Dip Switch help.

[WilkinsSkate]

Greetings.

I'm an very amateur Arcade junkie and I recently revived a dead Space Harrier machine by swapping around parts from two non-working machines. This is the first time I've ever tried to restore a game, so I've very excited that it works. This game blew me away in 1985...

But now that I have a working unit I'm not sure how to change the DIP switch settings. I have the original instruction manual with the chart for the the settings, but I physically don't know how to do it. I'm not even sure where or what the switches look like.

In a crude drawing in the manual, I believe it shows the switches being on the PCB board. But are the DIP switches actual chips? I really don't know. It seems like it would be an easy thing to change for any arcade owner, but I am a bit baffled. I know it talks about the coin slots and test button behind the coin slots for all kinds of game diagnostics, but I still confused as to how to change the settings.

I'm sure this is an easy thing and I'm just overlooking something, so help would be hugely appreciated.

[jb143]

I'm not sure about your particular board but what your looking for will be a row of little switches usually on a single "chip". It's not really a chip but it looks sort of like one. It might look more like a box. You can flip the switches with a small screwdriver or a pencil.

Check this link for some example images...
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=dip+switches

[WilkinsSkate]

Thanks!

I had emailed Tim from arcadecollecting.com and he sent a helpfull pic too. Just found 'em. They are REALLY tiny on this board. I must have looked at them 10 times and not seen it.

Know anything about swaping a monitor from one machine to another? I've seen websites that say this is very dangerous. Problem is I have one cabinet that is banged up pretty good and one that is nice (which is where I put the working boards), but the screen is a bit fuzzier and there's a tiny bit of burn in.

Just trying to make a pretty Frankenstien with all the best/working parts.

Thanks again!

[Arcade Antics]

Thanks!

I had emailed Tim from arcadecollecting.com and he sent a helpfull pic too. Just found 'em. They are REALLY tiny on this board. I must have looked at them 10 times and not seen it.

Know anything about swaping a monitor from one machine to another? I've seen websites that say this is very dangerous. Problem is I have one cabinet that is banged up pretty good and one that is nice (which is where I put the working boards), but the screen is a bit fuzzier and there's a tiny bit of burn in.

Just trying to make a pretty Frankenstien with all the best/working parts.

Thanks again!
Monitor with the fuzzy screen - should be able to adjust the focus pot.

Are the two monitors identical?

[Flack]

If the monitors are identical (what Arcade Antics was getting at), you should be able to swap the monitors out in a matter of minutes. I don't know anything specific about a Space Harrier cabinet, but generally speaking there should be some bolts holding the monitor in place and a harness going to the back of the monitor. On a regular cabinet all you typically need to do is open up the control panel which will allow you to remove the bezel, revealing the bolts. Remove those and unplug the wires in the back and the monitor should slide right out the front.

If the cables are long enough you can place the other monitor next to the back of your cabinet and try it first to make sure it works with your current cabinet.

[WilkinsSkate]

Thanks Flack (and Arcade Antics), I had already started pulling apart the bezel and front pannel on one of them and it looks like it'll be easy to swap monitors (I'm also getting rid of the crappy tamper-proof Torx bolts).

I'll try the cord trick too. I did swap the working power supply/PCB board combo from one unit to the other, so I know that both monitors work good.

Let me ask you this, is there anyway to adjust the CTR settings when running a diagnostic? I see that a CRT test shows the colors and such, but do you know if it's generaly possible to adjust something like the V-Hold, position, contrast, or color (as you could on home CRT TV's). I'm not sure the better monitor needs it, just curous if I'm able to tweak it to perfection.

Once I have it all together, I'll post some pictures.

Thanks again!

[Flack]

Sure! All the settings should be on the back of the monitor (look for the little knobs). You might want to pick up some of those plastic adjustment tools, just to be safe. The other thing you'll need is a mirror, as it's impossible to twist the knobs and see the front of the monitor at the same time. ;)

[channelmaniac]

Look the game up on KLOV.com and see what the "resolution" is. If it's "standard" for both games or "high/VGA" for both games then you can swap monitors out.

If one is a "high" res and the other "standard" then you generally cannot swap monitors. The exception is if you have a tri-sync or other type of multi-frequency monitor that can switch modes.

The other thing to remember is safety when working on monitors.

ALWAYS discharge the CRT before pulling the monitor from a cab!
BE CAREFUL of the neck board on the back of the CRT. Do not whack it and break the tube!
Ensure that all cables are disconnected before you start yanking on the monitor to remove it.


RJ

[WilkinsSkate]

Sure! All the settings should be on the back of the monitor (look for the little knobs). You might want to pick up some of those plastic adjustment tools, just to be safe. The other thing you'll need is a mirror, as it's impossible to twist the knobs and see the front of the monitor at the same time. ;)

Thanks again Flack. Your help is huge to a new guy like me.

I've been slowly pulling this guy apart, cleaning as I go. I'll look for the knobs once I get down to the monitor.

I'm pretty sure the monitor in the working unit is a touch blurry. I remember thinking this when I first swapped over the boards from the now non-working unit (that monitor looked clearer if memory serves me). And now looking at more images of the title screen I believe it is blurry. It's not really noticable in game-play, but on the title screen, the main character looks washed out (you can't even see the black in his eyes). This is actually why I originally asked you about adjustments.

If I can fix this with the knobs, I don't think I'll swap monitors. I noticed last night that both monitors have some burn-in.

[WilkinsSkate]

Thanks for the info RJ,

Since these are two identical units, they both have the same monitor and resolution (standard).

I will be careful to discharge, unplug, etc. before surgery. Good recomendations.