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Super Monaco GP Airdrive

I have found a system x board, sadly way too expensive for me @ $1400. I did find this when searching : -

https://smartypi.co.uk/

SMGP isn't listed but the site owner came back with this : -


"So I support other XBoard games like you say, After Burner and ThunderBlade confirmed as working. The adapter I have for this would probably work in an Upright SMGP. If I get the chance to test In an Upright I will verify the adapter I use.

Do you know if MAME supports the output signal to drive the Air Compressor? If it does this would be something I could work on in the future, I do have other priorities with the project 1st though."

I've no idea on the MAME question if anyone knows? Could be my best bet of fixing this game.....
 
sega_man said:
https://smartypi.co.uk/

Do you know if MAME supports the output signal to drive the Air Compressor? If it does this would be something I could work on in the future, I do have other priorities with the project 1st though."

I've no idea on the MAME question if anyone knows? Could be my best bet of fixing this game.....
Click to expand...

ok that is a nice solution :)

...and https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blo...cbb568095981c4dbe69/src/mame/sega/segaxbd.cpp mentions :

Known bugs:
* smgp network and motor boards not hooked up

but appears to load it anyway?
ROM_REGION( 0x10000, "mainpcb:motorcpu", 0 ) // z80 on air board
ROM_LOAD( "epr-12505.8", 0x00000, 0x08000, CRC(5020788a) SHA1(ed6d1dfb8b6a62d17469e3d09a5b5b864c6b486c) ) // taken from deluxe cabinet dump
ROM_END
 
I've also been in touch with Ken @ irepairsega, he thinks its worth jumpering in some RAMs to see if that clears the errors. I can only find one listing on eBay for them @ £10 each! Is that the going rate & are they as rare as that too?

Also, looking under magnification the pad on pin 108 on IC41 doesn't look too good, I don't have a schematic (that I can ready anyway!) but if I can find one I could fit a jumper wire for this pin?? Can anyone provide info on where that would need jumpering to?

Finally, what are the failures called "Road"?! There aren't any IC numbers for those.....

@Mrhide, thanks for that info-I'll pass it on.
 
Road: "This is based on the OutRun Memory Test" so that's probably where the "road" is coming from?

IC21 or 39*TMM2115BP-102KB x 8RoadRegion 5: 0x80000
IC20 or 38*TMM2115BP-102KB x 8RoadRegion 5: 0x80001
IC21 or 39*TMM2115BP-102KB x 8RoadRegion 5: 0x80000
IC20 or 38*TMM2115BP-102KB x 8RoadRegion 5: 0x80001


...and I didn't want to tell you but I actually picked up an afterburner board yesterday for ...next to nothing :| ...and there's a local guy selling controls and wires from an afterburner... I am going to go pick that up and see if that board is working or not... so I might be in the same boat as you very soon.
 
I've got the RAMs on order from Retroclinic, worth a try. The custom ICs are used in two locations on the board so maybe a dead board can help me one day if this doesn't work.....
 
Ha, I knew you couldn't resist taking a shot at fixing it.:P

Don't forget you have already gone from a none working board with no idea what was wrong.
To fixing the power supply and then using the test ROMs to give you some idea of what is wrong with the PCB.

Cheers Justin
 
Maybe post some close up photos of the two customs they may have lifted pins which would mean a reflow could be all that's needed.

Cheers Justin
 
I did take some close up pics, one pad on IC41 (pin 108) doesn't look great, I can't see on the schematic where I could patch this to? The RAMs were cheap enough to give it a go. Obviously the ideal scenario is piggy backing the RAMs does SOMETHING, hopefully that is skewing the test to report issues on the customs. I did notice the board uses the exact same chips in another location, swapping them doesn't look too easy though!
 
OK, some progress (sort of!).

I've tracked down a working board & a non working board! The working board is £550, the non working board is £350.

Obviously I have no way of knowing if the non working board has the chips I need in good order, and then I have the headache of de-soldering and replacing them!

I did offer P/X of my board but the seller is trying to get of games so they declined.

Do we think there is a market for a non working board? (a lot of parts on there!).

I can't afford £550 right now but if I could sell my old board for £350 and get the working board for £200 :)

Obviously if the RAM fixes it this doesn't matter but these boards are so hard to find.....

Thoughts people?
 
Usually the piggyback method works enough to tell which ones are bad, taking the old RAM off is sometimes tricky as Sega PCBs can put up quite a fight and it is very easy to lift traces and vias.

My top tips for RAM removal::)

If you find after desoldering the chip still won't budge use hot air, this is my go to for this.

If you know for sure the ic you are removing is faulty cut the ic away from the PCB with a pair of flush cuts, then desolder each pin by heating the solder and pulling out gently with a pair of long nose pliers.

Hope this helps

Cheers Justin
 
Thanks Justin,

I used to repair Amiga's & Atari ST's, the Atari's were OK, sounds like the Sega boards are like the Amiga!!

I was planning on the cut leg method if this shows anything. I guess I should have got sockets too but I'll see what piggy backing does 1st.....
 
I like these as you can get them to the proper size you need.

edit: holy crap! I just saw the price! I use to get a pack of 20 or so for the price of one !!
 
Hi Everyone,

Progress report time!

The RAMs arrived Saturday so I tried the piggy back method, this cleared the RAM faults but the customs are still reporting bad :(

After speaking to Ken @ irepairsega I decided to follow his advice & remove the RAM chips and install the new ones. This actually took a step backwards as one of the RAMs then reported bad as well as the two custom IC's!

Ken says it's time to get a new PCB :( He doesn't think it will be the custom ICs but could be RAM, buffers or a broken pin on a ROM.

Mark @ Retroclinic thinks it's the custom IC's.

All I can see on the customs is a dodgy pad on pin 108, I can't read the schematic to see where this goes, can anyone help on that front so I can try jumpering it?

TBH it looks like game over for this board which leaves me with trying to find a dead board at a reasonable price, it looks a headache to change these SMD chips though!

Or buy the one I've found at £550 (sadly not an option right now, I'm basically out of work!)

Or wait for the rasbery pi solution to do SMGP sometime in the future......
 

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I still think reflowing the customs is your best bet at this stage.
Also one of your new RAMs could be bad.
This has happened to me before NOS stock is still NOS stock unfortunately 😕

Cheers Justin
 
I jumpered another RAM over the one that is now reporting bad-no change. I've re-flowed the custom IC (tried one first), sadly no change.

I got this info on another forum : -

Looking at the schematics of the X-board, pin 108 of IC41 should go to pins 21 of IC29 and IC30, pins 19 of IC31 and IC32 and pin 18 of IC27. Hopefully I haven't missed anything!
Click to expand...

However, I'm getting connection to pin 28 on IC29 & IC30, pin 24 on IC31 & IC32 & pin 13 on IC27!

I really can't read the schematic, it seems really poor quality! Apparently someone is working on reproducing these chips next year so that may be an option.....
 
Well crap: the “afterburner parts and wiring” box i wanted turned out to not be wiring for afterburner and the parts (throttle and control) were so bad i actually left empty handed, and pockets full! :(

Guess i’ll have to make some sort of harness to see if it’s alive or not
 
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