3
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/DECEMBER 1982
AMOA EXPO '82
Although the AMOA show this year (Nov. 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency,
Chicago, IL) was well attended, the ex~itement and intensity of past shows
was conspicuously missing. The theme, as well as the buying attitude, of
the expo seemed to be cautious conservatism. From most manefacturers'
point of view, the show was not the success it has been the last few years.
***
Aside from the cautious approach of the distributors and operators of the
industry, there were a bundle ofnew games previewed. Sega Electronics
(name changed from Sega/Gremlin) showed a number of games including:
"Pengo", a licensed piece from Coreland of Japan, "Super Zaxxon", an
enhanced version of their recent hit, and "Buck Rogers", a space theme
video available- in upright and sit-down cabinets. Also, Sega displayed two
Convert-A-Games: "Tac/ Scan" for the color X-Y system and " Monster
Bash" for their color raster system. "SubRoc" , a 3-D game, was also on
hand. * Perhaps the most innovative game concept at the show was Sega's
"Astron Belt" - designed around a laser disk system. This sit-down, billed
as " The Game of the Future" , generated a considerable amount of interest.
Employing two video laser disk systems and a standard video display
generator, this game put the player at the controls of a space ship buzzing
around alien planets chasing enemy spacecraft and maneuvering over
difficult terrain. Judging from the interest " Astron Belt" received, it may be
put into production within six months, Sega reps said. * Williams
Electronics showed their two recently released games: "Joust" and
"Moon Patrol", - both strong pieces. Williams also had a game named
"Sinistar" on hand, which featured their in-house designed optic, variable-
speed joystick. Two pinballs were offered: " Warlok", a single-level
futuristic version of their previous pinball hit " Blackout", and a pinball
adaptation of their video game " Defender", which incorporates all of the
familiar aliens and enemies from the video game. * Exidy showed their
new video "Hard Hat" and a baby skee-ball called " Whirley Bucket".
Cinematronics displayed their licensed game, " Zzyzzyxx", from Hara
Industries of Japan.* Taito showed their recent release, "Jungle Hunt",
IDENTIFYING IC
SOCKET PROBLEMS
By Jeffrey Young, World Wide Distributors, Grand Rapids, MI
It has become apparent that many of the game manufacturers have been
using a low grade IC socket. These sockets cause many problems after a
very short amount of time and the only solution we have found is to replace
the sockets with a better grade socket.
The way to spot these sockets when problems arise is to remove the chips
and inspect the way contact is made with the IC pins.
If the contact is made on the front and back side of the pin, ( wide sides)
the socket should be good.
If contact is made on the narrow sides, however, the socket should be
replaced; especially if, when the chip is pushed into the socket, the game
starts working.
Because of the way IC pins are made (see Fig. 1), pushing in the chips
will force the socket clips to widen their gap, loosening up their hold and
causing more problems later.
Figure 1
and a very similar piece called " Pirate Pete". Also displayed was "Front
Line", a combat theme video. * Taito is now offering a conversion kit
through their distri.butors which will change "Qix" to "Space Dungeon".
Displayed at their booth, the kit consists of a control panel, marquee, plexi,
coin door processor, program memory, and the game wiring harness. *
Video Music International showed their video jukebox "Star Time".
Data East displayed their interchangeable game cassette system with the
newest Deco conversion "BurgerTime". * Atari, with a most impressive
exhibit, showed a driving game "Pole Position", which is licensed from
Namco of Japan. Also displayed was "Millipede", a deluxe version of their
previous video "Centipede" , a color X-Y game "Quantum", and "Liberator",
a game likened by some to "Missile Command" . Atari also had their PAT
9000 and CAT box test equipment on hand.* Bally/Midway showed a
number of new videos: " Super Pac-Man", "Blue Print", "Satan's Hollow" ,
" BurgerTime" (licensed from Deco), and "Domino Man". A hybrid game,
"Baby Pac-Man", part pinball and part video, was also on display as was
their pin game "Eight Ball Deluxe - Limited Edition". Bally/Midway's
service department also had their Universal Video Test Fixture on hand for
demonstration. * Stern Electronics showed their present hit video
"Tutankham" and two new releases, "Rescue" and "Dark Planet" - a 3-D
space game. Also on display was "Pooyan", a licensed video from Konami
of Japan. * Gottlieb showed two pins: "Punk" and "Striker" - a sport
(soccer) theme. And possibly the most talked about game at the show was
Gottlieb's "Q•bert" , an innovative color video which always had a crowd
around it. (For the technical side of" Q•bert", see this month's New System
Preview starting on page 10) * Nintendo showed its current hit video
"Donkey Kong Jr." along with a new video most observers said was a sure
hit, "Popeye". With outstanding graphics and true to the comic book
characters, Nintendo's "Popeye" caught the eye of many shoppers wading
through this sea of almost inseparable video offerings. * Vending
International generated considerable interest in their non-video assort-
ment of games. The longevity and earning power of non-videos was a strong
attraction in the uncertain climate of this year's AMOA show.
(More reviews coming in the next issue.)
TROUBLESHOOTING
THE ELECTROHOME G07
HVLCIRCUIT
Servicing the monitor with a B+ voltage of 138.5vdc or more could be quite
time consuming.
The troubleshooting method described below is intended to facilitate
repair.
1. Remove all power from monitor.
2. Disconnect the collector of transistor X701.
3. Apply power to monitor.
4. Check for a raster (lit screen). If no raster is obtained, turn up the
brightness control to verify a no-raster condition ..
5. With a raster, measure B+ at the emitter of the power regulator transistor
X04.
6. B+ normal with a raster, the problem will be in the protection circuit.
Check X701 and D701.
IC
SOCKET
7. B+ still high with raster indicates the problem is in the power regulator
circuit. Check X04, X901, X902, D905 and C905.
8. With a no-raster condition, the problem will be in the horizontal section.
Check from the oscillator to the horizontal output (IC501, X501, T-501,
X0l and T-502).
NOTE: Remember to reconnect the collector of X701.
Star*Tech Journal, Volume 4, Number 10, December 1982. Copyright 1982 by Star*Tech Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. Star*Tech Journal is published 12 times a year.
Address inquiries to: P.O. Box 1065, Merchantville, New Jersey 08109. Phone: 609/662·3432. Star*Tech Journal verifies the contents of the articles herein as much as
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James Galore. Administrative Assistant: LT. DiRenzo. Art/Advertising Coordinator: Paul Ehlinger. Circulation Promotion: Linda Geseking. Contributing Technical Writers:
Todd Erickson, Joe Connor, Frank Becker, Mark "Bea~• Atteberry.