Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1991-September - Vol 13 Issue 7

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• • ••••• • .• · •. Septemhefl 991 · .· · •·
Pioneer CD Juke Popm.eter Readout
Interpret the Hex
Erwin Boot
Automatic Music Company
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
SUBJECT
The above Pioneer CD juke boxes have a most
interesting (if you're into that sort of thing!)
though highly unusual method of displaying the
popularity of CD's during popmeter interroga-
tion - it's in Hexadecimal form!
HEX READINGS
We had been seeing weird
5A, 3f, 2b, etc. type
popmeter readings and had
been ignoring them believ-
ing that we were finding
garbage in the RAM. Wrong!
For some reason known
best to Pioneer and not ex-
plained in their manuals,
the number of plays is dis-
played in hex format! (Only
I more chip in the circuit
would have brought the
display into an intelligent
understandable readout
form.)
A right side figure of an:
A represents 10
b represents 11
c represents 12
d represents 13
e represents 14
J represents 15
Normal numerals in the
right side column have
their proper indicated
value. The left side figure
represents the number of
"16 times" to which must be
added the value of the right
side figure.
EXAMPLES
Thus, a Pioneer popmeter
display of 39 plays doesn't
really indicate nearly 40
plays, but instead indicates
3 lots of 16 (- 48) plus 9, i.e.
a total of 57 plays.
BASE 16
For those not familiar with
hexadecimal, (which is a
system based on 16) use
the following formula for
converting the display:




Similarly, Id indicates 29 plays (16 plus 13), 4A
= 74 (4 x 16 = 64 plus 10) and ff indicates 255
plays (15 x 16 = 240 plus 15).
)
AtariTempest Low
High Voltage
RandyTeny
Alpine Amusement
Connersville, Indiana
Beckman
DM25XL
Multimeter
EASY
ro UsE,
LARGE DISPLAY,
Low Cosr!
SYMPTOM
Wells Gardner 19K6101 picture too large.

CAUSE
Video B+ and high voltage low.
SOLUTION
This one had me baffled for a while! I checked (in
H.V. power supply) C90 I, C905, C902, Q900,
Q901, Q902, Q903, R903, R904, R905, R906,
R907, 2D901 and 2D902. All checked fine!
So I started changing parts (thinking a cap or
transistor was breaking down or leaky under
load). I change all the caps, no help: all the
transistors, no help. I even changed the resis-
tors, no help.
SOLUTION
As it turned out, ZD 902 was regulating but at
about 110v instead of 150v. Replaced 2D902,
everything's fme. I had to replace IC90 I (555
timer) and T900 (flyback) right off the bat so they
were known good. Next time I'll take two minutes
instead of two hours!
• 29 RANGES
BUILT-IN 20 MHZ LOGIC
20 MFD
• RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT To 2000
MEGOHM • 10 AMP RANGE Ac AND De
• CAPACITANCE MEASUREMENT To
• TRANSISTOR GAIN MEASUREMENT
$89
Sendqheckormon~yorderto:.BTAR*TECH Journal,
PO Bof1065, Merchantville NJ 0810~.NJ add 7%.
COD Ok. CaJI 609/662~1080 offax 609/662-0537.
(All orders add $8 s/hiThank you!)
BECKMAN
CAPT6
DIGITAL TEST METER
JAMMA Test Card
VERSATILE CAPACITANCE
DESIGNED FOR THE GAMES TECHNICIAN
• 24
&
PARTS TESTER
USER RANGES
• TEST CAPACITORS TO
/ The $44 Insurance Policy
PROBE
• RESISTANCE
&
20,000
• DIODES • TRANSISTORS
Check out the entire game wiring system
• LEDs • BATTERIES
before
you plug in that $1000 game board!
609/662-1080
Ordelprepaid (add $4.50 s/h) or COD
$TAR*TECH Journal
PO Box 1065, Merchantville, NJ OB 109
MFD
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