Fix a game day...

[level42]

The Asterock is running fine too, for now I put back the original PCB. Etienne played his first B/W vector today

Next up: Puckman !

Also need to install the fans in the SW cockpit and see if it's running robust then. Also need to fix the sound issues, which are very likely harness problems.

[Etienne MacGyver]

By the way, big thank you to Etienne for helping me out this afternoon !!!!!

You're very welcome Andre, I 've had a great afternoon.

Its much nicer to work with two persons on something, its just much more pleasure.

ps. you got some links with pics in your mailbox..

i thought they could take a place between your pics 
(they are crappy cellphone pics, but hey , better than nothing  )

[level42]

In fact, we didn't even had time for the beer, it's still in the fridge

We worked very hard, Etienne, is brutal saying I should speed up, get it done etc.  

Just kidding it was great fun to work together.....Etienne also got inspired by the marquee (there's a "cut up" US Joust marquee in it now), the bezel (which shows brand crackles and some spots where the paint has come off) and the CPO. All loads of vectors, Etienne said

O, I did some cleaning of the CPO with the magic sponges...The yucky Suzo joysticks are in there, at least they work fine, if there is time I left I would like to put the Wico's in there...if it's an easy enough fit...

Still need two screw-in bulbs (damn, I had wedge and bayonet socket bulbs plenty from my pinball machine, but not the screw-in type...) for the coin-mechs.
Also put in a brand new lock in the coin door. Still need one for the back and the lower coin-door though...

[Belike]

Nice couple, lol!
Next time you should make me a nice Universal to Konami adapter.

[Etienne MacGyver]

tip of the day:

When you're going for the coindoor bulbs, take 5V variants, hook it up to the switcher and loose that bigass transformer 

[level42]

The pics from Etienne:





As you can see, the Joust is one big hack-job inside. Former owners had Jammatized it, which was great for me because I needed the cab for the Jrok multi-Williams board.
However, as you can see, it's a dirty job done. The wiring is a mess. But it works for now. I will tidy up later (will probably put a complete new Jamma harness in there).

Also, the big power transformer which I'm soldering on used to power the monitor (120VAC) but the "new" polo runs straight on 230VAC. so the only thing the transformer is powering now it the coin door lights So....I could remove it (and run the lights on 5VDC from the switching power supply that was already in there (that supplies the PCB now).



I also still have the stencils patiently waiting in my attic

[Etienne MacGyver]

Seeing that last pic, reminds me..

can you check the following :



are those measurements the same ? (the retainers)

I mean , i have taken the correct measurements of the visible area, and the total height, but i dont know if the visible area is exactly centered..

do you know what i mean ?

[level42]

I'll measure tomorrow...just closed everything...

Had a bit of a scary moment with the Joust this evening. Was playing a nice game of Joust and when it turned to a next level, it went straigh to the start-up/Hi-score screen....mmmmmm aiaiaiaiai had I found a bug on the Jrok Multi-Williams ?

OK...so play another game....after a while I start to be able to fly THROUGH the oponents....next everything freezes and I run for the power switch to turn it off.

Let it cool down for a minute or five and powered up. Running fine again....

OK...let's check the basics: what's the +5V at ?? Measuring 5.5V !!! WHoopssss.....turned it right back to 5.00V exactly at the terminals.

Been running fine ever since....fffffeeeeeuuuwwwww...

Uploading a video as we "speak"....

[level42]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_U9NJp0IfY

[Q*ris]

Nice stuff in that gameroom, thanks for the tour!
I want a Joust, I want a Joust, I want a Joust 

[level42]

Mmmm, it turned out really dark...I am looking into buying a new camcorder.

I want HD...

I only just realised (again) that the Joust has extra buttons hacked in, the brown one's on the front are of course not supposed to be there at all....This was obviously done to get 2 button games running.

In the end I would like to have a control panel set-up that will support all games, yet still have only a Joust artwork. Maybe weird, but I really don't like the multi-williams artwork around.

It will also be a huge challenge because the CP is really tiny.

[baritonomarchetto]

Your game room is a dream Andrè!

In the end I would like to have a control panel set-up that will support all games[...]

Maybe weird, but I really don't like the multi-williams artwork around.

+1, the Mutli Williams artwork is a SHAME: very confusing with little to extra little images  

Andrè, turn that Joust back to his original glory AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Running a multiboard is not what it is intended to    

[Superully]

thx for the tour, andré, i like videos like that! and i have to admit: your gameroom looks extremely nice!

[Etienne MacGyver]

I only just realised (again) that the Joust has extra buttons hacked in, the brown one's on the front are of course not supposed to be there at all....This was obviously done to get 2 button games running.

In the end I would like to have a control panel set-up that will support all games, yet still have only a Joust artwork. Maybe weird, but I really don't like the multi-williams artwork around.

It will also be a huge challenge because the CP is really tiny.

Yeah, and also they put the second player setup in "mirror" in your panel..





so if i understand you correctly, we need to design / vector a CPO for that joust that has all the buttons on the top, and you want to get rid of the two in the front ?

they acually dont look too bad IMHO, they could use some art / identification.
take the 1 and 2 player from the top side for example and put them next to the buttons, and clean the section of the old buttons up.

i have seen alot of "custom artwork" online, maybe there is some inspiration ?

or, place some switches behind the coin rejectors and use them as player 1 and player 2  

[level42]

Your game room is a dream Andrè!

In the end I would like to have a control panel set-up that will support all games[...]

Maybe weird, but I really don't like the multi-williams artwork around.

+1, the Mutli Williams artwork is a SHAME: very confusing with little to extra little images  

Andrè, turn that Joust back to his original glory AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Running a multiboard is not what it is intended to    

Thanks for your compliments !

Not sure if you know, but that "Multi-board" is _not+ your average xx-in-1 board from China running some ancient MAME version with lousy sound emulation you may be thinking off...

This is Jrok's Multi-Williams PCB. It does NOT emulate the games. It has the original processor running on the board !
The only thing different from the original hardware is that all the surrounding hardware is put into a FPGA chip.
It's like putting all those loose TTL chips that are on the normal Williams hardware into a single chip.

It plays 100% the same as the original hardware, as stated by many owners who can compare it to original hardware set-ups.

I have absolutely ZERO problems running this board in this cab. Reasons ?

1) It's 100 times more reliable than the original hardware
2) I can play both Robotron AND Joust on it...the two Williams games I love the best
3) it is NOT emulation....we all know how I feel about that

IMHO FPGA's are the way to preserve those games. In the end we will not be able to get separate DIL TTL IC's anymore. I am always 100% for original hardware, but this board is an excellent alternative for it.

(For some who don't know (Etienne f.i. already asked about it): This board does not run Moon Patrol for a reason. MP is not an original Williams game but a license. Hence, it works on a totally different hardware platform. All the other games run on (about) the same hardware, so that's how close JROK stayed to the original hardware...)

So, no the Jrok board will stay where it is. I read that it's worth at least 300 USD now by the way

Here's the whole story by Jrok. You should also read the rest of his pages.He started out by doing reproductions of PARTS of the original hardware, making PCB's to replace original one's. So, step by step he learned the Williams hardware in and out, and only then he created the FPGA.

http://www.jrok.com/hardware/wsf/