Gorf Joystick Lamps Dim after switcher install

Winslow

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I got my GORF video working after installing a switcher with one of Arcade Shops GORF PS adapter boards. I notice that now my joystick lamps are both working but are VERY dim compared to the way they used to look.

I put a meter on the lamp sockets and measured 4.3v instead of the expected 12v. The #73's are 14v bulbs and are tested good.

I was doing a little research on RGVAC and found this post from 2002:

"My gorf has also been running from a switcher for quite some time (till just
now when the RGB board went out .. anyone got one? plz? :) ..
I tied the CC line to the +5 at first, but had really dull lights on the
space rank and joystick .. so did some checks on the circuit diagrams in the
manuals .. found only the CC and lights run from that line, so tied it to
+12 .. worked perfectly .. nice bright rank and stick lights, and the CC
still works. After a lil while one of my rank lights blew, but replaced it,
and havnt had a problem since. Figure one of the bulbs being so old just
didnt take kindly to the 12v up it .. the new ones are fine. "

Do you know what the "CC" is he is referring to? Clearly, this is the same problem I'm having so I want to switch it around so that I'm getting 12v to the joystick.... just not sure what he's talking about...

Any advice or guidance in dealing with this issue is much appreciated.

Thanks

Steve


BTW - The rank lights don't seem dim to me. Only the joystick lights are noticeably dim.
 
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I put a meter on the lamp sockets and measured 4.3v instead of the expected 12v. The #73's are 14v bulbs and are tested good.

Steve,

Funny you should bring this up because I was helping Rich over at This Old Game with his Gorf illumination a while back. At the time there was some question about a 12 volt vs. 5 volt supply to the lamps in the stick. On the fuzzy schematics I could only locate what I believe was +5v running to the handle. Running a 12V lamp at 5V would give you a nice warm glow but I recall it being rather bright.

I don't have a Gorf so I can't provide any more info but the easy thing to do is locate a lamp that runs at a lower voltage but not burn so hot that it melts the handle. I am unsure what Rich finally did with his Gorf but I sent him a replacemnt pcb with multiple LEDs installed to provide more light and no heat.

I suggest pinging Rich and see what he's got installed in his cab today.
 
I installed a switcher in my Gorf but I wired it by hand going off the schematics. I know the rank lights run off 12v and im pretty sure the stick lights do also.
Yes the wiring diagram in the manual is a little sketchy. It lists wire colors but doesnt say what voltage should be on them. I have been running a switcher in my gorf for a while now and never had a problem.
 
The schematics for gorf have the 9 volt tap on the transformer running through a bridge rectifier and then straight to the coin counter and the rank board. I can't find what voltages expected on the rank board, but it doesn't look like you are going to get 12 volts on the board. The bulbs the manual calls for are #161 bulbs which are a 14 volt bulb. It looks to me like they engineered it to glow instead of burn bright but mine are too dim. Thinking of trying a 5 volt LED.
 
I've also put switchers in about 3 Gorf's. It works great. The way to do it is like this:

Take the power board connector that runs all the voltage out off, and just wire it by hand according to the schematics.

The white line that comes off the power supply is a ground (that runs to the display board).

The display board gets it's voltage for it's lights from the power supply at pin 17. That's a blue and red wire. That same pin also goes over to the control pcb under the control panel and provides the 12 volts for the lights in the joystick.

Using your multimeter, check at the power supply between pins 17 and 15 to see if you get 12volts. If you don't, you've got a problem on one of your lamp boards or your power supply is bad. Unplug the lamp board and the control panel and check it again, if you don't have 12 something is wrong with your power supply.

I've done 3 of these and all the lights worked great afterwards.
 
BTW, for reference sake, this is what mine looked like after I swapped in a switcher:

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My Gorf came with the switcher in it plus an adapter board so you can use the factory plug. I think I'll just remove pin 17 and run it to 12 volts and see how that works.
 
I wonder if there's a reason they made those adapters like that. The first guy said he used the arcadeshop adapter too.

On your adapter if you can tell, see what pin 17 is running to now (probably 5v). The schematics are really clear on this being 12, and the lights in the display board are 12v lights, (161) and the ones in the joystick are 14v lights.
 
Fixed!

Thanks gentlemen for all your help. I was really hoping this thread wasn't going to turn into the debate of using switchers vs. original analog power supply boards...

Yes, the Arcade Shop adapter board for GORF has pin 17 (Blu with Red stripe) routed to the 5v lug on the switcher. I simply removed pin 17 from the cabinet 19 pin connector and inserted it into an available position which was being fed 12v from the switcher - in this case pin 8 was available and I believe there was one other position available too.

Now my joystick lights are nice and bright, my rank lights are brighter than before and the coin counter has a nice strong click sound!

Thanks again! I hope someone can use this information in the future. I suppose I could contact Steven Gregory to let him know about the error. This PS adapter board is labelled as also being used for Super PAC-Man, Mappy, Burgertime, Wizard of Wor & Jr. PAC-Man.
 
That explains it then, there's probably a slight difference in the wiring on the other games... so to use 1 part, they're technically saying it works on Gorf... although the voltage is lower on the lights.

Several games don't work well with switchers including the MCR stuff and some of the Williams stuff, but I haven't found any reason switchers won't work great on Gorf. Never had a problem.
 
I'm going to move the wire to an one slot on the connector that has 12 volts.

Not trying to get into a debate about linear vs switcher, but I try to use the linear when I have them to rebuild as they seem to last longer and I don't have to screw with the harness.

The Gorf I bought had the switcher and the liner was gone. I haven't had any issues with the switcher so far.

The adapter board does say its for multiple games, perhaps it was a compromise to cover more games.
 
Fixed!

Thanks gentlemen for all your help. I was really hoping this thread wasn't going to turn into the debate of using switchers vs. original analog power supply boards...

Yes, the Arcade Shop adapter board for GORF has pin 17 (Blu with Red stripe) routed to the 5v lug on the switcher. I simply removed pin 17 from the cabinet 19 pin connector and inserted it into an available position which was being fed 12v from the switcher - in this case pin 8 was available and I believe there was one other position available too.

Now my joystick lights are nice and bright, my rank lights are brighter than before and the coin counter has a nice strong click sound!

Thanks again! I hope someone can use this information in the future. I suppose I could contact Steven Gregory to let him know about the error. This PS adapter board is labelled as also being used for Super PAC-Man, Mappy, Burgertime, Wizard of Wor & Jr. PAC-Man.

Thanks for the advice. Installed the arcadeshop switcher and noticed the dim lights. Pulled the pin out of 17 and put into 8 and she is bright again. Thanks Winslow and the rest of the posters in this thread. Arcadeshop really should address this. Their stock can't be that old, can it?

Cheers

Cliff
 
Thanks for the advice. Installed the arcadeshop switcher and noticed the dim lights. Pulled the pin out of 17 and put into 8 and she is bright again. Thanks Winslow and the rest of the posters in this thread. Arcadeshop really should address this. Their stock can't be that old, can it?

Cheers

Cliff

Maybe just tell him this is for Gorf and Arcadeshop should make the necessary changes.
 
I had just read Cliff's post to this old thread and sure enough, I had the same issue. Easy fix! Thanks.
 
I dunno. I don't think the information is right. Everyone is in the camp that there is unregulated +12vdc going into the joystick to power the 14vdc E73 mini wedge bulbs...

But the official gorf schematics beg to differ:

gorf-control-grip-pc-assy.jpg


On the joystick pcb, the 10-pin connector (J2), pin #10 is supplied with +5vdc power.

The schematics also say pin #1 on J2 goes to pin #17 (coin meter #1) on the P/S, which i'm assuming is +5vdc?

On the same pcb, the 5-pin connector (J1), pins 1 & 3 are the fire/trigger. 4 & 5 control the 2 bulb's.

At any rate, if I just wanted to test the joystick by hooking up +5vdc to the pcb, wouldn't the lights turn on? Or does some magic happen with that LM339 (quad comparator) to do this?
 
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I'm the boat now that J2, pin #1 (to pin #17 on the P/S) has to be +12vdc, those E73 14v bulbs won't even glow when i applied direct +5vdc to them, but lit up when i applied anything over +10vdc... Crazy.

So, now the remaining question is I just have the pcb out (no game) and I have wired into the control pcb, +12vdc on pin 1 (J2), ground on pin 7 (J2) and +5vdc on pin 10 (J2), what do i have to short or touch to make the circuitry make the lights turn on? In the game it seems when you land a shot on the enemy, it glows. My guess is pin 11 from J1 on the game board sends the proper signal to the control pcb to pin #3 (J1) to turn on the bulbs.

Not sure what pin 2 does going to/from the driver pcb on pin 2. What's the purpose of this driver pcb?
 
Ugh, ignore those last 2 posts. That was me thinking out loud.

I figured it out. Simple stuff. Pin 1 on J1 on the control pcb def is +12vdc. The driver board sends a ground to pin 2 on J1 which connects to J2, then lights up the 2 bulbs. I tried it. It works 100%.

The fire button is just an SPST switch on pins 1 and 3 on J2 which goes to pin 3 on J1 that goes to the logic/game pcb on pin 11 on J1.

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Thanks for the advice. Installed the arcadeshop switcher and noticed the dim lights. Pulled the pin out of 17 and put into 8 and she is bright again. Thanks Winslow and the rest of the posters in this thread. Arcadeshop really should address this. Their stock can't be that old, can it?

Cheers

Cliff

Hey folks...I am reading this great thread and I also think I have this issue....

My Gorf boards were recently repaired so I have been going through the cab looking at the minor stuff...like the lights...

*EDIT* I was looking at the wrong end of the connector. I reviewed the power supply end and it just has one wire in position 17. And an open 12v spot on position 8.
I do need to buy a few of these edge connector pins...would anyone happen to have a link to the proper type? I know they should be all over Amazon, etc but I want to confirm the proper pin type that will fit in that particular connector.

And to clarify, my pin 8 is empty so, according to this thread, i just insert the pin that was in pos 17 and move it there and all is well....?

Thank you!! And thanks for having this thread....My Arcadeshop switcher works great other than my rank lights being super dim and my Joystick light not even coming on. Hoping this works on that issue too.
 
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