Wells-Gardner D9500 Review - First Impressions

brokentoken

Well-known member

Donor 6 years: 2019-2024
Joined
May 20, 2007
Messages
2,357
Reaction score
1,470
Location
North Carolina
After the discussion in this thread, I thought I'd post some quick details of my initial experience with the D9500 monitor.

I ordered one on Friday for $169 (plus $22 shipping via FedEx Ground from IL to NC). It arrived today and I spent a few minutes checking it out on the workbench. I really just wanted a spare CGA monitor, but for the price, I figured I'd pick up a Tri-Res and keep my options open.

Testing it with a standard res (CGA) signal yielded great results. The picture came up right away, crisp and bright.

Testing it with a medium res (EGA) signal didn't work out as well. I plugged in a Cruis'n USA board, and couldn't get it to sync. I did not fiddle around for more than a minute or two, but I plan to do more testing this weekend to see if I can figure it out. I'll plug it up to my Toobin' as well, to see how that fares.

Testing it with a VGA signal also yielded great results. The picture was really great at 800X600.

Other observations:

* The CRT is probably a 20" or 21" diagonal measurement vs. true 19", but it looks like it would fit into most 19" cabinets as a direct replacement. (I did not mount it in a cabinet, but just eyeballing it looks like it would fit).

* It's a digital monitor as advertised. The controls and menu are functional and intuitive, and look like they provide a nice range of options to customize the display.

* W-G included the power cord and vga cable in the box, even though the web site implied the power cord was an extra cost.

* Jeff, the sales person who helped me at W-G, was absolutely great, helpful and friendly.

Overall, I am really happy with the performance of this monitor and the service I received. Since I just needed a CGA monitor, I figure it's a great deal to also have the option of using it for VGA as well, even if I never get it to work with EGA. The total price with shipping seems comparable to the better deals on well-known Standard Res alternatives out there.

I hope this is useful information, especially since the current sale price is pretty good for this type of monitor. I will post more results of my medium res testing as I get to it.
 
Wish I had one in my collection to test! I did see the other comments about MCR troubles with D9500, but can't speak to it.

FWIW, for the standard signal, I tested with two JAMMA boards (Time Killers and Primal Rage) and two Konami classic boards (Time Pilot and Kicker). They all looked great.
 
Got a PM response to this post yesterday asking me how the test with Toobin' and the D9500 went, and I realized I'd never tested it.

I dug out the monitor today and hooked it up to Toobin' and I'm pleased to report that it was plug and play. Great picture, and I didn't have to make any adjustments whatsoever out of the box. It's great to have a choice for EGA/med res out there, even if the price has gone up a bit. Here are a couple of photos of the D9500 in action with Toobin'
 

Attachments

  • P1060083.jpg
    P1060083.jpg
    47.4 KB · Views: 118
  • P1060076.JPG
    P1060076.JPG
    64.6 KB · Views: 96
I just put one of these in a tetris machine for a buddy.
Beautiful picture, and looked great with no adjustment.
With Happ not making vision pro's, these are a great replacement for now..
 
How do you connect the supplied VGA cable? Do you actually need to make a connection to the neck board as well??? Never seen that before! Seems a bit odd...
 
Huh, I might grab one of these as a backup for my APB. Heck, I might actually replace the APB monitor and keep the old one as the spare, as it's an original.
 
I'd give my left nut for someone to come in and report that this is plug and play with Spy Hunter...

Considering two of the games on my "must have" list are MCR games... I'd like that to. But, everything I've read about them says that they just won't work on those boards.
 
Wish I had one in my collection to test! I did see the other comments about MCR troubles with D9500, but can't speak to it.

FWIW, for the standard signal, I tested with two JAMMA boards (Time Killers and Primal Rage) and two Konami classic boards (Time Pilot and Kicker). They all looked great.

Great news given that I've been hunting around for a monitor for a Time Killers project, thanks for the detailed feedback on the monitor.
 
I saw this on the BYOAC. Can anyone confirm this to be correct?

When using the supplied VGA cable:

**************************
**************************
**************************

1) Unplug the Monitor
2) Disconnect the approx. 1 foot long x 6-wire cord (and the round single wire) that connects from the mainboard to the small neck board.
3) Attach the 5-wire cable (from the provided VGA cable from Wells-Gardner) to the Large main board to the 5-pin slot that is just to the right of the power cable. More specifically, next to the two-blue wires.
4) Attach the remaining round single wire and the 6-wire cord to the Neck board from where you removed the cord from step #2.
5) Attach the opposite end of the VGA cord to your video card.
6) Plug in the power cord, boot up your computer and all should work fine.

Ensure your video resolution is set to 800x600 or less. If for some reason you forget, your monitor will say something like "Out of Range" and you will see a bunch of squigly lines. It doesn't seem to damage anything that I noticed. Just as a precaution I touched the wires from the provided cable and they were, thankfully, cool to the touch.

**************************
**************************
**************************

Again, you are actually disconnecting the ground and 6-wire cord from the neck board that connects the main PCB and plugging your supplied vga cable wires into the neck board. In addition, plugging the 5-wire cord into the main PCB.

Just seems a little odd...
 
Got a PM response to this post yesterday asking me how the test with Toobin' and the D9500 went, and I realized I'd never tested it.

I dug out the monitor today and hooked it up to Toobin' and I'm pleased to report that it was plug and play. Great picture, and I didn't have to make any adjustments whatsoever out of the box. It's great to have a choice for EGA/med res out there, even if the price has gone up a bit. Here are a couple of photos of the D9500 in action with Toobin'

I concour!!
It was my PM he was responding to. I managed to get a nice Toobin from Troy (MtZRcade) last week. I ordered a d9500 and as stated - it was LITERALLY plug and play!! Beautiful pic and only had to make some slight picture size and position changes.
Bottom line - nice monitor for the $ - especially if you get one on sale ;)
Now I just have to get the rest of the game cleaned up.
 
Back
Top Bottom