Monitor Issues- Wavy Lines- Image is too wide

[Reid]

Hi- Tomorrow I am going to pick up my first game from an arcade near me. It is Gauntlet: Legends. I got it at $295 which makes me wonder why it is so cheap.

I played it today and the machines paint has very few scratches and the controll panel had a little ware.

I have a question about the monitor before I buy it. The edges of the display are cut off about 1 to 2 inches.

ie.


uantlet Legend

Then close to the bottom of the monitor- the pixels get squiggly

i.e. If these were verticle pixel lines


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Can those monitor problems be easily fixed?

Also, is there anything else I need to look out for/ask about before I buy it?

Thankyou Arcade guys!

[98PaceCar]

Are you sure they don't mean $1295? That seems more in line for a Gauntlet Legends machine, but stranger things have happened.

Most likely, the monitor just needs a cap kit. If you don't know what that means, find a pro to do it for you and DON'T attempt it yourself. It's not hard to do, but you can get a nasty shock if you don't do it right.

Besides that, I'd take every GL machine I could get my hands on for $295, so I'd say you did damn good!

[Reid]

Yes 295- and its only a 30 min dirve lol-

I have read about the cap kit- and it seems dangerous lol
I can do hardware work(I legally mod xbox and such) but I am scared about the wire think that has 30k volts( I see the guide on http://alsarcade.com/

The only thing is- I doubt there are any pros in MS- :P[/url]

[Hammy]

the monitor just needs a tweak. all of the controls are on the remote board.

[Reid]

Lol- I dont even know where that is. Is it behind the coin door? Or is it in back?

I since I bought it, what are some 'rules' for keeping it?

Like, should I not keep it on too long, or should I not keep it off too long.

Should I use the power switch to turn it on/off?

Thanks for your help guys :)

[Hammy]

the adjustment card should be on the back of the monitor chassis. try adjusting the freq. slightly, or it may be dust on the pot, turn it off and turn it bolth ways quite a bit and then set it up again.

then again, it may not be the adjustment card, but it's the first place to check.

[Reid]

Thanks Hammy- I will try it, and if I dont get fried I will post back a result :)

[Reid]

All controlls work excespt the horizontal size one. :/

Could it be the wire? or the wire's connection to the monitor board? Or could it be my controll thing?

[Reid]

Here is a pic-

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/7945/controllsvq8.jpg

[Arcade Antics]

Here is a pic-

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/7945/controllsvq8.jpg
If the problem is that the pot in the image is bad, you can just replace it, quick fix if you're handy with a soldering iron. I'm not sure how that pot board is attached to the rest of the cab/monitor though -- don't do anything just yet. Better safe than sorry, especially if you're going to need to discharge the monitor first. :)

[Reid]

that thing was just screwed in in the coin door area- that is my actual one- I just removedit easily

[Peale]

...don't do anything just yet. Better safe than sorry, especially if you're going to need to discharge the monitor first. :)

If you discharge a monitor tube just to resolder a pot on a satellite board, I suggest attending Randy Fromm's Arcade School.

[Reid]

Lol- I have no idea what to do- but I can learn if I know what to do-

[Hammy]

what you need to do is desolder said pot, get one the same value, and solder it on.

easy :) you just need the gear!

[Arcade Antics]

...don't do anything just yet. Better safe than sorry, especially if you're going to need to discharge the monitor first. :)

If you discharge a monitor tube just to resolder a pot on a satellite board, I suggest attending Randy Fromm's Arcade School.
Righty-o. :) I wasn't sure of the location of the board in question, that's why I worded it that way. All the pot boards I've worked on have been attached to the monitor chassis in some way and I've had to disassemble the whole 9 yards to get at it, which includes the ol' monitor discharge.

[Reid]

Ok-

What is the pot?

Where is one located on a Gauntlet: Legends machine?


Thanks for the help again guys!

[dave2236]

pot is short for potentiometer, its the turney dial thing that you need to replace.

[Arcade Antics]

Ok-

What is the pot?

Where is one located on a Gauntlet: Legends machine?


Thanks for the help again guys!
The pot that you need to replace is the one in the picture that you wrote "won't work" on in red. :)

[Reid]

Lol thanks :)

I am going to upload a gallery of pictures if anyone needs to see them.

[Reid]

Here is the gallery

http://www.imagefap.com/gallery.php?gid=222074

[shawnbo42]

Ok, the pic of the back of the neck board on the monitor really helps. What you have there is a neo-tec 2701 monitor board. If you know how to discharge a monitor (and ONLY if you know how), try replacing the bi-polar (means the new one can go in either way) capacitor at location C550 on the main board. The value of that cap is 10 uf @ 50v. This may all sound like Greek to you, if it does, it's ok. If you are unsure/not comfortable discharging the monitor, find someone who can. DO NOT attempt to do it without knowing exactly what you are doing. You can really shock yourself (believe me, I know) if you're not careful. Either way, if you do it yourself, or have someone else repair your monitor, just give them the info I just gave you. That should correct your problem. The only way I'd replace the pot is if it is physically broken. Just simply look at it. Does it appear to be cracked/broken? If not, chances are it is ok. I have VERY RARELY had to replace a pot, especially on a fairly new monitor like what you have. Anyhow, hope this helps, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

[Reid]

Wow- good bit of info thanks!

I can discharge the monitor- but I am a tad uncomfortable dooing it so I am going to get my electrician friend over. Also- are there any good guides on discharging it? All I found was the one on alsarcade which was vague.

Do I need to take the mionitor board out to do this?

Also, will this also fix the wavy lines at the bottom? or do I need to install a cap kit also?

And where do I get a 10uf50v cap? from a cap kit for the monitor?

[Hammy]

here's a good guide written by a friend of mine:

http://www.stickycarpet.com/pinx/md.html

[Reid]

here's a good guide written by a friend of mine:

http://www.stickycarpet.com/pinx/md.html


Thanks it is great!

[shawnbo42]

Also, will this also fix the wavy lines at the bottom? or do I need to install a cap kit also?

And where do I get a 10uf50v cap? from a cap kit for the monitor?

Replacing the one cap should fix your horizontal width issue, but it won't correct wavy lines. Wavy lines can be either bad caps, power supply issues (either on the monitor board, or the power supply for the game), or some other problem completely. Get the 10uf50v cap from any electronics store (not radio shack, a real electronics supply store.) Just be sure you specify it is a bipolar cap. If you have an electronics supply store in your area, you can take yours off the board, bring it to them, and say, "I need one of these.". I would suggest you repair that problem first, then worry about the other one. That way, you know one thing is out of the way. What kind of wavy lines are you getting? Like black lines/bars in the picture, or white lines, or general picture distortion? Let me know, if you can post pics, I'll try and help you with that as well.

[Reid]

If you see the four character stat cubes at the bottom, the wavy line goes through there.

The wavy lines (one strand of them, not the entire screen) keeps its color, but wiggles and distorts the picture.

I dont know if that is a good description- if not I can try uploading a video of it if you need that.

Also- Do I have to take the entire monitor out? Or will the board disconnect?

Thankyou so much for your specific help!

[shawnbo42]

If you could send pics of the line, that would help a great deal. Also, your monitor board will come out, you don't need to remove the entire tube (although I've done it before). You may actually want to consider doing that since you just got the machine, if you have access to an air compressor. Take the whole tube out, and set the monitor down outside somewhere (CAREFULLY!!!), and blow it all out with the air line. You'll be amazed how much dust you get out of there. Then, just put the monitor back in the cabinet. Dust and heat are electronics' worst enemies, and they go hand in hand. Dust buildup causes temperature increases, which decreases the life expectancy of your components. So, if your monitor is really dusty, I would recommend you do blow it out with an air hose. It's the best way I've found without damaging any components.

[Reid]

Any possible way of just cleaning the tube in the machine?

Also- I did take pictures of the line- they are in the gallery but they dont show up. The line runs horizontally and in the photos- It goes through the word health.

Thanks for your help again!

[Reid]

Ok I got the capacitor:-

I told the guy I needed a 10uf50v bipolar capacitor-

So he gave me a 10uf 50v Non- Polarized Electrolytic Capacitor- Here it is


http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6762/dsc00211uy7.jpg