Jump to content
Due to a large amount of spamers, accounts will now have to be approved by the Admins so please be patient. ×
  • 0
IGNORED

Monitor/chassis identification and general info


SuperGameCo

Question

Hey,

 

I bought an old cabinet that I'd like to restore and the first task is to get the monitor going. I've never worked with a CRT before so bear with me.

 

I was told by the guy I bought it off that it's not working but I'd just like to confirm this for myself. The monitor seems to be a G-A63ADG25X (see Pic1). I'm not sure what the chassis is, there doesn't seem to be a model/make anywhere (see Pic2). It seems to be wired up to a JAMMA harness but I just want to connect a video signal to it to see if it's working. Can I just splice a VGA cable to the connector shown in Pic3 or is it a little more complicated than that?

 

BTW when I turn it on I just get a blue/grey horizontal line towards the bottom of the monitor (see Pic4). Not sure if this is good or bad.

 

Also if I can't get it going does anyone know of someone I can take it to in the Sydney area to have a look at? I've tried a few TV repair joints but they won't touch it.

 

Pic1

2016-03-20 11.11.57.jpg

Pic2

2016-03-17 18.56.21.jpg

Pic3

2016-03-20 12.07.50.jpg

Pic4

2016-03-20 12.20.23.jpg

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

The tube is a G-A63ADG25X, that's just the tube number. The chassis (the board in your second photo) is far more important to identify. The fact that your monitor displays those lines means that it's getting power, which is a good start. There will be a model number on the chassis to identify it and maybe even a brand name. Commonly in Australian cabs, 26 tubes were Kortek or Nanao chassis. You're lucky if it's a Nanao, not so lucky if it's a Kortek. If you can't locate it, keep looking, there's usually something. I've never seen a totally unlabelled chassis, maybe even something on the metal around the flyback (the black thing with the huge ass fan above it). I've also never seen a flyback with a fan on it.

 

If you splice in a VGA signal, there's a good chance you will severely damage the monitor. Arcade monitors run at 15khz, if you splice in a 31khz signal, you're going to have a a bad day.

 

I'm gonna jump in and say this, a lot of other people will agree. If you have no experience working on CRTs, don't work on them. Seriously, you can make a lot of problems worse, and you can also shock yourself, these things store very high voltage.

 

As SpudJones says, get a gameboard, hook it up the JAMMA harness, and then test it that way. If it's not working, the chassis will need repair, which you can send to Jomac in Perth. However, you will firstly need to teach yourself how to discharge a tube and disconnect a chassis.

 

Do not mess with CRTs unless you at least know the basics of how to work on them. They are dangerous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Thanks for the info guys.

 

I don't have a 60 in 1 but I might have a Pandora's Box lying around somewhere. Will that do the trick?

 

Thanks for the warning about the dangers of working with a CRT. I know not to touch the tube bits without discharging it first. I'll probably just see if I can get a picture out of it and then give Joey a call as you guys suggested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

You can easily splice VGA into that connector - PROVIDED the PC is outputting at 15kHz. If you are going for a MAME cab, then you'll need 15kHz to begin with, so....

 

The easiest way to get 15kHz is to use crt_emudriver for windows.

crt-emudriver home

GroovyMAME home (works with crt_emudriver for MAME needs)

This is for when windows is loaded. The PC will still boot in 31kHz, so be careful.

 

And for composite sync - (which goes in through the "H" line on that connector, if the "V" is not connected)

 

syncadd.png

(assumes both sync levels -ve, which you can control with ArcadeOSD from the crt_emudriver package.)

 

Have a poke around those sites and do a bit of reading. You can test the monitor easily enough, but you might need a video amp to get the signal boosted far enough for actually playing games. Something like a THS7314 with a few pots on the output lines works really well.

 

You can also use Linux, but I don't know much about that.

 

If you're not planning to MAME things, an xx-in-1 board might be simpler.

 

As namastepat notes, working on a CRT can be hazardous. Make sure you know how to discharge safely before doing anything else.

Edited by buttersoft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
Thanks buttersoft, I'll definitely give it a go.

 

Just remember to read up first. There's a few guides on the eiusdemmodi site linked above about installing crt_emudriver. For one, the latest version needs a Radeon HD 2000 - HD 7000 series card. 5000 & 6000 series for best results, I think. I'd also recommend a fresh Win 7 install, that way you can be sure there aren't old driver remnants - doubly important if you don't have a second 15kHz screen to test things with and you have to get it right first go.

 

But like I said, if you'll be using MAME on that monitor, you'll need to get 15kHz somehow. If not, xx-in-1 board is best.

 

(I'd recommend getting an 8" PVM or something for testing from a PC. They come up on gumtree and ebay pretty often - just don't spend more than ~$40. Must have RGB inputs, remember. And you might need to modify the sync combiner)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

You're most welcome.

 

Just remember - it's an arcade monitor, so it's delicate, and it can kill you. Be very sure of what you're doing before you take each step.

 

EDIT: and if it was sold to you as faulty, it probably is actually faulty. You may need to diagnose it first. Which won't be simple if you're not sure you're outputting the right singal from the PC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...