The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => Technical Matters => Nucore => Topic started by: Caveoftreasures on November 19, 2010, 07:32:56 PM
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Has anybody on the forum had any experience with the NUCORE package, as well as changing the original monitor to a LCD monitor on a Revenge from Mars or a Star Wars Episode 1.
I am wondering if u can change the orig CRT monitor to a LCD vesion, without having to use/purchase the NUCORE equipment.?
I think the NUCORE stuff is great, and eventually I may go that way, but wondered if anyone had any results/experience with chopping n changing the pinball 2000 monitor types/viewing/usage etc.? !@#
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ANYONE GOT ANY ANSWERS ? !@#
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Shoot off a PM to Chuck - He can help you out through there and update this thread..
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If you install a Nucore in a Pin2000 machine, you can plug a CRT or LCD monitor to suit a PC straight into the Nucore system. As Nucore runs on a PC motherboard. No different to your own PC really.
If you want to use the original WMS CRT monitor you need to buy a PC to RGB adapter to allow the original monitor to display the signal.
Today the two PC systems (motherboard, cpu, RAM, Hard drive & powersupply) to build up for both my RFM & SW:E1 machines arrived. I am waiting for my Nucore base system to arrive from PinballLife in the US. I will be able to give a detailed reply of setting up a system from scratch as soon as the Nucore kit arrives.
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I want to add a new LCD monitor to my existing Williams original Revenge from Mars set up.
All my original RFM stuff works perfectly but want to see just how much difference a new LCD monitor will make.
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Cool a step by step of building up the base system would be great. Even the base system is out of my price range unless mine dies completely. But wouldnhe great to see what's involved incase I ever need to
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The Nucore system is fascinating and I look forward to seeing the setup in detail.
I assume an LCD monitor will work as well as the original CRT?
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The original Pinball2000 CRT as installed by WMS, will only work with Nucore if an adapter card is used. Something like this...
http://www.ultimarc.com/avgainf.html
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After consultation with Chuck from the Nucore team, I was able to gather a list of suitable parts to build the Nucore system. There would be many other suitable PC components and prices, the main thing is getting a compatible CPU & motherboard without spending more than is really required. The DVD drive list below, is only required to load the initial Nucore software. So you could save the $29 and borrow the one from your own PC to install the initial software. Anyway, below is a list of what we settled on. I purchased these items from PC Case Gear http://www.pccasegear.com here in Melbourne, I've listed each item with links to their website so others can see the parts and compare specs if considering doing this themselves.
1 Vantec ION2 460W Ultra Quiet PSU $44.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1110&products_id=11137
1 Samsung SH-S223C SATA DVDRW Drive $29.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=13068
1 Seagate Barracuda 500GB ST3500418AS $45.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=13263
1 AMD Athlon CPU II X2 255 $75.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=1337
1 Kingston RAM KVR1333D3N9/2G 2GB DDR3 $39.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_774&products_id=13719
1 ASUS M4N68T-M Motherboard $56.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=15230
Total $288.00
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The Nucore system is fascinating and I look forward to seeing the setup in detail.
I assume an LCD monitor will work as well as the original CRT?
AJ, I saw a video someone had made on youtube and the LCD monitor they stuck in their RFM worked amazingly better. The clarity and vibrant colours left the std monitor for dead. Thats why i want to work out a way to add a new LCD monitor instead of the std one.
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After consultation with Chuck from the Nucore team, I was able to gather a list of suitable parts to build the Nucore system. There would be many other suitable PC components and prices, the main thing is getting a compatible CPU & motherboard without spending more than is really required. The DVD drive list below, is only required to load the initial Nucore software. So you could save the $29 and borrow the one from your own PC to install the initial software. Anyway, below is a list of what we settled on. I purchased these items from PC Case Gear http://www.pccasegear.com here in Melbourne, I've listed each item with links to their website so others can see the parts and compare specs if considering doing this themselves.
1 Vantec ION2 460W Ultra Quiet PSU $44.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1110&products_id=11137
1 Samsung SH-S223C SATA DVDRW Drive $29.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=13068
1 Seagate Barracuda 500GB ST3500418AS $45.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=13263
1 AMD Athlon CPU II X2 255 $75.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=1337
1 Kingston RAM KVR1333D3N9/2G 2GB DDR3 $39.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_774&products_id=13719
1 ASUS M4N68T-M Motherboard $56.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=15230
Total $288.00
Thanks heaps for posting that, very useful stuff for the P2K fans. I've added a link to this thread to the Technical thread.
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I thought that this Monitor arrangement might be the go for you.
http://www.niemandisplays.com/nieman_video_displays_013.htm
I think I might go this way. Seems more plug-and-play and shows both boot up screens and normal video.
Cliff
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Well done for finding that.
I will study the changeover process before i buy one. The clarity of LCD is 5 times better with the colours and detail showing up the original programming and illustrations much beter. When the original programming was done on a 1999 to 2001 year model VGA computer monitor, the clarity would have been better before the CRT monitors lost some of the detail.
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Guys, As I have spent time talking with Chuck and had the chance of viewing the standard CRT and the LCD with new core I can assure you there is a massive difference. In the thread it has been mentioned that the picture is 5 times better I do not know about the metric here but what Chuck stated at Expo 09 was that the programming and graphics design was ahead of the CRT's ability to display.
What is not talked about here is that with a CRT you loose a lot of the picture as the CRT needs to fit inside the cabinet therefore you loose about 50mm of picture display capacity. When you use a LCD display you get the picture to within about 10mm of the cabinet edge (Assuming you buy the max size you can fit) You can then view parts of the image that were simply not viewable on the CRT.
The image displayed comes alive Night and Day difference.
I am building a full Nucore RFM in the new year and will post some stuff when it comes to life.
Don't forget positives like with the nucore program you can have SWEP1 & RFM roms loaded and it auto reads, the juke box is cool, but one of the neatest features is you can invert the screen so as you can take the glass off and work on the game with a readable display
Just a few thoughts
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After consultation with Chuck from the Nucore team, I was able to gather a list of suitable parts to build the Nucore system. There would be many other suitable PC components and prices, the main thing is getting a compatible CPU & motherboard without spending more than is really required. The DVD drive list below, is only required to load the initial Nucore software. So you could save the $29 and borrow the one from your own PC to install the initial software. Anyway, below is a list of what we settled on. I purchased these items from PC Case Gear http://www.pccasegear.com here in Melbourne, I've listed each item with links to their website so others can see the parts and compare specs if considering doing this themselves.
1 Vantec ION2 460W Ultra Quiet PSU $44.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_1110&products_id=11137
1 Samsung SH-S223C SATA DVDRW Drive $29.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=13068
1 Seagate Barracuda 500GB ST3500418AS $45.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=13263
1 AMD Athlon CPU II X2 255 $75.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_345&products_id=1337
1 Kingston RAM KVR1333D3N9/2G 2GB DDR3 $39.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_774&products_id=13719
1 ASUS M4N68T-M Motherboard $56.00 http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_803&products_id=15230
Total $288.00
Thanks heaps for posting that, very useful stuff for the P2K fans. I've added a link to this thread to the Technical thread.
Critical thing to note when selecting a motherboard for Nucore is that it needs a parallel port - and if it inbuilt then this helps a lot. However, over time the parallel port is becoming more and more obsolete and even now is a legacy function, so if you are interested in Nucore then it may be worth investing in the computer parts sooner rather than later, while you can still easily get boards with the parallel port built in.
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Guys, As I have spent time talking with Chuck and had the chance of viewing the standard CRT and the LCD with new core I can assure you there is a massive difference. In the thread it has been mentioned that the picture is 5 times better I do not know about the metric here but what Chuck stated at Expo 09 was that the programming and graphics design was ahead of the CRT's ability to display.
What is not talked about here is that with a CRT you loose a lot of the picture as the CRT needs to fit inside the cabinet therefore you loose about 50mm of picture display capacity. When you use a LCD display you get the picture to within about 10mm of the cabinet edge (Assuming you buy the max size you can fit) You can then view parts of the image that were simply not viewable on the CRT.
The image displayed comes alive Night and Day difference.
I am building a full Nucore RFM in the new year and will post some stuff when it comes to life.
Don't forget positives like with the nucore program you can have SWEP1 & RFM roms loaded and it auto reads, the juke box is cool, but one of the neatest features is you can invert the screen so as you can take the glass off and work on the game with a readable display
Just a few thoughts
Chillie, it will be great to see how u go with the full upgrade. I added a LCD monitor to my star vtrek voyager shooting game, and again, the lcd display and the clarity was amazing. Its not until u add the lcd that u realise how much u were missing when viewing the std crt monitor.
It will be great to see the nucore upgrade anbd maybe a video of before and after if u could. It certainly gives any pinball 2000 a new lease on life. ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
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With all hardware components, mounting plate & software here and ready to go, lets get the system ready for use...
Please note, what follows is how I went about building a Nucore system. Not a step by step guide or manual.
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The CPU is setup with all jumpers in the default positions. CPU, heatsink & fan installed and connected. 2GB RAM installed. 500GB Hard Drive mounted and connected. DVD Drive installed and connected. Power Supply connected (don't forget to check it's setup for 240V operation - check the selector switch on the PS).
All components assembled on the mounting plate. Monitor, keyboard & mouse connected. Ready to flick the switch!?
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PS switch flicked and system powers up successfully. Well after shorting the pins on the motherboard where the power-on switch should be connected !@)
Will make sure this feature is disabled in the BIOS later so it boots once power is applied.
It's alive! Hard to see in the photo, but the CPU fan is spinning and the green LED on the motherboard (bottom RHS adjacent to the PCI connector).
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Checking the BIOS settings as per the recommendation of the Nucore manual.
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System restarted with the Ubuntu disc in the DVD drive. System boots up and displays the Ubuntu desktop.
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After checking the necessary Ubuntu installation options as per the Nucore manual, its time to install Ubuntu.
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With Ubuntu successfully installed and some further software setting changes made to the Ubuntu operating system as per the Nucore manual, its time to install Nucore!
Reboot the system, wait until Ubuntu loads to its desktop, then install the Nucore disc in the DVD drive. Once the disc auto loads, click run and the Nucore installation is underway.
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Ah well....almost....don't forget to connect the system to the internet. This is the only part not mentioned in sequence, in what is an otherwise excellent installation manual. Just make sure you have a LAN cable (network) cable connected to the motherboard of your Nucore system prior to following the instructions from "STEP 4 - Final Installation", pg 20 of the Nucore User Manual.
If you forget, its no big deal, as the installation will fail and you can run it again once you've connected the LAN cable.
Network cable from my modem connected to the system and the Nucore installation is underway.
Will continue the thread when I can.
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Excellent! Hope this is going well!!
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Awesome !
Looks very straight forward ^^^
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thanks for taking the time to post. this is one post i am dying to see all come together.
the nucore setup is something that most pin 2000 users will have to move to sooner or later.
thanks for the pics and details so far. ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
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Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.
To continue on, I need to give some background info. I purchased enough parts (as described earlier in this thread) to build 2 Nucore systems. One for my RFM and the other for a non working RFM I picked up cheap last year. My aim is to convert the non working RFM to a SW:E1 and sell off the 2nd RFM playfield. As I purchased a SW:E1 playfield kit about 10 years ago, shit! was it really that long ago!?
Since my last post, I have one Nucore system ready to install. All the Ubuntu & Nucore software has been successfully installed. That system now boots up to the Nucore playfield selection screen, ready to roll.
During the process of the first software installation, I ran into a problem immediately following my last posting here. The next thread will describe the problem I encountered and what was done to successfully resolve it. I'm installing the software to the second system as I put this thread together.
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Pg 22 of the Nucore User manual states, that when the Nucore software installation is complete, a new file will appear on the Ubuntu desktop. The file is titled nucore_install.log. The manual suggest you open this (it's just like a Windows txt/Notepad file) and view the 2nd last line. It should read "Nucore install was a success". This is what my install log file reported.
If it doesn't report this, the manual points you in the direction of the Big Guys Support webpage (Nucore Headquarters) for further help.
With my system reporting the Nucore software was installed correctly. I moved onto the next step as described on pg.25 of the Nucore User manual. This involves you going online with the Nucore system at this point and downloading the Nucore ROM package from www.pinball.com, from the actual link supplied in the manual. I suffered some frustration at this point and want to document what happened and how I resolved it, hoping that it may help others in future.
The image below shows the Firefox icon on the task bar of the Ubuntu desktop. I took this picture prior to the instructions on pg.22 of installing the Nucore software. Once the Nucore software was installed, you will notice what happened to the Firefox icon in the next picture. The Firefox icon disappears and is replaced with a black square. Hover the mouse pointer over the icon and it still knows it is Firefox by the information bubble that appears. However when trying to run Firefox to go online and download the Nucore ROM package, I got the following error message displayed in an error box: -
ERROR
Could not launch application failed to execute child process "firefox" (no such file or directory).
NOTE: Firefox is an alternate Internet Browser, similar, but much better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
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The error basically alerts the user that the Firefox program is corrupt or not installed correctly, as it cannot locate the necessary files to run Firefox. I assumed that this error would be documented somewhere and I'd find a solution online, wrong!
I read through any related thread on the Big Guys Pinball Forum hoping to find a solution. I couldn't find one. I decided my next step was to start the installation process again. I did this by going back to step 1 and installing Ubuntu & Nucore again. This included formatting the Hard Drive of the Nucore system and starting the installation from scratch. Unfortunately this didn't resolve anything, as I was right back to the same position, with the same error.
Being a complete novice with Ubuntu, I just started exploring the options available for the Ubuntu user from the desktop. At the top of the screen in the menu bar you will find "Update Manager" listed under the "System" menu. This allows the user to Upgrade the installed Ubuntu software and any other installed software packages. When you run this option, it gives you a list of all installed components and the ability to upgrade some (user selected) or all components. This is where the time browsing the postings on the BGP Forum was invaluable. As one posting mentioned that Nucore wasn't yet compatible with the latest version of Ubuntu. So I decided to just select and upgrade Firefox only, as shown below.
Several minutes later the download of the Firefox updates was completed and installed. Glancing up at the Firefox icon on the menu bar, showed it was again legible. I clicked on it and Firefox loaded up successfully and I was able to continue on as described on pg.25 of the Nucore User manual. WOOHOO!
When Firefox ran for this first time, it appears the Home Page has been set to a very popular internet Forum!! Someone at Nucore must be an AP fan!
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Just kidding, I thought I'd just throw the AP Forum in for a laugh, for what is a very dry subject.
The rest of the installation went smoothly, just as it's described in the Nucore User manual. The download of Nucore ROM package is currently 155MB.
Once the installation is complete and the system is rebooted, it will run the Nucore software and display the image below. This is where, if the system was connected to a Pinball 2000 machine, you would either selected the playfield installed (RFM or SW:E1) by using the flipper cabinet buttons on your Pinball 2000 machine.
Or alternatively, once up and running for the first time, you can then set the Nucore system, via onscreen software selection, to auto detect the playfield installed in your game. This would then allow the system to fully load Nucore and be ready to play each time you turn your game on. Without the need for user interaction each time your Pinball 2000 game is turned on.
NOTE: It's not described here, but don't forget to plug in the Nucore USB board into your motherboard, before installing the system into your game. It's the small board and USB cable that comes with the Nucore Base package.
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Here is where it wraps up for the moment. I'm waiting on a local metal fabricator to open their doors for the new year. As I'm having two new PC cases made to house the Nucore system. It will be similar to this http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2087&parent=231
It is possible to shoehorn the Nucore system into the original Pinball2000 case, but it's not neat and looks very ordinary. So I decided to look at replacing it with something that not only houses the Nucore system neatly, but most importantly fits in the head of the game. The official custom case for Nucore can be picked up from Pinball Life in the US, for $110 US each, plus postage. But that was more than I wanted to spend. I ended up having two very similar cases made by a local metal place for $85. Obviously it could be done for the cost of materials if you are so inclined and have the necessary tools & equipment to cut and bend the sheet metal.
I hope this guide will be of help to others looking to DIY a Nucore system.
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When Firefox ran for this first time, it appears the Home Page has been set to a very popular internet Forum!! Someone at Nucore must be an AP fan!
:lol :lol :lol
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Nice rundown, handy to have a few troubleshooting tips as well. Thanks for the write-up.
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Just caught up on this excellent thread. Alot of detailed and great info here for people doing a Nucore transplant.
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except they have discontinued nucore, and stocks were flying off the shelves
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I will send another email to the maker cause only a few months ago Terry at Pinball-Life said he had stock and they were producing again. !@#
Will double check and will repoort back on this thread. Thanks for the heads up EB.
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I will send another email to the maker cause only a few months ago Terry at Pinball-Life said he had stock and they were producing again. !@#
Will double check and will repoort back on this thread. Thanks for the heads up EB.
No need to contact Terry it was out of his hands. Straight from the horses mouth http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nucore-announcement?replies=29#post-383619
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OK thanks.
Luckily, i know someone who can fix anything wrong on the Pin2000 motherboards anyway, so Nucore isnt the only option. What alot of people dont know is that the boards from a original RFM or SWEp1 could always be fixed, most of the time. I have a friend who has spare original pin2000 computer boards, prisms and daughter boards etc. Once the fan and power supply on a Pin2000 are replaced, stopping the overheating issues, the original hardware usually runs trouble free for many years. Only overheating from games onsite, or power surge causes hassles with the orig stuff.
It sounds to me like a wanting licence holder in the USA wanted too much money from the Nucore boys. The x-licence holder had a bad name, but after emailing a friend in the USA about recent events, I am hearing the new licence holder is quickly becoming just as unpopular for a number of issues with quite a few industry people. Apparently the licence stuff assosciated with the B/W brand causes people to develop god syndrome. It sounds like a continuing curse with this licence. @.@ Time will tell.
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Ok and I have not read any of this thread, if Cavey's aspertions are correct and its a licensing issue, then I can see one of two scenarios here.
1. Nucore is dead in the water unless license issue is resolved
or and I'm hoping for this as I own 2 x P2000 games
2. stuff the williams license, get a piece of wood and design a brand new never to been seen P2000 game that's not movie based etc. This would be great if they get someone like Gomez and really push the limits of interactive gaming with the latest hardware
what do you reckon? $#$
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Man o man. What is it with the pinball industry. Time and time again we see new ventures/importers/retailers pop up who start off with very reasonable prices and appear to be operating for the good of pinball only to apparently get greedy and start knifing everyone in the back or look after no-one but themselves.
The hobby can be very disheartening at times.
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I have an email here that one member (who I won't name) received from "the licence holder" - rude, unprofessional, and simply out of line and making incorrect assertions. At the time I read it, I thought exactly as mentioned - God complex is an added free bonus that comes with the licence. FFS - listen to Rudy - "It's only pinball!"
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Good point.
Hopefully the Williams curse shall be lifted and Nucore can go again, but i cant see it if the dispute is over money. Someone paid too much for the Williams licence and now wants his investment $ back too quick. JJP buying parts from them probably elevated the ego into the heavens and now everyone has to bow down. After JJPs investment with them, he shouldnt be needing money that bad, not enough to screw the Nucore guys anyway.
Has everyone noticed how Williams parts everywhere have gone thru the roof. The royalty cheques are getting bigger, and so are our pinball parts bills.lol
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Has everyone noticed how Williams parts everywhere have gone thru the roof. The royalty cheques are getting bigger, and so are our pinball parts bills.lol
Sure have, also seeing some crap quality repro stuff not getting pulled like it used to.
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Dare I say it....better the devil you know??????
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Dare I say it....better the devil you know??????
and to think people are missing Draino. lol %.% %.% %.% Its a cruel pinball world. lol %.% %.% %.% %.% %.% %.% %.% %.%
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Has everyone noticed how Williams parts everywhere have gone thru the roof. The royalty cheques are getting bigger, and so are our pinball parts bills.lol
Sure have, also seeing some crap quality repro stuff not getting pulled like it used to.
+1 I have bought some stuff that's licensed and I think some of the shit repro stuff in the past has been better. Plastics with holes missing, colours wrong on decal stuff or just simply the artwork is just wrong