Re: Tempest High Score Save Troubles

  I would try another EAROM if you have one just to eliminate that as
the problem

Is anything being saved... audit info?

What does the audit info show, garbage or all zeros?

Beyond that... look at the chip select and Write pins on the EAROM and
see if they are pulsing. An easy way to test would be to put on a credit
and I believe that the WRITE line should pulse since the CPU stores data
in realtime on the EAROM (i think).

Most NV memory management does a simple checksum on the data at boot to
see if the memory is corrupted. If it is, it will simply re-initialize
the data since it doesn't think there is anything worthwhile there...
so... even if you are writing data (credit, on game over for high
scores, etc). If one of the data lines or address lines is
stuck/open/tweaked, then it is going to be writing data incorrectly
either by value or address and on next boot, the CPU will just erase it
again.

So, that is why I was asking about the audit data... if you add credits
to the game and then switch to self test, do they show up in addition to
what you saw there last or is everything just zero?

If you have audit data and it isn't getting erased, then the EAROM just
plain isn't getting written too. Check the WRITE line.

Sorry, that was sort of a jumbled brain dump...

jess

On 3/25/2011 1:13 PM, Malcolm Mackenzie wrote:
> Thanks Mark. Reflowed the interconnect yesterday. Voltages at the
> chip are correct per the schematic. Also searched the archive, both
> under tempest and space duel and centipede. Nothing new I'm afraid.
> I did bump up the game voltage to 5 volts even. No change. And I'm
> not in Demo mode.
>
> --- On *Fri, 3/25/11, Mark Shostak /<shostakmark@gmail.com>/* wrote:
>
>
> From: Mark Shostak <shostakmark@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: VECTOR: Tempest High Score Save Troubles
> To: vectorlist@vectorlist.org
> Date: Friday, March 25, 2011, 9:20 AM
>
> Cold solder joint(s) again? :-)
>
> No, seriously, cold solder joint again.
>
> The board interconnect harness connectors on both boards are
> notorious. Reflow them.
>
> Also, IIRC the EAROM runs on some wacky voltage that's developed
> on the aux board. Make sure it's correct.
>
> As far as "Places to start looking", search the archives
> (www.vectorlist.org <http://www.vectorlist.org>)
>
> Thanks,
> -Mark
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 12:50 AM, Malcolm Mackenzie
> <maxstang@sbcglobal.net </mc/compose?to=maxstang@sbcglobal.net>>
> wrote:
>
> My Tempest is no longer saving high scores. No "E" in self
> test, but I switched out the ER-2055 at C2 with a new one
> anyway, with no change. Metered the chip and it's getting
> +4.87V at pin 6 and -30V at pin 14. I also checked the
> resistors near by and they all test good. Any good places to
> start looking?
>
>

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Received on Fri Mar 25 22:28:54 2011