As one of the developers of Deathchase, I thank you for trying it out and sharing your thoughts. Too bad you weren’t around during the voting 😉

Just get a “pouch”-style 2s (7.4V) LiPo pack, made for RC models, and the proper charger. You could probably go up to a 3s, since the regulator in the VB can handle anything from 6 to 15V, IIRC.
You could also try to repair the battery box, and use your Li-ion AAs as-is…

PM sent…

Get well soon, Daniel!

Also… my cables arrived, yesterday! Yay!

Nice! I wonder if there’s a frame that shows what’s written in those diagonal stripes on the front…

Those are all meant to be run from the shell or from a build script. They’ll be run if and when they’re needed by VBDE (or you can read their respective documentation and use them properly 😉)

MJAYINDY wrote me a PM, but I think it would be better to make a public reply. His question basically boiled down to: “What does a Mac user w/ some Python skills need to get started on a VB game?”

My reply:

There are a few VB developers who use a Mac, so it’s not insurmountable, but you’re right about it being more difficult.

If you don’t want to set up a Mac-native development environment, you’ll need to be able to run Windows. You might think about getting a cheap, used, Windows PC just for this kind of thing (the specs required are very low; a friend or family member might even have a suitable one lying around they’d just give you; ask around). Other alternatives include: dual-booting into Windows (Bootcamp? Sorry, not a Mac user 🤷🏻‍♂️) and emulation (VMWare, Bochs, etc).

Beyond that, the actual skills and knowledge you need to acquire would include:
• Programming in C (not too difficult to transfer from Python, but you’ll need to learn about curly braces and semicolons)
• Knowledge of the VB’s various hardware systems (and limitations) from a software perspective
• Maybe some basic game and art design skills 🤷🏻‍♂️

The basics are covered pretty well by the examples included in the VBDE, and basic system knowledge can be found in the Wiki, or Guy Perfect’s “Tech Scroll”.

[RunnerPack]

The short answers to your questions are:
1. Learn the C programming language.
2. Download the VBDE from this site.
Of course, there’s a lot more VB- or VUEngine-specific stuff to learn, but that will get you started.
When you decide to start, keep us updated, and ask lots of questions!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by RunnerPack.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by RunnerPack.

Someone should get that and 3D-scan it!

Nicely done, clonecman! :thumpup:

I’d be interested in a few pairs!

I did have some cables made, and they do have gold (ENIG) plating. There are some problems, but I think they can be made to work (i.e. there’s nothing wrong with the connector end).

For various reasons, I left a full copper pour on the back, but that makes them extremely stiff. One of the reasons was to make them thick enough to be tightly gripped by the VB’s connector, but it didn’t really help, so they’re kind of loose (which can probably be fixed with some type of stiffener, such as packing tape). The service I used was experimental, but if you use another service, they could probably add a proper stiffener during the process.

The main problem is that, with the pour in place, it will be difficult to connect them to a display PCB. I had the idea to try to remove the coverlay (similar to the solder mask on a normal PCB), protect the fingers on the other side, and chemically etch away the pour at just the very end.

I’m in the middle of moving house, so I don’t have any of my tools or materials handy, but I do want to get back to this project, eventually. I’ve attached my design (in Eagle) if anyone wants to have a go at fixing the problems and having some better ones made. (Donations of a few spares gladly accepted :-D)

Attachments:

1. vbdisplaycable.zip

It looks like it’s on standoffs, anyway, so there should be no worry about the ESD bag (but, likewise, it won’t actually help much, either). Putting a bare board on cardboard is probably not good, ESD-wise, though. If you do much electronics work, invest in an ESD safe surface for your bench, and make sure it’s well-grounded (aka “earthed”).

(BTW, PM reply sent!)

speedyink wrote:

TheForce81 wrote:

speedyink wrote:
Not mine but still a cool item to see nonetheless

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irNj4dmNBjg&t

Very cool piece of hardware!

One piece of advice, do not put boards on anti static bags! The outside is conductive and can fry your board.
People say it isn’t that bad, but better safe than sorry. Put it on a piece of cardboard if you are protecting your table 😉

Not trying to protect the table, was trying to protect the board! I’ll put it on a piece of cardboard from now on. It usually resides INSIDE the anti static bag so it made sense to take it out and place it on top. I shall no more though!

Thanks 🙂

Hi, arkleyjoe.

Just to be clear, when you talk about “disconnecting” things, you’re talking about the mirror galvanometers, and not the LED display cables, right? The two systems are independently controlled by the VIP.

If the problem isn’t in the servo board itself (that smaller board in the “nose” of the VB, perpendicular to the mainboard), it might be that you didn’t quite get the sensor clean, the sensor’s faulty, or there’s a damaged wire between the sensor and the servo board.

The servo boards have been known to go bad. It might be bad caps, but I’ve never investigated it. I might have a replacement board for you, later, but I’m in the middle of a move right now.

Keep us updated on the situation!

arkleyjoe wrote:
Hi,

I have a problem with my VB. When it fires up one of the mirrors (LEFT) vibrates and hits the stopper making a noise. The other (RIGHT) seems fine.

I have dismantled the VB partially and blasted some compresses air through the optical sensor and checked for any physical obstructions (both suggested elsewhere).

If I disconnect the side with the problem (LEFT) the problem switches to the other side.

Interestingly if I switch the Left and Right ribbon cables the problem remains on the one on the left indicating the problem is probably not with the mirror / optical sensor / solenoid set up and more likely to be on the main board???

All the caps etc looks to be in good shape.

I do not have an other one to test with 🙁

Any help appreciated.

Joe

astro187 wrote:
So do you have a mini-padder/deflater that you use to convert back and forth?

Any ROM padder, and my ROM shrinker, (located in the Tools Section) should be able to handle that task, given the right arguments for the size (either 8KB or 64KB, depending on which direction you’re going). Set it up once in a shortcut or script, and you’re good to go.

It’s possible to put 16-bit-wide RAM there (or in the Expansion Area at 0×04000000-0x04FFFFFF) and run code from it.

I want to contribute, but IGG won’t accept my CC unless the campaign is in the U.S., and I don’t feel comfortable putting my debit card in there.

Would it be possible to PayPal some money to one of the existing contributors, and have him/her back it on my behalf? Or, if you’re reading this Martin, could we just buy a copy after you’re done, via PayPal? (Which, unfortunately, won’t help get the IGG funding…)

PM sent.

I doubt if your VB is about to fall apart into a pile of ABS dust and electronic bits 😉 but, if it would give you peace-of-mind, one possible “fix” (i.e. “preventative measure”) for the screw posts would be to wrap a piece of thin string (e.g. fishing line) around the post a few times, tie it off tight, then secure it with a drop or two of a cyanoacrylate adhesive (e.g. “Krazy Glue” aka “Kra-Gl-e”).

Reinforcement could also be done with a “3D printer pen” and some ABS filament. Just add a ring/sleeve of ABS around the post, and make sure there’s good adhesion between the two. Check that there’s going to be room for it, first, though.

I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like this on the “ports”, though. Do you have a photo? Are you referring to the controller, link, and headphone jacks?

TerryJ wrote:
So my nice new NTSC RGB VirtualTap has arrived! However it seems as I should have done my research- the only output wiring diagram I can find is for a SCART connector, which I don’t use being in Canada/North America.

Google hasn’t been helpful in looking for other options, so can any video-format savvy folks help me out? Thanks.

Are you saying you have an NTSC display with RGB inputs, but it doesn’t have SCART, and you don’t know the pinout? A make/model, or even a photo of the back, would help…

Or are you just trying to come up with some way to display the signal the converter is generating? You can get 15KHz RGB (aka arcade CGA) to YPbPr/VGA/HDMI converters at the usual online retailers.