Star Wars board issue.

jkoolpe

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Hey all!

Well, one of my Star Wars boards is having some issues...when I shoot the tie fighters and they break apart, the graphics for the actual "breaking apart" are all messed up. Also, when I switch to ESB (via the VectorLabs multikit), the Asteroids are all messed up for that wave in that game. Everything else works fine.

Self Test gives me a Rom3 error (3171), and also matrix errors "B 0000". As I said, I have the VectorLabs kit installed so the original ROMs are all removed so I suspect either the kit is having a problem, or it's something else on the board other than the ROMs.

I will first try uninstalling the VL kit to see if it is the kit or the actual board that is the problem, but I have a request: When I first installed this kit, I foolishly did not write down where each ROM goes for either the sound board or the main PCB. I did at least mark the PROMs, but the ROMs I did not :( .

Can anyone post and/or send me a good resolution picture of the CPU PCB and the sound board so that I can read off of the ROM labels to determine which one goes in which slot?

Or otherwise let me know which ROM goes in which slot?

My original roms are labelled thusly:

114, 102, 203, 104, 206 (main ROMs)
107, 208 (Sound ROMs)
105 (Vector...since this is the only one of these, I know where this one goes at least :) ).

Thanks in advance!

Jon
 
Hey all!

Well, one of my Star Wars boards is having some issues...when I shoot the tie fighters and they break apart, the graphics for the actual "breaking apart" are all messed up. Also, when I switch to ESB (via the VectorLabs multikit), the Asteroids are all messed up for that wave in that game. Everything else works fine.

Self Test gives me a Rom3 error (3171), and also matrix errors "B 0000". As I said, I have the VectorLabs kit installed so the original ROMs are all removed so I suspect either the kit is having a problem, or it's something else on the board other than the ROMs.

I will first try uninstalling the VL kit to see if it is the kit or the actual board that is the problem, but I have a request: When I first installed this kit, I foolishly did not write down where each ROM goes for either the sound board or the main PCB. I did at least mark the PROMs, but the ROMs I did not :( .

Can anyone post and/or send me a good resolution picture of the CPU PCB and the sound board so that I can read off of the ROM labels to determine which one goes in which slot?

Or otherwise let me know which ROM goes in which slot?

My original roms are labelled thusly:

114, 102, 203, 104, 206 (main ROMs)
107, 208 (Sound ROMs)
105 (Vector...since this is the only one of these, I know where this one goes at least :) ).

Thanks in advance!

Jon

Here's the main board
1f 136021.214
1 h/j 136021.102
1 j/k 136021.203
1 k/l 136021.104
1m 136021.206
Sound board
1J/K - 107
1H - 208
attachment.php
 
Here's the main board
1f 136021.214
1 h/j 136021.102
1 j/k 136021.203
1 k/l 136021.104
1m 136021.206
Sound board
1J/K - 107
1H - 208
attachment.php

Thank you!! That is perfect!! :)

I will try to do the switch out tonight and see what happens. I'll post on the findings.

Thanks again!

Jon
 
Well, it is not the VectorLabs kit...the board still has the problem even after I had removed the kit.

Here is a video of the problem...any ideas out there for me?:

http://youtu.be/3awxTj8II0I

Again, I get that matrix errors (B 0000) message....

I broke out the o-scope and probed a bit...might have a problem with the chip at 3H (a "Matrix Process Address Selector" chip) as pin 4 looks rather inactive (should be an output point according to the schematics), but I'm out of time tonight so I'll test some more, but probably not 'til Saturday. I'll do some comparisons with my working boardset.

But again, any suggestions as to where else to probe are welcome :) .

Jon
 
Just bumping this up a bit...

I'm set to try to tackle this on Saturday...wife is taking our little guy to her sister's place to babysit and visit with his little cousin (they're both about 2 and half years old)...so I have Saturday to myself :) .

Any tips or ideas for me to try?

Jon
 
SO far the only thing I've been able to come up with on the matrix errors is low power, faulty proms, or bad matrix ram.

The first two are easy enough, since you've already swapped a Vector lab kit that eliminates the proms.

Check power at the board, and chip level.

Then try swapping rams.
 
Off topic but did you really make a donation to Chuck Fitch? You are listed on his piece of shit site as donating to his gas and taco bell fund...Thought you should know if by chance you weren't aware.
 
Off topic but did you really make a donation to Chuck Fitch? You are listed on his piece of shit site as donating to his gas and taco bell fund...Thought you should know if by chance you weren't aware.

Yea...a friend/fellow KLOV'r pointed that out to me yesterday. I didn't even know who Mr. Fitch was nor did I know anything about the messiness that is apparently going on with him and others. What a shame that this hobby can lead to this sort of stuff...I myself have met some of the nicest and downright stellar persons through my love of this hobby I must say, and from all walks of life...

So in answer to your question: No, I did not make any sort of donation to Mr. Fitch or anyone else.

Hey, after we had a contractor come over a few days ago to assess some work we need done in our backyard and give us his estimate, I guarantee I won't be making any donations to anyone for quite some time :) .

Jon
 
Haha, I assumed nobody that he lists has actually donated squat to him. He is just picking random KLOV members to stir the pot. Talk about a sad, pathetic dude.
 
SO far the only thing I've been able to come up with on the matrix errors is low power, faulty proms, or bad matrix ram.

The first two are easy enough, since you've already swapped a Vector lab kit that eliminates the proms.

Check power at the board, and chip level.

Then try swapping rams.

Thanks for the tips.

I do get the standard/normal 16 beeps that I think means that (at least according to the self-test and the manual) that the RAMs are OK. I might try swapping them anyway.

The one chip I was wondering about...should I try swapping the AVG just in case? Is doesn't seem like it should be this chip, but it's easy enough to try, and I do have an ArcadeShop AVG replacement at the ready (picked it up a few months back as a backup so it's not been used).

We'll see what I manage on Saturday :) .
 
My Star Wars does this exact same thing. In self test Star Wars doesn't show any errors but if I go into ESB it gives a Matrix Errors B 0000. No Matrix Errors flashes occasionally under that. FYI I have Spaeth's SW/ESB kit installed.

If you have any luck figuring out what the problem is, please post it here.

Thanks.
 
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The 16 beeps means that the the RAM and EPROMs are OK...

1) RAM 2F/H on the CPU board (a 2Kx8 for the CPU)
2) RAM 5F on the CPU board (a 2Kx8 for the Matrix processor)
3) RAM 5H on the CPU board (a 2Kx8 for the Matrix processor)
4) RAM 3L on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM) ***
5) RAM 3M on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM)
6) RAM 4P on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM)
7) RAM 4L on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM)
8) RAM 4M on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM)
9) RAM 4P on the AVG board (a 2Kx8 for vector RAM)
10) NOVRAM 1E on the CPU board (a 2212 Xicor 256x4 NOVRAM)
11) EPROM 1F or 1M on the CPU board +++
12) EPROM 1 J/K on the CPU board
13) EPROM 1 K/L on the CPU board
14) EPROM 1F or 1M on the CPU board +++
15) EPROM 1 H/J on the CPU board (The daughtercard for ESB)
16) EPROM 1 L on the AVG board ***

The PROMs _could_ be it as the contain the logic that drives the vector graphics--but if you had the ESB kit in there I'm guessing when you took it out you reverted back to the old PROMs so that shouldn't be it?

Swapping the AVG chip is a good idea since it is responsible for drawing the vectors.

(Incidentally, I'm having my own SW woes tonight.)
 
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