Asteroids DeLuxe... ALMOST working...

Guru-420

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OK, so I'm still having some issues with my Asteroids DeLuxe... Someone please help me figure out what the problem might be!

I am experiencing 2 seperate issues, which may or may not be related. Most of the time, the game works pretty well, but the video seems to "pulse". Seems to be a steady, rythmic pulse that does not affect gameplay.

The second issue happens occasionally, where the monitor "supersizes" the image. Image goes way bigger than the monitor size, and if a new game is started the center of the screen is almost completely blank and slowly becomes more visible as you get closer to the edges.

I have already had the monitor refurbished by Chad@ArcadeCUP and the board was recently repaired by Mike (RoadRunner). I have a new "Big Blue" on order. Anything else I can check? Could this be an issue with the ARII?
 
OK, so I'm still having some issues with my Asteroids DeLuxe... Someone please help me figure out what the problem might be!

I am experiencing 2 seperate issues, which may or may not be related. Most of the time, the game works pretty well, but the video seems to "pulse". Seems to be a steady, rythmic pulse that does not affect gameplay.

The second issue happens occasionally, where the monitor "supersizes" the image. Image goes way bigger than the monitor size, and if a new game is started the center of the screen is almost completely blank and slowly becomes more visible as you get closer to the edges.

I have already had the monitor refurbished by Chad@ArcadeCUP and the board was recently repaired by Mike (RoadRunner). I have a new "Big Blue" on order. Anything else I can check? Could this be an issue with the ARII?

The pulsing might be due to bad x/y adjustment POTs on the gameboard. I have a board that was left out in the elements which works well, but does have slightly jumpy/pulsating video (mostly noticeable along the edges of the screen). I lightly tapped on said POTs and the video solidified momentarily...I also tried adjusting the POTs and the image size jumped like crazy...Wasn't getting nice smooth adjustments out of them.

Sometimes you can also get a "blooming" effect if the HV diode is going bad on the monitor. How quickly do you see the "super sizing"? Is it intermittent or does it stay that way until you cycle power?
 
Thanks for the input, I can check on those pots. I'll try to tap on them and see. I was hoping it might just be the ARII or the big blue cap (Bob Roberts site claims this issue could be a bad Big Blue, so I ordered extras).. Hard for me to tell how touchy the X/Y pots are when I get stuck standing behind the machine to do the adjustments. May just need to order replacements and see..


For the Giant "Blooming", it happens spuratically, and sometimes does not go away after power cycle but stays just as big (Been stuck that way for 2 days now). I know when Chad@ArcadeCUP did work on the monitor, he did have some issues with the HV Diode and having to build up a ton of silicone just to hold it in place, but he seemed very confidant he got it in place well. I may need to contact him again and have him re-look at the monitor again... :(
 
Yep--big blue is another potential culprit in some monitor issues--though I recall reading it would cause more of a "wave" or ripple effect in the picture and not necessarily sizing issues. DarrenF and others have recommended that you measure the ripple voltage (AC) on the +5 test point on the A/R board to ensure that big blue is filtering correctly. If your game is playing flawlessly and your audio sounds good, then I would venture to guess that big blue is fine, but you should double check, regardless.

If the picture has looked big/stretched for a couple of days (I'm assuming you've turned the game off during this period :) then I'm not sure it would be your HV diode...I saw a monitor with a bad HV diode in person and it would basically look great for about 15 minutes and then picture would *slowly* start to grow. Shutting the game down for a little bit and then turning it back on would cause the picture to look good again.

Sounds like you already know how to pull the monitor out--I would do that and just connect it from the back side (set it on a table) so that it's easier to tinker with. You might need to cut a couple of zip ties to get the wire harness to reach. With the monitor out try cranking the pots all the way in both directions just to see if different locations on the pots give better results (I've found that sometimes there are "sweet" spots that give a better connection).

If you have access to another Asteroids board you might try that running that too so that you can drill into the true source of the issue.
 
What type of monitor does it have? If it's a Wells Gardner V2000 vector, you should check to see that the resistor mod has been done for R100 and R101.

Google the V2000 FAQ guide for details...
 
What type of monitor does it have? If it's a Wells Gardner V2000 vector, you should check to see that the resistor mod has been done for R100 and R101.

Google the V2000 FAQ guide for details...


I think it is the 19v2000, and Chad@Arcadecup did point out that he performed the resistor mod in question. Thanks for making sure though, very appreciated!
 
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