Subject: Re: TECH: Tempest v3 ROMs
From: [email-masked] (Gregg Woodcock)
Date: 12 Nov 1996 15:07:09 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade.collecting

Jeff Hendrix ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I am trying to update some tempests to version 3 ROMs (to prevent the
: screen from collapsing between players)
: I downloaded all the Tempest ROM images from Jess's site and I split apart
: the version 3 ROMs to fit on 2716s. When I did checksum compares on these
: files against the version 2 ROMs, they were all identical except for ROM
: H1 but the readme says that the only ROMs that changed where E1, F1, &
: MN1.

The readme is definitely wrong; I have confirmed your observations.
Here is my tempest.rom file:

Tempest board versions -01 and -02 (most boards) use all the ROM
sockets.  All EPROMs are type 2716 but you can substitute a 4716, 2516,
or TMS 2516 (but *NOT* TMS 2716) if you can't find a 2716.

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
D1   136002-101  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.113>
E1   136002-102  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.114>
F1   136002-103  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.115>
H1   136002-104  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.116>
J1   136002-105  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.117>
K1   136002-106  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.118>
LM1  136002-107  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.119>
MN1  136002-108  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.120>
P1   136002-109  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.121>
R1   136002-110  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.122>
NP3  136002-111  ????  136002.111
R3   136002-112  ????  136002.112

Any of the follwoing ROMs can be interchanged with the corresponding
ROMs in the previous set.  The 117 ROM is the one responsible for the
backdoor to features after scoring 180,000.  This rom set is generally
referred to as "Version 1".

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
D1   136002-113  ????  136002.113
E1   136002-114  ????  136002.114
F1   136002-115  ????  136002.115
H1   136002-116  ????  136002.116
J1   136002-117  ????  136002.117
K1   136002-118  ????  136002.118
LM1  136002-119  ????  136002.119
MN1  136002-120  ????  136002.120
P1   136002-121  ????  136002.121
R1   136002-122  ????  136002.122
NP3  136002-123  ????  136002.123
R3   136002-124  ????  136002.124

The '2xx' ROMs replace the corresponding '1xx' ROMs on later released
boards.  The 217 ROM removes the score backdoors that allow free games
and access to test, options, and statistics screens.  The first 2 are
2716s and the second 2 are 2532s.  This rom set is generally referred to
as "Version 2".

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
F1   136002-217  ????  136002.217 (2716)
R1   136002-222  ????  136002.222 (2716)
J1   136002-235  ????  136002.235 (2532)
P1   136002-237  ????  136002.237 (2532)

Tempest board versions -03 and -04 are strapped to use 2532s (32K
instead of 16K for 2716s) and only use every other ROM socket.  These
boards use the following ROMs which includes a fix that keeps the spot
killer from collapsing the screen during the intermissions between 1st
and 2nd players in a 2 player game.  This ROM set is generally referred
to as "Version 3".

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
D1   136002-133  ????  136002.133 (121+222)
F1   136002-134  ????  136002.134 (119+120)
J1   136002-135  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.235 (217+318)>
LM1  136002-136  ????  136002.136 (115+316)
P1   136002-137  ????  <unavailable; use 136002.237 (113+114)>
NP3  136002-138  ????  136002.138 (123+124)

Since most people won't want to restrap a 2716 Tempest board to get the
bug fix, here is the 2716 version of the essential 2532 file.  There are
only 2 difference between the Version 2 ROM set and the Version 3 ROM
set.  If you replace these 2 ROMs, you will have all of the "Version 3"
code changes.  The change for the player intermission screen fix is
contained in the ROM at H1; I don't know what the ROM at location K1
changes.  Please note that Atari never released any 136002.3xx ROMs so
if you ever see one, it was done by a hack like you!

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
H1   136002-316  ????  136002.316
K1   136002-318  ????  136002.318

A gamer/operator who shall remain nameless reverse engineered the ROMs
enough to find the level table.  He constructed some new level shapes
that can be played if you replace the ROM at location K1 with the
following ROM.  Please note that this ROM file competes with the
Version 3 ROM set so you must put back the Version 2 ROMs.  It should
be easy to find the location of the shape data and drop it into the
Version 3 ROM at K1; perhaps somebody will actually do this...

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
K1   136002-418  ????  136002.418

The following ROMs are from the math box (the smaller, square PCB).  The
ROM at location A1 is type 74S288 (32 x 8) and all the rest are type
74S287 = AM27S21 (256 x 4).  The same ROMs were used in Battlezone,
RedBaron, Vortex {a (black and white?) Tempest prototype}, and Tempest.

loc  part num    cksm  filename
---  ----------  ----  ----------
A1   136002-126  ????  136002.126 <same as Battlezone 036174.01>
E1   136002-127  ????  136002.127 <same as Battlezone 036180.01>
F1   136002-128  ????  136002.128 <same as Battlezone 036179.01>
H1   136002-129  ????  136002.129 <same as Battlezone 036178.01>
J1   136002-130  ????  136002.130 <same as Battlezone 036177.01>
K1   136002-131  ????  136002.131 <same as Battlezone 036176.01>
L1   136002-132  ????  136002.132 <same as Battlezone 036175.01>
--