Donkey Kong 3 High Score Save Kit

Braze Technologies

Innovative solutions for the "classic" arcade collector

Donkey Kong 3 High Score Save Kit

A simple to install high score save kit that permanently remembers the top 5 scores and initials for Donkey Kong 3. Also saves the current FREE PLAY setting. No batteries required.
Installs in minutes! No special wiring or soldering is required. Simply remove the Z80 chip from your Donkey Kong 3 CPU board, insert this Z80 CPU chip into the daughter card (pictured right) and then plug the daughter card into the vacated Z80 socket on the CPU board. Thats it!

High Score Save Kit hs2

Pricing and Availability

Ready to install kits are available today for $45.

Features

Kit installs in just minutes. No board modifications or special wiring is required. See detailed installation guide below.

Top 5 high scores and initials are remembered permanently, long after the game has been powered off. No batteries to replace ever.

Free play, which can be enabled or disabled via the standard Donkey Kong 3 test mode function, is also saved. See test mode operation below.

Top 5 high scores and initials can be erased (set back to default) by going into test mode and clearing the "bookeeping distributions".

Donkey Kong 3 High Score Save Kit -- Installation Guide

Step 0: Turn off power to the game

While it may be possible to install this kit without removing your board from its cabinet, you may find it easier to install the kit if you do remove the board. In that case, pay careful attention (or label), any wire connections as you disconnect your board so that you can correctly rehookup the game PCB afterwards. Take note of which side of the PCB edge connector is facing the parts side of the board and which side faces the solder side, This connector is typically not keyed and can be inadvertantly plugged in backwards - ouch! It is recommended that you label the connector faces with something like "parts side" or "solder side".

Step 1: Locate the CPU board

Donkey Kong 3 boardset consists of two boards (video and CPU). The CPU board is the one that has the battery holder and edge connector.

Donkey Kong 3 CPU board

Step 2: Remove the Z80-CPU chip

Locate and remove the Z80 chip on the CPU board. Use the above photos to assist in locating it. The Z80-CPU chip is a 40 pin (large) chip, located at 5C directly above eprom 7C. Do not get this chip confused with the Z80-DMA controller located next to the Z80-CPU. Remove the chip gently by using a flat head screwdriver to pry it out of its socket from each end. Be careful not to bend any of the pins. If any pins do get inadvertantly bent, you will need to straighten them out before the next step. Needle nose pliers work the best for this. Z80 Location

Donkey Kong 3 Z80-CPU location

Step 3: Insert the Z80-CPU into the daughter card

Insert the just removed Z80-CPU chip into the empty 40 pin socket on the High Score Save Kit. Make sure pin-1 is correctly oriented. Pin-1 is marked on the Z80-CPU chip usually by some type of indentation or circle molded into the plastic. The end of the chip with the marking, needs to match up with the socket on the daughter card that also has a marking on the plastic. Pin-1 is also labelled on the kit pcb with a "1".

Pin-1 Identification
Z80 CPU Chip	High Score Daughter Card	Pin-1 Identification

Step 5: Insert the daughter card into the CPU board

Insert the daughter card back into the Z80-CPU socket on the CPU board where the Z80-CPU chip was originally removed from. Again, make sure pin-1 of the Z80/daughter card is oriented to correctly match pin-1 on the CPU board. Use the photos as a guide.

The header on the daughter board has pins that are more heavy duty than the original Z80-CPU pins, thus you will need to press very firmly to get the daughter card to be fully inserted into the original Z80-CPU socket.

Donkey Kong 3 With HS kit installed

Step 6: Double check your work

Review the steps and double check that Z80-CPU is properly installed into the daughter card with no bent pins and that it is correctly oriented for pin-1. And that the daughter card is also installed snug into the Z80-CPU socket at 5E with pin-1 matched up.

Step 7: Powerup and game and enjoy!

Reinstall your board into the cabinet if necessary, and then powerup your game.

If the game does not come up, turn power off immediately, double check your work, and read over the trouble shooting section.

Donkey Kong 3 High Score Save Kit -- Trouble Shooting

A common mistake is not having the daughter card inserted correctly, either hanging over the socket by 1 pin, or in backwards. In this case you will usually just see the powerup garbage on the screen. This garbage is just the random bits that are in the character RAM at powerup, and it indicates the CPU was not able to run.

Another common mistake is for the Z80 CPU to have been inserted incorrectly, either backwards, or possibly with a pin bent that did not insert into the socket properly.

The Donkey Kong 3 high score save kit will perform a very simple powerup selftest of the HS daughter cards on powerup. Should this mini selftest fail, the text HS FAILURE will appear on the bottom line during the very first attract mode screen. After that, it is cleared by the subsequent attract mode screens, so you need to check for this immediately after powering up the game. A sample screen showing the failure is shown to the right. If you see this failure, most likely that means that one of the socketted chips on the daughter card is probably lose. Check to make sure the 8 pin dip (the smallest chip) on the HS daughter card is fully inserted into its socket.

Operating Donkey Kong 3 Test Mode

Pressing and holding the Service Switch will cause the Test Mode menu to be displayed.
A flashing icon points to the current test. Momentarily depressing the Service Switch will step to the next test. When the flashing icon is pointing to the desired test, the details of that test can be displayed by pressing and holding the Service Switch.
You can return to the test mode menu from within a test by pressing and holding the Service Switch until the menu appears.
Return to game mode by selecting the last test "Return to game mode" and pressing and holding the Service Switch until it returns to game play mode.

Erasing Donkey Kong 3 High Scores

Enter Test Mode
Following the general test mode operation instructions, put the game into test mode. (Press and hold the Switch Switch until the menu appears).
Select the menu item "1-DISTRIBUTIONS" (normally already selected). Press and hold the Service Switch until the distribution screen appears.

Clear Distributions
Press P1-Start or P2-Start to clear the distributions. Note the message on the bottom indicates this will also clear the high scores.
For the Donkey Kong 3 High Score save kit, this also resets the high scores back to the factory defaults.
At this point, the game should have returned to the test mode menu with the next item selected.

Return to Game Play
At this point, the game should have returned to the test mode menu with the next item selected.
Advance the menu to "4-RETURN TO GAME" by Momentarily depressing the Service Switch will step to the next test. Once the last item is selected, press and hold the Service Switch until it returns to game play mode.
At this point the high score table should have the following factor default scores and initials.

Setting Donkey Kong 3 FREE PLAY mode

Enter Test Mode, Select FREE PLAY
Following the general test mode operation instructions, put the game into test mode. (Press and hold the Switch Switch until the menu appears).
Select the menu item "2-FREE PLAY" by momentarily pressing the service switch.
Once selected, Press and hold the Service Switch until the free play screen appears.

Toggle Free play setting
Press P1-Start or P2-Start to toggle the current free play setting.
For the Donkey Kong 3 High Score save kit, the free play option selected will be saved along with the high scores.
Press (and hold) the service switch to return to the test mode menu.

Donkey Kong 3 Monitor tests and diagnostics

Diagnostics
Following the general test mode operation instructions, put the game into test mode. (Press and hold the Switch Switch until the menu appears).
Select the menu item "3-MONITOR ADJUSTMENT & SELF-TEST" by momentarily pressing the service switch.
Once selected, Press and hold the Service Switch until the first diagnostic test screen appears.
Press either start button to proceed to the next test. The test screens are shown below for reference.

	Kit installs in just minutes. No board modifications or special wiring is required. See detailed installation guide below.
	Top 5 high scores and initials are remembered permanently, long after the game has been powered off. No batteries to replace ever.
	Free play, which can be enabled or disabled via the standard Donkey Kong 3 test mode function, is also saved. See test mode operation below.
	Top 5 high scores and initials can be erased (set back to default) by going into test mode and clearing the "bookeeping distributions".