ZVG is mostly done!!!

Well a year plus, since I bought the ZVG, and have slowly acquired all the parts,getting the monitor working, I finally got this thing up and running. A quick pic is here

Quick Question on the VM_MENU: Anyone know how to get out of the mfg's menu once you've selected one? Example, Once I select Atari, I don't know how to get back out to select sega games...

My configuration:400 mhz Pentium 3, Soundblaster 16, 320 x 200 seems to work w/o flicker
Win 98 (startup in DOS mode) using the provided DOS/VMAME programs
Wells 6100 Gravitar Cabinet using a Gravitar control Panel - J-Pac interface

I will add a tempest spinner using the optic-pac later

Menu System is Ian Boffins Vector MAME.

Some things left to do:
I plan on using the Atari speakers so I'll be running an automobile audio amp from the sound card.
I plan on using a tempest spinner on the gravitar control panel. It seems to have enough space to the right side to add one.

To power both of the above, I'll be adding a switcher to provide the +12 for the audio amp and +5 for the trackball. Later, I'll figure out the lighted LED start buttons.

I don't plan on adding joysticks, trackball, or flight yoke (I already have
those dedicated atari games), my whole sole purpose in the ZVG was to add sega and cinematronics games whose cabs (and monitors) I don't care to own.

Anyone else run a VGA monitor concurrently (like on the side or on top of the cabinet, in case you somehow get stuck or exit out the the menu? I find it'seasy to inadvertently exit to the prompt when you hit p1/p2 to get out ofgames.

The goal would be to get this running "self contained" It would be nice not to have to rely on a keyboard and VGA monitor.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I'm thankful for:

My Family
Great Job
Good Friends
Fun Hobbies

Speaking of hobbies, I got to split from work early yesterday and did some more work on T2 up until this morning. I put some new profanity ROMs on it, and noticed that the general illumination lights were all wacky or not working even in test mode. Typical burnt GI connector issues (had to replace the header connectors and pins), a bad fuse that tested good, and the schematics were printed with errors on it. sheesh. GI work shouldn't take 3-4 hours to figure out and fix, but all is good now and T2 works 100% and cusses - "F U A-hole" - haaha.

We're heading over to the aunt's house for some major gorging, I hope they have sushi there, because that's how I like it when my Japanese family does holidays.

still sick. and on being old(er)

Boy this sucks, still having a nagging dry cough, but the weakness and general feeling of being tired all the time is gone.

I had a free night last night and decided to opt out of a single speed ride at Fullerton loop. I decided not to push it with this cough and all so I decided to head over to Etnies skatepark and get an hour or so in.

Boy did I feel old and out of place. The kids nowadays are just sick with all their moves. I think I was the only guy with shorts on. Back in the day, skating in jeans was unheard of. Every kid out there had long pant or jeans on with their pads underneath. I find pants very inhibitive - especially for all the awesome moves/trick that I didn't do - haw.... Anyways after about 20 minutes of carving a few lines, I found myself on the sideline just watching... not wanting to attempt anything because I didn't want to fall and look like a tool. Like an old tool at that.

I need to find times when the park is empty I can look like a tool by myself.

Anyways the rest of the night was spent working on a Terminator 2 pinball. My ROM burner is up and running again, so I had programmed the "Profanity" ROMs now the machine says "F U A$$hole" during the random database awards. Also fixed a trough switch that was causing an drained ball to not register.

Kaleo Turned 4 and his birthday party is coming up. The wife and I find it easier to have a party somewhere else rather than at our messy house.

Whooping Cough.

I got what I thought was a cold/flu, but it turns out I most likely had the case of the "whooping cough" medically know as pertussis. I won't begin to tell you how much this sucks, because it just lingers on and on and I've had the dry hacking cough for almost three weeks now. It occured two weeks before the 6 hours of OC race last weekend and my whole family was affected.

I mostly got over the phleghm, congestion well enough to race, but it took it's toll on me. I ended up finishing only three hard, miserable laps, not to mention having bad mechanical failures and 3 crashes on my first lap that nearly did me in. Did I mention thigh cramps???, My goodness, my legs locked up on the third lap and I was basically paralyzed in the middle of the trail unable to move out of the way. Needless to say, I was not ready for this race, but I'm glad I finished it and am ready to do more "relaxing" riding over the winter.

I recall the last time I had really bad cough in 1995, so bad and persistent that I could not sleep or function at all. So bad and persistent that it caused head-aches. It lasted three days and by then I seriously wanted to die. It's weird in that I don't recall ever being sick like this in my teens. Now, it's like clockwork. Fall and Winter? Yes, expect to catch at least 3 colds and 1 bout with the flu.