I-Game Rage - Ready to dump the platform

[jdkmunch]

I've just about had it.   I really take care of my stuff and I'm very depressed right about now.  I took out my current game and put in my chips for hexbreaker (one of my favorites)

The game doesn't boot -  As soon as I turn on the machine I get scrambled pixels. 

I double checked the checksum on the boot chip and gme1 and 2 and they seem fine.    What else would cause this?  I'm read to throw the machine in the garbage.

[Yoeddy1]

Any of the chip legs bent or broken?  Do other game chips work ok in it?  I had a leg on my base chip get slightly bent once after a RAM clear and it came up scrambled when I booted up.  Just a thought.

[jdkmunch]

here's what's weird -  I'm so pissed right now I souldn't even be posting  but  -  I keep all my stuff in anti static bags  -- all perfect - they don't move more than 10 feet - bla bla bla

so the other night (thursday)  I tried to swap games - and got the pixels. 

I checked each chip for legs and bent pins - all perfect

then I then checked the base chip checksum - it was different from what I had as a backup.      I erased the chip and re-burned it.   STILL got a different checksum.   erased it and burned it AGAIN and got the valid checksum.

I then checked the other chips and they were ok - however now all three chips are good but still the game just throws messed up pixels as soon as i turn it on.   

I put in another game and it boots fine.

[jdkmunch]

I need to cool down - i know it's just a dumb game but I'm ready to take a hammer and turn the simms into dust

[Yoeddy1]

Understood brother.  I get pissed too when things aren't working right and my world goes up in flames quickly...I'm a neat freak. 

So you're saying if you put all of the chips in, and attempt a key/full clear, it will come up pixelated?  Did you reseat the SIMM's too?  Wonder if a board or battery going T.U. could produce this type of behavior?

Thanks,
Jason

[jdkmunch]

After I re-burned the base chip and confirmed it has the correct checksum I didn't do a ram clear.    I'm assuming that the machine would actually boot and give me an error - I don't even get that far - just a scrambled screen that changes color every couple of seconds. 

[Slotmaster]

GME 1 - 4 are the only things that toss out a scrabled screen, If it's the base you should get a RED light on the front of the MPU board.    So if you put in a known good Key 22 and get scrambled look at the Game 1 & 2, some have 3 & 4 for GME

A cut trace on the board under the eprom slot does this as well, but I am assuming when you go back to your original game all works fine?

[jdkmunch]

have in a game now that works fine  --  put in ckear 22 and get clear screen fine

put in my hexbreaker and get scrambled screen.

[jdkmunch]

oh  -  when I get the scrambled screen - I have no red light on mpu - only many many amber


I double checked checksum on gme 1 and gme 2 and they are good 

[Yoeddy1]

Yes, Slotmaster is correct, it was one of my GME EPROM's that threw up the problem.  Once resolved the issue went away for me.

[Buzz]

Munch  I'm by no means a expert on I Games, but a Game King has 7 chips. I kind of thing you need to check your graphics chjps ( CG 1 & 2 )

Dave I see you posted and you damn sure know more than I, but are the graphics not labled as 1 of 4  and 2 of 4 ??  

[jdkmunch]

Buzz it's killing me -    You know what else sucks  - my wife and I wanted to fly out and see you guys in february but the airfare is over $1000!!!  I love the dam outside of nlg headquarters.  People don't give it enough credit.

[Slotmaster]

Munch  I'm by no means a expert on I Games, but a Game King has 7 chips. I kind of thing you need to check your graphics chjps ( CG 1 & 2 )

Dave I see you posted and you damn sure know more than I, but are the graphics not labled as 1 of 4  and 2 of 4 ??   

Buzz, HeX is SIMM based with 1 Base 2 GME and 1 pxl, 1 cg and 1 Sound SIMM

[jdkmunch]

Yes - I can only check the 3 eeproms. 

Buzz - everytime I get a fwd email from you I smile -  keep em coming!

[Buzz]

Buzz it's killing me -    You know what else sucks  - my wife and I wanted to fly out and see you guys in february but the airfare is over $1000!!!  I love the dam outside of nlg headquarters.  People don't give it enough credit.

Three weeks ago you wouldn't have loved it. We put the boat in the water and the lake was so rough from the wind we went down to the damn and right back to the boat ramp. Had to spend the next two days visting with Joey and hanging out in a Casino.!!!!!! I always heard it's a sin to bring a boat home full of gasoline.   Life is sure tough.  

[PWRSTROKE]

GME 1 - 4 are the only things that toss out a scrabled screen, If it's the base you should get a RED light on the front of the MPU board.    So if you put in a known good Key 22 and get scrambled look at the Game 1 & 2, some have 3 & 4 for GME

A cut trace on the board under the eprom slot does this as well, but I am assuming when you go back to your original game all works fine?  K+ Dave.    B.

[opman]

That is correct on bad gme 1 or gme 2 I had the same problem just recently where the chips checksummed correctly but just got scrambled pixels. I had one of our Great Nlg vendors send me some replacement gme chips and all was great.


Cushmanman

[PWRSTROKE]

Yes,  This forum and it's Links is like the "Bionic-Man"----We have the technology............................ .  B.

[CaptainHappy]

here's what's weird -  I'm so pissed right now I souldn't even be posting  but  -  I keep all my stuff in anti static bags  -- all perfect - they don't move more than 10 feet - bla bla bla

so the other night (thursday)  I tried to swap games - and got the pixels.  

I checked each chip for legs and bent pins - all perfect

then I then checked the base chip checksum - it was different from what I had as a backup.      I erased the chip and re-burned it.   STILL got a different checksum.   erased it and burned it AGAIN and got the valid checksum.

I then checked the other chips and they were ok - however now all three chips are good but still the game just throws messed up pixels as soon as i turn it on.  

I put in another game and it boots fine.

Munch,

I would agree with everyone that the problem usually relates to the GME chips..... When you erased and reburned, did you use the same eproms? If so I would suggest using a DIFFERENT set of 8 meg chips as one of the eproms may be marginal??? Just a thought.... Also I am not sure if there is an issue with the speed of the eproms like we used to have with reel chips for S+ and S2000s?

Has this game set worked for you in the past???  

I hope that it is that simple?

CH

[uniman]

Buzz it's killing me -    You know what else sucks  - my wife and I wanted to fly out and see you guys in february but the airfare is over $1000!!!  I love the dam outside of nlg headquarters.  People don't give it enough credit.

Munch, I find Spirit Airlines seems to be the cheapest to Vegas. They do tack on a $20 per bag charge and I always get exit row seating, an additional $25 per flight. But it is still very reasonable.
So I'm suggesting you checkout Spirit from, let's say, Boston to Vegas and then rent a car to drive to Laughlin. Betting it all would be under $1000. I do see they have a stop, but $132 per flight-per person, not bad.

Jim

And another note; When I get different checksums on the same chip after reading it twice, I always make sure the eprom programmer gives me three straight correct checksums before calling things good. Learned the hard way! (This was with the older smaller size eproms)

[Slotmaster]

Buzz it's killing me -    You know what else sucks  - my wife and I wanted to fly out and see you guys in february but the airfare is over $1000!!!  I love the dam outside of nlg headquarters.  People don't give it enough credit.

Munch, I find Spirit Airlines seems to be the cheapest to Vegas. They do tack on a $20 per bag charge and I always get exit row seating, an additional $25 per flight. But it is still very reasonable.
So I'm suggesting you checkout Spirit from, let's say, Boston to Vegas and then rent a car to drive to Laughlin. Betting it all would be under $1000. I do see they have a stop, but $132 per flight-per person, not bad.

Jim

And another note; When I get different checksums on the same chip after reading it twice, I always make sure the eprom programmer gives me three straight correct checksums before calling things good. Learned the hard way! (This was with the older smaller size eproms)

If your programmer is getting 3 differnt results a lot I suggest looking for another one unless the PC USB port is the issue.  I have been told that sometimes it's best to change the USB port speed to 12MB from 480MB but I never had that issue with my www.batronix.com BX40

[jdkmunch]

You guys are right - I took out my original IGT chips (gme1 and gme2)  which I keep locked away and they worked.    I'm in the process of making a fresh backup and will be in business shortly. 

[Slotmaster]

so I should not say I told you so?

[jdkmunch]

 no no you should   --  here is my rub the checksum for my backups was exactly the same as the originals. 

Why they stopped working?????? unknown  but I can't even erase them so somehow they died an untimely death. 

[CaptainHappy]

no no you should   --  here is my rub the checksum for my backups was exactly the same as the originals. 

Why they stopped working?????? unknown  but I can't even erase them so somehow they died an untimely death. 

It sounds like your eproms must have been worse than the marginal that I had suggested! They do not live forever....

CH