Golden Tee Live machines previously connected to the Internet/ITnet via a Sprint modem. The Sprint service was discontinued a few years ago. However, some older machines still have the modem soldered directly onto the I/O board. The modem attempts to connect to the Sprint towers during boot, but the connection is always unsuccessful. The result is a frustratingly long delay during startup as the game waits for a connection that will never happen.
The current solution has been to physically remove the modem by desoldering it from the I/O board. While effective, this approach comes with its own set of challenges. It requires disconnecting the I/O board and removing it from the machine, having soldering skills, and a fair amount of time to properly remove the component. For many, this can be a cumbersome process.
Fortunately, I’ve come up with an alternative solution that doesn’t require any soldering: a simple software fix that you can apply using just a thumb drive.
The Software Alternative: How It Works
Instead of physically removing the Sprint modem, we can trick the Golden Tee system into thinking the modem has already been removed. Golden Tee runs a Linux-based operating system, and one of the ways to disable the modem is by blacklisting the modem’s driver. By doing this, the game won’t try to load the Sprint modem driver during boot-up, and it will skip the long connection attempt to the now-defunct network.
I’ve created a script that you can load onto a USB thumb drive like an ordinary Golden Tee update. When you run the update, it adds the necessary “cp210x” (the modem driver) to the blacklist. This allows the system to boot more quickly, without waiting for the non-functional modem to connect.
Why You Should Consider This Solution
While desoldering the modem is a solution, it’s not always the easiest or safest option for the average arcade owner or operator. Removing a component from the I/O board requires a certain level of expertise with soldering equipment. Mistakes can easily lead to damaging the board, rendering the system unusable. For many users, this can be a daunting and risky task.
The software solution I’ve developed is a low-risk, hassle-free method that eliminates the need for soldering skills and disassembling the entire machine. It’s a much cleaner and safer solution that can be done in minutes with just a USB thumb drive and a few simple steps.
How to Create the USB Drive and Apply the Software Fix
Here’s how you can implement this solution in just a few easy steps:
1. Prepare Your USB Drive
First, you’ll need a USB thumb drive. It’s essential to format the drive as FAT32, which is the format that Golden Tee systems can read.
Steps to Format Your USB Drive in Windows:
- Plug the USB drive into your computer.
- Open File Explorer, right-click on your USB drive, and select Format.
- In the format window, make sure to select FAT32 as the file system. (If your drive is larger than 32GB, FAT32 might not appear. You can use a third-party tool to format it to FAT32.)
- Set the Allocation Unit Size to default (usually 4096 bytes).
- Click Start, then confirm that you want to proceed with formatting.
2. Download the Update Script
Next, you’ll need to download the update script.
- Download the update file to your computer.
- Once downloaded, copy the file to the root of your FAT32-formatted USB drive.
- Rename the file to update.bin
3. Load the Script onto Your Golden Tee Machine
Now that your USB drive is ready, it’s time to apply the update to your Golden Tee machine:
- Safely eject the USB drive from your computer and plug it into one of the USB ports on the Golden Tee machine.
- Power on the machine. The system should automatically detect the update file on the USB drive.
- The process will run automatically, and once it’s complete, the game will reboot.
- Remove the thumb drive.
4. Enjoy Faster Boot Times
Once the update is applied, your Golden Tee machine should boot much more quickly. The system will no longer wait for the non-functional modem to connect, and you’ll be able to jump straight into gameplay.