Re: Asteroids high score save kit -- update (long)

SIgn me up for one please :)

Brian Deuel
6557 N. Lafayette St.
Greenville, MI 48838

Thanks!

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 2/19/2002 at 11:15 AM Scott Brasington wrote:

>I have finally completed the Asteroids high score save kit.
>The kit saves all 10 scores and initials and has code modifications
>extending the maximum score from 99,990 to 9,999,990.
>The kit installs in minutes and does not require any soldering.
>See http://www.brasington.org/arcade/hs2/asteroids/?v
>(install instructions still under construction).
>
>While I'm very pleased with the overall kit and extended
>scoring code modifications, I am not totally satisfied with
>the mechanical aspect of how the kit installs into the
>Asteroids 6502 CPU socket.
>
>>From a high level the installation involves removing the
>6502 CPU from the Asteroids pcb and moving it to the high score
>save kit daughter card. Then installing the daughter card
>into the vacant 6502 socket on the Asteroids board. Opionally
>if your board does not have a Rev 2 vector ROM you will need
>to replace it with a Rev 2 vector EPROM (provided).
>
>In the past with my other high score save kits, I've been able
>to use standard IDC header headers posts (25mil square). These
>posts would fit snug into most of the games sockets and worked
>particular well with the Nintendo boardsets. In the few cases
>where these headers did not fit well, I was able to use an
>adapter socket (A simple 40 pin dual wipe socket) to adapt
>the IDC header posts to fit into smaller sockets.
>
>With the Asteroids high score save kit, this approach has not
>met with my level of expectations. The IDC posts are too
>large to fit into a typical Asteroids CPU socket, and when
>a dual wipe socket is used as an adapter is not as snug as
>I would prefer. With the current implementation it is possible
>the daughter card my fall out of the socket if the game is
>heavily jared (eg. say while moving the game) or if the daughter
>itself card is bumped.
>
>This problem is partly caused because my design does not easily
>allow the header to be in the center of the daughter card
>because it cannot interfere with the test points on the main board,
>and that the same daughtercard is used as part of my Multipede
>(Centipede/Millipede multigame) which also has test points that
>restrict the size and layout of the daughter card. So for now,
>the header is on the edge of the daughter card causing there to
>be more leverage on the connection.
>
>I have tried various different types of headers, wire wrap sockets,
>machine sockets, etc, and none seem to work well. Even the pins
>of a wire wrap socket are too large to fit into the typicaly
>Asteroids CPU socket. I have one type of (machine) SIP pin
>connector that seems work OK. But this header alone is over $4
>and I'm not sure if I can get them in any type of quantity.
>
>So with all of that said, I have decided I will initially
>sell my Asteroids *prototype* high score save kits at a REDUCED
>price while I evaluate different kit assembly alternatives.
>These kits are fully functional and tested. They make use of
>the 25mil IDC post headers and come with a 40 pin dual wipe
>adapter socket. Depending on your tolerance for how snug you
>like the card to fit, you may need to get creative and use some
>double sticky tape or some other form to secure the daughter
>card better to the main Asteroids board.
>
>I have 12 of these kits to sell, which I will let go for
>$25 each (normally $45) plus $4 shipping. It is not known
>when or how much the production Asteroids high score save
>kits will sell for, this is still pending. It may be possible
>that I can use the existing mechanism but that I simply need
>to provide a way to hold the daughter card in place better,
>or it may be that the kit will need have a different more costly
>header. Selling a limited number of kits also allow me to get
>some good early release feedback.
>
>At this point I'm only offering these domestically in th USA
>until I can get some feedback just to be double safe that
>there are no other issues. At some later point I will offer
>them internationally, so hang in there just few more weeks.
>
>If you are interested if purchasing one of these proto kits,
>and/or have suggestions to help solve the assembly issues,
>please email directly at mailto:arcade@brasington.org
>
>I also offer high score save kits for Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr,
>Mario Bros. and Zaxxon. Free shipping if you buy more than
>one kit. http://www.brasington.org/arcade/?v
>
>Thanks for your time, sorry about the long post.
>
>-Scott Brasington
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Brian Deuel
http://www.arcadehistory.com

The World Of Owen Rubin
http://www.orubin.com

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Received on Tue Feb 19 09:17:41 2002