Cruisin World, monitor goes dark, NOT the monitor

Ratocaster

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I am working on a pair of Crusin World games. I have everything fixed except for one VERY annoying problem. The driver 2 monitor goes dark for a half second at random intervals. The monitors in these games had previously been changed to LCD. I have swapped monitors, and the monitor is not the issue. I then swapped the main boards and the problem followed the board. Where on the board should I look?
 
Are you using one of those LCD converters between the game PCB and the monitor? If so, you'll need to jack with the clamp settings.
 
Are you using one of those LCD converters between the game PCB and the monitor? If so, you'll need to jack with the clamp settings.
Yes, but why would the problem follow the main board and not the monitor?
 
I just added an lcd to one yesterday (previous owner necked the original and broke the cover moving it). The clamp settings did need to be messed with or the picture would deteriorate quickly. On some clamp setting it would go black. When I hooked up the converter I made the wires long enough that I could pull it out of the top monitor hole and see the screen. Can't say if it's really your issue but it only takes a minute to check and when you get to a setting that works you can see the correction immediately.
I think I have the top setting on 3 and the bottom on 2.
 
This is a known problem that's been discussed a bit before (I think occurs on all Cruis'n games)... I believe the issue is actually a combination of the LCD converters and synchronization between the two cabinets. Presumably the two cabinets synchronize periodically, which probably causes a small jump in the video sync... which an analog monitor would basically ignore. But the LCD converter flips out when it sees it and loses sync.

To confirm that's the problem, change which side is master/slave, and the jumpiness should switch to the other one. Since the master/slave setting is saved on the board, that's why the problem followed the board. I'm not sure that there's a fix for it, other than go back to CRT, or don't link the cabs (or maybe there's a model of monitor or converter that doesn't have problems with the goofy sync).

Edit - a couple links where it was previously discussed:

DogP
 
This is a known problem that's been discussed a bit before (I think occurs on all Cruis'n games)... I believe the issue is actually a combination of the LCD converters and synchronization between the two cabinets. Presumably the two cabinets synchronize periodically, which probably causes a small jump in the video sync... which an analog monitor would basically ignore. But the LCD converter flips out when it sees it and loses sync.

To confirm that's the problem, change which side is master/slave, and the jumpiness should switch to the other one. Since the master/slave setting is saved on the board, that's why the problem followed the board. I'm not sure that there's a fix for it, other than go back to CRT, or don't link the cabs (or maybe there's a model of monitor or converter that doesn't have problems with the goofy sync).

Edit - a couple links where it was previously discussed:

DogP
That makes sense. The monitor never cuts out in diagnostic/audit mode. What I need is the same thing that's used in broadcast. A master timebase. All cameras and monitors and everything else in the video chain get their sync pulse from one single master oscillator.
 
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