Re: 8 Track Player for EM Gun Game Question

Steve:

There's nothing complex about it, but every situation is different so there
isn't a single set of instructions to follow.

First, you need to power the tape deck. The game may provide an AC socket
to plug in the deck into 110V, (e.g. Drivemaster) or it may provide 12 VDC to
power a car-style deck (many Chicago Coin games). The Midway proprietary
decks use a Molex-style connector for AC power just to the capstan motor.

Once the deck is powered, some games use a relay closure to enable
the capstan motor to play the tape. Others just switch power to the deck
to do the same thing.

Then you need to see what happens with the audio output. Some tap
a headphone or external speaker output. Some use decks that have
an internal speaker and they use that speaker to actually make the sounds
(e.g. Wild Kingdom).

Some tape sound systems have one audio output, some have up to six (e.g.
Flying Carpet). Obviously, an 8-track (or Muntz 4-track) system based on a consumer
stereo deck can't have more than two outputs. In most cases, just a single
channel is used for background music and/or sound effects, but there are
exceptions (Shoot Out has background music on one channel and a speech
announcement "Get ready for the big shoot-out" on the other, Flying Ducks
has fwo different sound effects on each channel).

Midway games using their proprietary player in the rough metal box are the
hardest to replace. Some have integral amplifiers, some don't. There are
versions for 1, 2, 3 or 4 concurrent audio outputs (e.g. Dune Buggy, Twin Pirate,
Gangbusters and Haunted House, respectively). The individual audio outputs are
triggered by switching DC power (12-18 Volts) onto a control line, and all of the
selected channels are summed together into a common audio output which
then goes to the audio amplifier board that is usually elsewhere in the game.

Six channel audio using a captive tape loop (e.g. Flying Carpet) can't
be replaced with an 8-track system - not enough outputs and no way
to sync all the channels.

If you do adapt a consumer 8-track player, you will want to disable the
automatic track switching circuit. To do that, just clip one of the wires
going to the foil sensor. Don't disconnect the track advance solenoid
or you will also lose the use of the track select switch on the front.

So you'll need schematics of the game or else you'll have to do some
detective work to figure out how to do the necessary modifications. The
tape decks (and tapes) were "high profile" devices that often got removed,
but you also need to check that all the other audio components are still there.
This may include an audio amplifier board and boards for other sound effects.
Some may be weird electromechanical devices, like the sonar sound effect
generator in some submarine games. It was typical to have a separate circuit board
for each individual sound (e.g. gunshot, crowd roaring). Some games had
a card cage with slots for multiple sound effect cards (e.g. Line Drive). If
the cards are missing (or in the wrong order), the sounds won't be right.

I have a web page you can use to ID certain players, but there's no info
there specifically for Bonanza (yet):

http://arcadearchive.com/em/sound/

Good luck!

-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com/

"redranger69" <day3165@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1131230423.415001.294220@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Does anyone know if it's relatively simple to adapt a home use
> 'component" 8 or 4 track player for use in a EM Gun game?
>
> As you may know, it's almost impossible to find a 8 or 4 track player
> specifically for EM gun games (Muntz) but you can find the home use
> (like ones used on a home stereo system) players on ebay.
>
>
> How would you connect the gun game connector to the player so it is
> 'triggered' correctly?
>
> Thanks, Steve
>


.

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