Pulstar Video Issue

2D_mastur · Dec 20, 2010

I just bought a JP Pulstar cart. Today checked the boards, the cart is legit. I put in the game, played it a bit, no major problems.

BUT, there is one thing that bothers me:

At certain video transitions (eg. from cut scenes to normal game play ) the video gets scrambled for a split second (only in the middle of the screen, as if the TV was momentary turned off then on) then transitions to the next video sequence. I cleaned the cart contacts, no dice. This is the only cart this happens with, so I doubt it's the MVS slot. Like I said, everything seems okay besides this. Has anybody else had this problem with Pulstar?

Xian Xi · Dec 20, 2010

Check the solder joints, could be a cold solder joint. Unless that's how it transitions.

SniperElite · Dec 20, 2010

It is normal for Pulstar to have a bit of static between transitions from cut scenes to normal game play.

I was worried myself when I purchased my first copy and asked the same question. I was reassured that it was normal.

I have owned 2 MVS carts, both legit... with the same results. It’s normal!

2D_mastur · Dec 21, 2010

SniperElite said:
It is normal for Pulstar to have a bit of static between transitions from cut scenes to normal game play.

I was worried myself when I purchased my first copy and asked the same question. I was reassured that it was normal.

I have owned 2 MVS carts, both legit... with the same results. It’s normal!

Wow, thanks for the replies, dudes.

Weird how I've never heard of this "issue" until just now. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has experienced it.

topher · Dec 22, 2010

I'll check my copy when I get home today. I don't recall ever seeing the issue you are talking about but could be wrong...

2D_mastur · Dec 26, 2010

Bump.

Just wondering if there are any other Pulstar owners who have this issue.

Xian Xi · Dec 26, 2010

Just checked mine and I saw no scrambling. What part exactly is it where you see it? Can you make a video?

topher · Dec 28, 2010

With the holidays, I completly forgot to check mine. Will check tonight and post back tomorrow.

topher · Dec 31, 2010

Just checked, and yeah, brief static line in center of the screen at 2 points of intro video and found none during game play transitions.

SignOfGoob · Jan 1, 2011

This happens for me too. It flickers when the game transitions between actual "shooting" sections and anything else (cut scenes, high score, continue). It really looks like the signal is dropping for a split second, like how when a system changes resolutions...but the Geo only runs at one resolution, doesn't it?

Because the flicker/flash seems to be from a momentary loss of sync, I assume it looks a lot different on one screen than it does on another. I'm running it on a CMVS (two slot), JROK, mid-90s 27" JVC CRT.

2D_mastur · Jan 2, 2011

topher said:
Just checked, and yeah, brief static line in center of the screen at 2 points of intro video and found none during game play transitions.

SignOfZeta said:
This happens for me too. It flickers when the game transitions between actual "shooting" sections and anything else (cut scenes, high score, continue). It really looks like the signal is dropping for a split second, like how when a system changes resolutions...but the Geo only runs at one resolution, doesn't it?

Because the flicker/flash seems to be from a momentary loss of sync, I assume it looks a lot different on one screen than it does on another. I'm running it on a CMVS (two slot), JROK, mid-90s 27" JVC CRT.

Wow.

It's really great to know I'm not the only one with a cart that does this. Perhaps Sign of Zeta is right in thinking it depends on the TV or even board you are using.

My Specs:

JAP Cart
CMVS MV-1F
20'' Panasonic Tau Flatscreen CRT TV (NOT widescreen)
S-Video input

The game flickers at two places in the Intro and between the end of cutscenes and the beginning of each level. When I die, it flickers right before I "respawn" and the gameplay begins again.

Xian Xi said:
Just checked mine and I saw no scrambling. What part exactly is it where you see it? Can you make a video?

Xi Xian, I am very interested in your specs since you saw no scrambling/flickering.

topher · Jan 3, 2011

For the record, mine was checked on a standard MV4-25 cabinet.

Izsomean · Jan 5, 2011

Just checked mine, and i do see these little orange or red static lines right before a new level or after each death (and they are frequent :lolz:

), imho it's definitely part of the game because they show up at the exact same space...

distropia · Jan 5, 2011

What version of bios do you have?

2D_mastur · Jan 6, 2011

distropia said:
What version of bios do you have?

I'm running it on Uni-bios 3.0... another possible variable?

After reading others replies...this "glitch" seems to be fairly common. Also it seems to consistently show up at the same spots for most people.

SignOfGoob · Jan 6, 2011

I decided to fire this game up in MAME and see how it went there.

There is no flicker, but considering there is no analog video in emulation this isn't a surprise. I did notice that the "CREDIT 00" thing in the right corner winks out at the same time that you get the flicker on real hardware. Therefore, I'm pretty sure it really is a loss of picture/sync that causes the issue, and variations of the flicker reported by members here past and present are due to variations in displays, encoders, AES revisions, etc.

Xian Xi · Jan 6, 2011

2D_Master said:
Xi Xian, I am very interested in your specs since you saw no scrambling/flickering.

I have to check on actual hardware, my reply was via MAME. If my actual hardware does have the "dissipation" static then it's obviously a hardware artifact.

I'll let you know later tonight.

smkdan · Jan 6, 2011

It's normal to see the glitches in Pulstar and a bunch of other games. It won't be seen in an emulator since there's no real reason to emulate the quirk in the hardware that causes this glitch (68k and NEO-Bx wanting to access palette RAM at same time).

Xian Xi · Jan 6, 2011

ok, just checked and I see what you mean.

Of all the Pulstar carts I've owned they've always done that.

You're talking about the dashes -------, correct?

SignOfGoob · Jan 6, 2011

It does emulate the quirk (that is, image does completely drop) its just that the quirk has no effect on MAME/computers/whatever.

smkdan · Jan 6, 2011

The dropped screen isn't the glitch. The game is intentionally setting the screen black. It's the visible lines of 'static' that occur on actual hardware and not in emulation.

SignOfGoob · Jan 7, 2011

smkdan said:
The dropped screen isn't the glitch. The game is intentionally setting the screen black. It's the visible lines of 'static' that occur on actual hardware and not in emulation.

Interesting. Two questions then...how did you figure this out, and how is it that some people claim to have certain combinations of Neo Geo/display that don't produce this flicker?

On my setup I see nothing like static, nothing like "------", I see what looks exactly like someone wiggling a worn our video cable just once.

smkdan · Jan 7, 2011

SignOfZeta said:
Interesting. Two questions then...how did you figure this out, and how is it that some people claim to have certain combinations of Neo Geo/display that don't produce this flicker?

On my setup I see nothing like static, nothing like "------", I see what looks exactly like someone wiggling a worn our video cable just once.

It's shown in schematics/tech docs and Pulstar's program does what would cause the glitches to show on a real neo at the same points people mention in this thread. One thing in my custom BIOS makes the same glitch occur on my real AES/MVS as a sideeffect. 'Static' is the best word I can describe, but they do look like dashes spread out on the screen actually.

Don't know if this applies to all neo hardware, they might have changed the video setup at some point where the glitch appears differently or not at all. All the older hardware would have this glitch though, don't know about the smaller 1slots they made later on. I only own the older stuff.

2D_mastur · Jan 7, 2011

Xian Xi said:
ok, just checked and I see what you mean.

Of all the Pulstar carts I've owned they've always done that.

You're talking about the dashes -------, correct?

Well mine is like a correlation of static...in the form of white-ish horizontal dashes that flashes from top to bottom of the screen, in the horizontal center of the screen.

Most likely, we're all seening the same thing.

Xian Xi · Jan 7, 2011

I'll post a video later.

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