Can I convert Football Champ (Taito F1) into something else?

[ZERO_MILES]

Hey there,

I'm aware Taito F1 boards share more or less the same hardware, and some of them have extra chips to add different capabilities, such as the TC0480SCP used in Football Champ, Dead Connection and Metal Black.

Football Champ x Dead Connection PCBs look almost identical, and sometimes even the GAL numbers match. Some eprom sizes are different (so I guess I'd have to arrange a way to overcome the memory addressing problem), but other than that, my "research" has come to no conclusion.

I googled all I could, and I couldn't find any guides or information that could lead me to an actual conversion.

So, my question is: has anyone here actually DONE this? Is this possible? I'd like to have my Football Champ converted into something else (preferrably a shooter) by xmas, so I can gift a very good friend of mine.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Older thread I know, I wish I had come across this when it was first posted but, Yes! Football Champ and Dead Connection PCBs are almost identical, this goes for both the 2-Board and the Single Board versions.

The one differences that I can tell that the Program ROMs on Dead Connection are twice the size as the program ROMs on Football Champ. To make the conversion work we need to add an extra address line to the program ROMs.

Thankfully this pin on the Football champ board is left floating so we wont have to lift any pins on the chips, just add some wire to the underside of the PCB. Unfortunately this pin also looks like it's routed through a bit of 74 series logic. And I haven't yet determine how that should work.

On both the Single Board version and the 2 PCB version this extra logic IC is located near the TC0360PRI chip. With the JAMMA edge on the right this is on the bottom right of the 2PCB version and in the center near the top on the single board version.

unfortunately there is no empty location for this extra IC so it would need to be piggy backed on aother chip or simply glued to the PCB.

@Hammy and I discussed this potential conversion quite a bit last year but I don't think we'll get much further until someone with an original Dead Connection PCB can trace out that logic IC for us. Thinking about it now, maybe the address routing is similar to other games that use larger program ROMs, I'll have to check some of my other F-System boards.

There don't seem to be many potential conversions on the F1/F2 hardware but this seems like the highest potential for converting a cheap/common game to a more fun/valuable one.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Some PCB comparisons


FootBall Champ Single Board:


Dead Connection Single Board (differences pointed out with arrow):



Hattrick Hero 2-Board:



Dead Connection 2-board (differences highlighted by arrow)

 

[nem]

I have a single board Dead Connection. I'll dig it up and see what's what.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Most Excellent!

I have both the single board and 2-board version of Football Champ so information and good pictures of either version of Dead Connection would be quite welcome

 

[Hammy]

@Hammy and I discussed this potential conversion quite a bit last year but I don't think we'll get much further until someone with an original Dead Connection PCB can trace out that logic IC for us. Thinking about it now, maybe the address routing is similar to other games that use larger program ROMs, I'll have to check some of my other F-System boards.

There don't seem to be many potential conversions on the F1/F2 hardware but this seems like the highest potential for converting a cheap/common game to a more fun/valuable one.

Yeah it's mostly worked out, i was waiting for @frsj8112 to loan his faulty board to work the last things out.

I have a single board Dead Connection. I'll dig it up and see what's what.

If you have some free time to check some dead connections let us know when you have it out.

 

[frsj8112]

@Hammy and I discussed this potential conversion quite a bit last year but I don't think we'll get much further until someone with an original Dead Connection PCB can trace out that logic IC for us. Thinking about it now, maybe the address routing is similar to other games that use larger program ROMs, I'll have to check some of my other F-System boards.

There don't seem to be many potential conversions on the F1/F2 hardware but this seems like the highest potential for converting a cheap/common game to a more fun/valuable one.

Yeah it's mostly worked out, i was waiting for @frsj8112 to loan his faulty board to work the last things out.

I have a single board Dead Connection. I'll dig it up and see what's what.

If you have some free time to check some dead connections let us know when you have it out.

I've taken the board out of storage, just need to find a decent box to put it in so that i can send it off to you @Hammy

 

[Hammy]

Nice one, this has been in the works for a long time

The repair log for this one will be brutal, and that's before working out the dead connections...

 

[twistedsymphony]

is this a single board version or a 2-board version?

 

[frsj8112]

mine is a single board

 

[Hammy]

Do you have the pics still of the chipset?
Bet that will cause a stir

 

[nem]

Not a whole lot of connections for the 74LS74AN:

 

[twistedsymphony]

Thanks for the Pics!

that's a 74LS74


it looks like it's wired to only use the first flip flop
pin 1 -> pin 4
pin 2 -> ? Hard to tell I lose the trace around the C57 solder mask
pin 3 -> ? Hard to tell I lose the trace around the C57 solder mask
pin 4 -> pin 1
pin 5 -> N/C
pin 6 -> ? Appears to go under IC66 not sure where it ends up
pin 7 -> GND
pin 8 -> N/C
pin 9 -> N/C
pin 10-> N/C
pin 11-> N/C
pin 12-> N/C
pin 13 -> N/C
pin 14 -> +5V

I'm sure Hammy can traces these out once he has board in hand but if you want to help get a head start on this you could use a multi meter to determine where those pins go.

We also need to know where Pin 30 of the 4 program ROMs go, they should be all tied together but then run off somewhere (presumably to that flip flop?)

 

[Hammy]

Dude, that section is done....
With the above you will not get much, just the game running with a red screen.
Just chill

it's the graphics chip setup that's the problem. The games use different pins as rom banking, chip is used on many games in other arrangements.

It's messy BTW

 

[Hammy]

The reason @'frsj8112 's pcb is the one to reverse from is the graphic banking chip is blown and needs removing anyway.
Checking the lines will be simple when it's out of the board.

Found the pics! Nasty

 

[twistedsymphony]

oh shit, that's some serious heat.

 

[nem]

Is the chip actually faulty? I have a few boards that have chips that look like that and they work just fine. I guess there was some air bubble left in during the casting of the package.

 

[frsj8112]

Is the chip actually faulty? I have a few boards that have chips that look like that and they work just fine. I guess there was some air bubble left in during the casting of the package.

dont know, there are more chips on this board that has broken cases. some SRAMS and other surface mount Taito customs

 

[nem]

Someone marked it with a pencil, so maybe it is. I'm sure Hammy will get to the bottom of it.

 

[Hammy]

It's a slice of toast
If you have boards with chips looking like that i would swap them out ASAP.
Chips will explode if there's a short inside (usually due to overvoltage or latch-up)
See the 'golden tee 98' post for another bad example...

Lucky there's 9 or 10 scrap football champs here for the chips.

If it's 100% toast we can move the original parts etc onto a football champ when the convert is understood.