New to Monitors (Problem) MK2

CrOoKiT6

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just got an mk2 machine and every time the DCS sound system ad comes on in the demo, my monitor flashes a few times. I'm new to monitors and am guessing it's going bad... if so what are my options?
 
First, whenever you post a monitor question, the MAKE and MODEL of the monitor should be in your post somwhere. Preferably one of the first things.

Could be caps. If it has never been capped before it's a logical first place to start.
 
eh, he's new. I admit, I once thought they were RCA or Philips monitors once. :p

take a picture of the monitor chassis board if you're unable to get a model #. Wells-Gardner places their model labels in weird spots that you might not be able to get to unless you take the whole monitor out for instance. guys on here have a good eye for identifying what you have with a good picture.

could be caps, could be the tube going bad. either way I'm going to assume that you MIGHT not have the technical expertise to fix it on your own, unless you're handy with a soldering iron. I've capped 5 monitors now myself, thinking I never would, and I think I did alright. :)

pictures and brand/model #s though, then we'll try to go from there.
 
Update

p.s. i'm also new to message boards so thank you for your patience, i believe it is a hantarex/polo 25"/serial-18955, I hope this is make and model, but if it isn't, where do i find it? thanx again
 
p.s. i'm also new to message boards so thank you for your patience, i believe it is a hantarex/polo 25"/serial-18955, I hope this is make and model, but if it isn't, where do i find it? thanx again

ah yes, Hantarex Polo. lol

people on here hate those. :)

the tubes are generally solid on them, I think. if your monitor works at all, then it seems you don't have the usual problems people have with them.

any way you think you can get a video of the symptom? cause I don't know what you mean by "flashing".
 
dear mecha 187

i'll try to, but before i can (if this helps) when i go to diagnostics screen, and test red and green, i get a red and green screen, when i do the blue it like flashes between blue and the when it flashes it's like it can't contain the blue color. Then when the dcs screen comes up (almost all blue) it seems like it gets weak then flashes..... if i can get a video how do i send it to you? thanx for all your help-- jim
 
i'll try to, but before i can (if this helps) when i go to diagnostics screen, and test red and green, i get a red and green screen, when i do the blue it like flashes between blue and the when it flashes it's like it can't contain the blue color. Then when the dcs screen comes up (almost all blue) it seems like it gets weak then flashes..... if i can get a video how do i send it to you? thanx for all your help-- jim

good work, now you're thinking like a tech. :)

this could mean one of two things, and I'm leaning more towards the tube being the problem...

either the blue gun inside your CRT is going bad, or (not likely, cause I think these either work or don't work) the blue color transistor on the neckboard is bad.

I don't encourage you try to do this yourself, but the way to check the tube can only be done with a monitor rejuvenator. you can ask around on here telling where you're from and see if anyone on the boards is local to you that has a rejuvenator.

to check the color transistor, you would have to desolder both the suspect blue one, and either the red or green ones (since it appears they work) and swap them around, placing the "bad" one where you pulled the good one from and vice-versa.

I'm still leaning towards the tube though. I suppose another thing to check is the blue drive/blue cutoff pots on the neckboard to see that the blue isn't just turned down or if maybe one of those could be bad too? I'm afraid to work on Polos, I re-capped one, and that's only because it was already broken. lol

I mean it could even be an issue of cold solder too. try reflowing all the major transistors, adjustment pots, etc. on the neckboard.

anyone else have any ideas?


EDIT: or I suppose it could be something with your game board too, I saw your other thread in the General Repair section. now that I think about it, my MK2 did something similar to what yours is. does the game ever play random or wrong sounds or the graphics get distorted at all?
 
monitors

okay, first off thank you for all your help, i live in the youngstown ohio area, by cleveland, but like I said i'm kinda illiterate about these monitors. I have the feeling I might not be able to fix this (based on the fact I don't understand what you just said) so my next question is, is there repairmen who can help me? Also about the other question you asked, it does not play wrong sounds, just wrong gameplay..... thanx again
 
you know what ROMs are, right? they're those chips on the boards in sockets. a very common problem I've seen with MK2 in particular is that if the roms ever come the slightest bit out of socket, the game does all kinds of BIZARRE shit.

it's a symptom called "chip creep", it's when the power on cycles of turning the game on and off gradually makes the chips move out of socket. they're not gonna entirely fall out or anything, but it'll make it where some of the chip legs don't make the best of contact and can produce any number of errors in the game, as the game's processor isn't able to read the software properly, does this make sense?

the solution in theory is easy, but for Mortal Kombat 2, the practice is not so much, because MK2 has a separate memory expansion board that plugs into it. basically what you want to do is press down on all these socketed ROM chips, use a thumb on each end and press down evenly. you'll hear them make a little creeeeeeeeek sound if they're slightly out of socket like I mentioned. :) the hard part comes in removing the expansion board. not so much that it's hard to do, but that you want to exercise some caution when removing it, because it's connected with pins that can be EASILY bent if you remove it wrong.

there's some white plastic props that hold the expansion board in place. take a pair of needlenose pliers and squeeze the heads of these, making sure not to touch the PCB itself, and using your other hand, slightly pull up on the expansion PCB to pop it out of the props. once they're all free, assuming you have the board going long ways from left to right, and the expansion socket is at the bottom, gently (!!) rock the board up and down while trying to pull upward at the same time. doing this should remove the expansion board.

you should have 3 boards now: the main board, the memory expansion board, and the sound board. press down on all the socketed ROM chips one by one, and reattach the expansion board to the main board using my directions in reverse order. make sure all the connections are good and snug on these, cause it does make a difference.

ideally I place some of the smaller bubble wrap underneath the boards when doing this, makes it a little easier.

then hook it all back up and reinstall it inside your cab and see if the problem goes away! if not, then you have a board-level problem that you should probably not worry about fixing and just go out and get another working MK2 boardset. they're cheap on ebay. I overpaid for mine, like an obscene amount. they can usually be had for about $70-80.

let me know if you have any questions, or if any of my instructions are vague. I should probably put together my own guide for this with pictures, cause I've had to tell a couple people on here how to do this. :x
 
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