My New Dragon's Lair Topper!

supertechnoboy

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Donor 3 years: 2011, 2024-2025
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Way back in 1983, when I first saw Dragon's Lair in the arcade, the operator had installed an auxiliary monitor on top of the cabinet. It was a good thing, because you couldn't get anywhere close to the actual game due to the crowds. You could see that monitor from halfway down the mall. To me, Dragon's Lair should always have an extra monitor, and I knew it was only a matter of time until mine did.

I've been searching for the perfect monitor for quite a while. Something relatively period-correct, and not too expensive. I settled on the Sony PVM-2030 a while back, so I've been keeping my eyes peeled. Well, Craigslist delivered not just any PVM-2030, but one that was NEW IN THE BOX! Manufactured twenty-two years ago, and waiting for me ever since.

Here it is, in all its NIB glory!

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Date of manufacture.

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Here are the most important features: analog RGB inputs (on the DB25), and for Dragon's Lair, composite video passthrough with switchable termination.

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Did I mention it's new?

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Before I set it up on the Lair, I wanted to test out the RGB inputs. Using a Bob Roberts video harness and some header pins from a dead G07 chassis, I fabbed up a cable that would plug inline with the original monitor.

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First I tried Moon Patrol. The signal displayed beautifully on the PVM, but the extra termination caused the signal to drop out on the original monitor. The PVM-2030 looks washed out in every photo I took of it, but trust me, it's not. It looks beautiful.

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Next I tried Pole Position. It worked great, and again, the picture does not do it justice. It dimmed the original monitor, but I think I could have adjusted it out.

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Finally, I tried Tron, which runs a higher resolution interlaced signal. The original monitor dimmed and stayed on, but the PVM could not handle the signal and showed me nothing.

But enough with the messing around. Dragon's Lair time! It looks awesome! Here it is--perfect fit.

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The new monitor is brighter and has better color than the original, although it doesn't look like it here. All this for 75 bucks! Plus shipping.
 
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Awesome! Why not run coax from the laser disc player to the new tv? Think it would be a better setup than splitting signal
 
Nice, I've be looking for one for a while. Would love to see one of these on top of every game in an arcade.
 
Awesome! Why not run coax from the laser disc player to the new tv? Think it would be a better setup than splitting signal
That's how I have it. That cable I made was just for testing on the others. I'm running BNC coax from the LD player to the IN jack on the new monitor. Then from the OUT jack I go back down to the original NTSC board on the internal monitor. With the 75-ohm termination switched off on the new monitor, the signal passes right through to the original with no degradation.
 
definitely going to do this with my Dragon's Lair...luckily pvm's are pretty plentiful around here (although obviously not nib ones...). I think I might go for a slightly smaller one though, and one without the cube case
 
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definitely going to do this with my Dragon's Lair...luckily pvm's are pretty plentiful around here (although obviously not nib ones...). I think I might go for a slightly smaller one though, and one without the cube case
I liked the cube in case I ever wanted to use it on a vertical game in the future (what the console kids call "tate"), although realistically, it will probably never leave the Lair. :) This one is a 20", by the way.
 
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