Phetishboy
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I guess I've been really lucky. My cockpit has been running on the original set up for about 18 years now. It has the occasional graphics glitch, but usually reseating the edge connectors clears it up.
Pole Position #2: I knew better. 😫
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Humdinger
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That's amazing and unheard of, from all I've read.
Phetishboy
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This was taken about a week ago :
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Humdinger
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Wow. You're much younger than I imagined.
Phetishboy
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That's my son who turned 14 on the 14th. That's why we took his picture on top of the pole position. The last time I had taken a picture of him up there he was about 2. He was sitting with his brother who is now 16. Just letting you know that the game has been working on original hardware all this time.
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Humdinger
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I was kidding. Still amazing that the original board set has worked that long. You must have exceptionally stable power and keep it 60 degrees in there. I like the Atari sign on the wall too.
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And if you've read the other things you haven't read, you will find out that Pole Position doesn't have to be problematic as long as you invest in a little maintainence here and there. After all, you do change oil in your car sometimes, right? And you do proclaim your a purist at heart...
Cleaning the fingers on the edge of the board and repairing those as needed along with changing a few damaged pins in the edge connector if needed is the first step. Cleaning them with a fiberglass pen and dressing the connectors with deoxit about every 2 years will usually be sufficient.
Of course this assumes a working board set. Most dysfunctional boardsets can be fixed, pending any severe battery damage.
The original linear power supply (power brick + AR2s + big blues that seldom go bad) will outlast any cheaply designed and built Switcher you can buy these days... plus you won't need to source another "solution" for an audio amp. And none of this even addresses the condition of the monitor... is an LCD more reliable? It certainly won't last as long as a properly reconditioned arcade monitor.
It's not that difficult to repair a harness, even with moderate damage. in short, with a little investment of time, and a few dollars, you can put your pole position back in genuine and proper order.
I'm in pursuit of that very thing with a gutted CockPole cab... all OG, and down to needing a replacement harness due to the fact that it had been entirely removed prior to my becoming it's newest custodian.
Will they always be 100%? Of course not, after all, the car can still get a flat tire on the way home from getting the oil changed. But you still wouldn't replace the engine in your Corvette with one from a Toyota because you read that Toyotas are reliable.
YMMV of course, and you do what you feel is right for YOU and your needs. I'm not saying your right or wrong, I'm just stating that with a little work it's not impossible to see good results in any of our games.
Just my 2₵
Dylan
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Did I mention the board was riddled with acid damage? That I only use Happ Power Pro switchers instead of no-name crap? That I keep the majority of my games original, down to the linear power supplies? Hell, I don't even put casters on my cabs because they then sit higher than normal, and I absolutely will NOT use a LCD monitor under any circumstances.
Pole Position is universally recognized as being a problem child, and problem children need a special kind of discipline: the kind that works and stays with them forever. I will be 56 this year, and I simply don't have the time or the desire to be constantly maintaining my games when there are other (better) options available. I suppose you're also upset with Arcade Jason for even creating the better option?
I have only "jammatized" a handful of games, and each one works flawlessly. I even pitched the power board, big blues, transformer, and run capacitor from the last TRON I had in favor of the switching adaptor kit from Arcadeshop. Worked great and I was happy as a two-peckered goat that I wouldn't have to worry about those parts in the future.
And yes, I do still consider myself a purist, because all the machines I rescue have already been severely molested and/or converted by the last owners and are literally headed for the dumpster. I go out of my way to put them back the way they were—as far as artwork and basic operation is concerned—instead of multi-gaming them or hacking them up even further. Bubble Bobble has no place in a Defender cabinet!
I don't even know if the mods I've discussed here will even work. I will enjoy the opportunity to try them. If they fail, you can rest easy when I re-use the original antiquated parts with Jason's P4 board. I'll even send you the shitty factory boards so you can look at a blue screen full of RAM and ROM errors each and every time you just want to play a round of PP.
Pole Position is universally recognized as being a problem child, and problem children need a special kind of discipline: the kind that works and stays with them forever. I will be 56 this year, and I simply don't have the time or the desire to be constantly maintaining my games when there are other (better) options available. I suppose you're also upset with Arcade Jason for even creating the better option?
I have only "jammatized" a handful of games, and each one works flawlessly. I even pitched the power board, big blues, transformer, and run capacitor from the last TRON I had in favor of the switching adaptor kit from Arcadeshop. Worked great and I was happy as a two-peckered goat that I wouldn't have to worry about those parts in the future.
And yes, I do still consider myself a purist, because all the machines I rescue have already been severely molested and/or converted by the last owners and are literally headed for the dumpster. I go out of my way to put them back the way they were—as far as artwork and basic operation is concerned—instead of multi-gaming them or hacking them up even further. Bubble Bobble has no place in a Defender cabinet!
I don't even know if the mods I've discussed here will even work. I will enjoy the opportunity to try them. If they fail, you can rest easy when I re-use the original antiquated parts with Jason's P4 board. I'll even send you the shitty factory boards so you can look at a blue screen full of RAM and ROM errors each and every time you just want to play a round of PP.
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Humdinger
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You'll also be delighted to know that I plan to TRY to keep the original "Piece-o-shita" Matsushita monitor, complete with "GAME OVER" screen burn, in this rig too, instead of relying on my usual tendency to throw a K7000 in there and just be done with it. Woohooo!!
Well, I certainly didn't mean to kick you in your hornets nest. I only simply meant to convey that a "complete gutting of all the original stuff" is not the ONLY answer to your dilemma. And, I did follow it all with the standard YMMV disclaimer.
I'm over the moon about your stance regarding LCDs. But I do still hold MY opinion on linear power supply packages against any switcher... Chineseium, Meanwells, or even PowerPros.
As far as Arcade Jason's "stuff"... no, I'm not pissed off at him about any of it. Fact is, I have several of his products... but more specifically, I DO have one of his P4 pole position replacement boards procured from his first production run.
Believe it or not, I DO agree with you on most of the philosophical points you make regarding your views and participation in our hobby. We are more closely aligned than you might believe.
And yes, I would be happy to adopt your "problem child" boardset to add to my family of delinquent miscreants... I'll even pay for the cost of relocation.
Sincere thanks for the comparison of our contrasting views,
DYLAN
Mine too has a Matsushita sporting the same delinquent "game over" tattoo as yours. Further evidence of their universally mis-spent youths.
D
I'm down for one when they become available!
i have an original harness for you if you are interested. but the coin door and connected harness is going to someone else $50 shipped
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Humdinger
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Thank you, kind Sir, but I'll pass. When do you expect to have more P4's available?
corkgiants
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Do you have advmame.rc.default file and the arcpi-config.txt file ? I can't seem to find those anywhere.
corkgiants
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Do you have advmame.rc.default file and the arcpi-config.txt file ? I can't seem to find those anywhere.
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For the PiPosition?
corkgiants
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yes please
