Black & White Vector Monitor Guide The Black & White Vector Monitor FAQ and Guide Version 1.2 April 03, 2002 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 2 THEORY OF OPERATION ............................................................................................... 4 MONITOR TYPES ..................................................................................................................
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide INTRODUCTION Note: Very little, if any, of this document is my own work. Information in this document has been taken from official factory manuals, technical updates, practical experience by others, etc. In many instances I have paraphrased or omitted information from the original documents for readability and/or clarity purposes. I thought it would be helpful, not only to myself, but to others having trouble with their B&W vector monitors.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide What Is A Vector Monitor (taken from the Bally/Midway Omega Race manual) Welcome to the world of the X-Y monitor, an electronic device that strikes terror into the heart of many a technician. The main reason it is so intimidating is that the Vector, Quadrascan, or X-Y monitor is TOTALLY UNLIKE the Rasterscan monitor or T.V. set as you probably call it.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide THEORY OF OPERATION To understand what goes on inside the monitor, large general groups of circuits will be examined instead of laboriously analyzing the branches and small circuits that make up these groups. This will help avoid confusion and aid in a basic, concrete, knowledge of what makes up a monitor. CAUTION!!! LETHAL VOLTAGES ARE PRESENT IN THIS MONITOR, SUITABLE PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO SERVICE YOUR MONITOR.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide input is about 7.5 volts AC. The “X” channel information represents parts of objects from LEFT to RIGHT on the screen. The “Y” channel information represents parts of objects from TOP to BOTTOM on the screen. To get complete objects, then, you MUST have both the “X” and “Y” inputs. If this is so, then why aren’t the input voltages equal? Well, notice how a T.V. tube is shorter than it is wide? The up and down voltages (“Y” input = +/- 7.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide The amplified signal is applied to a cascade stage formed by Q605, Q606 and then applied to the basses of output transistors Q608, Q609. These transistors are operated class B in an emitter follower configuration. Current is coupled through F600 to the yoke and then to ground through the sense resistor R620. Very heavy feedback is applied from R620 to the base of Q603, to correct for any non-linearities in the amplifier.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide If the “spot killer” didn’t come on when any of the above conditions exists, the electron beam wouldn’t be moved around and the phosphor in the center of the screen would be burned from the intense electron beam that is hitting it without moving. Transistors Q500 through Q502 and their circuitry affect the voltages on Q503 to turn the beam current off. This DOES NOT mean you have automatic protection against CRT burns from too much brightness.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide supply’. All of the secondary diodes are fast recovery to operate at the 30KHz oscillator frequency. Using normal diodes are a definite way to fry your flyback! THE CRT - (PICTURE TUBE) The CRT has already been described indirectly. However, to make a picture or turn the CRT on, certain voltages are needed. Otherwise it won’t work.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide smaller the pop and dimmer the flash. But BE CAREFUL, picture tubes will hold a very healthy charge for at least a week if not longer. Even after you’ve discharged it once, it may still carry a residual charge. It’s better to be too careful than dead, which is why electronic equipment always carries stickers referring servicing to qualified personnel. Handle the side with the viewing screen against your chest when changing it.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide All the Atari Italian-built vector games - Battlezone and Asteroids, used a vector monitor produced by Hantarex. The Italian-built Elettronolo Star Castle bootleg (Stellar Castle) also used a Hantarex vector monitor. There were some (factory?) conversion kits for Atari’s Football that had you swap the yoke, HV and deflection boards, and play Asteroids on a 25” tube.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide The x-gain and y-gain will have to be adjusted a little on the B&W board to make the picture the right size. Connect the Z out from the game to only the Green and Blue inputs of the color monitor if it is behind smoked Plexiglas for a realistic “monochrome” look.” In fact, this is exactly what Atari did with their PAT 9000 test fixture to allow both monochrome and color vector games to be tested on one color monitor.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Issue 2 manual has a revised deflection board parts list noting the following: • C602 and C603 removed (although these parts are still on the PCB layout) • C702 and C703 removed (although these parts are still on the PCB layout) • R100 and R101 removed (although these parts are still on the PCB layout) • R604 is changed to 910R (910-Ohms) • R704 is changed to 820R (820-Ohms) • D604 and D605 changed to 1N100 • D704 and D705 changed to 1N100 • R604 and R704 changed to 750R (
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide HIGH VOLTAGE BOARD It is reported that the weakest part of these monitors is the EHT or High Voltage Unit. This may be because the secondary windings tend to open up or arc due to poor mechanical connections. The first condition will cause no picture WITH high voltage depending on which secondary opens. The second condition will cause “blooming” – a faded enlarged picture.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide A really good way to remove and replace the HV diode is to use a hair dryer to soften up the housing, then remove the old one and put in the new one. The replacements are a little longer but work well and will fit. Freeze spray, or component cooler can be useful in finding problems that get worse over time. The HV diode often shows this (the blooming gets worse as it warms up), so the cooler can narrow it down very quickly.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide DEFLECTION BOARDS When working on your deflection board, it is very important to remove the input signal from the game board BEFORE removing power to the monitor. Failure to follow these instructions will result in severe phosphor burn to the picture tube, which cannot be repaired. In order to properly identify which G05/V2000 Deflection board you have, we first need to determine if yours has been modified to work with a 19” or 15” monitor tube.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide “Issue 4” Deflection Board: Issue 4 deflection boards seem to be almost identical to the later revisions. On Issue 4 deflection boards, pins 4 and 5 are electrically connected, but the wire that connects to pin 4 is purple, and it runs to the CRT neck socket where it terminates since there is no CRT pin that makes a connection to it. This deflection board looks like a "normal" one, but has a unique pinout of P100.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide ISSUE 5 DEFLECTION PCB PINOUTS (P100) PIN DESCRIPTION 1 Z input .5V blanking 1.0V blacklevel 4.0V full on 220-ohm impedance 2 Y input +/-7.5V 1K impedance 3 X input +/-10V 1K impedance 4 Power GND (center tap) 5 Y signal GND 6 X signal GND 7 30 VAC RMS 8 Z signal GND 9 6.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide R101 and R100 and (on early revisions of the board) jumper the pads with a length of heavy-gauge wire. Later revisions of the deflection board (Issue 5 and Issue 6) eliminated the resistors all together and had jumpers installed - labeled W10 and W11 (for R101); W8 and W9 (for R100) to provide a current path. Resistors R100 and R101 were eliminated from the schematics, although the PCB layout diagrams in the manuals show both the resistors and the jumpers.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide "X" and "Y" Amplifiers If the top, bottom or sides of the display flutter and try to move toward the center, again, check the power supply. More often, though, this situation is due to a bad transistor in the “X” Amplifier (sides) or the “Y” Amplifier (top and bottom). Sometimes these circuits will check good with an ohmmeter.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide their way back to the power cord. The - and + terminals head towards the guts of the deflection board. Each of the two AC terminals will have a diode to the + terminal and the - terminal. There is no direct connection between the two AC terminals. There is no direct connection between the two + and - terminals.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide All Readings are DC Level Voltages "X" INPUT DC LEVEL FOR DIAMOND TEST PATTERN = -2.32 VOLTS DC "Y" INPUT DC LEVEL FOR DIAMOND TEST PATTERN = -0.08 VOLTS DC B = BASE E= EMITTER C = COLLECTOR ELECTROHOME G05 MONITOR Q601 B C E -0.3 -0.6 +0.5 -1.4 -1.9 +0.5 Q500 B -1.3 C 0.0 E +38.7 Q602 B -0.1 C +0.7 E +32.2 Q702 B C E -0.8 -1.4 -28.9 Q500 B -3.5 C 0.0 E +34.6 Q602 B 0.0 C -0.6 E +38.8 Q702 B -0.6 C -1.2 E +39.0 Q501 B -0.7 C 0.0 E +38.7 Q603 B -0.1 C -0.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide TUBE AND YOKE Replacement monitor tubes are currently available for the Electrohome G05-802 and Wells Gardner 19V2000, and can be purchased directly from Richardson Electronics, LTD. Visit their web page here: http://www.rell.com If you ask for a 19VARP4 tube (19” B&W vector), they will send you a Phillips M47EAA7WS bare tube. You will not receive the yoke or adjustment rings, so save all that you have.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Asteroids Deluxe For video inversion on an Asteroids Deluxe upright, Pin 19 on the game board is grounded. For Asteroids Deluxe cocktails, both X-and Y-video inverts are used, so both pins 7 and 19 are grounded. For noninverted video output, pin 19 is unconnected and floats. Asteroids Deluxe P20 Pin 7 – Y Invert Pin 19 – X Invert Omega Race The Omega Race upright is the only cabinet for that game which uses inverted video.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide You can also invert the video on the monitor itself, although this method leaves you with a monitor that must be altered to run in a non- inverted application (such as Asteroids, cabarets, etc.). You need to reverse the wires leading to the yoke. Care must be taken not to reverse the wrong wires. If you do reverse the wrong wires, you will fry your defection board. You can switch the two “X's” with each other (i.e., black and yellow) or the two “Y's” with each other.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Focus Control Adjustment Located in the EHT supply module. Hole in supply heat sink/wrap provides access to this control. Centering Most of Atari’s vector games have X and Y centering pots located on the game board to adjust any off-center images. However, most B&W vector boards do not have this feature. If you have a Battlezone or Red Baron board, however, you are in luck.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide color alignment problems, so the yoke windings are not nearly as critical as they are in color X/Y monitors. Yoke Generally speaking, do not touch the yoke adjustment unless you are a qualified TV repair technician! The yoke should never require adjustment unless the monitor has been installed in a different type of game or the adjustment magnets have been tampered with.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide INSTALLING A CAP KIT Time and heat have "dried out" the electrolytic capacitors in your monitor reducing their capacitance values. Without the capacitors doing their job you get problems like wavy picture, jail bars, smearing, warping, etc. The other problem that occurs is that over the years the solder joints at connectors develop little cracks in the solder. These cracks reduce the surface area that the electricity can flow over and sometime stop it completely.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide I would strongly recommend using a High Voltage Probe to discharge the monitor. This is the safest method, as the probe is designed to withstand extremely high voltages (hence the name, right?). Lacking an HV probe, you can use this tried and true method, be it a little more dangerous. Use a plastic handled screwdriver; connect one end of a wire with an alligator clip at each end to chassis ground and the other end to the metal shaft of the screwdriver.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide RESOLDERING CONNECTORS Wherever there is a cable attached to your deflection or HV board there are metal "pins" that that a plug plugs onto. Over time, the connections weaken and you get the kind of intermittent problems or failures you may have been seeing. Resolder ALL of the pins on the back of the boards. Remove the old solder using desoldering wick or a solder sucker, and resolder with new 63/37 solder.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide G05-801 DEFLECTION BOARD Zanen G05-801 Deflection PCB Parts Location Part Number Upgrade C804 470 uf 50V capacitor C806 470 uf 50V capacitor Notes NON-Zanen G05-801 Deflection PCB Parts Location Part Number Upgrade C506 45 uF 125V LOW ESR capacitor F600 2 amp pico fuse F700 2 amp pico fuse Notes G05-801 HIGH VOLTAGE BOARD The High Voltage PCB (in the metal cage with the flyback transformer).
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide G05-801 REGULATOR BOARD The G05-801 Bottom Panel Regulator PCB.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide G05-802 DEFLECTION BOARD Zanen G05-802 Deflection PCB Parts Location Part Number Upgrade C500 2.2 uF 50V radial capacitor C501 2.2 uF 50V radial capacitor C502 2.2 uF 50V radial capacitor C503 2.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide G05-802 HIGH VOLTAGE BOARD The High Voltage PCB (in the metal cage with the flyback transformer). Location C900 C901 C904 C908 Location D900 D901 D902 Zanen G05-802 HV PCB Parts Part Number Upgrade 1000 uF 50V radial capacitor 1000 uF 50V radial capacitor 47 uF 50V radial capacitor 4.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide V2000 DEFLECTION BOARD Location C500 C501 C502 C503 C504 C603 C703 Location F100 F101 F102 F600 F700 DB100 C100 C101 C102 C103 Zanen V2000 Deflection PCB Parts Part Number Upgrade 1 uF 50V radial capacitor 1 uF 50V radial capacitor 1 uF 50V radial capacitor 1 uF 50V radial capacitor 22 uF 250V radial capacitor 2.2 uF 50V radial capacitor 2.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide V2000 HIGH VOLTAGE BOARD The High Voltage PCB (in the metal cage with the flyback transformer). Location C900 C901 C904 C907 C908 Location D900 D901 D902 Zanen V2000 HV PCB Parts Part Number Upgrade 1000 uF 50V radial capacitor 1000 uF 50V radial capacitor 47 uF 50V radial capacitor 4.7 uF 160V radial capacitor 4.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide TROUBLESHOOTING Troubleshooting monitors requires experience, patience, and luck. The first step is to match the symptom the monitor displays to the diagnosis next to it in the “SYMPTOM-DIAGNOSIS” subsection. This will pinpoint the circuit the problem is probably in, and often the parts to check. Next, the circuit should be visually inspected to see if there are any parts broken, burned, or if something is there that shouldn’t be, like a loose screw, etc.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Lacking an HV probe, you can use this tried and true method, be it a little more dangerous. Use a plastic handled screwdriver; connect one end of a wire with an alligator clip at each end to chassis ground and the other end to the metal shaft of the screwdriver. Be certain you have the ten 100KOhm ½ watt resistors in your connection at the HV end of the shorting wire.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide then the other on the emitter. No matter which lead is used, there should be infinite resistance. Any lower reading, such as 50 ohms (which is typical on a bad transistor), indicates a short. This all sounds pretty confusing, but a little experience on a good transistor will make you an expert in no time. Usually, the lowest ohmmeter setting is used for testing transistors.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide B. Vertical line (due to "X" amplifier defect). • Bad "X" amplifier output transistors. • Blown “X” amplifier fuse. • Open fusible resistor in the "X" amplifier. • Yoke pins not making good contact (very common). • Bad yoke. 2. Picture spread out too far and/or crushed in certain areas: A. Controls for linearity (located on the deflection board and set at the factory) are misadjusted. B. Bad yoke. 3. Poor focus: A. Low focus voltage from the high voltage board. B.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide 9. Monitor won’t turn on: A. Open fuse(s). B. A defect in the power supply; check: • Fuse(s). • Transistors. • Open fusible resistor. C. Check jack to make certain all pins are obtaining their voltage from the other game circuitry. D. Check for loose foil, especially by D100. 10. Blown 5 amp fuses: A. Caused by bad luck. Change fuses. B.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide On the Wells-Gardner 19V2000 monitor, the anode voltage is supposed to read 14.5KV High Voltage. That’s 14,500 volts with the beam current at zero. R905 adjusts this output voltage. To read this voltage, your meter needs a separate high voltage probe. Follow the directions EXACTLY as stated with the literature that comes with the probe. In the case of the Electrohome G05 monitor, the adjustment is complex and, of course, potentially dangerous.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide The following symptoms and diagnosis come from various people and sources. I cannot verify any of these will work for you. All references are made to the G05-802/V2000 monitor, unless specifically noted. If you have a scope, Electrohome has an EXCELLENT section in the manual showing you various test points on the boards and exactly what the scope trace should look like. First, you must verify that you are getting good signals from the game board.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide SPECIAL NOTE: Omega Race games for some really strange reason do not use pin 12. They have a separate wire soldered directly to the monitor board bypassing the connector and bridging the heater voltage from another point. Symptom: Fuses F100 and F101 blow on powerup. Test the diode bridge (DB100) with the monitor unhooked from the power input. The diodes take the AC and convert it to DC. If one or more are shorted you will get blown fuses.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide This is also the symptom that is present if the X or Y signal coming off of the board is stuck (+) or (-). These signals will have to be tested while disconnected from the monitor. Ideally, you should check the game board outputs in the test mode with a scope. The game board outputs can be checked with a digital multimeter on the a/c scale if the game is NOT in the test mode.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Chasing thru the Z-drive is easy after verifying proper operation of the HV board and deflection systems. Verify the HV system by checking the B+ voltage on pin 1 on the connector P500 to the deflection board. It should be 90-100 volts pulsed DC. If you do not have this voltage, the HV unit must be troubleshot. All of the outputs from the flyback are “geared” together. You can set the high- voltage by precisely setting the lower taps coming off the transformer.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Symptom: No Picture. Spot Killer is Off. Game Plays Blind With Deflection Chatter. Check the female connector connecting the HV cage to the deflection board. Symptom: Monitor Powers Up, Spot Killer On. If The Brightness Is Turned Up, A Complete Screen Is Seen, But It Looks Like A Spider Web. Check and replace as necessary the brightness or the contrast pot. Also check for bad solder joint, or a bad tantalum capacitor in the spot killer circuit.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Symptom: Picture Is Faint, or Has A Slight Glow. If your game uses a black light (Asteroids Deluxe or Omega Race), the black light can actually energize the phosphors in the CRT. Installing some automotive UV tint over any exposed areas of the tube should eliminate your problems. Symptom: Always Have A Bright Dot In The Middle Of The Screen. The contrast should do about the same thing as a Black Level control.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide You must also verify that the X and Y outputs from the game board are not stuck (+) or (-). This will damage any monitor you plug into it. Symptom: Adjustment Of The HV Pot In Both Directions Does Nothing To Affect Brightness. This is frequently caused by poor solder connections on the connectors on the deflection and HV boards. Symptom: No Picture On The Screen. HV Was Present, But The Heater Would Not Light Up.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Symptom: Fuse 100 (101) open Check bridge rectifier DB100 for shorted diodes. Check capacitor C100 (101) for short. Check ZD100 and ZD101. Symptom: 25VDC measures 40V Zener diode ZD100 (101) open. Check Current Limiting resistors R102 and R103. Symptom: 25VDC is too low Measure the voltage on the emitter of the transistor 0100 (101). Should read 40V. If this voltage is 30V or less, capacitor C100 (101) is open or one diode in DB100 bridge rectifier is open.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide G05-801 High-Voltage Board Symptom: Fuse open (F900) This may be a matter of adjustment. Locate the high- voltage adjustment pot R912 (next to Q901). Rotate it completely clockwise. Replace fuse and apply power. Place positive lead of meter on pin 5 (gray wire) of the harness input connector P900. Slowly turn the high- voltage adjustment until the meter reads 90V. If the fuse opens again, check the following components. Opens: ZD900, ZD901, and Q901.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Follow the steps listed below to determine which is the faulty board. The Y measuring points are in parentheses. Missing X (Y) information 1. Set your voltmeter on “AC” and on the 10- volt scale. 2. Measure the voltage at pin 1 (3) of P703. The meter should read 4.5V +/- 1V. If less than 3.5V or even zero, the game PCB is defective and the monitor is probably OK. 3. Measure the voltage at pin 2 (3) of P702. The meter should read 4.5V +/- 1 V.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide If the red LED is off: 0504 is open, Q503 is shorted, contrast control R526 is open or there is no Z input from the game PCB. G05-801 Transistor data Alrighty, then, let’s look at the schematics for the G05-801 monitor. Q701 and Q702 is a differential amp powered by Q703, a constant current supply. Q703 is being run at about 3.6 mA (0.65 volts through 180 ohms). Q701 and Q702 normally share this current equally, so about 1.8 mA average through each of those.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO If you are totally confused about where to begin to hunt for a problem, and can’t find the problem in the “SYMPTOM DIAGNOSIS” subsection, there may be another way to proceed. Take a VOLTMETER and (if possible) an oscilloscope and begin probing the jacks. You can start with the input jack to the monitor. Using the oscilloscope, make sure both the “X” and “Y” information is present (which it isn’t during the “SOUND” test).
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Appendix A: Common Ground Connections From: John Robertson Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade.collecting Subject: TechTIP: How to make VECTOR MONITORS very RELIABLE! Date: 22 Oct 2001 It’s been a little while since my last Tech Tip, but this is something that’s been on my mind for a while now, and a posting in the Vector mail- list got the following response from me...
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Appendix B: Testing Transistors Most of the failures in the Electrohome G05 or Wells-Gardner V2000 monitor (as is the case with most electronic devices) are semiconductor failures, specifically, the transistors. All transistors discussed in this document can be tested in the same way; it does not matter if they are the large chassis- mounted transistors or the tiny PCB- mounted transistors.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide TESTING TRANSISTORS WITH A DIGITAL MULTI-METER Set your meter to the diode test. Connect the red meter lead to the base of the transistor. Connect the black meter lead to the emitter. A good NPN transistor will read a JUNCTION DROP voltage of between 0.45v and 0.9v. A good PNP transistor will read OPEN. Leave the red meter lead on the base and move the black lead to the collector. The reading should be the same as the previous test.
Black & White Vector Monitor Guide Appendix C: Using a B&W Vector Monitor with a Color Game Board From: Steve Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade.collecting Subject: using B&W vector monitor with color vector board Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 Hi Gang, Hope this will be useful to someone. Last week I finally fixed my Star Wars boards and wanted to hook up a monitor to verify that they were working OK. Didn't have a spare color vector display and didn't want to hack into my working vids.
