VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Dragon's Lair Virtual Library - Images and information on the major components

MANUALS
Dragon's Lair - Operation Manual (USA / Cinematronics) (28 pages) - SEE THE FOLLOWING REVISED DL/SA DUAL MANUAL
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Operation and Maintenance Manual (USA / Cinematronics) (63 pages)
Dragon's Lair - Preliminary Manual Rev. 3 (Europe / Atari) (17 pages) - SEE THE OFFICIAL MANUAL BELOW
Dragon's Lair - Preliminary Manual Rev. 7 (Europe / Atari) (17 pages) - SEE THE OFFICIAL MANUAL BELOW
Dragon's Lair - Operators Manual (Europe / Atari) (76 pages)
Dragon's Lair - il Manuale (Italy / Sidam) (10 pages)

SCHEMATICS
Dragon's Lair - Operation Manual (USA / Cinematronics) (28 pages) - SEE THE FOLLOWING REVISED DL/SA DUAL MANUAL
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Operation and Maintenance Manual (USA / Cinematronics) (63 pages)
Dragon's Lair - Schematic Package Supplement (Europe / Atari) (32 pages)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Electrohome NTSC Decoder Specifications and Pinouts (USA / Cinematronics) (4 pages)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Wells-Gardner NTSC Decoder Pinouts (USA / Cinematronics)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Control Panel Pinout (USA / Cinematronics)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Coin Door Pinout (USA / Cinematronics)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace - Operator Convenience Panel Pinout (USA / Cinematronics)

DIP SWITCH SETTINGS
Dragon's Lair - DIP Switch Settings (USA / Cinematronics) (for rev. A, B, C, D, and Beta 1 & 2 EPROMs)
Dragon's Lair - DIP Switch Settings (USA / Cinematronics) (for rev. E, F, and F2 EPROMs)
Dragon's Lair - DIP Switch Settings (Europe / Atari) (finalized, non-preliminary version)
Dragon's Lair - DIP Switch Settings (Italy / Sidam)

Games updated with the DL Enhancement or the DL/SA Combo ROMS should follow the DIP switch charts available at those pages.
Games converted with commercial aftermarket products must follow the product documentation.

ROM IMAGES *
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. A) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. B) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. C) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. D) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. E) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. F) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (rev. F2) 
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (Beta 1) §
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (USA / Cinematronics) (Beta 2) §
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (Europe / Atari)
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (Europe / Atari) (alternate)
Dragon's Lair - ROM Images (Italy / Sidam)
Dragon's Lair / Space Ace Combo ROM - (for USA / Cinematronics) - Made in 2002, this ROM holds both Dragon's Lair & Space Ace on the same set of chips.
Dragon's Lair Enhancement ROM - (for USA / Cinematronics) - Made in 1999-2005, these ROMs make use of the laserdisc's full potential.

Diagnostics ROM Package - (for USA / Cinematronics) - Made in 2018, this ROM aids with PCB troubleshooting. (also contains the 1983 Cinematronics diagnostics archive)

* See notes on "EPROM Compatibility" in the "Troubleshooting & Tech Tips" section below.
Revisions A, B, and C EPROMs use the Pioneer PR-7820 only. Revision D EPROMs use the Pioneer LD-V1000 only. Revisions E, F, and F2 EPROMs use either player. Revisions A, B, C, and D are a five chip set. Revisions E, F, and F2 are a four chip set.
§ Beta 1 and Beta 2 are each a five chip set for use with an early version 1 PCB and a Pioneer PR-7820 only. Beta 1 came from Dragon's Lair cabinet serial #1. Beta 2 plays the same as rev. A, B, and C, but the code is different from all other ROM revisions.

 

 

Compatible Laserdisc Players - Pioneer PR-7820 (USA / Cinematronics), Pioneer LD-V1000 (USA / Cinematronics), Philips 22VP932 (Europe / Atari, and Italy / Sidam)

Pioneer PR-7820 - Service Manual (168 pages)
Pioneer PR-7820 - General Adjustment Procedures (20 pages)
Pioneer PR-7820 - Programming Reference Guide (30 pages)
Pioneer PR-7820 - Users Guide to Programming (13 pages)
Pioneer PR-7820 - DVA System Manual (68 pages)
Pioneer PR-7820 to LD-V1000 - Cinematronics Conversion Instructions (8 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Operating Instructions (7 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Interface Guide (24 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Service Manual (81 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Provisional Service Manual (27 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Cleaning the Optics (3 pages)
Pioneer LD-V1000 - Changing the Laser Tube (3 pages)
Philips 22VP932 - Service Manual (95 pages) - (Europe / Atari, and Italy / Sidam)
Philips LaserVision Deck - Service Manual (10 pages)

Standard LD-V1000 Firmware - The LD-V1000 players that were used in the game Badlands contain firmware that was modified by Konami.
Download the standard Pioneer LD-V1000 EPROM image.

Laserdisc Player Conversion - None of the original laserdisc player models are natively compatible with any other model for a direct substitution.
PC Conversion - This do-it-yourself document instructs how to install a desktop PC, with accompanying software download, into your game cabinet to convert it from the Pioneer LD-V1000 to a Sony laserdisc player.

Aftermarket Conversion Cards - Various Laserdisc Player Conversion Products have been developed over the years to allow replacement/upgrade of the laserdisc player.

 

 

Main PCB Revisions - There are three known PCBs: v1, v1 Rev. C, and v2 Rev. A. Early version 1 PCBs (80-12035-01) have no revision marking, copper-colored traces, and serial numbers below 6000. Version 1 Rev. C PCBs (80-12035-01 REV C) have green traces and serial numbers above 6000. The version 2 Rev. A PCB (80-12035-02 REV A) was made in preparation for additional game installments after Space Ace. Revision C arrived when the transition was being made from the PR-7820 to the LD-V1000 laserdisc player. The older v1 PCB can be modified to use the LD-V1000, and the newer Rev. C and v2 PCBs can be modified to use the PR-7820. For instructions on how to perform these modifications, including details on the laserdisc player communications, see the Dragon's Lair PCB Conversion Between PR-7820 & LD-V1000 page.

Additionally, to see the multiple modifications that kept occurring to the design of the early version 1 PCB during the production of Dragon's Lair until the design was essentially finalized near serial number 5,000, as well as detailed instructions for performing these modifications on early v1 PCBs to achieve their most stable condition, check the Dragon's Lair v1 PCB Modifications page.

Diagnostics ROM Package - To aid with PCB troubleshooting, Shaun Wood offers an improved Diagnostics ROM Redo, which also contains the archive of the original, flawed Cinematronics diagnostics package.

EPROM Compatibility - Dragon's Lair uses type 2764 or 27C64 EPROMs or compatible, rated 250ns or faster (2764-25).
EPROMs rated slower, such as 300ns and higher (2764-30), have been reported incompatible.
National Semiconductor brand EPROMs have been reported incompatible.

Number of EPROMs - Avoid making assumptions about which ROM revision may be installed on a board based on the number of EPROMs present. Sometimes, when operators updated the EPROMs from a five chip set to a four chip set, they would leave the 5th chip (now unneeded) in its socket. And likewise, collectors who manually switch between Dragon's Lair and Space Ace may leave their 5th Space Ace EPROM installed while running Dragon's Lair with four chips. Therefore, the presence of five EPROMs does not prove that it must be one of the five chip ROM revisions. Revisions A, B, C, and D are five chip sets. Revisions E, F, and F2 are four chip sets. The Dragon's Lair Enhancement ROMs are four and three chip sets.

DIP Switch Updates in ROM Revisions E, F, and F2 - The following changes were implemented since revisions A, B, C, and D:

  • The option to disable the joystick feedback sound is discontinued, and this DIP switch (B3) is now used to select the model of laserdisc player, PR-7820 or LD-V1000. (The main PCB must also be correctly configured for the player type.)
  • The option for 4 coins per credit is discontinued, and this DIP switch (A1) is now used to increase the hard difficulty setting further to very hard. Complete details are in the Dragon's Lair Walkthru.
  • A setting of 2 coins per credit is not required for the pay-as-you-go setting to function. Pay-as-you-go can still be used if the game is set for 3 coins per credit, and the price to continue the game will also be 3 coins. However, the on-screen graphics will incorrectly still ask for only 2 coins, both during the attract mode to start the game and also at the interruption points.
  • In pay-as-you go mode, extra lives may be awarded after the interruption points only if the game is set to begin with 3 lives.

European Versions - Dragon's Lair was licensed to Atari for production and manufacture in Europe. The cabinet is very similar to the Cinematronics release, but the hardware, including the laserdisc player, is totally different. Atari sub-licensed Dragon's Lair to Sidam for production and manufacture in Italy. Most of the hardware for the Sidam version is the same as the Atari version, but the cabinet design is completely different. Both the Atari and Sidam versions of Dragon's Lair use a video overlay for the score and lives rather than the score display PCB that is used in the Cinematronics version. Click on the following links to see pictures of the video overlay: Picture 1  |  Picture 2

Interchangeability - Space Ace can be played in a Dragon's Lair cabinet by changing the laserdisc and the EPROMS (and also ideally with the Space Ace control panel's three skill level selection buttons for "Cadet", "Captain", & "Space Ace").

Monitor to TV Swap - If the monitor in your Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, or Thayer's Quest is not up to your liking, you can replace it with a 19" TV. The Monitor to TV Swap page will show you everything you need to know.

Volume Control Wiring Error - Apparently all Dragon's Lair and Space Ace main wiring harnesses were constructed with an error. Two pins are reversed in the connector for the volume controls, shorting the right audio channel to ground and creating noise in the system. For the fix, see the Dragon's Lair / Space Ace Operator Convenience Panel Pinout.

68705 Bypass Modification - An update for early version 1 Dragon's Lair / Space Ace PCBs. See the 68705 Bypass Modification page for more information.

Joystick Sound Volume Control Hack - Now you can adjust the volume of the joystick feedback sound in Dragon's Lair or Space Ace if it is too loud or soft for your environment. See the Dragon's Lair / Space Ace PCB Volume Control Hack.

Engineering Mode - Engineering mode was designed to let the engineers playtest a scene without having to play through the whole game. To learn more about this, see the Dragon's Lair Engineering Mode page.

Initialization - Ever wonder what all those characters are in the score display of Dragon's Lair while the game boots up? Check out the Dragon's Lair Initialization page.

LD-V1000 Boot Switch - A simple inexpensive way to build a switch that issues a play command to the LD-V1000 or LD-V1001. See the LD-V1000 Boot Switch page.

Aftermarket PCB Products - LaserCon offers modernized replacement main logic and ROM boards. [OFF-SITE]

Manufacturers:
Cinematronics (USA, 1983)
Atari (Europe, 1984)
Sidam (Italy, 1984)
Leisure and Allied Industries
(Australia, 1984)

The non-laserdisc arcade re-releases
(post-2000) are not covered here.

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