Omaha, NE
3 days and it was at my door...I'll gladly pay the shipping cost! 
(Topic ID: 119749)
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Revenge From Mars
Bally, 1999
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OK, Let me throw a monkey wrench into the works. Has anyone tried the amp with a Pinball 2K that is running NuCore? Installing NuCore by itself seemed to improve my picture. I have the ducksan monitor. I heard NuCore eliminated the need for an amp.
Quoted from PinballWizard101:Installing NuCore by itself seemed to improve my picture. I have the ducksan monitor. I heard NuCore eliminated the need for an amp.
That make sense to me, when they made NuCore they knew the weaknesses of the original. But I don't know for sure.
Quoted from PinballWizard101:Has anyone tried the amp with a Pinball 2K that is running NuCore?
With your NuCore setup, what are you using to drive the video? If you are using the suggested Ultimarc VGA card then there should be no need for the amp.
I am using the Ultimarc VGA card. So I should be good to go. just thinking the monitor in my Pinball 2K looks a little weak. Maybe try and adjust it. Maybe a cap kit and a shot with the rejuvenator is in the future.
Quoted from PinballWizard101:Maybe try and adjust it. Maybe a cap kit and a shot with the rejuvenator is in the future.
Definitely start by adjusting the contrast to bring up the white level (remember: contrast is white level, brightness is black level) and the brightness.
Good link:
http://www.poynton.com/notes/brightness_and_contrast/
If you get a satisfactory image, I wouldn't bother with a cap kit or rejuvenator.
Quoted from PinballWizard101:I am using the Ultimarc VGA card. So I should be good to go. just thinking the monitor in my Pinball 2K looks a little weak. Maybe try and adjust it. Maybe a cap kit and a shot with the rejuvenator is in the future.
What's "rejuvenator"
Wow, had no idea you could do that. Pretty cool old-school machine.
ebay.com link: Sencore CR70 Universal CRT Analyzer Restorer Tester w Case
How to use it.
Still cheaper to get the Video Amp or just buy a new monitor. But pretty cool anyways.
The Sencore CR70 is great; mine paid for itself right away since I had a lot of old CRT-based games. I definitely advise following the manual instructions to the letter, since you can shorten the lifespan of your tube by rejuvenating a gun that doesn't need it. I found the manual here:
Quoted from RoyF:With your NuCore setup, what are you using to drive the video? If you are using the suggested Ultimarc VGA card then there should be no need for the amp.
I think you mean ArcadeVGA card and I do not think that card outputs a 5v video signal...
Quoted from lurch:Wow, had no idea you could do that. Pretty cool old-school machine.
ebay.com link » Sencore Cr70 Universal Crt Analyzer Restorer Tester W Case
How to use it.
» YouTube video
Still cheaper to get the Video Amp or just buy a new monitor. But pretty cool anyways.
Wow, I had no idea. I wish I could find someone in my area to do some monitor work. Thanks for the info
Quoted from msj2222:Wow, I had no idea. I wish I could find someone in my area to do some monitor work. Thanks for the info
If you can find a TV repair place they should he able to test your guns and clean or rejuvenate as needed. Probably cost you less than $25.
Quoted from JeffF:If you can find a TV repair place they should he able to test your guns and clean or rejuvenate as needed. Probably cost you less than $25.
OMG, TV repair! Almost forgot about those places! They still exist?
Quoted from JeffF:If you can find a TV repair place they should he able to test your guns and clean or rejuvenate as needed. Probably cost you less than $25.
that's a thought, good idea, thanks
So...
I reached out to George Gomez and he was polite enough to respond. I asked him what the Pin2k (RFM) video looked like on new machines. Unfortunately I never played RFM back in 1999 so I didn't have any historical knowledge of the original video appearance. While we both agreed that describing the video transparency is difficult without actually seeing it, it was ultimately stated that the colors in an original game were "... strong and most images are very well defined."
My current beliefs about RFM/Pin2K video are...
0) Pin2k/RFM video looked great when new (back in 1999). It wasn't washed out.
1) The monitors have aged over the last 15 years
2) There is no design flaw. Note that some monitor manuals say they can accept 1v signals via contrast adjustment.
3) Rebuilding your monitor will give you similar results to installing video amp
4) The video amp only helps because the caps in the monitor are old and having a stronger input signal allows the aged parts in the WG monitor to not impact the video quality. I realize this last statement is somewhat vague. Think of it as saying "I'm replacing functionality within the monitor's PCB that is old and not working well with external new circuity."
So... Install that video amp if you don't want to do a cap kit! It's much easier and has no negative effect. If you are a purest, do the cap kit. Some day I may do the cap kit, but it's low priority as my image looks great. I do suspect that if anyone is playing RFM in another 10 years, the video amp may not improve the image and a real cap kit will be needed. But that's a long time away!
Quoted from altan:....
So... Install that video amp if you don't want to do a cap kit! It's much easier and has no negative effect. If you are a purest, do the cap kit. Some day I may do the cap kit, but it's low priority as my image looks great. I do suspect that if anyone is playing RFM in another 10 years, the video amp may not improve the image and a real cap kit will be needed. But that's a long time away!
The need for a cap kit may not be as far away as you think.... And I'd suggest you do it sooner rather than later. As the caps fall out of spec they can trigger more catastrophic monitor failures (like a blown horizontal output transistor and/or flyback transformer, which often take out other components with them). If your game was ever operated in a commercial environment (left on for several hours per day) then it most likely needs a cap kit by now.
Info for the WG K7302 monitor:
http://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-monitors/Wells-Gardner_K7300_series_repair.pdf
http://www.juniorsrevenge.com/wgk7302caplist.txt
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=384
I put together my own kit for the Ducksan (CGM1901, or Merit "type 59"), but you can get one from Zanen:
http://home.comcast.net/~mtpacifico/_kenskorner/files/Zanen%20Capkit%20Catalog_2011.pdf
http://www.meritgames.com/Support_Center/Type%2059.jpg
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