Salamander 2 - Should I return it to the seller?

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 15th, 2011, 9:45 pm

Received a Salamander 2 PCB today and on boot up it checks as fine:

But when I check the 'mask rom' it shows:

I'm assuming this isn't good?

Should I return it for a refund or can something be done?

Any help appreciated

Post by **Rossyra** » March 15th, 2011, 9:56 pm

Is it playing okay?

I'd return for a refund, or ask for the seller to pay for a repair

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 15th, 2011, 10:03 pm

Rossyra wrote:Is it playing okay?

I'd return for a refund, or ask for the seller to pay for a repair

Played 3 levels and it plays ok so far - guess I could credit feed it to the end.

Either then though I'd be uncomfortable with it tbh.

This hobby is annoying at times

I already have a Zero Gunner 2 that hates me and now this

Post by **Rossyra** » March 15th, 2011, 10:18 pm

Get a refund then, did you buy it here or eBay or somewhere else?

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 15th, 2011, 10:34 pm

Rossyra wrote:Get a refund then, did you buy it here or eBay or somewhere else?

Private trade though contact was done via eBay.

Just credit fed it to the end no problem. Not sure what to do. I'm guessing I couldn't sell it on like this though which would be bad since it's not the kind of game I'd probably keep long.

Post by **idc** » March 15th, 2011, 11:07 pm

wonderbanana wrote:
Rossyra wrote:Get a refund then, did you buy it here or eBay or somewhere else?
Private trade though contact was done via eBay.

Just credit fed it to the end no problem. Not sure what to do. I'm guessing I couldn't sell it on like this though which would be bad since it's not the kind of game I'd probably keep long.

Are the mask ROMs socketed? Could you not just drop in a compatible EPROM and see if that solves the problem?

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 15th, 2011, 11:08 pm

idc wrote:
wonderbanana wrote:
Rossyra wrote:Get a refund then, did you buy it here or eBay or somewhere else?
Private trade though contact was done via eBay.

Just credit fed it to the end no problem. Not sure what to do. I'm guessing I couldn't sell it on like this though which would be bad since it's not the kind of game I'd probably keep long.
Are the mask ROMs socketed? Could you not just drop in a compatible EPROM and see if that solves the problem?

You are now talking in Spanish where I am concerned

I don't even know what a mask rom is

Post by **davewellington** » March 15th, 2011, 11:54 pm

Take a photo of the board

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 16th, 2011, 12:00 am

davewellington wrote:Take a photo of the board

I packed it up now.

Managed to get hold of the seller and he has agreed to trade it for another board.

I had already previously brought my Thunder Cross II off him and thats mint so he's one of the good ones it looks like

Saves frakking about with Paypal that's for sure

I'd still be interested to learn what a mask rom is though. Always keen to learn

A few months back I never thought I'd be soldering pcb's, faffing with a multimeter and building boxes for a harness and largely thanks to you guys thats all in the bag already

Shady994 · Post by **Shady994** » March 16th, 2011, 1:26 am

A mask ROM is a memory chip which is programmed by the manufacturer, and cannot be reprogrammed. It is commonly used for game data such as sound and graphics, although program code is more commonly put on EPROM to make bug fixes easier and cheaper.

Cageman · Post by **Cageman** » March 16th, 2011, 8:52 am

Nearly all Salamander 2 boards have this issue. Ask around

I own two Salamander 2 PCBs, both with the exact same issue. It does not affect the game, and (cannot find the source right now) I am told that this is actually a bug in the romcheck software.

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 16th, 2011, 9:07 am

Cageman wrote:

Nearly all Salamander 2 boards have this issue. Ask around I own two Salamander 2 PCBs, both with the exact same issue. It does not affect the game, and (cannot find the source right now) I am told that this is actually a bug in the romcheck software.

So does it not affect the re-sale value then?

This wasn't a game I was planning on keeping long term you see but if it's something that lowers the value of the board or is going to get it returned to me then I'd rather not take the chance.

Cageman · Post by **Cageman** » March 16th, 2011, 9:24 am

wonderbanana wrote:
Cageman wrote:

Nearly all Salamander 2 boards have this issue. Ask around I own two Salamander 2 PCBs, both with the exact same issue. It does not affect the game, and (cannot find the source right now) I am told that this is actually a bug in the romcheck software.
So does it not affect the re-sale value then?

This wasn't a game I was planning on keeping long term you see but if it's something that lowers the value of the board or is going to get it returned to me then I'd rather not take the chance.

It should not affect value. Perhaps a good idea to poll: How many Salamander 2 owners have PCBs with this exact same issue. I am still trying to find the thread I started a while ago on this very subject..

Post by **wonderbanana** » March 16th, 2011, 9:30 am

Cageman wrote: It should not affect value. Perhaps a good idea to poll: How many Salamander 2 owners have PCBs with this exact same issue. I am still trying to find the thread I started a while ago on this very subject..

I'd be interested to see that thread and hear from any others.

I've got about 3 hours to make a desision

Post by **nem** » March 16th, 2011, 9:39 am

Dude, keep it. Like you said, it works fine. I would try my Salamander 2, but it's ROM board only at the moment.

Post by **VectorGlow** » March 17th, 2011, 10:18 am

The mask ROM at 15H is one of those responsible for the tiles, ie the background graphics. It would only take one minor fault in the ROM for the self test to report it as bad, so if you're not seeing any obvious faults then i wouldn't worry about it until it's a problem.

But as you're getting the board replaced anyway then problem 'solved'.

If it was my board I'd replace the ROM with an EPROM.

Post by **Alpha1** » March 18th, 2011, 11:58 am

This is a Salamander revision bug.

The rom is fine but the game has the wrong CRC to check against. Nearly every Salamander II pcb has this issue.

Oliver

Post by **VectorGlow** » March 18th, 2011, 1:08 pm

That's useful to know, thanks.

SuperDeadite · Post by **SuperDeadite** » March 18th, 2011, 4:45 pm

I bought my Salamander 2 directly from MAK-Japan a few years ago, and it has this same error. Totally normal for this game.

Salamander 2 - Should I return it to the seller?

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