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Oh, and I got so busy talking about cabs stuff I almost forgot...
Welcome to the exciting world of cab ownership/the home arcade operator lifestyle! :thumbsup:
 
That Zenith K7000A man, I tell you. Produces one fine image. And I love the tube curve on the K7000's in general. I would think that you should get your color levels, black levels, and contrast dialed in. Then stop there. I am hesitant to tell you more about tweaking your monitor. Because if you hear how the rest of us graduate level arcade snobs see things, you are going to hate your arcade experience.

The great thing about the CPS2 is that its test menu is the reference that most use for calibrating arcade monitors. To the left of the JAMMA connector are 3 buttons. If the buttons are still there, press the one 3rd one to access the test menu. If it is not there (broken off), in that style cab that you have, above the coinbox is usually the Service and Test menu buttons. Go behind the coin mech and see if you see such buttons and press the TEST menu button (might be a volume dial in there too). Go into the CRT adjustments and start adjusting your color levels, black levels, contrast. Then go into the grid pattern and adjust your alignment and geometry. Then STOP. Don't go any further especially if you are happy with what you see. If not, then tell us what you see that is bothering you and show some pictures of it. The next adjustments (convergence) are dangerous.

Your K7000 chassis has all the adjustments on the back of the chassis. There is no remote board from what I can tell. K7000 chassis are often found like that, some have remote boards. Some do not. Different game PCB's have different levels. So switching PCB's often requires some adjustments to sync/colors/geometry/alignment/etc. No need to change out the isolation transformer. Reflow the hell out of all the solder points on that chassis since you plan on doing a recap anyway, particularly around the flyback and large resistors. Remember, if that flyback ever craps out. Darn near impossible to find a replacement. Look for darkened areas on that chassis, particularly around the resistors. These things often burn out. You'll want to replace those too. The K7000 is a highly studied chassis and there are lots of parts available for it. You'll want to preservice that chassis functionality for as long as you can with some maintenance. If it ever dies on you, the Wells Gardener K7000 version is an exact drop in replacement. But in my experience, the Zenith K7000A produces one of the finest 15khz images I've ever seen.
 
Because if you hear how the rest of us graduate level arcade snobs see things, you are going to hate your arcade experience.
Its true, once you start to see the imperfections in the image you can't unsee them.
For me it became a never ending battle to have perfect geometry, convergence and trying to ignore the ever present "insert credit" burn-in.

I pulled my tube constantly, recapped my chassis, got a NOS neckboard... Nothing pleased me, I always noticed some minor flaw.
I just couldn't enjoy my games, I was in tech/service mode whenever the cab was on.

I've learn a perfectionist like me simply can't own a CRT period, so I ban them from my living space (yes ban, CRTs are not allowed in my house under any circumstances).
It didn't help that I necked (destroyed) a Nanao 2930 tube (my Blast City monitor) when transporting it to my work area. *bump* *hissssss* Game over! Done!
 
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Oh, and I got so busy talking about cabs stuff I almost forgot...
Welcome to the exciting world of cab ownership/the home arcade operator lifestyle! :thumbsup:
The expensive lifestyle :D

Thank you all for your help thus far!

Less apprehensive to throw money at it now that I know it all works. Ordering parts now. Still haven't found a suitable power supply. I want one that is the same form factor (ATX) as the one I have now so I can just swap it out. Any links?

And while I wait on the cap kits and what not, some misc stuff I could do if you guys have any recommendations..

1. The marquee bottom holding bracket is missing, seems it was just electrical tape holding up the plexi. Is there a suitable place to find a replacement? Or perhaps some other material I can fashion into a bracket? It's about 25-26 inches long.

2. The sound I noticed was only coming out of one speaker! I see that one of the speaker drivers isn't even connected. Would the output from the Jamma on a cps2 board supply stereo audio to the drivers? Seems they are wired in a piggyback fashion. Or should I somehow use the RCA jacks on the CPS2 board and connect those to the drivers?

3. I've been IPA cotton swapping these boards for hours now, and the blackness is truly terrifying. Is there a faster and safe method to clean these boards?

4. Anywhere I can get replica artwork for the marquee and control artwork? The ones I have are brittle and sunfaded yellow as you can see.

5. How can I repair the nicks, dents, dings, scratches on the wood parts and sides? Some videos say to use bondo, sand it, then paint it. This is my first and only cab, so I wanna make it look purdy. Any recommendations on paint type?
 
1. The marquee bottom holding bracket is missing, seems it was just electrical tape holding up the plexi. Is there a suitable place to find a replacement? Or perhaps some other material I can fashion into a bracket? It's about 25-26 inches long.

2. The sound I noticed was only coming out of one speaker! I see that one of the speaker drivers isn't even connected. Would the output from the Jamma on a cps2 board supply stereo audio to the drivers? Seems they are wired in a piggyback fashion. Or should I somehow use the RCA jacks on the CPS2 board and connect those to the drivers?

3. I've been IPA cotton swapping these boards for hours now, and the blackness is truly terrifying. Is there a faster and safe method to clean these boards?

4. Anywhere I can get replica artwork for the marquee and control artwork? The ones I have are brittle and sunfaded yellow as you can see.

5. How can I repair the nicks, dents, dings, scratches on the wood parts and sides? Some videos say to use bondo, sand it, then paint it. This is my first and only cab, so I wanna make it look purdy. Any recommendations on paint type?
1) These often need to be cut down to size, unless your cab is 24" wide... If larger than 24" try this one.
2) The CPS2 can output stereo but only via the RCA jacks, the JAMMA edge is mono (because your cab is wired for JAMMA edge only I'm sure that's why the other speaker was disabled).
3) You can actually wash (yea with soap and water) arcade PCBs, but it comes with a huge set of precautions/rules (too many to describe here, but look into it if your interested).
4) I've used these guys before, I was pretty happy with the reproduction quality (but be aware others have expressed disappointment in the quality).
5) Bondo yes!

Bondo is amazing stuff!
I turned this...
MDu4Sld.jpg


Into this (white is primer, pink is Bondo)...
fcWB1yo.jpg


Finally into this...
7GNRSR0.jpg


I rebuilt this entire edge using nothing but Bondo, can you see the line where I cut away the rotten wood?
Na8xSby.jpg
 
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What's wrong with your power supply now? If it is form factor, get a new one that suits your needs. If it fits in fine now and is having some issues with voltages, I suggest recapping it.

With that said, you can order this cap kit directly from Mouser for the K7000. Don't worry about the OOS 560uF cap. That is the filter cap and these don't tend to go bad. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with Mouser (or Digikey which I prefer) if you go further in this hobby. Get used to the way how their commerce site work.

But as you buy this cap kit, might as well buy new caps for your power supply. The problem is that there is no cap kit for power supplies that typically come with these cabs. You'll have to open up your power supply, remove the caps that are in there, catalog them, and order the corresponding caps from Mouser. You will want Nichicon caps. Keep the capacitance the same but you can go higher for voltage ratings, but not lower. Get a pair of digital calipers from Harbor Freight for $10 to help you measure out cap sizes.
 
So I took the screen out, did the simple green wash method using distilled water and did a full recap.

SbibpIR.jpg

ENn1JHX.jpg

It came out looking very clean. Before I put it back in I want to repaint the cabinet. I have watched dozens of videos. Read several forum threads. And I still cannot come to a way to go about it. I know jassin recommended bondo, but after further inspection, it doesn't seem like it may be necessary. There are no cracked off edges. The scuffs and dings seem minor. I went to Home Depot and asked around and the paint guy recommended I use Wood Filler.

nWjOgHY.jpg

0mP4S8L.jpg

AqmQkWf.jpg


Above are probably the most egregious parts on an otherwise good body. You can see there is some texture, and I am not quite sure if the black is paint on MDF or if it is some kinda vinyl or other material.

The HD guy said I could skip the primer and just use an enamel semi-gloss black paint ontop of what I already have because I am "painting black on black". I want the kind of finish that I have seen where people end up using the "wet sanding" method using soapy water and a very fine 2000 grit sanding for that smooth as glass like finish. I just don't know if it is wise to skip the primer part and go strait into painting/sanding. I have never painted wood like this or atleast with the intention of a very smooth finish. I have only ever done the textured drywall painting.

They recommend I use the 6 inch foam roller for the paint. My father recommended I use a sprayer to apply the paint..

Most of the videos I see are from a bare MDF/Wood with primer/paint combo. I am starting with some somewhat smooth black surface. I need directions.

;(
 
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Looks like it was rolled over with black paint. There is probably either the laminate or vinyl wrap still under there. I would use Citristrip to get that paint off first. Paint/roll a layer of that stuff on and then cover it with cheap plastic drop cloth. Let it do its magic for about 20 minutes and hopefully it paint will just peel off. You better hope the guy used cheap paint. If it is good oil-based paint, you have to use 100% pure acetone (nail polish remover). If there is laminate behind the pain, strip down to just the laminate. If there is vinyl, remove the vinyl down to the particle board. Then use bondo to patch up the larger dings. The smaller scatches will be taken care of when you primer over them. Just remember that primer has to be sanded as well and use an oil-based primer. You'll have to lay the cab on its sides as you apply the primer so that it levels itself out. That will take care of the scratches and will fill in the divots if you are working with particle board. Once it is all smooth, spray it. Fuck all that rolling and wetsanding shit. You think it saves money, but what will end up happening instead is that you will hate life because wetsanding sucks, unless you have a neumatic wet sander. Get that $119 HVLP spray kit from Harbor Freight and you won't have to waste your life rolling and wetsanding.
 
Gonna post a big update to this tomorrow, but I am having a problem I need some quick feedback on.

I put back in the CPS2 and it works but the sound was off. I was only getting music. I took apart the B board and realized I re-seated one of the sound EEPROM's backwards. I rectified this and now I get sound. However, I noticed when shooting Ryu's fireball that he goes "hah!" instead of "Hadooken!". His other moves produce the incorrect sounds as well. It sounds like him, but not the usual sounds that should be played. I verified in a video on Youtube he should be saying something else.

Some say to check the seating of the boards, and yes I am using the metal clips. Others have mentioned a "GPAL" or something. There is also something about jumpers.

Does anyone know where I should focus to see what might be the issue?
 
What cps2 region and game is it? If it's an asia alpha 3 that's normal. They often removed Japanese voices for other asia countries.
 
What cps2 region and game is it? If it's an asia alpha 3 that's normal. They often removed Japanese voices for other asia countries.
It's Marvel Vs. Capcom, asia board.

If they really did remove Japanese voices for Asia boards, that's super weird.
 
Ok. Most likely normal then. This practice was probably most noticed with 3rd Strike. The ASIA carts were always less sought after because of the neutered Japanese voices. I guess you can thank Japan's Imperialism during WW2 for other Asian countries not being big fans of theirs.
 
Ok so big update.

I can confirm that the MvC asia version does indeed have different sounds than other regions. I tested this on my MAME cabinet with the asia rom and get the same results. Bummer but I plan to darksoft this anyhow. Glad to know it works correctly at least.

So almost a month has passed since my journey into painting this thing. I have never done anything so detailed before. Only painted walls or doors with a brush roller. So I thought I would try the foam roller method I have seen on YouTube. I applied Rust-o-leum primer and black semi-gloss latex paint. I went through a Quart of primer no issues, it took about 7 or 8 passes to get a decent enough on as those foam rollers really lay the stuff on thin. Then I applied a quart of the paint but for the life of me I could not get the lines to disappear or the splotches to go away. It was noticeable in the direct light but not so much in the dark. Still, knowing it took me a week to do this only to have a unsatisfactory job was unacceptable.

Here is the shit job with roller:

DrKcxQY.jpg


I was about to pull the gun and buy the Harbor Freight paint gun that @acblunden2 linked, but a co-worker I was talking to happened to have a big air compressor and brand new paint gun. I was so concerned about not fking up his paint gun that I made the paint a little too runny and ended up having to smooth that over with the foam rollers again. In the end I used a Quart and 1/2 to finally get rid of the lines and have a acceptable job where I feel content. I painted the feet brackets and coin doors. I bought new screws and bolts for the riser as the old ones were stripping too easily. I couldn't figure out how to take apart the riser so I just painted it attached. I couldn't find replacement feet so I just sanded the ones I had on there.

I went with blue t-molding. Black on black just looked too plain to me. I wondered how the original T-molding got so chewed up. I had never really worked with it before. Now I know. This stuff is not the most durable. Just moving it from one room to another and I got a couple nicks on the back already. X/

During the week of painting process I also recapped the entire monitor and power supply. I used cap kit for the monitor. All high temp nichicon caps. There was one cap left over in the kit which was for the neck board, which is for the largest of these monitors. Mine didn't have a cap there.

For the power supply, I emailed Twisted Quarter if they had a replacement and they did, but it was 50-60$ or so. There was no cap kit for such a niche and old power supply, but typing "Peter Chou imp-44-1040" got me a page where someone already cataloged the caps needed. I purchased a digital caliper from harbor freight but forgot to use it, and ended up ordering the caps ala carte from Mouser. All of them did fit but one was a tight fit. I am glad I took videos and pictures of both the power supply and monitor chassis because remembering where all the wires go can be daunting. Placing the 110 volt onto the 220 line could cause problems! X/ I ordered a replacement AC power entry module for the power supply because mine was all falling apart. I had a new Artic F8 silent 80mm fan so I replaced the power supply fan as well.


The monitor, CPS2, and power supply received a Simple Green wash before the recap, and they came out so clean I could mistake them for new. Even the stickers which I thought would be destroyed ended up being completely legible. Also bought one of the recommended Sunon fans for the CPS2, and it is worlds different in the noise it makes. I almost thought it wasn't working at first it was so quiet.

Placing the EEPROMS back into the CPS2 was nerve wracking after I bent a couple pins and had to bend them back. Stuff is brittle after so many years. I wondered what those plastic fins were that disintegrated in my hand after taking apart the CPS2 and realized later they were actually the TEST/Sound buttons! It appears it's a common problem, so I will have to investigate a replacement option in the future. Clicking the buttons with a chopstick is getting old :S

I bought all new replacement buttons and joysticks. Industrias Lorenzo branded. I had to order from two different vendors though. Apparently the green convex buttons are hard to come by. Focusattack doesn't even stock them anymore, they only have the lime green colored. Everyone seems out of stock and I waited for weeks and even emailed around. Finally got most of what I wanted from Paradise, but I had to get the green buttons from T-molding .com. I took apart all the rats nest wiring and cleaned it all up. Every piece of the control panel was cleaned up. I couldn't locate online an image of the control board graphic so I cleaned up the vinyl under the plexi as best I could.

I went with @jassin000 recommendation and bought my marquee and plexi from GameonGraphix. I had a back and forth with them on the size I needed and it arrived just yesterday and looks immaculate. I bought the ebay marquee brackets he also recommended and trimmed them. Only problem now is that the light fixture inside is making a annoying buzzing/hum sound. I was told it could be the transformer. I am thinking of going to home depot and just buying a LED light fixture and replacing it.

So here's where we stand now:

VQb9hkh.jpg

2thCy7d.jpg

KkifALI.jpg



THINGS TO DO:


1. Sound - So currently it's just hooked up to the standard mono out from JAMMA to the speakers directly. It works but sounds like shit. I would love to get some kind of simple amp and set it up to use Stereo, problem is I don't know how to tie in an amp into the power supply I have in there. It doesn't have the forks, it uses these big square molex type connectors. If anyone has recommendations on an amp and how I could wire it into the cabinet, that would be great!


2. I bought 2 replacement key locks because I drilled out the originals. Thing is, I didn't realize there was different sizes. The ones I bought come up short, and the sliding arm doesn't latch shut as it hits the inside metal. I looked into getting a coin mech and figured it would be just a simple swap out of the top door, but the email from TQ guy mentioned it cannot be done like that. Apparently I have what's called a "over / under" type setup, and the entire two metal door piece would need to be replaced to give me a coin mech. It's a superfluous expenditure but would be cool to have. I ain't ready to throw down 100+ $$$ for one though.


3. CPS2 replacement buttons - Mine disintegrated... I see there is a 3D printed version, but also read a thread by @undamned who mentioned they are also prone to break. He has some kind of contraption in the works, some pcb with buttons. Not sure what it's for or if I should look into it?


4. Darksoft multi - Only thing holding me back on this is knowing if I need the GPAL option that's on the drop down boxes, and ofcourse $400+.


5. Fix the humming/buzzing of the light fixture. It's now louder than the fans that used to be the loudest part.


6. I bought some magnet strips but not sure if I need them. I can tell some tinkering with the colors/brightness/contrast is in order on my cabinet, but I don't know if I have any alignment issues. I do notice the screen size seems to change. I am not sure if this is the flicker effect on the game itself or my monitor. I turned off flicker in the bios as it was annoying me. I may need to take a video of this to get input. I don't know if this is a feature of the game, or my monitor isn't holding it's vertical/horizontal shape correctly. I also don't know what a good CRT is supposed to output. Despite the size issue, it looks fine to me but then again I have nothing to compare it to.


7. If in the event I want to take the CPS2 out and run it on a HDTV, I saw there was some HDMI solution in the works. Would be cool to have.


8. Find comfortable stools. Standing sucks.

9. I still have the original move lists on the black bezel around the screen. Need to find acceptable files to have printed out and replaced.
 
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Looks awesome!! Nice work!

It appears it's a common problem, so I will have to investigate a replacement option in the future.
https://bit-district.com/arcade/capcom-cps2/capcom-cps2-replacement-buttons.html

4. Darksoft multi - Only thing holding me back on this is knowing if I need the GPAL option that's on the drop down boxes, and ofcourse $400+.
Buying from High Score Saves? MVC has a G Pal, you should be all set. But you can open up the B Board shell (you're going to need to anyway when you install the multi) and look. While you're in there replace the CPS2 fan!
 
1. Sound - So currently it's just hooked up to the standard mono out from JAMMA to the speakers directly. It works but sounds like shit. I would love to get some kind of simple amp and set it up to use Stereo, problem is I don't know how to tie in an amp into the power supply I have in there. It doesn't have the forks, it uses these big square molex type connectors. If anyone has recommendations on an amp and how I could wire it into the cabinet, that would be great!
TDA7297 stereo amp is ideal. Cheap, powerful, good quality for the application. You'll need to de-pin the Molex connector where 12volts is coming from. Snip off the connecting pins. Splice in 12volt lead wire into the same wires. Re-crimp them together. Re-terminate them in the connector. Then reconnect it.

The harder part is the speaker wiring as you have to make a concession. Once you go stereo, you can't go mono unless you commit to doing some reconnection. If you can commit to reconnection, then it is just a matter of determining what connector you can use to go back and forth between stereo and mono.
2. I bought 2 replacement key locks because I drilled out the originals. Thing is, I didn't realize there was different sizes. The ones I bought come up short, and the sliding arm doesn't latch shut as it hits the inside metal. I looked into getting a coin mech and figured it would be just a simple swap out of the top door, but the email from TQ guy mentioned it cannot be done like that. Apparently I have what's called a "over / under" type setup, and the entire two metal door piece would need to be replaced to give me a coin mech. It's a superfluous expenditure but would be cool to have. I ain't ready to throw down 100+ $$$ for one though.
You're getting fleeced. You can order new coin mech locks from twisty's arcade for $3.
3. CPS2 replacement buttons - Mine disintegrated... I see there is a 3D printed version, but also read a thread by @undamned who mentioned they are also prone to break. He has some kind of contraption in the works, some pcb with buttons. Not sure what it's for or if I should look into it?
As @ekorz mentions, @'twistedsymphony''s solution is marvelous and unbreakable.
4. Darksoft multi - Only thing holding me back on this is knowing if I need the GPAL option that's on the drop down boxes, and ofcourse $400+.
MvC uses a G-Pal already.
5. Fix the humming/buzzing of the light fixture. It's now louder than the fans that used to be the loudest part.
Get the right color temperator. None of that yellow light. I recommend 4k color temperature. 5k starts to turn blue. and under 4k is yellow.
6. I bought some magnet strips but not sure if I need them. I can tell some tinkering with the colors/brightness/contrast is in order on my cabinet, but I don't know if I have any alignment issues. I do notice the screen size seems to change. I am not sure if this is the flicker effect on the game itself or my monitor. I turned off flicker in the bios as it was annoying me. I may need to take a video of this to get input. I don't know if this is a feature of the game, or my monitor isn't holding it's vertical/horizontal shape correctly. I also don't know what a good CRT is supposed to output. Despite the size issue, it looks fine to me but then again I have nothing to compare it to.
Trust me, if you are happy with it, you don't want to explore CRT calibration any further. Right @jassin000?
 
That's really nice work man. Way to resurrect an otherwise fallen soldier. Cool how you've documented the process as well.
 
Oh great wise ones, I come to you with another conundrum..

Seems my problems are not over.

After my recap everything looked and ran well. I left the cabinet on for a day to stress test and make sure everything was in order. Well as you can see everything was fine AFTER the recap in the pictures above, but after some time the picture did adjust on me. I figured it was finding it's legs and I would adjust it after it had warmed up. Well turns out adjusting width on these cabinets isn't as easy as the height. I have come to loath the term "width coil" :cursing: . I purchased a set of those plastic width coil hex/alan head sticks @acblunden2 linked on the first page. For whatever reason either they are too small and dont fit or too big. Seems they just spin in place if they go in. I don't think I have been able to get it to turn for me. I don't believe there is any glue on it holding the coil down as some websites have suggested to look. I know it is frowned upon to use actual metal alan wrenches as it "can damage the ferrite core". However I come here for suggestions as to what to do because I have never adjusted a width coil and there could be something I am overlooking. I am using gloves and trying to turn it while it's on and while I have yet to be shocked, I feel I am becoming distressingly comfortable with reaching my hand back there while everything is live.

jd53UDz.jpg

035lc5J.jpg


As you can see I am missing almost 2 inches off each side of the picture. It was not like this after the fresh capacitor install, this happened over the course of a day and has now settled on this size every time I turn it on. Losing 4 inches of image is Unacceptable! I also didn't know about Polypropylene capacitors. Apparently these have something to do with the width. They were not replaced during the recap because I wasn't sure what they were (hell I didn't know what bipolar caps were until they came in the kit). Is this something I should be concerned about?

Lastly, while on the topic of the screen, the "card stockish" bezel that sits around it is a little ratty. I ordered new move list artwork from seiiseiiseii and it looks great but I am hesitant to apply it to the older black bezel. I tried looking at AC Moore, Staples, and Michaels for something similar but they don't have the glossy, thin, or size paper that matches. Anyone know where I can get a repro?

X7DrmvL.jpg

T8ljQzT.jpg


tl;dr


1. Screen width is losing almost 2 inches each side. Cannot seem to turn width coil with plastic bits. Need advice.


2. Where can I find repro of the black card stockish bezel for a dynamo cab.
 
Looks to be both width and pincushion adjustments that are needed.
monitorproblem1.jpg


Yea you're going to need to adjust it "live" and yes be careful (now you starting to see why I say CRTs suck, cuz they do).
 
Looks to be both width and pincushion adjustments that are needed.
monitorproblem1.jpg


Yea you're going to need to adjust it "live" and yes be careful (now you starting to see why I say CRTs suck, cuz they do).
Is the "pincussion" something that adjusts with the width coil, or some other knob I need to take a look at?
 
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