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Mr Do! Remake PCB

myPinballs

myPinballs

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Posting alittle information on a big project I've been working on over the last year. A full remake of the classic Mr Do! arcade PCB. Possibly the most complex thing I've ever undertaken!! haha Similar process to all my other work, improve/simplify and add to the original design.

A few pics for blatant self promotion haa. Just resolved the last issue on the first prototype today, so now have a fully working board with in built-in sound amp and jamma connection. If you are into this type of thing, check the Ukvac thread for the full journey. I will be making these available for sale in the coming year.

Mr Do! Appreciation PCB redesign

I always loved the mr do! game from back in the day. Great fun! I kind of forgot about it really and only just rediscovered it after getting an old crusty pcb that was a blank screen non booter! After fixing that up last week (edge connector still to tidy up once a jamma adapter arrives) i've...
www.ukvac.com

7D872D5F-260B-4412-B6EF-CEC6EE5B158F.JPEG48BD9E92-6626-4544-8937-75418FFB5B0E.JPEG16390946-04E7-49EF-A228-8208854F8804.JPEGIMG_1038.JPEG
 
Just being curious.
Are you not tempted to make a board with fewer components on it?
Or is that a no-no to your target market?
i.e. the WPC driver board compared to an original...
Screenshot 2023-12-10 at 19.11.54.png
Two chips doing the same job as many.....
 
Pick Holder said:
Just being curious.
Are you not tempted to make a board with fewer components on it?
Or is that a no-no to your target market?
i.e. the WPC driver board compared to an original...
View attachment 239574
Two chips doing the same job as many.....
Click to expand...
There are many reasons why i make pcbs like this, but the fundamental one is to maintain the accuracy of the game, which is far more important with arcade hardware than with pinball where very tight timing and chip specifics are needed. The other main reason is so the boards can still be fixed long after i am dead! I've always wanted to try and stick to a certain type of hardware with my products and within that make improvements, simplifications, upgrades etc etc so that’s what I have done for the last 12 years! I don't like smd either ha. Maybe when all the plate through chips are all gone its the sign for me to retire! You could go the FPGA route for arcade hardware, but i'm not a massive fan of the 'black box' throw away route personally unless something is no longer available or needs redesigning anyway.

There are significant changes here from the original design to improve and reduce chip count aswell as full jamma support, on board amp, colour palette options , vast power use reductions (under 1A ), highs score save and more. A project that has taken 1 year to come to fruition
 
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myPinballs said:
There are many reasons why i make pcbs like this, but the fundamental one is to maintain the accuracy of the game, which is far more important with arcade hardware than with pinball where very tight timing and chip specifics are needed. The other main reason is so the boards can still be fixed long after i am dead! I've always wanted to try and stick to a certain type of hardware with my products and within that make improvements, simplifications, upgrades etc etc so that’s what I have done for the last 12 years! I don't like smd either ha. Maybe when all the plate through chips are all gone its the sign for me to retire! You could go the FPGA route for arcade hardware, but i'm not a massive fan of the 'black box' throw away route personally unless something is no longer available or needs redesigning anyway.

There are significant changes here from the original design to improve and reduce chip count aswell as full jamma support, on board amp, colour palette options , vast power use reductions (under 1A ), highs score save and more. A project that has taken 1 year to come to fruition
Click to expand...
Very interesting Jim, thanks for taking the time to type all that.
It has been about 15 years since I last fixed a jamma board - and never done one with a 'deep' repair.
Me at 54 also does not like surface mount components but I have had to start getting into that the last few years. If it wasn't for microscopes I would have no chance. The hands are okay - just the eyes!!!!
 
Just to update on this, mostly posting on ukvac, but want to share a pic or so here. This is the latest rev2 prototype pcb progress. Looking pretty nice!

IMG_2801.JPG

Also starting to make some docs on what section are what and where the ics go etc.

IMG_2796.JPG
 
One of my favorite games of all time that sparks back to life some great memories.
If I had the room I’d love the full size original but then like Pinballs Inknow they would multiply.
 
Colywobbles said:
One of my favorite games of all time that sparks back to life some great memories.
If I had the room I’d love the full size original but then like Pinballs Inknow they would multiply.
Click to expand...
The beauty here is its jamma so you can swap in and out of a jamma cab with other pcbs. Only need 1 cabinet then
 
myPinballs said:
The beauty here is its jamma so you can swap in and out of a jamma cab with other pcbs. Only need 1 cabinet then
Click to expand...
I get where you’re at and the fact most of my fav retro games are 4 way vertical ones so having a nice original cab would be perfect.

Question's
Does an original / repo board have any advantage over a 60 in 1 board as I have a couple of these sitting here?

Have they made a multi Jamma adaptor in the vein of the SNK Neo Geo one.

What would an original small cabaret cost or are they an arm and leg nowadays.

Also for fear of being burnt at the stake on the UKVAC forum do advance MAME setups with scanline, burn and reflection emulation ever come close to the real thing?

Talking of which I have a VGA scanline generator I bought years back that seemed to work quite well in conjunction with the 60-1 so maybe I should take it all out and stick in a bartop to revisit.

Thoughts
 
Wash you mouth out with soap and water mentioning a '60 in 1' -> nasty things!!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Arcade games and how arcade people feel about them are all about playing the games originally and with the most accuracy. CRTs, original hardware or faithful reproductions with attention to details. Correct timings, colours, original hardware & sound ics so the music and sounds are correctly done , etc etc

Mame & 60 in 1's are all horrible emulations that just don't work properly. Of course they are good for a quick fix, but as with pinball you just cant beat the real thing, with the real hardware.

Having a Jamma cabinet means you can play any pcb with the jamma connector, which was a standard adopted in the mid to late 80s. You still have to bear in mind monitor orientation, but most jamma cabs have a way to rotate the monitor if you want to play other game types. It is still 1 pcb at a time though.

Standard jamma cabs that need some tlc are around from £200 - £500 usually. And usually include the monitor and control stuff.
 
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That’s me told off 😜

Problem is Jim these old monitors scare the life out of me!
Having to do the OCD spin round 3 times and touch wood while holding my pet rock each time I switch on is an **** clenching moment! Or do I worry too much about nothing.

The above is why I try to stay clear or anything pinball bar Bally/Will sys11 or later. Everytime I stray I worry myself sick 😂
 
Colywobbles said:
That’s me told off 😜

Problem is Jim these old monitors scare the life out of me!
Having to do the OCD spin round 3 times and touch wood while holding my pet rock each time I switch on is an **** clenching moment! Or do I worry too much about nothing.

The above is why I try to stay clear or anything pinball bar Bally/Will sys11 or later. Everytime I stray I worry myself sick 😂
Click to expand...
Nothing that bad to worry about really as long as games are looked after and maintained well, switched off after use, kept in a decent environment , but i understand your concern. The above goes for any game really in this hobby
 
Ive just bought a Jamma cab with 25" CRT, Im mainly interested in Dig Dug, Mr Do! games like that. I have found with Mame and a LCD I just can`t play the game the same as in when you expect to dig in one place it goes to the next column etc even with zero delay controls. Im hoping my new CRT setup with Mame will cure the problem, @myPinballs is spot on you cannot beat the real thing if you are really into these games.

I am terrifed of CRTs, in the way I do not want my hands anywhere near the back of it on or off :eek:
 
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