Mike's 2-1 switcher not working properly with rotary games

OldTymeToys

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Mike's 2-1 switcher not working properly with rotary games

So I finally got everything together for the multi-rotary cabinet that I've been waiting to do. I picked up the multi-rotary pcb's that control the joystick function and Mike's 2 in 1 JAMMA adapter so I could run my two favorite rotary games- Heavy Barrel and Ikari Warriors (JAMMA version). Here's a quick pic of the makeshift set up:

yzyJW.jpg


I plugged it all in, double-checked my work and fired up the cab. Everything looked great! I flipped between both games to dial in the monitor as best I could for both games.

Then, my son and I went to play Ikari Warriors and... Player 2 continuously threw grenades. I then flipped back to Heavy Barrel and Player 2 couldn't throw grenades at all! All other functions worked fine.

I checked each board individually. I plugged in both boards directly to the cabinet harness and all functions worked WITH and WITHOUT the rotary pcb's.

I'm guessing I have a bad 2-1 adapter (with at least cold solder) but I just wanted to be sure in case there was something else I could've missed...
 
For some reason or other the player 2 grande button (Ikari Warriors) is grounded. I would look at the connection to the pin that corresponds to that button and investigate why it is grounded. It is more probable a solder bridge than a cold solder joint.
 
For some reason or other the player 2 grande button (Ikari Warriors) is grounded. I would look at the connection to the pin that corresponds to that button and investigate why it is grounded. It is more probable a solder bridge than a cold solder joint.

I'll check that out and report back. Thanks.
 
Is there any chance a phantom button signal (from the board not powered) is going thru that setup?

Not really, This is a ground problem and not a power problem. It could be the ground is not done right but that too is not as likely as a solder bridge. Might just try another connector and see if that changes anything, looks like there are several other pins to connect to.
 
Ok, back at this guys... I don't see any issues with the ground on either boards and P2 in Heavy Barrel cannot throw grenades and P2 in Ikari won't stop throwing grenades. Anything else I can look at? I spoke to Mike about his jamma switcher and the player controls just pass through. I'm stuck...
 
Have you tried swapping the boards between places on the switcher? If it is a problem with the switcher then the problems should shift boards.


Also, what is the power level at each board when everything is installed and powered up? It is possible that you are drawing down the power enough to cause issues with the boards.
 
Have you tried swapping the boards between places on the switcher? If it is a problem with the switcher then the problems should shift boards.


Also, what is the power level at each board when everything is installed and powered up? It is possible that you are drawing down the power enough to cause issues with the boards.

Yes, I switched positions of the boards and I have the same problem and the problem doesn't change. Power at each board measures 4.97 and 4.99. Too low?
 
That should be OK, where are you measuring it? If you are comfortable doing so try measuring it at an IC, preferably one that is far away from the Jamma connector.
 
Measuring it at the jamma connector. I'll measure at the IC and report back. Any chance this is a ground issue as mentioned prior?
 
Yes, in both cases it looks like a ground problem. The button for the game that throws grenades appears to be shorted to ground while the other appears to not ground at all.
 
Yes, in both cases it looks like a ground problem. The button for the game that throws grenades appears to be shorted to ground while the other appears to not ground at all.

So what do you suggest should be my next step? If you don't think I need to measure the voltage at an IC, that would save me trying to look at a schematic on my phone :)
 
Last minute attempts before the party tomorrow. Any ideas on what the best way is to solve this grounded button problem?
 
So I finally got everything together for the multi-rotary cabinet that I've been waiting to do. I picked up the multi-rotary pcb's that control the joystick function and Mike's 2 in 1 JAMMA adapter so I could run my two favorite rotary games- Heavy Barrel and Ikari Warriors (JAMMA version). Here's a quick pic of the makeshift set up:

yzyJW.jpg


I plugged it all in, double-checked my work and fired up the cab. Everything looked great! I flipped between both games to dial in the monitor as best I could for both games.

Then, my son and I went to play Ikari Warriors and... Player 2 continuously threw grenades. I then flipped back to Heavy Barrel and Player 2 couldn't throw grenades at all! All other functions worked fine.

I checked each board individually. I plugged in both boards directly to the cabinet harness and all functions worked WITH and WITHOUT the rotary pcb's.

I'm guessing I have a bad 2-1 adapter (with at least cold solder) but I just wanted to be sure in case there was something else I could've missed...

This is where to look to see what is grounding out the connection here Ikari Warriors and player 2 grenades. < This is grounded and the question you have to answer is why >
 
Well, it seems that the Heavy Barrel pcb was the culprit. Not sure how it worked when I checked it directly to the cabinet harness last time, but when I pulled everything out and started over, only the Heavy Barrel was having issues.

So, it wasn't Mike's switcher or the multi rotary joystick pcbs, it was the Heavy Barrel board itself. So, I ended up putting Ikari Warriors and Gondomania in for now and they work like a charm!!
 
Question about this: how bad were the monitor issues between the two games. I plan to construct something similar using a 6-in-1 jamma switcher and the biggest concern I have is that the monitor will be out of whack when switching between games. If I could wire up some sort of remote monitor controls, I could live with having to change the vert/horz sizing upon switching. Or would finding an auto-syncing monitor fix this issue?
 
Question about this: how bad were the monitor issues between the two games. I plan to construct something similar using a 6-in-1 jamma switcher and the biggest concern I have is that the monitor will be out of whack when switching between games. If I could wire up some sort of remote monitor controls, I could live with having to change the vert/horz sizing upon switching. Or would finding an auto-syncing monitor fix this issue?

I never had issues with the monitor. You might have a slight variation on screen position, but nothing major I wouldn't think.
 
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