Dragon's Lair Arcade - Merlin PCB, Pioneer LD-V8000 laserdisc player / SONY PVM Spectator Monitor
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- Опубликовано: 8 авг 2014
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In this video we're going to trick out our Dragon's Lair arcade! Woot!
Topics covered:
#1 - Installing the LASERCON MERLIN PCB so we can upgrade our laserdisc player to a Pioneer LD-V8000
#2 - Wiring a Pioneer LD-V laserdisc player in a Dragon's Lair cabinet including AC and ground
#3 - Installing a BNC to RCA cable
#4 - Dragon's Lair enhanced ROM overview and SPACE ACE roms
#5 - Installing a SONY PVM 14" industrial CRT Spectator monitor on top of a Dragon's Lair cabinet
#6 - Setting up a Pioneer laserdisc player baud rate and more for use with a LASERCON MARLIN replacement pcb
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Игры
Hi John... LD-V8000's are *programmable* laserdisc players. By factory setting, it scans the laserdisc for "Level 2" programming code that's embedded in the video on some educational videodiscs. You will have to go into its player advanced settings to change that. It's on page 4 and the name of that option is "Level II Auto Start". Turn it completely off and press the DISPLAY button to exit. Now the "Program" LED should be off and it should start up normally. I used to work on these players when I serviced the 6-player Galaxian 3 game long ago.
I distinctly remember a special Dragon's Lair spectator monitor with a graphical facade in my arcade in Rhode Island during the 80's. Probably a holy grail item.
Hey John, I'm watching the video 6 years later :) Great timeless content!
For that ground connection, I would have not cut the original 2 wires going into the female spade. I would have made a new 3" 'extension' cable with a male spade on one end, and a female on the other. When you make the female end, crimp in your LaserDisc ground wire. This way you aren't permanently altering anything from the original, and you don't have to deal with crimping 3 ground wires into a connector, and no soldering. Keep up the great work!
The Drawbridge was DEFINITELY in the original versions of the arcade release. I remember it vividly!
I also saw it one time at an arcade in a casino in Las Vegas that was called "The Paddle Wheel". I am guessing maybe these were prototype machines that had it?
I know for sure that the drawbridge scene was in the pc and amiga versions but I'm foggy on the arcade.
@@axelfoley20 Yeah it's definitely in my 1993 PC DOS release.
From what I've heard and remember , the drawbridge was NOT in american versions of the arcade game. I never saw it until home consoles and I played dragon's lair ALOT in the 80s on quite a few different machines
@@luvmenow33 I remember it Vividly on machines in LA when I was a kid.
John, We all appreciate the hard work you put in to show us exactly what you're doing. I can imagine what a pita it is.
Thanks! I enjoy doing it. :)
Cool video. Takes me way back to 1983 when Dragon's Lair first entered the arcades. Played that game religiously.
anyone who restores old video games like this guy is doing gets mad props
DJ Titan Thanks, bro!
Np You Work Hard At What You Do And All Of Us Old School Gamers Are Loving What you Are Doing Keep It Up
Freakin' brilliant on the external monitor for Dragon's Lair! I remember watching it on a huge external monitors with crowds while someone was playing in arcades. Now you've got my gears going for my future arcade in my home. Great vid John, keep 'em coming!
All our radioshacks are gone in RI and eastern MA that i knew of, amazing resource you have, i miss that store; used to help me with mods. Your Dragon's Lair is sweet man congrats.
I watched this entire thing. Great job man. Awesome!
I have always found Dragon's Lair fascinating. I'm a computer programmer and understand how it works. I find it cool that they make a replica machine, because only in the 21st Century you can do it with tiny solid state electronics and a tiny screen instead of a full-size monitor and a laser disc player.
I'm glad I saw this, and the original ad you showed for those spectator monitors. It validates something I thought I remembered from Showbiz Pizza in Wichita. They had a Dragon's Lair on the outer edge of the arcade, facing into the walkway where everybody could see it. It must have been a new game at the time. I remember staring at it from a distance, watching a monitor they had up on top of the machine.
I was a little kid back then, and my memory of that place is kind of a fuzzy dream sequence, but now I know those spectator monitors really existed. I think they might have also had a 2nd monitor on the Donkey Kong, but I'm not sure. I might just be remembering the regular monitor that I had to look up to see in those days.
"Y" is luminance (brightness), "C" is chrominance(color). In other words, Y/C is SVideo.
I love the LD-V8000 machine. I use it as my primary machine. Of course, I watch movies on it, don't have arcade games LOL...
Awesome Video John!! for the drawbridge scene if i remember from my ipod version you press the sword button twice to clear the scene
Great video John, love your videos - They make me happy :D - The PVM looks very nice on the top there! :)
The control panel has a renovation too, nice!
Looks how a unpacked game now
On the drawbridge scene in the enhanced ROM, after using the sword, Move up. Dirk should climb up the hole, right after he gets up, move right to go inside the castle. Hope that helps.
Revenge from Mars died noooooo! Love that pin. Great video. It would be neat to watch you working on these via live stream.
Just wow man this is super impressive! I'm a super fan of retro arcade games and i'm planning on a mame cabinet build soon with hyperspin, but I have to say you have really motivated me and turned on the light switch for my passion for arcade games. Just watching your vid about the cabinet auction has really made me want to get into collecting. Hell i'm fixing to go to a auction in sevierville near gatlinburg, TN this saturday on the 6th. I'm just hoping they have some stuff like I saw in your first auction video. Just found your videos a day or so ago and after watching the auction video I find out there is an auction just a hour or so away from us. Can't wait I hope I see some $100-200 machines. If I do I'm buying them all MwwwaaahaaaaHaaa! dam can't wait.
Awesome! Good luck at the auction. I hope you find some good deals. MAME is cool but nothing beats original dedicated machines.
Great video and hope you get Revenge from Mars back up and running. I had a fan go out on my arcade pc 2 days ago too.
at the three doors you press right so you don't fall and then press right again to go through the door. Also, on the drawbridge you attack the monster and then either press up or right (I'm not sure about the arcade version). Sorry if I spoiled the thing of figuring it out on your own or if you already knew some of this, just thought I'd help you out. :)
Also, one more thing -- you have some really cool arcade games! The Tron ones were a lot of fun to play. Awesome channel! I don't see a Patreon link but you should think about making one and adding the link. Would love to support you!
Composite video is standard-definition analog video all of whose signals are combined into one pin, whether they're RCA or BNC. RCA and BNC are only mechanically different from each other and can also be used for component video also (red minus luminance, green minus luminance, and luminance; color-coded red, green, and blue).
Hey John have you ever considered getting a wearable camera like a GoPro for these videos so you wouldn't have to worry about angling camera shots or having the tripod get in the way?
Yes John your absolutely right the monitor on the top of the game looks really good.
so you can see the game play of what going on in the game
Yeah, it's awesome! I love it!
nice job john!
Great video!!! The extra monitor looks awesome!!!!
Thanks, Andy! I think it adds a cool feel to the arcade.
I know I'm a little late to the party but I've been a laserdisc guy since they came out. Space Ace was my favourite. I'm sorry to see the hassle you had with the power cord on the new player. I would have just installed a 2-outlet receptacle inside the cabinet and plugged both the player and the spectator monitor into it. Anyway, loved the video none the less. Keep up the good work.
Hi John
Love your videos, give me a few beer and something to snack on and
i could happily watch them all day, I love your longer videos I feel let
down it if's a short video.
Thanks! Glad you are digging the long form vids. I like making them. :)
John your Dragon's Lair looks so cool with the spectator monitor. Totally brings back memories of how I remember seeing it in the arcade. Great job! And sucks about your RFM. I hope you get it back up and running.
I already fixed the RFM! :)
Yeah just saw the other video and noticed it was working. What was wrong with it?
Eddie O It overheated. I replaced the fan / heatsink and added thermal paste.
Hahaha, you want the game to remain clunky! But... "reliably clunky"! :D
You were so happy to get this game that I don't think you're gonna wanna sell it to any other collector!
I paused the video when you were making the ground connection. I was going to comment after you soldered the wires to go ahead and solder it directly to the female ground pin. 🤣
John you might consider rotating the laser player back the way it was. The side vents should be inline with the filter for a straight shot of air flow.
GuruBrew I think this is good advice. I will be rotating it back soon.
Hi john, the drawbridge was in the American version that we got in the uk...but it was not in the original uk release..same with the rubble level. And I also remember coffins with a small cross on for your lives when you died that appeared on the screen.
awesome sauce thanks for the full length !! movie :D
Hey John. I've owned laserdisc players since the 90's. A normal home player -- when you hit play the disc spins up to speed and seeks its start point. With high end players , it takes about 15-20 seconds. But that does not have to deal with RS-232 communication link. I would imagine that would add some extra time .
Great Video!
Yep. Drawbridge scene was definitely in the original arcade version.
Post videos of the Revenge From Mars repair if you can! Dragon's Lair looks great! That TV monitor on the top really adds a lot to it actually, it certainly reminds me of the old arcade days. I was always terrible at Dragons Lair, I used to think the game was broken because I had no clue what I was supposed to do in it! lol
Too late. I already fixed the RFM. All I did was replace the CPU fan. It was a five minute fix.
John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech
Oh okay, glad you got it fixed!
Also, I remember the version I played did have the drawbridge scene. In fact, I remember spending like $5 in quarters just to figure out how to get past that scene. The very first challenge in the version I played was that damn drawbridge.
One thing to note -- I heard rumors back in the day that this machine would get filled up with quarters and it actually overflowed with quarters because it was so popular. The owner of that arcade knew me because I was in there basically every week and he would open up the front panel and manually flip the quarter switch to load up like $20 in credits in the game for me. He was a real saint and was probably the reason I eventually beat the game (which at the time was a big deal with people in the arcade clapping and cheering).
But yeah, this game was probably really profitable for arcade owners but the original Laserdisc player had problems associated with it that would cause it to start failing after a thousand or two hours of game play. However, this game brought in so much money it probably wasn't an issue long-term for the arcade owners.
The thing about this game is that it really was revolutionary at the time. I didn't know much about laserdiscs at the time and I didn't even know the game was essentially a high-tech version of a digital "choose your own adventure" style game. The graphics for this game compared to every other video game on the market was just light-years ahead of the other games.
Anyway, thanks for putting this video together -- it's really cool to see the internals of this game and how it was set up at the time. Also -- subscribed!
I remember the spectator monitors. I think I also remember seeing a Commodore 64 monitor used as a spectator monitor once.
yeah, I was considering a C64 monitor too.
Great video, John! I remember at the time here in Italy there were some arcade machines with the additional monitor on top, just like you did! But the italian "Sidam" edition of Dragon's Lair was incredibly harder!
By the way.. at the end of the video you sound really upset! Too bad your "Revenge from Mars has died again, I think it's the PC's power supply!
MaxxLegend I fixed the Revenger From Mars. It overheated. I replaced the fan and heatsink and added some thermal paste.
I love the spectator monitor ! Love the Sony PVM's !
I assume you reseated the RS-232 cable to ensure a good connection and on all pins to help your Laserdisc behavior.
Charles Smith Yeah, it's the player. It's bad. I am looking for a new one now. It will not play the disc when the cable is disconnected and you press play.
It's normal for the Laserdisc player to take 30 seconds or so to get going. Regarding startup issues, I would reseat the serial communications cable that goes into the game board - the cable could also be tensioned too much too... Otherwise, looks awesome!
DarkStarPDX It's the player. It will not play the disc even with the cable disconnected and when you press play.
Oh my, FANTASTIC!!
I actually have the better monitor, the BVM, and the thing is its actually a better picture than my Egret II arcade cab lol. I was thinking it may look naff but I really like it.
So what you gonna do next (apart from Journey, 720, R-Type lol), get another laser disc player & pick up Space Ace. Please pick up Space Ace as I would LOVE to see that running.
I have a Space Disc coming. And yes we need to finish the frickin' Journey!!
A friend of mine remembered playing another lazerdisc game which I had never heard of, have you? It was Super Don-Quixote by Universal released in 1984, a new one on me!
Woah, that watch is 80s as hell bro.
i recently downloaded the game from Steam and what is weird is that in arcade mode it is missing the opening bridge scene as well, but as a kid i do remember it being there. i have no idea why its not there in arcade mode or why or how they changed it but they did. anyways great video!
John,
Regarding the RFM.... I'm not sure if someone already mentioned this or not, but there are usually two wires on the power supply that will turn it on if jumped together (usually the green to black, but google it to be sure for your application). I had the same problem on my Megatouch that you are having. I jumped it for a while, and eventually it worked fine without it. Good luck!
I fixed the RFM. It overheated. I installed a new FAN / Heatsink combo with thermalpaste. ALL FIXED.
FYI the PVM has better quality. They are a class one CRT so they offer some of the best quality you can get with CRTs.
The drawbridge scene is in the Amiga version of the game, which is the version i'm most familiar with. ;)
I remember playing drawbridge as well!
The bridge scene WAS in the arcade. You have to use SWORD at the 1st cue, then UP at the next one.
I remember both the drawbridge sequence and the spectator monitor from back in the day - ShowBiz Pizza Place in Madison, Wisconsin had a Dragon's Lair when it first came out.
Needless to say, it drained my tokens and left me bruised and bleeding. I usually watched the older kids play it (via the spectator monitor). I remember a dude who actually made it to the very end. Daphne was hot.
Dude, Daphne is crazy hot!
Dragon's lair was a CAV (constant angular velocity) disc which supported the frame by frame and ability to pause perfectly. But you could only fit 30 minutes of video on it. Most laserdiscs were CLV (constant linear velocity) They held 60 minutes of video but had a vhs style pause. So no real surprise, atleast to me, that the Dragon's lair disc could pause perfectly. I have one myself but it's too scratched up to play. BTW That was a helluva deal you got on that sony monitor and that pioneer laserdisc player. wow!
color looks correct for dragons lair on your machine I would leave it the way it is now.
Ahhh good ol' Pole Position -- driving arcade owners nuts with its constant demo start music since 1980 something.
its all a laber of love John :)
It is! I love these games. Thanks.
I like even better than Dragon's Lair the LaserDisc games that also have a computer-generated graphic superimposed over the disc video, such as the airplane from Mach 3. I remember one of those being at BYU many years ago and when the video and sound got a little bumpy, I asked our Computer Camp counselor why that would be happening and he said "Maybe because the disc is skipping."
"Whoa, this thing has a disc that can skip? What kind of disc system would it have?" I thought. I should've asked him more about it. I wondered how some of the picture elements (the background) could look so realistic even though the airplane and bombs, etc. looked so computerish for the day.
So ever since then until just a few years ago I had wondered about how these games work. Then a few years ago I read up about them on the Wikipedia, but didn't think to come here to the RUclips about it until now!
ok looking up that laserdisc player has 2 bnc inputs and 1 output they say sync in and out so not sure what they are used for. wonder what would happen if you hook sync out to the original bnc cable on the game.
Hey John the drawbridge screen was most definitely in the arcade back in the day and you press sword then up and on the second screen you press right dragons lair is one of my favorite games and when you got it I almost shit myself lol I will be getting another one day
And as far as the revenge from mars awesome pin but the worst thing they ever did was put a regular computer instead of the normal pcb in it I have a star wars pinball 2000 nothing but problems
Yes, I agree! I clearly remember playing that level at 7-11 when I was a kid. Without a doubt
My RFM has been very reliable, really. I replaced the CPU fan after this video and I am back up and running. Simple fix.
Hey John, love the video. I just wondered, during the video you said, after the rom you wanted was selected, you should flip a dip switch back to set it. I'm sure you'll get it working. thanks.
Jordan Hester Yes, if I don't want that menu every time it turns on I can set it with a dipswitch.
I remember seeing Dragons lair for the first time on a trip to Anaheim in the early 80s. I came across it in an arcade but it was not in color. It was a black and white display. Did anyone else see this version?
Imo, one of the most well-built industrial players is the Pioneer CLD-V2600 (Although, you would need to get a Laserace card to use it with this machine). Also, the Cadillac of LD players is probably one of the Pioneer Elite players. :P
I can run the v2600 with the Merlin card. Although, it's not one of the recommended units. It's my understanding that the v8000 is the best industrial unit.
hey laserdiscs! I actually found nice collection of laserdiscs and player a panasonic DVD-919, it won't play second side correctly, it skips back every 10 seconds, guess I have to open it up and perhaps grease the laser track rails? any suggestions ? Great vids as always great games!
I used to play this game in two places.....Chuck e cheese and Skate Land. both versions had the draw bridge scene. so it did exist and everyone I saw play it always got by it. so it wasn't hard. even I would get by it. years later I downloaded it for the xbox 360 and the drawbridge scene was gone, it's still there but it just let's you go by. same thing with the xbox one download.
I remember the draw bridge from Galaxy World in Naperville.
Dave Mazur DUDE! Galaxy World was my hang out. That arcade was the best of them all in the Chicago Suburbs. That and Pin Pan Alley.
Never made it to Pin Pan Alley. But, I lived around the corner from Galaxy world. I was spoiled as a kid. I walked through there a few months ago. Its nothing but redemption games now. Sad.
The first sets of Dragon's Lair ROMs had a dipswitch setting for enabling/disabling the drawbridge. Later ROM sets removed it completely. If you saw DL when it first came out, you likely played it. The scene was removed because it failed to "hook" most players (since they lost their 50 cents in twenty seconds). The correct moves for it are SWORD then UP. In some home versions (most which do include the drawbridge) also require an additional RIGHT move for Dirk to enter the castle.
I believe that to be true. However, nobody had that rom set. It doesn't seem to exist.
@@Johnsarcade I know the PC DOS CD ROM version from 1993 has the drawbridge, mine does.
A couple of thoughts in general... one you might want to turn off the games when your working in the basement, the loops sometimes kind of get overwhelming (though honestly it's a minor problem really).
A second thought, maybe you should get a second smaller camera that you can put inside the machines so you don't have to unmount the one from your tripod (might be perfect for a gopro) then you can splice in the inside footage to the video without having to juggle the camera.
Time to acquire a DL2 game cabinet i havent heard u reference that not once
at 1:10:49 HOLY neckboard action! :O
One of these days I'll be doing a project like this
Do it!
There's a compilation on the Wii that has Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace all on one disc called the Dragon's Lair Trilogy. I think it would be an excellent way to practice because you can put a move guide on the screen that shows what you're supposed to press.
***** That's cheating!! I'm looking forward to figuring the game out little by little!
I get that, but the move guides are completely optional. I tried figuring out the moves myself, but the screen with the knight that electrifies the floor was just too much. Even with the move guides, I still die a lot from moves I wasn't expecting.
***** Yeah, I have never passed that Knight! :)
the disk is masive didnt no it was so big i got the remasted one cant imagine how hard it must bit with out direction shwoing
Hey John ! As of 8/22/2014 theres a new listing for a pioneer ld.v8000 player for sale.
I thought about removing the old tv monitor setup and change it to a modern lcd screen
your videodisc games is a refreshing change from the usual machines. i like the "topper". look forward to one day watching you complete the game. can you post a walkthrough someday and if so, please speak aloud what moves you are entering?
Yeah, if I get good enough I will. I have had a bunch of people asking to see this. I guess I need to step my game up! Lol
Great video! However, the drawbridge screen was NOT in the original arcade version, although it can be seen in the attract mode. It has also appeared in virtually every home version of the game, including Sega CD, 3DO, PC, etc. So I think this is why so many people erroneously remember that drawbridge scene being in the game.
I think it was in the game. :)
You'll still never convince me. :) This is my all-time favorite game, and I owned the coin-op for years, and it never had the drawbridge, although you can see it in the attract mode. The drawbridge scene is in almost all the home versions, which is why I think everyone swears they remember it.
Haha, so true Daniel!
You're right Joe. It wasn't in the arcade. Even when playing arcade mode in home consoles, it doesn't have it. They added it again on the home consoles.
John, it is not allowed to solder ground wires. Thanks again for a great vid!
Sjoerd Beukers Are you guys being serious? I can't solder ground wires?! WHAT!? What am I missing?
They had one on Skegness pier in Lincoln uk u had to be good to play that game all ways a big crowd a rd it
I am getting a Pioneer LD-V8000 laserdisc player prior to watching Clueless (1995)
What would happen if you put in a Space Ace disc without the correct ROM?
John,why didn't you put the dustwasher back on the joystick
FORGOT TO CUT THE ENDS OFF THE ZIP-TIES !
I would have used a short BNC-to-RCA adapter on the back of the LD player and kept the original video cable.
Which is what you wound up doing...
John, what do you think about dragon's lair 2? How would you compare it to the first dragon's lair or space ace??
Dragon's Lair 2 is pretty cool. The game has way more moves and is much more fast paced. Personally, I think the first game and it's scenes are way more iconic. I just don't have much nostalgia for the second game.
How do you adjust the geometry and calibrate the image on the screen? My
image needs to be shifted to the side but can't find a way to do it on my PVM14m4u. I
couldn't even figure out how to take the monitor apart. Do you know of a
separate calibration unit I can attach? Thanks in advanced!
Crafty Mech has a crosshatch generator. Google it. It's awesome.
I've seen retro gamers use the SONY PVM with scart cables to hook up consoles, they look fantastic! Where did you pick up your monitor?
I have a question for you, John. How do you keep your wife from going mad hearing all those arcade games going. I think my girl left a bruise on my arm from hitting me! She said, "if I hear that beep beep beep boop, ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO GO CRAZY!!!!!!" The Poll Position. LOL She was sleeping and sleeps with ear plugs and could still hear it as I watched on my laptop in the same room.
Laserdisc usually does take a little time to spin that big a$$ disc up to speed. Plus all the other electronic elements involved, 30 seconds seems about right.
Isn't that terminal waiting on a ground supply ?
It was so unfortunate that the original laser disc player didn't have the endurance to hold up for continuous arcade play.
John What Do You Think Is The Best Game In Your Basment??? Your Basment Is Awesome
That's impossible to answer! However, Donkey Kong is and will always be my favorite game. It rocks.
Man I need to know where you got that watch?
Lol. I think it's a Neff
press right!
am not shore but i think the laserdisc that you had in the cab did have ground but they removed it and hot whierd 2 core in side of the unit i have not seen in side 1 to confirm it but i think that is wot they did
It's possible. Not sure. It def' only had two wires coming out of the unit. Huh.
John I have a factory issued Space Ace laserdisc available if you are still looking?
sorry about your revenge from mars.. :S
I remember all the trouble I had fixing these machines when some idiot dropped a quarter under the game... tilted the game back to get the quarter... then dropping the machine and scratching the laser disc.... oh fun times
I remember looking for a hint guide, back in the day, at the book stores for this game and never found one but then I eventually found one through either a comic book or another book and I ordered it. It was plain Jane, just black and white and no pictures but it worked. I mastered the game and would go through it on my first man up until the final sword swing. I would die, go through the FINAL again, die again and repeat until I was on my last man and then finish the game. More or less maxing out the score and finishing the game as well. You can use this guide if you need help. www.ign.com/wikis/dragons-lair/Walkthrough
How does the game computer tell the laser disc player what scene to play?
serial connection