Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle
General Chat => Arcade Lifestyle => Topic started by: DarthNuno on August 01, 2010, 09:49:33 AM
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Following this road trip' :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/news/moon-ghosts.jpg) (https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1493.0)
It's time to work on this real classic! :P
As you can see the following pictures, there's nothing to do regarding the cabinet itself :-* :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_14.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_15.jpg)
Lovely isn't it? :-*
Let's check its identity :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_13.jpg)
Mhhh I like to think about the history of our cabinets in the time... for this one, I can imagine hundred (thousands?) kids playing that specific game, in an other time, in other places... including North Carolina :-* Men, I'm sure this cabinet has a real 'soul' or something! ::) ;D
OK, when I got this cabinet, I knew the monitor wasn't working, and also the original board. I also got a *spare board* but this one is mentioned at 'non working' on a sticker :'( So the first thing I've done is to order a *working* original board before starting to work on this cabinet.
Few weeks later... here's the box :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_1.jpg)
DOUANE means 'Customs' :evil: :evil: :evil: :ghost: ... and customs means more €€€€ after already paid a lot of $$$$ :evil: :evil: :evil: The dark side of our hobby :'( Anyway, the board is here :
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_2.jpg)
Here's the stuff I have now :
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_10.jpg)
- in the middle, the original board I got with the cabinet *non working*
- on the left, the spare (and non original) board I got, but labeled 'not working'
- on the right, an original board I've ordered, supposed working
Let's prepare my *magic* adapter 'Moon Patrol video signal from pcb' to 'SCART connector', let's plug the working Moon Patrol board... and ... :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_3.jpg)
YYYhhaaaaa!! :-* :-* :-*
Of course, I cannot resist to play games ... like this ;D :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_4.jpg)
Well, I notice something wrong while playing the game. I cannot go 'left' (cannot slow down)... probably a bad contact on the 'left' switch? or a bad wire? Let's check the panel...
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_5.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_6.jpg)
Mhhhh... everything looks fine at first sight, I'll check that later... Now let's remove the original monitor, very easy on this cabinet :
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_7.jpg)
On the following picture, you can see a new power supply is used :
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_8.jpg)
For archive, here's the TV model used to replace the monitor :
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_9.jpg)
Moon Patrol is a very addictive game :-* Even If I can slow down the car, it doesn't affect to much the difficulty... and I already played many games so far... :P
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_12.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_patrol_11.jpg)
OK, next steps :
- Fix the 'left' control
- Clean the cabinets (yes, not done yet!)
- Try the 'Moon Patrol' extra board I got (it's a boot I would say, and it's labeled 'not working'), but I have to adapt the connector first
- Move that stuff inside one of the lair ;)
- Shoot a video ;D
- Score!
Stay Tuned... ;)
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How come the customs caught this ? Was there a bill included, or a value mentioned ? DSV as the transporter ?
Always try to let the guys ship it as a gift and indicated a value of about 20 bucks or so, that way it stays under the radar. I can't believe you would have to pay import duties on 30 year old PCB !
The boards all look identical, doesn't look like there is a bootleg between them ? (Or else it is VERY alike the original).
By the way Bruno.......do I sense you are moving to original PCB hardware a bit more recently ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Congrats on that game man, a lovely cab and game !
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Nice cab - and nice condition :-* :-* Good luck with your resto Bruno :spaceace: :spaceace:
You're in competition with Superully .... Who will finish faster this resto?
:lol:
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You're in competition with Bruno .... Who will finish faster this resto?
i know ;D! bruno most definitely will, because i haven't even received all the parts needed yet - and i'm in no hurry and will probably be a little more anal than bruno is, sometimes too anal, but that's just how i am 8)
the lunar restoration battle has begun :twisted:
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How come the customs caught this ? Was there a bill included, or a value mentioned ? DSV as the transporter ?
Always try to let the guys ship it as a gift and indicated a value of about 20 bucks or so, that way it stays under the radar. I can't believe you would have to pay import duties on 30 year old PCB !
The boards all look identical, doesn't look like there is a bootleg between them ? (Or else it is VERY alike the original).
By the way Bruno.......do I sense you are moving to original PCB hardware a bit more recently ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
Well I use to ask to the seller (got this board via ebay) to declare a low value on the package, but this was not the case for this one :oops:
The bad thing with the customs : even if the object has a low value indicate on the package, if they open just for a check, they ask you 10€ just for 'administrative task' :oops: So, from my experience... it's a total lottery :?
Yes, the board on the right seems to be similar, but the first difference I see is ... the connector itself... I'll explain that in the next post.
Well spotted regarding the original PCB hardware :P It's effectively the case for my three last restorations : Ghosts'n'Goblins, Burger Time and now this Moon Patrol :) It's always the ideal way to go but sometime it can be very difficult, it terms of money, knowledges... so, expect to see a day or an other my good old advance mame config ;)
You're in competition with Bruno .... Who will finish faster this resto?
i know ;D! bruno most definitely will, because i haven't even received all the parts needed yet - and i'm in no hurry and will probably be a little more anal than bruno is, sometimes too anal, but that's just how i am 8)
the lunar restoration battle has begun :twisted:
LOL ;D
Well, you know most of my posts are not 'in real time' ::) I use to post often few MONTHS after doing the work ! ::) There's no particular reason for that, I just do when I feel it :P
Should I post the last picture of me, playing the Moon Patrol in the V3, just in front of the Galaxian Theater? ::) ;)
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Should I post the last picture of me, playing the Moon Patrol in the V3, just in front of the Galaxian Theater? ::) ;)
then i'm going to win the battle, because i bet you won't be able to get the galaxian theater back together after all those years ;) ;) ;)
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then i'm going to win the battle, because i bet you won't be able to get the galaxian theater back together after all those years ;) ;) ;)
...mmhhhh.... Stay Tuned ;) ;D
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looking good bruno !
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then i'm going to win the battle, because i bet you won't be able to get the galaxian theater back together after all those years ;) ;) ;)
...mmhhhh.... Stay Tuned ;) ;D
OMG !!! :o :o ;D
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if they open just for a check, they ask you 10€ just for 'administrative task'
that's gotta be the biggest con ever!! they should just employ loads of people just to open as many packages as they can.
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I still cannot believe how that is legally possible within the EU. It's like you call in a crime with the police and they charge you for it.
Customs people get paid from taxes and.......o wait, they don't pay as much tax as we do in Belgium, that may be it...... :D
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The inspection/brokerage fee is present everywhere, it's just a question of wether they choose to apply it or not. It's €13 at UPS for example.
Many packages coming into Belgium from the US have been targeted more than other origins because of all the online shopping (Asian packages fly through usually) but since the beginning of the year they've been stopping practically every single package from the US.
They're holding one of mine right now and contacted me for more details. That's how I noticed it was now a private company that the Belgian Post Office is outsourcing to, which explains the zealousness. Probably linked to the upcoming opening up of the market to competition.
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Back on the - on the left, the board I got, labeled 'not working' and previously mentioned as a boot? It's the left one on the coming picture :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f1.jpg)
In fact, I can't tell if it's a boot or not... the components seems to be the same at first sight, but only differences I see so far is :
- the connector : the original one (on the right) has a key in order to match the original harness.
- the stickers : the original one has Williams stickers everywhere
...but the rest seems to be the same, so what?
Let's check the 'boot' closer... a broken component :-\ :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f2.jpg)
I know this board is labeled as 'non working', but I have to try it... but this board cannot be connected in the original harness without doing this to the connector :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f3.jpg)
Let's power on... nothing on the screen, no sound... nothing at all! Ok, let's skip this board for now, and go back to the working board, with the 'slow/left' direction non working. All the continuity check have been done, and I also permuted the left/right connector ... but still the same problem : I cannot slow done the car (I cannot got left) :-\
Let's check what could be wrong on the board and measure/compare the right (working) direction and the left (non working) direction ... something wrong on the board :-\ :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f4.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f5.jpg)
There was also a 'ground' problem... got voltage on the mass wire ??? ... on this one :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f6.jpg)
Now fixed, but the board has been probably damaged by this (this mass wire was connected to the 'left' connector).
But I still have that 'left/slow' problem... but guess what? It doesn't seems to affect the gameplay too much because I've done a nice score :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f7.jpg)
It's time to install that cabinet inside the V2 :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f8.jpg)
Hey... What's this ::) :P :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f9.jpg)
An other supposed 'working board'... let's call this one the board #4 :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f10.jpg)
Let's plug this one and ...
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f11.jpg)
Yeah!!! 100% bug free :-* :-* :-*
Next steps :
- clean the cabinet
- shoot a video
- continue to increase my high score :P
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Pictures requested by Superully :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_power_1.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_power_2.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon_power_3.jpg)
;)
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thx a lot, bruno, unfortunately your connector seems to be wired differently than mine. just to keep you guys not out of the loop: when i removed the stuff from my moon patrol, one of the wires on one of the connectors came loose and since they were so dirty and my picture isn't good enough to show the exact position of that wire, i've asked bruno to snap a pic of his connector for me. check out my picture and compare that to bruno's - unfortunately it's not the same :(
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4871747948_7768d1ae59_b_d.jpg)
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Back on the - on the left, the board I got, labeled 'not working' and previously mentioned as a boot? It's the left one on the coming picture :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/moon-patrol-f1.jpg)
In fact, I can't tell if it's a boot or not... the components seems to be the same at first sight, but only differences I see so far is :
- the connector : the original one (on the right) has a key in order to match the original harness.
- the stickers : the original one has Williams stickers everywhere
Looks like an original to me, the screenprinting seems to be identical (often different with bootlegs) plus I have never seen a Moon Patrol bootleg with those flat cables that have all separate wires (had at least 10-20 over the years). They always have standard flat cables where all the wires are connected to one flat band. Those seperated ones are a typical sign for an original PCB, Moon Patrol or others on the same hardware like Zippy Race etc.
Missing Williams stickers don't mean anything as the board is actually made by Irem.
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Cannot resist to present you the game... on 'location' ... and on 'situation' with lights :) :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/Moon-Patrol_2.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/Moon-Patrol_3.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/Moon-Patrol_4.jpg)
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/moonpatrol/Moon-Patrol_1.jpg)
:-*
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simply beautiful!!!!!! :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
and next to the GYRUSS.... :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace: :spaceace:
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Looks stunning! One more great game added to your already great game room. :spaceace:
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Awesome !!! :-*
And thanks for the 4 new Gyruss pics ;) :-* :spaceace:
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have you been able to fix the "steering problem", bruno?
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have you been able to fix the "steering problem", bruno?
Yes...see this segment (https://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=1813.msg20076#msg20076) of this topic ::)
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but you were saying "But I still have that 'left/slow' problem... but guess what? It doesn't seems to affect the gameplay too much because I've done a nice score". or did the new board fix the problem?
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Yes, the new board is 100% bug free. I'm now able to go left (slow down) :)
But the funny thing is ... going left (for slow down the buggy) is not really necessary for doing a nice score on Moon Patrol ;)
Since I got this last 100% working board, I still didn't beat my high score done with the faulty board :P
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Hey Bruno,
thank you so much for giving this cab to me... and sorry for bringing this old thread up again. What exactely was the "left-problem" cause I am experiencing such a problem again here with the cab.
When I press left... the car actually speeds up... same effect when i press right. The only way to slow it down is not to press the stick in any direction. This is really strange and it made it hard for me to play the game cause I was so used to speeding up and slowing down with the stick. Any help would be very welcome. Maybe some of the other guys know what to do. I checked the leaf switches... cables seem fine, too.
Greetings
Stefan
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I'm sure you must confuse with the gameplay ;)
I tested the game at your location and everything was OK :)
If you don't touch anything the car runs at a 'medium' speed.
If you go 'left', you slow down the car, but if you don't touch anything, the car will go again at its 'medium' speed.
Now, if you go 'right', you accelerate the 'car', but again, if you stop to go right, the car will go again at its 'medium' speed.
In any case, if you don't touch the joystick, the car will run at its medium speed/position
Try it in Mame and you'll figure out the controls ;)
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I'm sure you must confuse with the gameplay ;)
I tested the game at your location and everything was OK :)
If you don't touch anything the car runs at a 'medium' speed.
If you go 'left', you slow down the car, but if you don't touch anything, the car will go again at its 'medium' speed.
Now, if you go 'right', you accelerate the 'car', but again, if you stop to go right, the car will go again at its 'medium' speed.
In any case, if you don't touch the joystick, the car will run at its medium speed/position
Try it in Mame and you'll figure out the controls ;)
hehe.. i know the game quite well cause it is one of my alltime favs. ;)
no matter what you do... if you press left or right the car speeds up. if you do nothing it goes in a normal position.
i know it used to work when you brought it to me cause i talked to my friend jochen who played it till the end on that morning after you left.
he told me that in the first levels everything was like it is supposed to be. but after a while it did not work anymore. he tought that gameplay was like that cause he was not familiar with the game.
he just told me 30 min ago because we talked on the phone and i told him about the problems that occured. still.. nothing to worry about. i am sure we will find what's wrong.
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Hey Bruno,
thank you so much for giving this cab to me...
!?!?!?! Bruno, why would you get rid of such an awesome game??
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Hey Bruno,
thank you so much for giving this cab to me...
!?!?!?! Bruno, why would you get rid of such an awesome game??
he told me his reasons and it made sense to me. and i am very thankful and happy that i had the chance to buy it.