Mario Brothers (In DK Jr. Cab) - Picture getting cut off

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Mario Brothers (In DK Jr. Cab) - Picture getting cut off

Hey guys,

Recently picked up a Mario Brothers, in a DK Jr Cabinet. The paper on the backdoor makes it sound like the monitor is the as would be found in a DK Jr.

That said when on, the picture is over to the left too much. Specifically the M in Mario, at the top while playing is cut off. I looked on the monitor for some kind of horizontal adjust but there wasn't any.

I am pretty sure it needs a capkit too since after a few hours, there are some slight squiggles in the picture that show up from time to time. Only after it gets warmed up though.. How can I identify what monitor is in there?

Thanks!!

Matt
 
It's a Sanyo 20EZ.

Or rather, I would be very, very surprised if it were anything else. All Nintendo games use the Sanyo 20EZ. Nintendo games use inverted video, and only work directly with the Sanyo monitor. Installing any other monitor would require an inverter board and a separate audio amplifier (the audio amplifier is part of the monitor in this game).

And there is a horizontal centering control. There is a group of five knobs on the back, on the little control board. It's the one in the middle.

Also, many Nintendo boards have H and V centering controls on the game PCB itself (not sure about Mario Bros).

-Ian
 
Thanks Ian, I looked on the chassis and saw the knobs, but none said horizontal specifically.. I'll give it a shot.

I have never opened up the cage where the PCB is.. not even a clue on where to start (didn't really try either)

Should I start with the monitor or go for checking the PCB for knobs?

-Matt
 
First I'd double confirm you have a Sanyo monitor. Just look up a picture of a Sanyo 20EZ - it's a pretty unique looking monitor. The main controls are on a small little board mounted near the back of the monitor chassis. There will be five, one of which is the volume control. The one in the middle should be horizontal centering.

I would suggest adjusting the monitor first, that's the easiest.

If you're not sure or can't identify your monitor, or anything else in the game, feel free to take pictures and post them here.

There's different ways for an image to be "cut off" on a monitor too. It could simply be adjusted to the side too far, so it's off the edge of the tube. It could be adjusted too wide (there is a width adjustment too) so it won't fit on the screen. The monitor can be faulty, causing the picture to fold over, giving the appearance of being cut off (usually only happens along the vertical, not the horizontal). Or, the paper bezel can shift and cover up part of the screen...

-Ian
 
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There could also be a Sharp or Wells Gardner in there too - like the ones used in Playchoice cabs. They ran on native inverted video.

Post a pic of the back of the monitor and we can help you.

Either way, if the monitor's never been capped, a cap kit is in order for trouble free operation for the foreseeable future.
 
Hey guys - So the plot thickens.. I was able to take my flashlight and see through the frosted plexi. As I suspected, the image is not even taking up the whole monitor! It seems like the image is in the bottom corner of the screen and thats why things are being cut off.

I tried to take some pictures of the image and the monitor behind it.

If anyone can suggest what is going on I would appreciate it..
 

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yes a cap kit is due for you.

and adjust the pots on the PCB and it will help correct the image placement on screen.

Peace
Buffett
 
Thanks Buffett -- I had adjusted the POT as far as they will go and I can't center the image.. I didn't realize the CAPS were that bad.

Is this monitor a 20EZ?

I will go and call up arcadeshop tomorrow and order a kit.. I assume I should do the flyback even though there is no whine?
 
yes a cap kit is due for you.

smalltownguy2 said:
Cap it first - then start adjusting.

Uh, guys, I know that a cap kit is the be-all end-all of monitor repairs, but do you really think he needs it? The picture looks fine, it just needs to be adjusted slightly. And, perhaps he could use a bit more green - but that could be just due to the monitor plexi and the camera. And caps won't fix that anyway...

The usual symptoms of dried out caps aren't present - no foldover, no jail bars, and he hasn't mentioned any shaking or wavyness. the picture looks just fine. Why are you suggesting he cap it immediately? I've seen plenty of monitors on original caps that worked fine. Not only that, he's never done a cap kit before, and on a Sanyo it's rather a lot of work - definitely more difficult than on a G07 or something. I don't generally recommend doing a Sanyo as your first cap kit.

I'd say he should just adjust the position and size controls a bit first. Before jumping in and replacing dozens of parts.

-Ian
 
Yes, I know that caps are like the 'kool aid' of choice around here, but really, it's all about peace of mind. For such a cheap investment, it's worth the effort, especially on something that old.

Think about it like this: you buy an old used lawn mower. It works OK. Do you give it a new spark plug and sharpen the blades, or do you just keep cutting away without any maintenance because it just 'works' now?

I'd service the chassis myself. Besides, if the OP ends up needing any more help after trying to adjust the picture with pots, what do you suppose the first thing he's going to get asked is?
 
any sanyo can go at any time. i have allot of sanyo's in my collection and that i have rebuilt for others, to now to do it now before the pic goes south. and it burns in the fold over line. plus he may not get the adjustment he needs to fill the screen. the mis adjusted pic is can be caused by dead caps. you just cant see it because of all the black in the opening attract screen for Mario bros.

i agree that a sanyo is not the best to try as your first cap kit. but they are one of the absolute best monitors in arcade machines. i have some in my other non Nintendo/Atari cabs. like pacman, frogger, centipede and a few others and they look great. better than any other monitor out there.

so i encourage a cap kit now to avoid future issues. plus the audio will sound better as well.

just my recommendation.

Peace
Buffett
 
Yes, I know that caps are like the 'kool aid' of choice around here, but really, it's all about peace of mind. For such a cheap investment, it's worth the effort, especially on something that old.
But if you've never done it before, you could screw it up worse, break something, or hurt yourself. I don't know how comfortable the OP is with electronics. Not only that, so many of the "cap kits" that are on the market right now come with some really cheap crummy caps, and sometimes they're worse than the 30 year old ones in the game.

Think about it like this: you buy an old used lawn mower. It works OK. Do you give it a new spark plug and sharpen the blades, or do you just keep cutting away without any maintenance because it just 'works' now?

Different animals. Mowers require regular maintenance. A monitor isn't going to fry (or burn oil) because you haven't capped it. And just like it's obvious when a mower isn't running or cutting properly, it's obvious when a monitor isn't working correctly.

I'd service the chassis myself. Besides, if the OP ends up needing any more help after trying to adjust the picture with pots, what do you suppose the first thing he's going to get asked is?

But you and I have done this dozens of times. I can cap a Sanyo in 45 minutes. But.. even I would simply spend the 30 seconds to adjust the picture correctly before even spending the time and effort. And I'd probably check the B+ voltage too. If the monitor looks good, and works good, then it doesn't need caps just yet. I've seen plenty of monitors, on original caps, working perfectly.

Would I probably cap it? Yes. Eventually. When I had the time. But if it works now, why? It'll be obvious when it starts to fail.

-Ian
 
and it burns in the fold over line.
What fold over line? He doesn't have a fold over line.

plus he may not get the adjustment he needs to fill the screen. the mis adjusted pic is can be caused by dead caps. you just cant see it because of all the black in the opening attract screen for Mario bros.

Oh, definitely, it can be. But 30 seconds of adjusting could fix it too. And it's really common for those H and V position controls to drift or get bumped on Nintendo game boards. Most of the time, when the caps in Nintendo monitors start to go, the failures are really obvious. Low B+ causes the picture to shake, and just about everything else causes jailbars and foldover.

so i encourage a cap kit now to avoid future issues. plus the audio will sound better as well.

If he's up for a few hours of work, then definitely. A cap kit will ensure future reliability - if you use good components.

But, I've just seen several Sanyos that work perfectly on original caps, and have been working for a long time. One monitor I just replaced C407 to fix the foldover and didn't do anything else to it, and it's fine.

I've also seen several Sanyos or Nintendo boards destroyed by someone inexperienced with repairing them. I can, of course, prevent much of that by giving two warnings up front:

Do NOT plug the monitor into the wall. I know it has a regular looking wall plug in it, but it needs special 100v isolated power from the bottom of the cabinet.

Do NOT reverse plugs JC and JB on the audio board. You will destroy the audio section of the game board if you do.


-Ian
 
But if you've never done it before, you could screw it up worse, break something, or hurt yourself. I don't know how comfortable the OP is with electronics. Not only that, so many of the "cap kits" that are on the market right now come with some really cheap crummy caps, and sometimes they're worse than the 30 year old ones in the game.

Zanen's kits are still good. OP has done some board repair and an ARII board, so I'm fairly certain he can cap the 20EZ.


Different animals. Mowers require regular maintenance. A monitor isn't going to fry (or burn oil) because you haven't capped it. And just like it's obvious when a mower isn't running or cutting properly, it's obvious when a monitor isn't working correctly.

Wait, and monitors don't require regular maintenance?? At the very least give it some initial refurb treatment and then maybe you can ignore it, but that's not how I roll. I may not have pretty perfectly restored games, but mechanically they're all sound - everything works, right down to the last coin door light. All of it requires constant maintenance, including looking at the monitor occasionally.

But you and I have done this dozens of times. I can cap a Sanyo in 45 minutes. But.. even I would simply spend the 30 seconds to adjust the picture correctly before even spending the time and effort. And I'd probably check the B+ voltage too. If the monitor looks good, and works good, then it doesn't need caps just yet. I've seen plenty of monitors, on original caps, working perfectly.

I agree that attempting to adjust the image would be good to try, but I'd still recommend recapping it if the OP is even the tiniest bit unhappy with the results. Sanyo monitors produce a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L picture when tuned up properly, and IDK what all the hubub is about complaining about doing a cap kit on them. Once the monitor is removed from the game, you just have to pull the neck board cage off and the support brackets for the tube, and then you have free access to pull the chassis PCB. From there, capping it is simple.

Would I probably cap it? Yes. Eventually. When I had the time. But if it works now, why? It'll be obvious when it starts to fail.

I'm normally a 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' kind of person, but with monitors such as this one, I have come to believe that if it has original caps, it's pretty much a must to recap it if you plan on using it enough to expect reliable operation. I mean come on, the shelf life on these capacitors was less than 10 years, much less the operating life. Most of them are on borrowed time.
 
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