Really weird sound issues on my cab!

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:13 pm

Hello everybody,

I'm just wondering, is it possible for an arcade cabinet to be screwed up and not play sounds only on CERTAIN GAMES? I know it sounds funny, but my new (old) cab doesn't play sound out of certain games, that I know for a fact had great sound the last time I tried. SO either, these boards have just all of a sudden broke, or, the cabinet favors sound of certain games over others.

To be more specific, this is a Taito Egret 29. What possibilities am i dealing with here? The games I am not getting sound on are:

Killer Instinct
Mighty! Pang
Tetris the Grandmaster 2

These worked FINE in a different cabinet I used to own.

So is it a common problem that certain games (that are in perfect condition) will be lacking sound on a cabinet in which certain other games work just fine?

This is so frustrating. I hope somebody can help me soon!

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:18 pm

stereo vs mono sound....egret 29 doesnt have stereo if i remember correctly

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:50 pm

jonny5 wrote:stereo vs mono sound....egret 29 doesnt have stereo if i remember correctly

If the stereo switch is set to stereo, the sound won't be present on such a mono PCB. Simply flick it to mono to fix the problem. Very important to remember that little issue. ^_~

In order to utilize stereo properly, one would need a seperate stereo harness to that hooks up directly to the PCB's stereo pinout.

Some mobos like the Sega ST-V, Taito G-Net, MVS MV-1, CPS2 all output stereo sound.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:54 pm

correct me if im wrong...all those games he listed are stereo sound.....and again i may be wrong here, but i think e29's are mono only without modifications.....

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:40 am

actually, that is not the case. KI and Tetris are both mono.

If this helps, I've noticed though that CPS1 works, but CPS2 does not. IS this a clue? How do these two differ?

Necronopticous · Post by **Necronopticous** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:37 am

Is there a volume setting on the board? Maybe it's turned all the way down?

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 2:04 pm

Yes, the volume is up. Although, something weird happened yesterday. I actually got sound on one of the games in question! But then, after unplugging it and plugging it back in, I was unable to get sound anymore, even after like 10 tries.

I'd like to think it's a loose connection, however, why would it consistently work with some games, and consistently give me problems with others?

D · Post by D » Fri Oct 10, 2008 2:15 pm

I have a similar issue with Tetris Plus 2.
I just can't figure it out.
Sound on one cab, no sound on the other cab!
Most other pcb's give sound on both cabs.
I'm sure there is a logical explanation...but what?
If you ever get tired of that grandmaster let me know

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 3:03 pm

egret 29's have a plug for stereo and mono, you have to follow the speaker wires to it and switch if that's the problem. Should be down in the bottom of the cabinet, maybe in the back.

Voltage issues can cause sound problems- on my egret, raiden sound works if I plug it directly into the harness- when I use my extension harness, it deosn't- I thought the longer cables messed with the current. Also, connection could be an issue. If that game worked once, your harness could be dirty or bent- if you took a needle and just bent out the sound pins a bit on the harness, you could trouble shoot that.

It would have to be either voltage, connection, or stereo/mono plug (that connection could be loose).

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:04 am

Thanks for the help guys, especially yours dpful...

I found the plug in question, undid it to activate mono, and voila, the sound works perfectly now!

However, I have a new problem that is coming into focus now that the sound is fixed.

Some of my PCB's have to be inserted JUST right in order for them to come on right. Otherwise, they have garbled graphics, etc. Is this caused by a dirty jamma harness connector, or perhaps by a dirty PCB connecter?

Which is more likely? Also, how can I fix this??

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:32 pm

mikehaggar wrote:Thanks for the help guys, especially yours dpful...

I found the plug in question, undid it to activate mono, and voila, the sound works perfectly now!

However, I have a new problem that is coming into focus now that the sound is fixed.

Some of my PCB's have to be inserted JUST right in order for them to come on right. Otherwise, they have garbled graphics, etc. Is this caused by a dirty jamma harness connector, or perhaps by a dirty PCB connecter?

Which is more likely? Also, how can I fix this??

Just make sure both ends of the Jamma edge connector on your Egret 29 and on the said arcade PCB that you wish to play are both super shiny and clean upon connection.

Take a pencil rubber eraser and rub it directly across the contacts. Clean off the eraser debirs and get some Q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol and swab it on both side of the Jamma edga interface to get it super shiny and clean. Just be sure that all the rubbing alcohol is completely dried before making the connection and powering everything up. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:50 pm

how can i clean the end on the cab? Since it's a hole, do i use a q-tip or something?

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:14 pm

I think the best way to clean the female end is to just connect and reconnect- it will scrape a path eventually. Pencil eraser on the jamma edge works great, I've even used sandpaper or emery board.

Remember that the egret also has a big rectangle plug further down the jamma bundle that has to be tight- so it might not be just the jamma edge. The power supply might have a similar plug along the line (that's what would cause graphics issues in any case).

mikehaggar · Post by **mikehaggar** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 5:36 am

ahh, i see....so maybe plug and unplug all of the plugs basically is what you're saying?

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:19 pm

Yeah, unlikeley, but if you're sure the games edge is clean, any of those plugs could have oxidised a bit, and the best way to clean them is just plug and replug a few times. Works for most on-the-pcb connections, too (which could also be the problem unless it works on other cabs). Don't forget the pin technique on the harness if you can isolate what the prob is (graphics garbles would be the power section, graphics display probs would be the video)- if you bend the connectors out a little bit, they'll self clean faster.