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Wells Gardner D9200 27" VGA Monitor

     I chose to use a Wells Gardner D9200 27" CRT VGA Arcade Monitor for CHRO-MAME.  It's a true arcade monitor, resulting in 100% accurate resolutions, refresh rates, and colors when it comes to displaying arcade games.  It can run at 15KHz, 24KHz, and 31.5KHz.  Plus it can hit every arcade resolution known to man (there are too many to list, going from very low up to 640x480).  The monitor can be driven at 800x600 (I've done it a few times), but it doesn't look too good at that resolution as it's not really designed for it.  I've read mixed reports all over the internet that running at 800x600 with a D9200 is safe/unsafe.  According to Easy MAMECab (the website that convinced me to get one of these), it is unsafe to run at 800x600.  640x480 looks fine though.

     Wells Gardner also makes a 33" version of this same monitor (I can't remember if it carries the D9200 model number, or something like D9300).  I couldn't imagine how large of a cabinet you would need for one of those.  The 27" model actually measures something like 28.5", so it's not one of those cheap 27" deals that's actually 25".

     Some people have rotated their D9200's vertically as it should work fine as a vertical monitor also.  I remember seeing one cabinet (I don't have the link) that had a motorized monitor, allowing you to turn it 90 degrees with one push of a button.  Now that's hardcore!

     The D9200 comes with a VGA connector, VGA cable, display settings interface card, and a power cable.  The power cable is shipped with bare wires at its end, so you need to hack it up a bit to connect it.

     I have had some very minor problems with the monitor.  The cathode rays (I believe) have become misaligned on three or four occasions.  This results in an off-center, discolored picture.  I've determined that this is caused by vibration/movement of the monitor.  Smacking it hard on the front upper-right portion of the glass tube fixes this.  I have a feeling that something is loose, but I can't tell what.  It hasn't happened in the past six months though.

     Another problem some people have had is color bleeding.  Say a 3x3 inch white square is projected onto the front of the tube.  If the image is left there for a while (~15 minutes) you can start seeing pink and blue bleed around its edges.  This can end up distorting all of the color throughout the monitor.

     Is this monitor burn-in?  No, it's virtually impossible to burn in any monitor in 15 minutes.  Rather it's a fault in the D9200 design.  By factory default, the brightness and contrast are set super-high.  Since the cathode rays are hitting the mask with such intensity (the mask has all of the holes (representing pixels) that the cathode ray shoots through), the rays cause the mask to heat up and warp slightly.  This offsets the red, blue, and green pixels and distorts the color on the image.

     Solution?  Shut the monitor off for 20-30 minutes and let it cool down.  The picture will come back to normal.  To prevent this from happening ever again, simply decrease the brightness/contrast of the monitor.

The D9200 in all its Glory:

Back of D9200 (Don't Touch Anything! - Shock Hazard):

Another Back View of the D9200:

Left Side:

Left Side (Again - the right side looks exactly the same, so you're not missing anything):

     They sell these monitors in several different metal enclosures.  They're all called Wells Gardner D9200's, but I can't figure out their model system.  I've seen some of these D9200's in a roll-bar like enclosure (kind of like the roll bars you see on those small Jeep's) which have the monitor pre-angled when sitting flat on its base.

Sitting in its Home (that shelf isn't bent - the optics in my camera are playing a trick on you):

Left Handle (these handles were added by my father - without them it's impossible to remove it):

Right Handle:

My Hand Fits Nicely:

Here I am Pulling it Out (it weighs about 80 pounds - I can remove it and put it back in without any help):

RCA (a.k.a. Thompson Electronics) Makes the D9200 CRT Tube:

Motherboard Power and VGA Connectors:

     The motherboard can be replaced if it dies (same with the CRT tube).  I think a new one is around $250.00.  A new tube is probably a lot more.

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