This is NOT a "should I get LED's" thread

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This is NOT a "should I get LED's" thread

I like LED's in limited uses. I don't like total conversions. That being said, I would like to put LED's in my Getaway inserts. The problem is that the WPC games have a huge problems w/ ghosting, and Getaway is one of them. Yes, I know I could get the new fangled "anti-ghosting" LED's, but, why should I when there is a perfectly good fix out there. I was wondering if the patch, written by a guy named "The Korn", was still available. The info I found on the net seems to be a valid fix for these games and would like to try it. Does anyone have info about this guy or his patch?

http://emmytech.com/arcade/led_ghost_busting/index.html
 
Click on the link above, it has a good explanation of ghosting.

I know Korn posts almost daily to RGP, you can probably raise him there.
 
I'm wondering the same thing, in case anyone wanted to let me know via PM, or anything like that. :eek:
 
Check over at MAACA forums, I got some of those nonghosting roms from a member there....got them for my Fishtales and BSD...

I like LED's but I only use them in "key" spots. I've seen alot of full conversions and it's usually way to bright and intense for me. I did see a fully converted Funhouse last year that was gorgeous though :) Some of the system 11 games look awesome with full LED's....WPC not so much usually...

Tom
 
TheKorn had nothing to do with the creation of the lamp matrix code patcher program.
The actual author goes by JH. A cease and desist order was put on this person as there was an IP issue with him releasing Williams code that was patched.
Then Visual Pinball forum started releasing patched code and also got a cease and desist order. It's perfectly legal to patch your own code but not to distribute it.

FROM RGP for the lazy people:
http://emmytech.com/arcade/led_ghost_busting/index.html
Notes:
-This program applies to WPC Pins produced between 1989 & 1995 for
which Williams never released a new rom with updated lamp matrix
driver code.
-Will this program eliminate LED ghosting on all WPC pins that that
have the problem?
Probably not. There appear to be other hardware issues that can cause
LED ghosting other than how the software driver controls the matrix.
However, I think it should resolve the problem in most instances.
-How do I know if a rom already has the updated driver?
Just run the program on it. It will tell you if the updated driver is
already there.
-Have you tested this for all games?
No. I've tested with about 6 different games using pinmame.
My CFTBL is now running an updated ROM.
If the program has a problem patching a ROM it will display a
message with what information to send me. I'll take a look at it and
update the program if feasible.
-This patch will NOT help GI LED lighting flicker.
 
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It's perfectly legal to patch your own code but not to distribute it.

If it's legal to patch your own, then the patch program itself should not be under a cease and desist. It's just a tool to do it yourself. I'm not looking for any one to distribute roms illegally, I'm looking for the tool to do it myself (patch my own roms that is). I'll check into RGP and MAACA.
 
If it's legal to patch your own, then the patch program itself should not be under a cease and desist. It's just a tool to do it yourself.

The programs to decompile, compile, patch, etc... are not illegal and are freely available. It's the original game code that the copyright holders don't want distributed. The problem is that no one is providing files to patch original ROMs right now (that I'm aware of). Even though the ROMs are patched they're still 99% original game code. There's also a safety concern because bad code, in theory, could cause a fire but that's really not much of a concern. Money is the main motivator and I can't really say that I blame them.

I'm not looking for any one to distribute roms illegally, I'm looking for the tool to do it myself (patch my own roms that is).

That might be a way for people to get away with distributing the ROMs. Provide a .diff file of just the patched code and let people patch their own ROMs. I know that's how Oliver does his patches for old Bally and Williams games but I haven't seen that done with non-ghosting ROMs.

If there's a ROM out there for your game I'm sure someone will provide it.
 
Note how he still has the CFTBL code posted - the key seems to be not to distribute the full, patched ROM.

I agree that if all the program does is ask the *user* to provide an original ROM, then the program applies the patched code to the original code, there shouldn't be an issue because you're not distributing *original* code.

Otherwise, if you can at least get the patch for an individual game, it's not difficult to use a hex editor to copy/paste the relevant update in I'd think...

I'll be curious if the folks currently licensing the Williams/Bally IP actually release these updates commercially - if not, what's the point? No better than that guy in Australia at that point...
 
I suspect the problem is that the ghosting program has to search the game ROM for the lamp matrix code to know exactly where to place the patch. So even though the program doesn't run the lamp matrix code, it's nonetheless in there, and is copyrighted. Just my guess.
 
Check over at MAACA forums, I got some of those nonghosting roms from a member there....got them for my Fishtales and BSD...

The person you want to speak to is Dave Astill from Ontario, Canada and his email is [email protected]. I got my DM swear roms from him last year and he even asked me if I wanted the LED friendly version or not. I was I wasn't sure so he programmed my chips with that one in case I decide to ever put LEDs in.

I got his contact from Steph over at hobbyroms.com. He told me that I could get it cheaper from Dave cause his cost for chips is slightly higher and said might be easier for me since Dave is local.

You can try either on as they are great to deal with and offer excellent customer service and support.
 
In looking at the sample MB and CFTBL code, it looks very similar, but not the same - I guess that's where the patcher came in - it had to find the relevant section of code, to know where to insert the patch, and also modify it specifically for the game in question.

It's great if there's somebody out there who's got these and can provide the burned ROM's, but it would be very helpful to have the actual patches posted online, for those who are comfortable with manually parsing the original code, and manually pasting in the patch, and then burning the ROM afterwards.
 
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