Play Meter

Issue: 1976 August - Vol 2 Num 8

be programmed with his data.
The proliferation of integrated
semiconductor memories has led to
an entirely new video game archi-
tecture . Many, if not most, of
today's games are virtually built
around the ROMs they contain and
it is not unusual to find that the
ROM in a game contains all the
object shapes, score numerals, mo-
tion codes and other instructions
and data the computer might need.
BUILDING A GENERATED
DISPLAY
Sync submultiples can be gated
together in an endless variety of
ways to generate many types of
images ranging from the very simple
to more sophisticated shapes which
appear quite complex. If the display
requirements are relatively basic,
SSI components are normally used
but often more complex images can
be derived using MSI devides such
as counters and magnitude compar-
ators without increasing (or maybe
even decreasing) the total number
of ICs required for the particular
image . All generated display tech-
niques depend heavily on the use of
windows to specify certain areas of
the CRT .
THE WINDOW CONCEPT
The term window is one which
has been coined to describe a
selected area of the CRT. A window
is created by using the appropriate
sync submultiples to define the
limits or boundaries of the desired
area.
Figure 1 shows how the subultiple
64H appears when displayed on the
CRT with a video probe . As always,
the dark areas represent the LO time
periods of the signal and the light
areas occur only when 64H is Hi.
The submultiples can be ex -
amined by a number of instruments.
Unfortunately, the logic probe will
reveal Hi , Lo and Pulsing where the
only noticeable difference between
outputs is a progressive decrease in
symmetry further down the line.
However a scope will reveal wave-
forms which correspond exactly to
the characterizations in Figure 4.
This brings us to another instru -
ment which is very useful in probing ·
these kinds of circuits : the video
probe. A video probe is nothing
more than a 4.7K resistor attached
to a jumper which has an IC clip on
one end and a test prod on the
other. The resistor can be hidden in
either the prod or the clip to keep it
out of the way .
ELECTRONIC
~~~~DtJ«~©
THE
Maddeningl
Addictingl
ORIENTAL PINBALL
GAME
• Solid State Technology-
includes lighted digital
scoring & replay displays
• Quarter Vend-adjustable for
one or two plays per coin
• Full 12 Month Warranty-
includes all parts & labor
• Smallest Floor Space Re-
quirements- any crowded
arcade or game room can
still use a Pachinko
• Low Maintenance
• High Player Appeal
MANUFACTURED BY
Performance Enterprises, Inc.
4712 N E 12TH AVE .. FT LAUDERDALE. FLA 33334
PHONE 305 /771 ·3110
The video probe is used primarily
for examining video signals but it
can also be used as a sound probe .
When used to probe for noise, the
clip is atached to the input of the
audio amplifier and the test prod can
then be used to hear any signal fast
enough to produce a tone . Gener-
ally, a noise probe is used to check
sound circuits, but it can also be
used to " hear" sync chains working
because--as you move down the
chain --the tones become success-
ively lower at each division .
But the most valuable use of the
video probe is in examining video
signals used in the developement of
more processed signals where the
developemental signals you need to
check are not visible on the monitor
CRT. But, if you connect the probe
clip to the negative side of the
coupling capacitor found in the
video summation section , the signal
present at any node you touch with
the prod will be injected directly into
the video output line . If the ex-
amined signal is of a video nature,
meaning it is neither too fast nor too
slow, it will be displayed as an
identifiable shape on the monitor
CRT.
onthe move
Herbord to Northwest
Effective August 1, 1976, Bill
Herbord moves to Seattle to join
Ron Pepple at Northwest Sales. He
hopes to complete his move from
St . Paul by mid-August and will
then assume the responsibilities of
vice president-general manager at
Northwest.
Herbord's experience in the coin
machine industry goes back to his
.days in high school when he worked
nights at Bally Mfg. Co. during
World War II. After the war , when
years and is very excited about his
new positionn .
He feels that the reception given
his new computerized pachinko
game at recent local MOA shows
indicates an exceptionally bright
future for the machine . Cavallaro
claims that his is the first and only all
new game without any recondition-
ed parts and that it is made to give
the operator new profit highs with
low maintenance .
The game is now being shipped to
distributors around the United
States. It is just one in a series of
amusement and arcade games
which Amutech manufactures and
markets .
Atari Names Two
Bill Herbord
Atari, Inc ., Los Gatos, Cal. , has
announced two new appointments
in its coin-op products division.
Carol Kantor has been named
manager of the newly expanded
market research department, and
Terry Speizer has been named
regional sales manager for the
division, according to Frank Ballouz,
national sales manager for the
company .
Ms . Kantor' s responsibilities will
include the imp lementation of pre-
market testing and evaluation, prod-
uct analysis, forecasting and plan-
Ring . Additionally, she will conduct
programs in consumer attitude re-
Bally resumed manufacture of the
"One- Ball" machines, he worked a
short time on the assembly line .
After a four-year hitch in the Navy
he worked for a Chicago bottling
company, then on a cigarette
vending route and later for two
Chicago-based coin machine dis-
tributors .
For the last 12 Y2 years Herbord
has been service manager for Auto-
matic Products Company, a position
he resigned effective July 31, 1976.
Amutech Picks Head
= has Amutech
Ltd ., Corte Madre, Cal.,
announced the appointment of
~
~
John Cavallaro as president . Caval-
-. laro has been associated with the
~ vending industry for the past six
36
Carol Kantor
Terry Speizer
search and target market analysis
related to coin -operated game sales.
" We believe that increased in-
depth research in all phases of our
business will help us gather the
input we need to continue our
leadership in the manufacture of
video games people will want to
play," Ballouz said commenting on
the appointment . " And that will be
more profitable for our distributors
and operators ."
Ms . Kantor has held marketing
research positions with the Clorox
Co. and Fairchild Camera & Instru-
ment Corp. She has a M .S. degree
in Management Science from the
University of Colorado and a B.B.A .
in Business Statistics from the
University of Texas. She resides in
San Jose, Cal.
Speizer's focus will be on product
sales and marketing support to
Atari' s distributor outlets in the
western states .
"Terry's appointment is part of
our continuing efforts to increase
communication and offer more per-
sonalized service to our distributors
and operators," Ballouz said .
Speizer's sales and marketing
experience includes positions as
domestic sales co-ordinator and
field sales representative in the West
for American Microsystems, Inc.
and the Falstaff Brewing Co .
A graduate of San Jose State
College with B.S . an M .B.A . de-
grees in marketing , Speizer is
married . He lives in Monte Sereno,
Cal.

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