14 replies to this topic

[Taylor525]

Well, how should I put this... I have a Global machine, and what can I say, its causing me problems. And I know what one of the responses will be 'the dreaded epoch'- Now I know why...

It's a Global Machine called who wants to be a millionhare, very simular to saturday night beaver. I got it off a friend that wanted rid so I took it off him.

The first Issue was the PSU, so I got a new one, and then it worked...

Then a loud hissing noise from the speakers a week later, and I mean its loud, and then the next day failed to start up. I suspected it was a leaking battery, so I got a completely new MPU board.

Now- the machine starts up and plays, but it freezes when giving nudges or when I goes on the board. When I say freezes, its just stops and doesnt do anything. The loud hissing is still there also...

SO- could anyone tell me what else has gone wrong or have the ROMs acually gone on them due to the leaking battery, what could I try??

Cheers

[stanmarsh14]

Seams you have covered the obvious bases normally expected to go wrong on an Epoch machine, so what I would suggest to check, is that the ROM's are seated properly in the Epoch mainboard, and that they are in the right way round (You will note at one end of each rom, that there is a small notch, and this must be at the same end as the notch on the socket), also noting you MUST have the sound rom in the sound socket, game roms (normally marked P1, P2, etc) in the correct games roms sockets (Again P1, P2, etc).

Also I would check ALL connections are seated correctly on the Epoch board and the PSU.

Edited by stanmarsh14, 23 September 2012 - 12:54 PM.

[stanmarsh14]

Just to add as it's a common mistake to make when moving ROM's from one card to another..... bent pins!..... make sure these are strait enough, so that they meet all contacts in the sockets.

[Mavroz]

The loud hiss is due to your psu being a MK1 unit, they are prone to giving a hiss and hum from the machine speakers (sound like an electricity substation in a quiet room). Occasionally MK2 boards come up on Ebay, this doesnt cure the problem but makes it a whole lot better.

As said, check that your Eproms are seated the correct way around (i would have thought they would be as the machine would not initialise if the main game roms were inserted correctly), as for the sound rom(s) check that all pins are seated correctly and again, the right way around. If any have been put in the wrong way around, you are looking for a new rom to be burned on a new chip.

Where did you get your replacement Epoch MPU? Sound suspiciously to me like this may be faulty too. Battery damage is not always 100% noticable and unless the new board was guaranteed working then... Well you seem to know the score..

Edit--- Any sign of burning on the lamp board (top rear) of the machine?

Edited by fevernova, 23 September 2012 - 02:42 PM.

[nails]

Now- the machine starts up and plays, but it freezes when giving nudges or when I goes on the board. When I say freezes, its just stops and doesnt do anything. The loud hissing is still there also...


Cheers

power supplies give the 'hiss', get a new one.

[Mavroz]

power supplies give the 'hiss', get a new one.

Unless you have a mk2 board in it, it will always hiss and hum loudly....

[Taylor525]

Hey, thanks for the responses...

Mmm to me it sounds like it's waiting for a response from the sound proms and isn't getting it.As stan says have a butchers at the game card and make sure the sound roms are in correct.

Wouldn't I get a ROM error?? The ROMs are defo in the right way though. The game card is the MPU itself... I think, though I'm not an expert with epochs at all

Just to add as it's a common mistake to make when moving ROM's from one card to another..... bent pins!..... make sure these are strait enough, so that they meet all contacts in the sockets.

Yes, I did bend a couple of pins, I presume that the wide section needs to filly touch the board itself... I shall check and press them in. The ROMs are in the right way round though, and matching in the correct order, as I copied it from the board I took it off.

The loud hiss is due to your psu being a MK1 unit, they are prone to giving a hiss and hum from the machine speakers (sound like an electricity substation in a quiet room). Occasionally MK2 boards come up on Ebay, this doesnt cure the problem but makes it a whole lot better.

As said, check that your Eproms are seated the correct way around (i would have thought they would be as the machine would not initialise if the main game roms were inserted correctly), as for the sound rom(s) check that all pins are seated correctly and again, the right way around. If any have been put in the wrong way around, you are looking for a new rom to be burned on a new chip.

Where did you get your replacement Epoch MPU? Sound suspiciously to me like this may be faulty too. Battery damage is not always 100% noticable and unless the new board was guaranteed working then... Well you seem to know the score..

Edit--- Any sign of burning on the lamp board (top rear) of the machine?

It's a very loud noise, its probably worse than a hiss, more like a sounds a TV would make when the black and white bits are on screen

Got it from Ebay, so no guarantee that it's 100%, but the noise consists from BOTH MPUs, the battery looks very clean... I can't see it being the battery, all the LEDs light up this time, whereas last time, only 3 did...

No burning at all anywhere

power supplies give the 'hiss', get a new one.

Its not the power supply making the hiss, its the speakers (both) and both boards are doing the same old one and new one...


I shall check the pins, as I did bend some by accident, but like someone said, I didn't think it would start up if that was the issue?

ALSO, the Alpha display seems to have random jumpy letters, had to explain, its like flickering, but with letters, etc...

Edited by Taylor525, 23 September 2012 - 05:47 PM.

[Mavroz]

The psu makes the noise through the speakers, it gives off a lot of RF interference, generated by the old style boards themselves. (The transformer hums) Will probably sound worse when in attract mode (when more lamps are on)... You can either live with it or source a mk2 replacement board.

You say "all the led's light up", which led's? The ones on the psu or the Epoch mpu?

Edited by fevernova, 23 September 2012 - 05:55 PM.

[Taylor525]

The psu makes the noise through the speakers, it gives off a lot of RF interference, generated by the old style boards themselves. (The transformer hums) Will probably sound worse when in attract mode (when more lamps are on)... You can either live with it or source a mk2 replacement board.

You say "all the led's light up", which led's? The ones on the psu or the Epoch mpu?

the noise is too loud, its like a sound of a TV when you have the black and white bits, at full volume

On the Epoch mpu. My old one only lit 3 instead of 5 which is why I changed it, and the new one has 5 lit, so the board is working like it's meant to now... to an extent obviously

[Mavroz]

Ok, the +Vdisp should be off, the others on with the security led if i remember rightly should be flashing.

Have you turned the volume of the machine down? Epoch mpu's default to max volume.

[Taylor525]

That's correct, and security does flash. The volume is off, and still makes that noise.

It's currently switched on, and is on OCD atm, and its still going as that, and the alpha isnt flickering anymore. I'm gunna leave it like that for now as it doesn't freeze when not being played (not saying it's fixed yet though) and then try it again later. Im really stumped with the noise as the previous MPU did it too!!

[Mavroz]

The previous mpu will make the noise through the speaker, as said it is the psu generating the noise, NOT the mpu. If you are happy with the machine not freezing in Attract but not able to play it without freezing, then you are on a winner....

On various different forums over the years, many people have had similar, if not the same problems with Epoch machines.

The best thing anyone can do with these if they are not 100% sure what they are doing is replace the Epoch mpu with a "known" working one, that is guaranteed, not one "that worked" four years ago when removed from an old machine.

Second, change the lamp board at the top at the back of the machine for a djp / one stop technologies mk2 board (mk1's are prone to overheating and burning around the power connector)

Third, if you are not happy with the humming/hissing that comes through the speakers on an Epoch machine, then you need to source a mk2 psu card, which stops about 70% of the hissing and humming but does not stop the transformer hum.

[Taylor525]

Final update with this...

I swapped the MPU (again), Lamp board (as I blew it up) and changed the PSU to a mark II.

The machine is now fine and up and working. Thanks for the help and advice with the shitty EPOCH lol

[Bencrest]

Final update with this...

I swapped the MPU (again), Lamp board (as I blew it up) and changed the PSU to a mark II.

The machine is now fine and up and working. Thanks for the help and advice with the shitty EPOCH lol

I'd love an EPOCH machine but they are so flawed, and it's just a matter of time before the amount of spares dries up, that I'm too scared!

Hopefully one day they'll be emulated, I'd bloody love that. I'd give my right nut for an EPOCH emulator!!