John tries to fix his Atari Firefox Laserdisc Game - Philips 22VP931 repair - PART 2

[@drewleclair1281]

Hi John, new fan here. Though I'm not a laserdisc expert, I work on vintage A/V equipment for a living and have seen similar issues before with older video gear. It looks to me like you have a possible video sync problem, which will be in the electronics and not in the optical train. The fact that the disc spins up and you have output (distorted nonetheless), most likely means that the laser and optical alignment are OK. The repetitive beeping noise that you heard with the original LD loaded is focus coil oscillation, which is normal as the player attempts to lock onto the disc index. Notice, when switching to the LD with no crack, the player picks up the index and locks on immediately. Usually when there is a problem in the optical train, there will be no successful focus lock, or you experience tracking issues such as skipping or glitching of the playback, but not distorted output. This leads me to believe that you may have problems in the digital to analog converter or video circuitry rather than with the optics. I will be very interested to see the outcome of this, it may be worth a look at the video circuit before shipping the player off. I would look for sync adjustments on the main board and possible bad capacitors (though it's been my experience that electrolytic capacitors are not normally problematic with vintage euro-designed equipment, ala Philips-Norelco, Bang & Olufsen, Tandberg/Telefunken). Hope some of this helps, keep up the good work :-) P.S., I would try a disc with a familiar soundtrack and audition the audio as well (maybe your Dragon's Lair LD). If audio is ok, then there is definitely no problem the optics.

[@DamianReloaded]

^^ This.

[@miamivicedotnl]

Drew LeClair My thoughts exactly. Whenever the optical train is bad the unit should display an error. You at least should see a boot or splash screen. I really should rule out that issue before poking into those mirrors. Good luck John. Brilliant work on those transistors. Another thought: why did those transistors got broken? Maybe a power surge that hosed another board as well?

[@DamianReloaded]

Harold Denkers googling "What Are the Causes of Blown NPN Transistors" gives some interesting reads.

[@jaredzimney626]

As a fellow graphic designer who has built a MAME cab, this is probably my new favorite episode. Nice explanation of the artwork process, John!

[@senzomcmanus]

Getting psyched for the NW Pinball and Arcade show today by watching John's Arcade! Like watching old skate videos before you hit the skate park. Thanks John!

[@davetheloch]

John I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm loving these Firefox videos of yours. I love the movie and as a kid here in the UK, I enjoyed playing the arcade game. It really made me feel like I was Clint Eastwood stealing a Jet fighter from the Russians. There is currently no TV show or movie in the world that I'm more excited about than waiting for the next episode of your Firefox videos. 100% serious, these videos are awesome. I want to see that Firefox game working so bad. Thank you for all the hard work you put into these videos John, its very much appreciated here in England.

[@manuellujan666]

This is my new favorite channel on KZbin.

[@Johnsarcade]

thanks, pal!

[@dsade]

Your show is getting better and better! Love the intro! Keep it up John ;)

[@ratman396]

I guess I was wrong John...it WAS a dead short. You didn't fix it but you made progress and learned a ton

[@robertfolsom1]

Hello, John. Have you looked around for some adjustment pots on the various boards (and possibly ribbon cables?)

[@mattmanning4934]

Looking forward to the Funspot video after listening to the latest podcast. Sounds like everyone had a great time!

[@PatrickBelair]

Matt Manning I sure did!!

[@TheGhostQuarter]

You are sure that with the cover off that the safety switch isn't active making the player not function?

[@stefanocsw7826]

Hi John, To remove the lens and access to the mirrors you simply must remove the two metal clips that hold the shaft and the assembly came off. I have a Philips 22vp932 Laser Player but the procedure is the same as your model.

[@nrdesign1991]

It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? Finding the fault, tracing it down to a part, testing it, finding out that it is causing the fault, replacing it with a good one and then boom! - holy cow, it works again!

[@RamDi3sel]

been watching your vids for years john always love your tech videos. I also should be getting my own place soon so I can finally have an arcade in my house which has been my dream since I was a kid.

[@tootyuk]

great vid John love the on the fly diagnosis!

[@italiandoh]

The sound of the LDP reveals that it is going to work if you fix the sticky mirror problem, as described in the tech document available on DLP. You need to fix them otherwise it won't play.

[@andybaldman]

Hey John. I mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating. Get yourself an ESR meter and measure all electrolytic caps (or just shotgun replace them all). I concur with others here saying you likely have a circuit problem, not an optics/laser problem (in addition to the transistor issue you successfully fixed). There are likely multiple issues at play. You will reuse the ESR meter on many other projects, so it'll pay for itself in time. The caps in that player are the most likely culprit, as they're all past their rated life. Start with the most likely stuff first. Caps.

[@LFOSyncToo]

John maybe try to test a few of these radial philips blue caps. I've had bad experiences with them going bad or wacky. I wouldn't recommend doing adjustments on the laser itself IF the caps are bad. Sounds like a lot of trouble 'cause there are many of them but you could leave the PSU's ones alone at first only to change those on the laser control board (which is where the problematic transistors were).

[@alpanchen]

Oh yes !!! Been waiting for this vid ... hope you fix it buddy!!!

[@TheMadmagik]

That almost looks like a VCR in fast forward. Is the motor running too fast? I think your issue is still on the control 2 board - anything on there control drive motor speed?

[@dude22072]

Hey john, have you tried checking to see if their are any issues with the video output board?

[@thewizard112]

long time uk viewer enjoying the laserdisc vids, love playing them on daphne firefox not there to play

[@darktetsuya]

man those Laserdisc players must've been a huge pain in the butt! (especially in the case of this one with the weird model made in Belgium, sheesh) Hopefully one way or the other you get the Firefox up and running, it actually looked like a fun game! I would definitely go with the 'send it out have someone else fix it' option though, but that's just me. :P always love the classic arcade videos, keep em coming!

[@delsarcade]

Hey John, welcome back! Sorry I missed you at Funspot, I couldn't make it this year. Hope to see you at the yearly BBQ!

[@FairPlay137]

Are you going to make another part?

[@Arcadehollywood]

This makes me want to restore my Firefox. Great video series John

[@J_E_45]

Hi John, I remenber to have a similar issue with an old Dreamcast system - the sound that we heard while running the DVD, appears to be the laser jumping up and down. Doesn't that system have a kind of a laser lens regulator? Cheers and I love your show. Take care!

[@thepirategamerboy12]

Just curious, have you ever tried any of your Firefox discs in your other Laserdisc player in your Dragon's Lair machine? I'm curious with how good the disc itself is.

[@mokthemagicman]

I would start looking into getting the Dexter board. I hear they will be ready soon.

[@Johnsarcade]

mokthemagicman I almost got one. I am gonna wait and see. My LDP is getting fixed now.

[@schweatty]

are there any potentiometers to adjust the frickin' laser?

[@Beaps73]

Finally the video lol. I thought something had happened 'John blows himself up' lol Shame about the LD player, I do love that quote, it's not used here in the UK 'That outa my pay remit' lol

[@Truckguy1970]

It looks like the video circuit might be bad because you're getting nothing but snow on the monitor when you turn it on,most players show a blank or blue screen without a disk.

[@bitrot42]

How many of those empties in the background were consumed while working on this player? Apparently isopropyl alcohol isn't enough by itself... :)

[@DamianReloaded]

Hey John, I think you should keep working on the board where the transistors you replaced are. It's clear it was the one with the problem, I know nothing about electronics, but all my common sense tells me that if those transistors broke, they may have broken something else or may have got broken because of something else. I'd risk it and replace all the parts I could from that board, as you usually do. If it doesn't work, it'll be preemptive maintenance (as you say) ^_^ I hope you manage to fix it! Good Luck!

[@Croaker369]

I'm sure you'll be able to work it out!

[@matthewzepess5721]

what desoldering iron brand and model is that?

[@FoxerTails]

0:28:56 I just like how he seems scared then busts out laughing! XD

[@Kjasi]

Just noticed that this video is in 60FPS. Nice!

[@bob123surfer]

Does it use a HeNe laser tube? If so that would be super cool!!!

[@dave4shmups]

Great video! Man, home Laser Disc players must have been built better then this one. I'm assuming that they both work basically the same way.

[@benmmaddog]

just my two cents but check from the BNC video connection back . it maybe a loose connection , it looks like a bad connection to the TV ,also why not pop those disk into you dragon lair to see if they work

[@SummerFunMan]

Not everything is working without that transistor in there, obviously. Because if it were, then the machine wouldn't need that transistor.

[@thomascampr]

Hope he's getting the laser disc fixed.

[@SummerFunMan]

John, for future reference, there's no such thing as "anti-Eliasing." When you're talking about color blending in graphics that are for smooth edges with resizing, etc., the term is anti-aliasing, pronounced (after "anti-") "AY * lee * uhs * ing." In other words, the same kind of word that means "a made-up replacement name."

[@PatrickBelair]

I'm sure Gary called you right after he counted all the tokens from the tournament games :)

[@periquinx]

desde España que te veo es fantástico tu labor me encanta tu canal

[@FairPlay137]

Come on, do the Computer Space restore video!

[@thomascampr]

John you should do a REVIEW of SPLATOON . Had no idea about the game until you tweeted about it and now I want a Wii U just for splatoon. I bet a lot of people would enjoy it.

[@NemoniK7]

Hey John, you got called out in the latest TNT Amusements video!

[@Johnsarcade]

Red Dial How so?

[@NemoniK7]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech they want you to stop by and see them. Its around 5:25 in video 977 :)

[@MetalTiger88]

wow this is so nerdy, i love it :D

[@mattnewton6686]

Ran into ur videos just getting curious about Betamax and laserdisc, being it was before my time since I'm only 27 but none the less when I saw you digging into the actual hardware you caught my attention since I myself have been working with, modifying and tweaking with motherboards and such alike. Well for starters I want to say you picked an ugly monster to tackle for a beginner lol I hate to say that but that's what it is (a pain in the ass) so I want begin with putting in a part that that device doesn't understand can confuse other parts, and influence miss reads and distribution of power to other, example * the disc spine speed can increase/decrease to the point of influencing the magnets moving the mirrors in opposite directions or over working them in a way to where they are trying to correct themselfs. And basically what I am saying there is, the device has no brain it doesn't know anything except on/off so receiving power and not receiving power BUT at how fast it gets that power and how slow which in a sense is what it's intelligence level is. so being that that modern part is more productive in nature works on a different level that can confuse and disrupt the outcome you want. So I recommend taking the time to find either another broken laserdisc somewhere and interchanging the parts would extremely have helped in time and effor and money, but also when you had a hard time looking at those mirrors there is a snake camera tool that you can purchase from a Home Depot or whatever equivalent that sells that tool and that helps soooo so so much when your trying to get to those hard to reach spots, you seem like someone who has a little money to play with so do yourself a favor and invest in one, I promise you'll be glad you did, you can find basic ones for $50 anywhere maybe cheaper and better on Craigslist eBay, just dig around but I do hope you get one I know you'll smile when you need it one day. Good luck with that demon player I have a love for technology but that thing would make me frown lol, it's evil looking I would have split the cord and put in a DVDs but then again that ruins the point of its vintage. Take it easy bro.

[@slayer768]

The video is only in 360p. I dont mind just letting you know just in case you care about that stuff. The video looks like a great video as always.

[@Johnsarcade]

it is still processing. it is 1080p60

[@slayer768]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Ok thanks.

[@NinjaPenguin1989]

Hey John, will there be a BroFest video? Love all the content you produce. Thanks bud

[@Johnsarcade]

yes. soon. i need to edit.

[@superpacman73]

Omg finally a new video i have been having withdraws !!!!!!

[@BuxProduxshuns]

John...it sounds like you have a cold?!!?

[@BuxProduxshuns]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech I haven't watched all lol

[@norm4242]

Please fix the wobbly table!! : )

[@DoItAfterSmoking]

"this is going to be some nerdy stuff.....tangential mirrors!" I'm always ready to join you as you try to figure out something. You work like I do. Everything has something fun about it. Thanks for all the videos John... Oh and by the way.. Cool new cut scene logo...

[@vintageceilingfans]

Everytime I see people try the low carb diet, they end up gaining the weight back after they give up.. Calories are what needs to be watched and how much you intake daily, and also exercise, doing cardio workouts such as walking running, jogging, or swimming... On top of that, you can still eat most foods and don't have to starve yourself..

[@MrJimmyRivers]

John, I found a big stack of video game books at a second hand store that have never been used. They are all the same book. I love your channel and would like to mail you one for free. Where can I send it? -Matt.

[@allglorytogod12]

Please, fix that wobbly table. lol

[@BrodyPetree_Thegamer_123]

That sounds like it's on life support

[@JamesSmith-bq4fv]

It might be the eye of it

[@xtsoler]

John! I think you spoiled the ending for me by stating "tries to fix" on the video title. Don't do that mannn. I had hopes that you did it but also kinda knew you didn't. :] Cheers!

[@bneyens]

I didn't get any credit, but I was the person who recommended disconnecting individual boards to isolate which board is at fault. You are welcome!

[@bneyens]

Bob Marley Last week I wrote" Why not try unplugging each sub-component to try and isolate where the voltage drop is coming from? Unplug all the components, then Plug them in one at a time. Once you determine which component is causing the drop, focus on that component."

[@xxaltered7xx]

commodore 64 laoding bar, if you wait somethingh could happen!

[@Riz2336]

Man, it's too bad you can't just replace the player. That would make it so much easier lol.

[@siimsimsiim]

Belgium! :D

[@Vinnyc1969]

TIA... Thanks In Advance =)

[@TheRealSasquatch]

get yourself an oscilloscope and trace the video path back through the board.

[@Andronicus87]

hahaha Franz fix it quick.... lmao.

[@paulspydar]

imho its wrong to part out arcade games ..;-(

[@Johnsarcade]

paulspydar JOHN WOULD AGREE!

[@mister_darsey]

its pronounced i-c-pro-fol-sal

[@goahead2402]

10

[@grimisti14]

Philips always was crappy hardware maker and overpriced, from a belgium guy -)

[@LilyRoseTerraharuka]

Zedai Skywalker Hence the CD-i. And yes, we have to be thankful for him for a crappy hardware maker, including his CD-i Zelda series