Response from Jonathan: Mike,

Yes, it should be possible to replace an old monitor with a new LCD TV but you will probably have MUCH better luck using a LCD computer monitor instead. The main reason is because converter boards (like the Gonbes GBS-8200 series that we recommend) only have about 4 resolutions that they support for output. In the case of the GBS-8200, those resolutions are 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, and 1360×768. If the LCD TVs you are using do not support these resolutions, you will get either nothing or an out of range message on your screen. Since LCD TVs are only meant to take TV input signals, it’s common for them to limit support to just those resolutions in order to keep costs down. On the other hand, LCD computer monitors are designed to take many different resolutions as computers can output all sorts of different options depending on the video card installed.

With all that said, you may have some luck changing the output resolution on the converter board. This can be done via dip switches or other options depending on the one you currently have in the cabinet. On the Gonbes GBS-8200 series, you can hold the DOWN/AUTO button for over 5 seconds to reset the resolution to 800×600 which is a very common resolution for computer monitors. If nothing comes up on the screen after changing the resolution, it could just be that your LCD TV won’t support it.

Now, you may have noticed a VGA output on your Golden Tee 2005 board. Unfortunately this plug does not output a VGA (31 kHz) signal according to the manual. So unless you have a monitor that supports standard (15 kHz) or medium (25 kHz) resolution signal (which are somewhat rare), you can’t use this output directly. You will need to go through a converter board in order to get it to work. Again, we recommend the Gonbes GBS-8200 series video converters. You can pick one up from our friend Bryan at Paradise Arcade Shop for around $25 plus shipping. Basically you just hook up the video output wires from the harness on your Golden Tee board up to the Gonbes board then run a VGA cable from the output of the Gonbes board to your TV. The process is a little more difficult that we make it sound but if you are familiar with splicing and connecting wires it shouldn’t be too hard for you. Feel free to send us any specific questions about this process if you end up going this route.

One more thing. The GBS-8200 series converter has an on-screen menu that should allow you to center the screen. You can also try the auto-adjustment on your LCD screen to see if that helps the centering issue. Again, using an LCD computer monitor will give you more options for position than a LCD TV.

Hope that helps. Thank you for your question and good luck with your project.