Going from Fam14 to Fam20 on a G23 SMLD machine

[The laneman]

Thanks

[a69mopar]

You're welcome

[sccarlso]

Well, have to say, a bit of a learning curve using Fam20.  But I did get it running!  Runs pretty well too!
Fully functional with printer/BV/Tito.  Some minor issues have come up, but I've been able to resolve them so far.

After my first try with a few games loaded (and learning setting up dual SSD's, one primary, and one "data" drive).
Wasn't "required", but hey, why not?  lol   Just needed a somewhat unique cable that was SATA power/data on each end, but both ends are female.  So
I could connect the "data" SSD directly to get power from the board for it instead of a PSU power plug.

Also, fam20 being a 64bit OS, I upgraded the RAM on my 660 board to 8GB.  Harder to find a pair of 4GB compatible chips since they're older memory chips, but did find them, and now it reports 8GB of RAM installed.

So all running, but on my first try, I had about 8 games, but I have no data on machine requirements for the game titles I have. 
Fam20 doesn't seem to do checks when you load games to verify they will run.  So I really only found out after
enabling one without a PSR to reference.  When you enable games, since it will let you load Crystal Core games on an upgraded G23 with a 660 box, enabling a game is when you find out when flying blind if it will work or not.

They might even run (although slow and laggy).  But they will error after you enable it and exit game setup for
it not detecting a touchscreen button panel, a TPP.  So it stops there.  But doesn't crash the machine or anything.
Just have to go back and disable that game.  From what I've found experimenting, not all Crystal Core games "require" a touch button panel.

But something really interesting happened when I loaded the OS/Ascent/Games the first time...

All loaded ok.  And I enabled just two titles to test.   Worked fine.

But then I enabled a much larger game, almost certainly one that it couldn't handle.
And if I recall, it did throw an error after exiting the enable game menu, just can't recall what error or what exact game it was!  So I had to disable it of course.

The surprise was by loading it, and just enabling and disabling that game.  It reconfigured my top monitor as if it was a tall box!

So after I disabled it, the two working games still displayed stretched and sideways on the top monitor!

If only I had noted EXACTLY what steps I had done!  lol   
Instead, I did a full reset, OS/Ascent/Game load as that's what it took to revert the top monitor to normal orientation.

But now I want to back that way dangit!  I have my tall box mod on my other machine, and I should have just hooked it up, because since this changed ALL the other games on the machine to the same tall box format on the top screen.  I would have liked to have just seen how it looked with an actual tall rotated top screen connected!

I "think" it did this by believing it was a G23 32" "tall" model as in the pic attached here, but it wasn't that title.  I haven't been able to find much info on these cabinets as it was replaced with a newer model cabinet.  The only "current" one that's similar with a regular screen on the bottom and the tall display above it is the Crystal Curve Ultra.

But regardless, a specific game being loaded, even though it couldn't play on my platform, it did reconfigure the top display to be a tall box, and it stuck that way for all the other games as well.  So I'm going to keep trying to figure out what game title did it. 

Anyone out there who has messed with a Fam20 setup experience this???   Because I would love to have a tall display on there for all games.
I just can't get the right combination I had done to cause it to reconfigure the top monitor as a tall box.
I'm suspecting that at some point, when you load a tall box game (don't have to actually enable it), even if the platform isn't able to play it for whatever reason.  But just by it being loaded, it reconfigured the format of the top display, and it stuck for all games on the machine, and couldn't be switched back without a wipe/reload.   Again, stupid me, should have documented exactly what game ID's were loaded at the time!

If I can figure that out, my final mod attempt to try to just "max out" a 660 brainbox without using an AVP 4.0 box is video...

Now ya'll probably will think I'm on crack.  lol   But I'm going to try it anyway, it isn't expensive and if it works it will be huge.  Everyone knows the E4690 card is all you can use for Fam14.  But the Fam20 OS/Ascent software was "transitionary".  So it loads on a G23 3.0ME brainbox (a 660), as well as Crystal Core machines.

The Fam20 OS has drivers for new video cards for the Crystal Core series in it.  Those cards are the Radeon E6760 and the Radeon E9260.
The E6760 is a PCIE 2.1 card, and the E9260 is a PCIE 3.0 card.  But...PCIE is backwards compatible.  You can plug newer PCIE card into an older slot, you'll
just be limited by the PCIE 2.0 interface speed.  But I've read you don't lose so much that it isn't still worth it.

These two newer vid cards for the AVP 4.0 box have 4 and 5 MiniDP ports instead of DVI.   But there are adapters for miniDP to VGA, DVI and HDMI.  Even EDID foolers if needed.  And I was able to acquire each of these cards with IGT labels on them, hate the wait for shipping.   So the test is will they actually be recognized and function with a wipe and clean load of the machine when installed?  The drivers are in the OS... 

If I'm right, and it does detect/configure it with a fresh OS/Ascent load, well that just opens up a lot, even if it can't play a high end Crystal Core based game, the whole system would benefit from either of these much more powerful cards.  If I'm wrong, eh, not like I'm out that much, and will just put em on the shelf as I might have a Crystal Core machine down the road.

But for now, just trying to replicate whatever I loaded to cause my top monitor to be reconfigured as a tall box machine.

All comments/suggestions are welcome if you've done anything like this yourself.   If I get a better card than the E4690 running in a 660, or just get the fixed tall box config set again, I'll be sure to post about it! 

[The laneman]

I had the same issue with the sideways monitor.

What type ram did you use to upgrade to 8 gb?

[sccarlso]

Can you remember exactly what you did that caused it to change the upper monitor to display sideways?   

I can easily put it back to "normal", but I want to set it back so it displays sideways again to test with a tall monitor but I'm just guessing at which title made it occur after I installed it.

Here's the correct memory.  You can get it on ebay but anyone in the US wants a high price for it.  Can get it from China for cheap if you're willing to wait two weeks for it to arrive.  There are some on Amazon though, I went with that so I could get it faster and it wasn't but $4 more a stick.

4GB DDR2 PC-6400U 800MHz 240 Pin for AMD

It has to be PC-6400U RAM that's only for AMD.   Many sellers on Amazon and eBay are selling the same and even have the same pictures.  lol

The ones I used:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWFSJYRR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

These are exactly the same modules.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QV8T3XJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

One seller only had 1 module for next day shipping, and another also only had 1 for next day shipping, so I bought one from each seller, same photos, and they were indeed exactly the same.  No issues at all.  The modules even looked new! 

[Retro tech repair]

Upper monitor turns sideways if you have any tall top game installed and it will stay that way unless you do a partial clear doesnt even matter if you don’t enable the game.

[The laneman]

I did a partial like retro said.

[sccarlso]

Upper monitor turns sideways if you have any tall top game installed and it will stay that way unless you do a partial clear doesnt even matter if you don’t enable the game.

I thought I had, but I only have PSRs for a few games so I was just guessing.  I’ll try with the title from the pic I posted.  If that makes it flip, exactly what I needed to know!

Do you know if IGT released a series of titles specifically for a G23 w/32” tall top screens? (I thought I saw they also released a G23 w/ a 42” tall top screen as well), which is what I’d have on my custom mod cabinet. 

I’m really interested to see how titles like Dark & Stormy look with a tall screen.  I “think” there are a few similar titles where the video reels extend to the top monitor like that.  But the only way I can tell is to google for videos of game titles to see the arrangement.  I’m not sure what the gaming term is for games with video reels that extend to the top screen.

Appreciate the info!!!   Thank you!

[Yoeddy1]

Upper monitor turns sideways if you have any tall top game installed and it will stay that way unless you do a partial clear doesnt even matter if you don’t enable the game.

I thought I had, but I only have PSRs for a few games so I was just guessing.  I’ll try with the title from the pic I posted.  If that makes it flip, exactly what I needed to know!

Do you know if IGT released a series of titles specifically for a G23 w/32” tall top screens? (I thought I saw they also released a G23 w/ a 42” tall top screen as well), which is what I’d have on my custom mod cabinet. 

I’m really interested to see how titles like Dark & Stormy look with a tall screen.  I “think” there are a few similar titles where the video reels extend to the top monitor like that.  But the only way I can tell is to google for videos of game titles to see the arrangement.  I’m not sure what the gaming term is for games with video reels that extend to the top screen.

Appreciate the info!!!   Thank you!

Dark & Stormy was one of the main reasons why I wanted to try the conversion a few months ago.  It ended up being really choppy in the sound department, and somewhat in the video…I think during a bonus round.  I love that game…wish it would have worked out.

Jason

[sccarlso]

The sound is noticably better after putting in 8GB of RAM.  Still testing a few things though.

I'm going to make that same call though whether to remain on Fam20 or return to Fam14.