Warlords Board/Graphics Issue

voltron88x

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So finally got a monitor for my Warlords cocktail restore and I'm getting a garbled display (test mode included). From research it looks like the 8 "2101" RAMs are the most likely culprit? Can anyone confirm that's the best place to start? Any sources for replacements? Thanks!
 

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If you have an extra 2101, then try piggybacking to see if the image changes. A quick and dirty way to check the RAM. (Could use logic probe too). :)
 
Forgive my ignorance but I'm assuming that just means take a good one and temp install on top of the existing one yeah?

Yes correct. Just line up the pins and stick it on top of the one you're testing. So it's technically not "installed" but electricity will flow through the top chip if the bottom one is dead.
 
all, voltron88x brought his board over today so I could socket and replace the 2101 rams for him. I went ahead and did this for 4 chips (H3-L3) and then thought maybe I should power it up on the bench and see what is up.

troubleshooting process a little backwards.
Definitely got a rug pattern as shown. Piggybacking 2101 rams did change the rug pattern and activity but just didn't seem like all 8 rams would be bad.

Pulled all the eproms 1 by 1 and verified on romindent. E6, F/H6, M, K all verified bad so burned some replacement 27c16 for those.

Still getting rug pattern. Piggy backed some 2114s no real change.

Swapped out an assumed working 6502 no real change.

Finally put the probe on pin 40 of 6502 and it is toggling like crazy. The reset button does hold it low but then it goes crazy again. That is where the board is at right now.
 
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Well looks this board does not like piggybacking the ram. I triple checked my work and by removing the piggybacked ram on H5-L5, I get a constant high on pin 40 of 6502.

I have already socketed and replaced H3-L3. I know there is a thread where someone details which ram pairs control what part of the screen but still think there is a bit more going on here, maybe.

this video shows what it looks like with no piggybacked ram, original cpu etc.

 
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making some progress. flipped the board over and it looks like the h5 and j5 had been replaced before. Saw some solder bridging so went ahead and socketed those.

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some some progress

 

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Love it when progress happens this fast.

piggybacked other 2101 rams on K5 and L5.

 
Piggybacking 2101A on WL works really well as an easy debug method. :)

yes indeed....except when pins are shorted together under the board :)

I went back and tested all 8 of the suspect/removed rams by piggy backing them on L5 and they were all bad.

Note on the initial "rug pattern" the processor was basically in reset loop so it was fairly static minus some small activity changes but usually it would eventually just stay static.

So for reference, check the reset pin of 6502 first.

In this case, all 8 graphic rams were bad so I guess it would have looked wacked anyway and the two graphic roms?? E6 & F6 (image is identical as the graphic background is mirror image of itself something like that) were also bad so likely nothing would show in test mode that made sense. <<<note educated guessing don't take these statements as 100%>>

Warlords needs a test rom that makes beeps or something. :)
 
So Warlords is back up in all it's glory! :)

A HUGGGGEEE thanks to 'jacklick'. He helped out BIG time in getting the game board 100% working. Thanks!!!!!
 

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So Warlords is back up in all it's glory! :)

A HUGGGGEEE thanks to 'jacklick'. He helped out BIG time in getting the game board 100% working. Thanks!!!!!

Looks sweet!! Glad I could help and I learned some too. Happy New Year!!
 
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