

Also, allows you to play the game until you get the kit going.

Messed with the pots in the back of the chassis.....

 

[jassin000]

Nice!
I was going to say it looks like the Green gain is all the way up.

The image is looking a little blurry around the edges tho... How's the dot cloth grid look now?
I'm thinking you have some convergence issues in the upper right hand side for sure.

I highly recommend you get a Suzo Happ 130watt Power Pro (or other quality REAL arcade power supply) to replace that older one.
Under load the 5V line shouldn't be higher than 5.2V, but the 12V line should read 12V (or at really close like 11.98V).
Because you've got 10V and 5.4V that PSU is IMO junk!

Don't risk thos sexy/expensive PCBs on an unstable power supply, its worth the money for piece of mind.
Take it from me, I blew the audio amp in a Neo-Geo 1FZ with a sketchy 12V line.

Pick those locks!

America, fuck yea!
*Warning: just be careful of the tangs on the other side, don't drill any deeper than necessary to destroy the locking mechanism*

 

[Kavas]

Nice!
I was going to say it looks like the Green gain is all the way up.
The image is looking a little blurry around the edges tho... How's the dot cloth grid look now?
I'm thinking you have some convergence issues.

I spent some time adjusting it using the neo geo board, but when I put the cps2 in it started scrolling really fast. Not sure how to enter test modes to dial in the picture on a cps2. If I make adjustments using a neo geo board, do they carry over or do all boards need to be re-adjusted upon load?

I think it looks fine in person but again I don't have an eye for this stuff. I still plan on recapping it at the very least.

 

[Kavas]

I highly recommend you get a Suzo Happ 130watt Power Pro (or other quality REAL arcade power supply) to replace that older one.Under load the 5V line shouldn't be higher than 5.2V, but the 12V line should read 12V (or at really close like 11.98V).
Because you've got 10V and 5.4V that PSU is IMO junk!

Don't risk thos sexy/expensive PCBs on an unstable power supply, its worth the money for piece of mind.
Take it from me, I blew the audio amp in a Neo-Geo 1FZ with a sketchy 12V line.

Alright.

Also some of the power is going into this. Is this something I should replace as well?

 

[jassin000]

That is the isolation transformer, most monitors of that time period required it (but not all).

do they carry over or do all boards need to be re-adjusted upon load?

Unfortunately due to the differences in analog sync between these systems each must be calibrated/dialed in/have unique values.
Systems within the same family are often AOK tho (ie CPS1 and CPS2).

when I put the cps2 in it started scrolling really fast

Mess with the front/back porch values/pot to stabilize it, should be on some kind of remote board?