What’s wrong with my V2000/G05 B&W vector monitor?

ieure

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What's wrong with my V2000/G05 B&W vector monitor?

Okay, a lot of folks seem to be confused about how these things work. These monitors are very simple and easy to work on, but are a bit different from their raster breathren. In my experience, the single most common failure bad solder joints on the P100/500/600/700 Molex headers. Simply reflowing those fixes a staggering number of issues with these monitors.

[size=+4]Things you should know[/size]

  • Unlike raster monitors, the filament voltage comes from a secondary winding in the cabinet's main transformer, not the flyback. So presence of neck glow does not indicate that the flyback & associated circuitry is functioning.
  • The chassis transistors should have no continuity between the casing and the monitor frame when the harness is unplugged fromt the deflection board. If they do, you're likely to blow F600/F700 or the frame transistors.
  • A correctly operating vector monitor produces "chatter" -- high-pitched intermittent sound from the yoke, as current flows and reverses to deflect the beam. A raster monitor has a similar sound, but more regular, as the beam is always deflected in the same pattern. A vector monitor deflects the beam arbitrarily, so the sound changes based on the image being displayed.
  • Confoundingly, the LEDs on vector monitors are off when they are operating correctly, and on when there is a problem, which is the inverse of nearly everything else.
  • The big ceramic resistors at R100/R101 were removed in later revision of these monitors, and are not necessary for correct functioning. I generally leave them alone if they aren't faulty, and bypass them if they've failed. Solder 18ga wire across their pads on the bottom of the PCB if you want to bypass them.
  • Most adjustments are on the game PCB, not the monitor.
  • Lots of problems can be caused by faults on the game PCB. When in doubt, swap PCBs/monitors with a known good part and see if the symptom follows.

[size=+4]Monitor Models[/size]

  • Electrohome G05-801. 19" only. First version of this monitor, commonly found in Lunar Lander and early Asteroids. There are three PCBs in this monitor: power (center), HV (left), and deflection (right). These can be hacked to accept components from other models, but are the oddball of this family and have some difficult to replace components.
  • Electrohome G05-802. 19". New design with two PCBs; HV cage on the left, deflection board on the right.
  • Electrohome G05-805. 15". Identical to the -802, except resistors R604/R704, which are both 750Ω instead of 910Ω & 820Ω, respectively. You can convert between -802 and -805 by replacing these resistors.
  • Wells-Gardner 19V2000. 19". These are very similar to the G05-802, and all the parts are interchangeable.
  • Wells-Gardner 15V2000. 15". Unlike the Electrohome, the V2000 deflection board is the same for 19" & 15" models. Instead, the 15V2000 yoke has higher resistance to create a smaller image. Everything except the yoke is interchangeable with the other monitors.

[size=+4]Troubleshooting[/size]

I have...
  • No image at all, and...
    • No neck glow
      Reflow P500 header, check fuses at the brick & continuity to the monitor; the pins in the molex at the power brick sometimes slip out. Filament voltage is not fused in the monitor; the fuse is on the power brick. Check it.
    • The spotkiller LED on the deflection board is lit
      You have power, but no video signal. Reflow P600/P700 headers, check frame transistors, make sure F600/F700 are not blown & are correct values.
    • Spotkiller is off, I can hear deflection chatter, but have no static on tube face
      HV problem. Reflow headers, check F102, replace HV diode.
    • Monitor has glow, spotkiller off, no deflection chatter
      Monitor power problem. Check input power, fuses F100/F101, DB100.
    • Monitor completely dead
      Monitor and/or cabinet power problem. Check input power, fuses F100/F101, DB100, P500 header, fuses for filament on power brick.
  • Bright dot in the center of the display
    No video signal. Turn brightness down before you ruin the tube. Start over at "The spotkiller LED on the deflection board is lit."
  • Partial image, missing one or more quadrants of the image OR horizontal/vertical collapse
    Reflow P600/P700 headers, check frame transistors, check F600/F700.
  • I can see parts of the image (like bullets/saucers), but not others
    Adjust the brightness and contrast pots up.
  • Spiderwebs connect everything
    Adjust the brightness and contrast pots down.
  • Image is jumpy
    Replace linearity pots.
  • Image "breathes," getting larger and smaller
    Bypass R100/R101, replace HV diode, replace lytic caps.
  • Image is too large, but size is steady
    Adjust size on game PCB, replace lytic caps.
  • Parts of the image fade in/out
    Bad caps in the spotkiller. Look in the back & if you see the spotkiller LED lighting up / flashing / pulsing, that's a giveaway. You can just replace the caps in the 500 section, but you may as well do them all.
  • Some other problem
    Welp, time to break out the schematic. Turn the brightness up and see if you can see anything that would give you a clue. Lots of issues can be caused by failed components in the preamp circuits, in particular Q602/3/4/5/6/7, Q&02/3/4/5/6/7. Passive components can also fail, so start testing things one at a time in the circuit you suspect.

[size=+4]Further reading[/size]
 
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[*]The big ceramic resistors at R100/R101 were removed in later revision of these monitors, and are not necessary for correct functioning. I generally leave them alone if they aren't faulty, and bypass them if they've failed. Solder 18ga wire across their pads on the bottom of the PCB if you want to bypass them.

I have to say that I do not like the idea of removing these from a deflection board that came with them as I have stated in another thread. They are cheap and easy to replace.
 
I have to say that I do not like the idea of removing these from a deflection board that came with them as I have stated in another thread. They are cheap and easy to replace.

Do you also install them on the boards that came without them?

They were removed by the manufacturer in later revisions, likely because the failures they caused were worse than the failures they were intended to prevent.

According to the manual, their single purpose is "to limit rush current to the [C100 & C101] filters." That's it. It's perfectly safe to remove them, just like the manufacturer did.
 
I guess I can't edit old posts. Just adding that I recently repaired one in a way that I didn't document previously:

I had neck glow, lit spotkiller, and no image. Issue was that R100 was open, but R101 was fine. I guess when only one of them is blown, enough power can make it through to light the spotkiller, whereas if they are both open, the SK will not light.

Jumpered both resistors and it fired right back up.
 
the real question

i spent a whole day dedicated to see wither or not the resistors should be in place or not ... here is the truth gentleman.... the resistor when in place allows for spike or power on voltage to be more gradual and less instantaneous.... i took a temperature probe to multiple places after a 24 hour run with and without the resistor... the monitor both g05 and v2000 run about 17 degrese cooler than without and helps your 2n3716 and 92 transistors last longer and run cooler.
 
I'm just learning about vectors. They discharge differently than a raster don't they? If so do they require a special tool? Where's the best places to find this tool? Also can a tube from a WG work on an Electrohome?

Maybe I should have made my own thread with these questions but I figure I'm not alone, might be useful to have the answers in here.
 
i spent a whole day dedicated to see wither or not the resistors should be in place or not ... here is the truth gentleman.... the resistor when in place allows for spike or power on voltage to be more gradual and less instantaneous.... i took a temperature probe to multiple places after a 24 hour run with and without the resistor... the monitor both g05 and v2000 run about 17 degrese cooler than without and helps your 2n3716 and 92 transistors last longer and run cooler.

You should look up John's Arcade videos on YouTube. He has one where he fixes a Tempest game and he talks about what tool to use and where he got his. But short answer "yes" these monitors are discharged differently and require a special tool.
 
you should look up john's arcade videos on youtube. He has one where he fixes a tempest game and he talks about what tool to use and where he got his. But short answer "yes" these monitors are discharged differently and require a special tool.

The B&W vector FAQ covers this as well.

I built my own. It's just a hunk of 18ga wire with a 1 watt 1MΩ resister soldered inline. There's a big alligator clip on one end, to clip onto a flathead screwdriver, and a little one on the other end to clip to the frame. I've discharged lots of monitors, vector and raster, and never had an issue.

I managed to get the resistor completely inside the boot for the big clip. Soldered one resistor lead to the clip and the other to the wire.
 
Partial image, missing one or more quadrants of the image OR horizontal/vertical collapse
Reflow P600/P700 headers, check frame transistors, check F600/F700.

"horizontal/vertical collapse " is the symptom "Y" seems to be failing (line goes across screen from left to right) game is playing .

Can somebody point these spots/parts to check or replace out to me?
I am new to vector monitors.
 
Partial image, missing one or more quadrants of the image OR horizontal/vertical collapse
Reflow P600/P700 headers, check frame transistors, check F600/F700.

"horizontal/vertical collapse " is the symptom "Y" seems to be failing (line goes across screen from left to right) game is playing .

Can somebody point these spots/parts to check or replace out to me?
I am new to vector monitors.

- Make sure the fuses are not blown, corroded, and or damaged in the F600 and F700 fuse holders along with the fuse holders themselves.

- Reflow the solder on ALL header pins being the solder is almost always cracked on those.

- Make sure the bottle cap transistors on the side of the frame are good by setting a multimeter to the "transistor" setting and making sure they measure 450-700 one way and 0 the other between the two pins. Once you re-install the transistors (with the MICA insulators in the correct position) check for continuity between the top\cap of the transistors and the frame to make sure they are not touching.
 
Had a probably stupid question about discharging a vector with a HV probe. Do you still clip the alligator lead to the chassis? Even when plugging the other lead into a DMM? I've actually heard conflicting instructions about this.
 
Had a probably stupid question about discharging a vector with a HV probe. Do you still clip the alligator lead to the chassis? Even when plugging the other lead into a DMM? I've actually heard conflicting instructions about this.

The HV probes that have plugs for a DMM have ground wire too, so yes, that would still be grounded to the chassis metal

With the probe under the suction cap, wait till the meter drops to zero, and you are safely discharged
***********
I discharge with a direct wire ( with an aligator clip) attached to a screwdriver. Holding the screwdriver clear of the metal
 
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Symptom: After replacing some parts to get a working monitor dialed in, 19V2000 went dead- no static, no voltages other than 38v in on HV board.

Fix: Wires attached to connector for B & E of Q900 (BU409) had somehow separated from pins providing no connectivity. Stripped all three for good measure and re-pinned. Monitor fired right up.

tl; dr version:

I picked up an Omega Race that I finally got working properly and started monitor work. When I picked it up, the image was blooming, the 'arena' side lines were warped and the ships were blurry, especially near the upper left and bottom areas. I figured this was due to the HV diode and when I pulled the monitor I noticed there was a whole wad of electrical tape at the EHT end of the diode and no boot. I opened it up and found nothing but the metal tab (no spring) right next to where the anode leg of the diode would be had it not been broken off before. So I ordered the common equivalent replacement from ebay and started to work.

1. I soldered the diode ends to the EHT wire then covered them with silicon RTV and covered that with a couple layers of heat shrink tubing. Blooming gone, but it still had blur in same areas (upper left corner and along bottom plus bright ships). I switched out the HV board with another and the blur was lessened but was still there. I also found that for the original HV board, the only way to display the picture correctly was to turn the X/Y outs of the Omega Race board nearly all the way down. For the switched HV board, I had to do some adjustment.

2. I tested the caps in circuit on HV board and all tested acceptably w/ CapAnalyzer. Tested caps on deflection, 2 were poor, one of which was shot completely as it was installed backwards (603 or 703, I forget which). Did a full cap kit minus the 2 filter caps. Even though this deflection board was working w/ both HV cages, figured it couldn't hurt. Powered up w/ original HV cage and blur still there.

3. Said screw it and pulled out the V2000 from my Battlezone. After adjusting X/Y outs as in step 1, had a beautiful picture. I started to think maybe it was the tube or yoke causing the blur. I switched the boards from both monitors (original HV/deflection boards with BZ tube, BZ HV/deflection with OR tube). The BZ boards/OR tube had a great pic, so that wasn't the tube. OR boards/BZ tube showed the blur, so I figured it had to be something with the HV cage.

4. Recapped the HV cage. At the same time I tested R915/R916 as they looked a little rough, but were OK. Then I moved onto the diodes and found ZD901 was testing odd. It had 0V (not OL) forward and OL in reverse. I pulled it and replaced with a 56V (instead of 62V) zener hoping that would be good enough. Powered it up and nothing on screen- no smoke or flash from the board though, just nothing. It had deflection chatter and the spotkiller behaved normally depending if I had the game in play or test mode- just no picture at all. I switched in the extra HV board and it had a good pic. Looking back now, the odd ZD901 measurement was probably related to the Q900 connector.

5. I looked at the original HV board and noticed the coating of C905 had partially melted (either from my new install or previous HV diode issue), exposing the inside. I removed it and went back and tested the original ZD901 and found it was good. I reinstalled that and a new 0.1uF cap. Powered it up and still nothing. Tested the voltages on J900 and only had the 38V.

6. I figured I may have damaged the replacement HV diode, so I replaced it again. While the silicon was setting, I randomly tested components and found that the wire for the base pin on Q900 did not have continuity with the HV board. Cut and re-pinned. Fired it up and still nothing... no voltages on J900 other than 38V, R900 doesn't even warm up. Looking back now, HV diode was probably good, but broke one of the legs while removing it.

7. Looked back over board and got a weird continuity readings for C902 compared to working board. Pulled it, but capacitance tested fine, so put it back in since I did not have a replacement. Tested continuity on Q900 and emitter was intermittent, re-pinned that and collector. Put it back together and monitor fired right up with good picture. Day and a half not wasted.
 
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Glad I found this thread, Picked up an asteroids machine last night.

I had neck glow and the game played blind. Reflowed the header pins on everything and now I have 1/4 of the screen. Problem is I couldn't find my good soldering iron so I know that
it wasn't getting hot enough to really melt the solder in good enough..

So I'm gonna reflow everything again and do some more troubleshooting.
 
Yesterday my Asteroids Deluxe went down. I pulled the monitor out and recapped the Chassis, plus the HV board, and put in a new HV Diode.

1st I should indicate that when the monitor 1st went down and I opened up the game I could feel the heat from the The big ceramic resistors at R100, major hot!

I let it cool down and re-capped etc...

Put everything back in the game, fired it up and still getting major heat from the The big ceramic resistors at R100 and still no image on the monitor.

I should also mention that I tried my Battlezone monitor in the AD and the AD is working fine, so I know it's a monitor issue alone.

Anyhelp would be great, thx!
 
@Braido, sounds like your r100 is shorted. You may want to remove R100 and R101 and check their Ω value with your multimeter. Then replace these resistors, or consider jumpering both of these after removal with 18ga wire as suggested in the OP
 
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