Great job Newdos! I'll keep this forum when my monitor takes a crap. Thank You!

Same here. Added to favorites.

Nice how-to! Will be following this for updates to see how you mount it. Thanks!

for mounting the LCD, you might try this:

Pinball 2000 LCD Mounting Kit
http://www.greatlakesmodular.com/

Is that P190St 5:4 or 4:3 (I couldn't find a definitive answer on the web) and does it matter?

You bet I can see a dif. The lcd is way sharper and I can see the individual stars in the background of the Bally logo. Looks great.

what is model # of the dell monitor that you used?

mjmmx, I can see P190St on the back.

I try and do as many lcd conversions on arcade games as I can and I have run into sync issues with those. How would I know if I possibly need to add that chip onto one of those games as well? Its generally a since issue that I run into with them not being compatible.

Just took out the old and looking for the right monitor to put in , just that the 2 that I have 1 is bulky and might have to take out of frame. Hope to get help as I move along on this project. I love this and have fun learning as I go .

What happens if you use the cga to vga converter without a sync adaptor? I ask because I just got an RFM that has this conversion but the monitor is missing blue. I have a spare cga to vga adaptor that I can hook up but I don't want to break anything.

Just fitted a chip from maplins, same chip but ends with a N.
... No picture should the chip be a P.
Any thought's on a diagnostics.
Many thanks Feaney

Just curious, does the monitor need to be 4:3? I'll be doing this over the next month, since my RFM I just picked up came with what looks like an unsuccessful attempt to install a widescreen 19" VGA monitor.

Great thread newdos!

I've also seen a 22" 16:10 recommended a lot and that is what I have in my game. A 19" 5:3 or 4:3 also seems to be fine.

All,

I picked up a SWE1 in February. I really wanted to convert to a flat panel (my CRT had no green and was mis-aligned) and combining the Horizontal and Vertical sync as described here is an important step - you have to do it if you are going to use the GBS-8200 series up converters.

I latched on to Newdos's combiner in this thread to create a no-solder solution that does this sync combining and provides a simple way to power the new components via USB (the combiner and the GBS-82xx). Steps are pretty simple:

1. install a PCI USB card in your Pinball 2000 computer. This is a pretty simple, plug-n-play addition. No drivers to worry about as the computer can ignore the board; we are just installing it for power. I had to move my prism card over one PCI slot to create space.

2. attach my H+V Sync Combiner board the computer's video card output. It screws on securely.

3. run a USB A to A cable from the USB card to the H+V Sync Combiner for power.

4. run a VGA cable from the H+V Sync Combiner board to the GBS-8200 series up converter.

5. run another VGA cable from the GBS-8200 to the flat panel of your choice (I used a 17" Viewsonic I got at the used computer store for $10)

6. fabricate a panel mount solution and provide AC power to your monitor.

7. turn it on and enjoy.

You can get the board by itself for $25 at my website (http://www.kahr.us). I also offer a kit that contains the PCI card and the USB power cables for $40. Here's what the board looks like:

H+V Sync Combiner.jpg

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets

The GBS converter boards have a header for RGBHV (separate syncs). Why not just make the proper cable?

Didn't try it, but it might work... Crimping JST is challenging but I've had pretty good luck with this tool: http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-PA-09-Micro-Connector-Crimpers/dp/B002AVVO7K/ref=sr_1_1 . You'd still need to power the GBS which I think USB provides a pretty nifty solution.

Or, for the price of the tool you can get the board and all the USB to JST cables. Whatever works for you...

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for Williams System 3-7 sound board solutions

Crimpers?!?! Why bother? You can buy the JST connectors all wired up for pennies. Let the little Chinese kids do the crimping.

Curious, have you (or anyone else) connected directly to the RGBHV header on the GBS? I like RKahr's solution (less expensive than the http://lockwhenlit.com/CGA.htm option) but going direct might be a cleaner way to go if it works.

Any examples online for a JST cable that could be used?

I've used it successfully for some video games... haven't tried it with a P2K yet. I could wire it up and check.
The 8-pin JST cable actually came with the GBS-8220 board I bought. Looking at eBay, that seems to be the case for most. Example:

ebay.com link: itm

Ahh, cool! So if it comes with the cable, would only need a DB-15 to attach to the other end? I don't have a GBS card yet and it looks like there are 8200's and 8220's in various versions (Version 4 is the latest?). The only difference I have found between the two is that the 8220 has an extra VGA output. I suppose if you wanted to add a second monitor on top of the arcade cap.

Mine only came with the 5 pin connector that does not support separate syncs. The 8 pin might work but when comparing the pic in the listing to the manual it seems that one of the sync wires is missing. Here is the relevant manual page. image.jpgimage.jpg

Buy it, try it, and if it doesn't work, get my combiner. And be sure to share what you learn. But I've only got 11 left and am not sure about making more.

-Rob
-visit me at SFGE to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for Williams System 3-7 sound board solutions

Most of the vendors today include the JST connector harness, not the 5 pin "yoke" style connector like they used to in years past. And yes, there are only 2 sync wires while there are 3 holes for sync. I guess that is their way of saving some pennies.

All you do is decide if you want separate positive Vertical and Horizontal sync, or if you want to feed it just composite negative sync. You may have to move one wire. But, you have to make sure you select the proper input channel (RGBS vs. RGBHV).

For most standard Composite Negative Sync applications (Jamma type boards), it is best to feed the sync in through the single wire to S. In the case of P2K, I would assume you will need to use 2 wires and make sure they are populated in the H and V holes of the connector.

Hmm, I tried to make one and my converter is just reporting "no signal". I'll have to check my wiring but I thought I was careful

Update: I had rather stupidly worked out my pins incorrectly. It works now that I've wired it right and fortunately the IC survived having the 5v on the wrong pin.

Anyone give the 8 pin connector a try yet?

Thanks

I thought about it but I wondered if it was not just the same thing as plugging into the 15 pin VGA socket.

I put in a mouser order last night and one thing I added was an 8 pin JST connector. I'm as curious as the next guy...

I've also got enough stuff to put together 10 additional kits of my H+V Sync Combiner.

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for Williams System 3-7 sound board solutions

Awesome, looking forward to the results!

On a model GBS 8220 V3.0, they are indeed the same. In fact, the HS and S pins are connected together and in turn, also connect to the 15 Pin VGA connector. This may not be true of other models or versions.

Has anyone tried these as of yet?

ebay.com link: itm

That's only a break out board. It does not alter the sync signal that is discussed above in the sync combiner/adapters (74LS02) being made.

The trim pots are to tone down the Red, Green, and Blue drive so you don't saturate the colors on an LCD.

Ahh ok thank you. I have seen some of the converter boards with the RGB Pots on them as well I might grab one of those then. Thanks again for your reply, now I have to track down a good 22" LED LCD 16:10 monitor

Having been fixing a lot of pin2k games over the years and with the issues of the sync conversion my take on the solution was to design a replacement for the pci vga riser card, the one that originally looks like this:

IMG_4056.jpg

The benefit here is that the extra conversion can be done internally to the computer case and then a regular vga cable can be attached from the modified output to the cga convertor cards video input. Also, I have added some dip switches so that it can be used in original mode to as a direct replacement for the original. I have fixed many games where this riser card is burnt out. (Most likely due to ageing monitors, or people connecting the wrong things to the output)

Price is looking like £25 plus postage. Contact me if you are interested in getting one.

Here's how it looks on the design bench.

pin2k cga to vga pci header layout.png

Looks like a nice replacement AppleJuice. How is it powered to do the conversion?

I don't think it does any conversion, I think it just does away with the need to mess around soldering cables.

The board is powered by connecting a standard atx D-type power connector at J3.

The conversion of the sync signals is done on the card via IC1. The output is then ready for direct input into an arcade cga to vga convertor card. It can also be used as a replacement for a bust original by setting the dip switches accordingly.

I'm still confused about the need for 2 conversions but I don't need one so never mind.

I got my pcb blanks in and am assembling the first batch of riser cards. I will be adding them to my web site store in due course. Contact me if you'd like to get one.

IMG_4203.JPG

Now available and added to my store here: http://mypinballs.co.uk/electronics/store.jsp £25 plus postage to your country

cga_sync_adapter_assembled2.jpgcga_sync_adapter_assembled3.jpg

What's with the dip switches? I looked on your site "more info" but is a blank page. Also I don't remember a cable like J1 crom the original cpu box.

The dip switches allow you to set between original mode and lcd mode. J1 is the input connection from the motherboard like the original was. See post 37 for a pic of the original and more details on why I designed it

The more info sections of my site are in the works

Any info yet on what the dip switch settings are?

Thanks

As mentioned there's 2 settings : as an original riser card, or as a sync convertor

Dip Switches are set as follows:

1 & 2 ON - Sync Convertor Mode
1 & 3 ON - Original Compatibility Mode

This is all included in the instructions when you purchase one

Well, my monitor took a crap on Saturday so it's time for me to read up on this switch out. Doesn't seem too terrible.

Applejuice, will this put 5v on pin 9 on the VGA connection so you do not need a video amp if you are keeping it stock?