120 is a GI string

in post 3152 The lower picture is NOT from a TAF, disregard it. Someone posted the wrong picture.

The pictures in the thread I mentioned ARE specifically for TAF.

This picture in post 3151 is from a TAF.
Your wires on J-121 look correct in the connector.

I will get to addressing some of the other issues that have been raised this morning. There's a few different posts of a few different issues that need to be sorted out.

First up though, is this second image in the post (image removed as quoted but the reference to the post is there). It is correct in that it represents J120/J121. It is INCORRECT in that (I'm fairly confident) it is NOT from The Addams Family. Reason: J115 contains the BLACK Panduit (higher current carrying capacity). This was used in machines built after The Addams Family. It's possible that Williams switch from the original YEL/YEL-WHT as the transformer secondary for GI to the newer multi-color harness during production of The Addams Family. I don't know for sure.

Given that the image has indications it is not from The Addams Family you should NOT trust which wires are connected in J120/J121.

Reference: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/addams-family-scratch-build/page/62#post-7171040

The wire colors are consistent. Consistently inserted in PAIRS. The colors of the pairs varies between machines. When I see that image, it doesn't seem correct. Too many different pairs in both J120/J121. Each string contains a absolute maximum of 20 bulbs per string (20 * 0.25A = 5A). That's maximum. They should typically have no more than 16 which is 80% of the 5A fuse. I don't see a problem with your J121. There are two pairs of GI string wires - BRN/WHT-BRN and VIO/WHT-VIO.

Try using the GI test (T.6) to illuminate individual strings. The text on the display should also indicate WHERE the string is located.

You should only see three wires connected to a single point under very special circumstances. This is not normal. Examples of these circumstances are GI power distribution point (where the GI feed comes from the harness) and tieback diode wire connection on a solenoid lug.

What blue wire? I assume you mean RED-BLU wire. Lamp 16 is higher up on the playfield. I don't see a relevant image of the wiring around the lamp. You should be looking for YEL-BRN and RED-BLU wires.

You should try not to conflate GI and controlled lamps (lamp matrix). They are distinct circuits operating completely differently. GI is J120/J121. Controlled lamps are J133/J134/J135 and J136/J137/J138. They may both be contained in a single "lamp harness" but they are electrically distinct.

The wire harness builder will probably say there is nothing wrong with the harness that was built. I think you mentioned this harness came from someone located in Alberta. That person knows what he's doing.

The reason the other connector is not present is because that connector services the backbox ("insert") GI. You will have to make this if you have not already done so (or acquired it from someone else). This will have the other GI wire pairs. There should be NO flasher wires going to the backbox. This is a Lawlor game. Lawlor used BLINKERS not flashers. Blinkers are 455 or 545 bulbs. Flashers are 89 or 906 bulbs.

Fuse 110 is specifically the GI wire white/brown.

Check the fuse with an ohmmeter and check for shorts on the white/brown wiring.

A short to ground will keep blowing fuses. Check your wiring carefully on that circuit.

These are the only two fuses that should blow out of F106-F110 - at the moment. You have only connected BRN/WHT-BRN and VIO/WHT-VIO. F110 is the BRN string. F106 is the VIO string.

Ok. I can tell that you are NOT using the tests (particularly single lamp test) to verify your wiring. I am betting that you are either not using the test and watching attract mode or using the all lamp test and just seeing the pretty lights. Verification of correctness does not work like this.

Here's what I suggest you do before you start doing any more wiring of the controlled lamps.

1. Print out the lamp location page of the manual.
2. Enter single lamp test.
3. Step through EACH lamp ONE AT A TIME and check the lamp that lights on the playfield against the lamp location in the lamp location page that you printed out.
4. Put a mark (permanent marker if you want) and X out each one that works.
5. After you're done cycling through the single lamp test you will know exactly where you stand and what works and what does not work.
6. If you disconnect and re-wire anything then you should re-perform this test to establish your new baseline - if you want to be sure.

Once again ... here's the lamp location page ... with special annotating / highlighting marker only available from DumbAss(tm).

00_taf_lamp_locations.jpg

Here's what you have wired ... verified against the lamp location chart.

01_taf_individual_lamps.jpg

It looks to me like you've wired lamp 17 with the wire for lamp 16 and you're left with wires you can't figure out for lamp 16 and presumably want to connect the wires for lamp 17 to lamp 16. You could've discovered this if you did the single lamp test - which is why I don't think you've ever done it even though it has been mentioned several times before.

You need to:

1. Disconnect the two RED-BLU wires from lamp 17.
2. Connect those two RED-BLU wires to lamp 16.
3. Take two RED-VIO wires from the three cluster that you have and connect them to lamp 17.
4. Take the other single RED-VIO wire and (presumably) connect it to lamp 27 (in the vicinity).
5. Verify that lamp 16 and lamp 17 have a YEL-BRN wire (or YEL jumper) connected to them.

Again ... I am working from the manual and your provided images. If you find a discrepancy then you will need to either make a judgement call based on what you see in front of you or post an image and ask for help.

If you are ever stopped as to what RED-XXX wire you are dealing with then do as I previously stated - test for continuity with the connector in J133/J134/J135 to determine what the stripe / trace color is. The order in that connector is known and you can deduce the color from the order.

EDIT: Pardon the "SW" in the image. I had done so many of them for the switches that this was an "autopilot" type. Of course, they should be "LMP".

This^

Matt.

Scratch-build homebrewer here, seconding this statement (or thirding, or fourthing?). I can't stress enough how easy it is to find and fix wiring issues when you step through each lamp individually.

I’d like to nominate dumbass and pinballinreno for the most patient humans on the planet.

Are you saying that in "single lamp test" for number 16 that you have 7 lamps lit? To be clear, in single lamp test, only ONE lamp should be lit for each number.

Well now the question is which lamps are on? I would assume that they would line up to a row or column in the matrix but after watching the video and doing some guessing it doesn't look like this is the case. There could be a backwards diode and/or wrong wires somewhere in the series of lamps that is lit.

In single lamp test only one lamp will light up (as selected) as you go thru each step of the test, if its all correct.

As you go thru each lamp, is there a time when only one lamp is lit, or are all lamps lit on each step all of the time?

The lamp matrix is very similar the the switch matrix.

Rows and columns are used and the lamp matrix chart shows this, as well as wire colors for each individual lamp.

It uses diodes to isolate each lamp separately.

If a diode is backwards you will get mulitple lamps lit.

If all the diodes are backwards you will get all lamps lit all the time.

Please look at the lamp matrix chart starting in the upper left corner, and verify the wire color and diode.

In this case its thing multiball:

yellow brown (column wire) to red brown (row wire), diode banded side to the red brown.

The top of the chart shows the diode direction.

All banded sides of the diodes go to the red-xxx color wires

If you need a "known good working" picture,of this particular lamp, one can be provided.

Follow the column down to the bottom and then start at the top again until you have looked at all the lamps.

Verify each wire color and diode as you go thru the chart.

Mark each one on the chart as you go so as to not get confused.

This exercise will only take 15 mins or so.

This is what I want to know

Go thru the exercise I outlined above.

And please answer my question:

At any time during the "single lamp test" (as you step thru the indicted lamps), does a single lamp light up?

Or do all lamps light up all the time in every single step?

This is crucial information.

Break down the errors.

If its 4 or 5 lamps and not "all lamps" this is ok.

Chose the first test and write down all of the lamps that light up. And report back

since its rows and columns this is important information.

Knowing which lamps are on will indicate where the problem is, in that specific test, by examining the affected lamp locations on the matrix chart.

Each test is seperate, you can go thru and fix the problems one by one.

Simply put, if its not a mis-wired or backwards diode, its a mis-wired wire on a socket.

If a socket is mis-wired, either a diode or a wire, 4 or 5 lamps will light up in that particular test.

The good news is that the problem is likely on (or near, per the matrix chart) one of the 4 or 5 lighted lamps in each step of the test.

First thing I see is you must have wiring shorts between Yellow - Brown, Yellow - Red, and Yellow - Orange.

With the machine off, your multimeter will probably show continuity between these 3 wires.

Several lamps (R, second E and D in GREED for instance) seem to be shorted in a partially on state even when supposedly not energized. That may also be worth looking at...

I thought that was lamp 45 - mamushku. I checked that earlier.

You know that people have explained how to check the matrix to make sure that you are connecting these wires to the right spots? Why not do that before soldering to a random spot that may or may not be correct?

Here's another snarky comment for you: just because it looks right to you does not mean it is right (correct). The only thing that matters is that it is correct according to the lamp location diagram which is what the software is using as its map for where the lamps are located and wired. The videos you have posted show that it is clearly NOT correct.

Yes ... that might seem like tough love but you've been messing around with this for days and, honestly, you're no closer to the target. This is not a personal attack. It just looks to me likely you're throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks (trying different things and seeing what works). You have to be systematic to get this working. You can't just do random things. There's too much room for error. As I have said previously, there are many ways to (electrically) wire this INCORRECTLY. There is only one way to (electrically) wire this correctly.

We all want you to get to "lamp nirvana" but you have to slow down and work through things systematically.

Stop looking around at everything and focus on ONE thing at a time. Another complicating factor you have here is the use of LED bulbs. If you are using standard bulbs instead of non-ghosting bulbs you may get ghosting that will confuse you. The errant lamp illumination seen in your video is definitely NOT ghosting. It's incorrect wiring. Ghosting is a dim light and best seen in person.

Just spend the $20 and buy 1,000 of these. You will NEVER run out again. At the rate you're burning through these you will need them.

Focus on ONE thing at a time. You are getting yourself in knots. Again ... SLOW DOWN. Either choose to work on the GI or the controlled lamps. Not both. When you work on both and post about both (in the same post), it's just going to confuse you or the reader or both. Then when the reader posts a reply, is it a reply to the GI or the controlled lamps?

You don't need a picture from someone else (although these are readily available everywhere). There is really only one way to wire this up correctly.

A 3-lug bayonet socket has two conducting terminals and one inert (isolated) terminal. One of the conducting terminals is directly connected to the socket body. The other conducting terminal is directly connected to the center of the socket (isolated from the body). The isolated terminal is insulated (sandwiched) between the two conducting terminals.

• One conducting terminal takes the YEL-XXX wire.
• The other conducting terminal takes the NON-BANDED end of the diode.
• The non-conducting terminal takes both the BANDED end of the diode and the RED-XXX wire.

Here is how that relates to an image you have posted.

00_taf_lamp_socket_bayonet_3_lug.jpg

• One conducting terminal takes the YEL-XXX wire (YEL arrow).
• The other conducting terminal takes the NON-BANDED end of the diode (BLK/WHT arrow).
• The non-conducting terminal takes both the BANDED end of the diode and the RED-XXX wire (RED arrow).

This is how it relates to the lamp matrix wiring diagram.

01_taf_lamp_matrix_wiring_diagram.jpg

• The YEL-XXX wire is shown with the YEL arrow.
• The NON-BANDED end of the diode is shown with the MAGENTA arrow.
• The BANDED end of the diode and the RED-XXX wire is shown with the RED arrow.

Another thing people often forget is that there is a diode on a lamp board. You have to learn to "think different" and see that just because the wires with insulation terminate in a connector doesn't mean that the current stops there. The current continues to flow through the lamp board. The lamp board is still part of the circuit. Take the lamp boards out and verify the diodes are correctly oriented on these boards.

02_taf_lamp_board.jpg

In my opinion ... I would ...

• Disconnect ALL the individual lamp sockets (bayonet) wires to reach a baseline. Make sure to keep the like colored wires connected together (either twisted or use a wire nut).
• Run the single lamp test and verify all the lamp boards are correctly wired. If you've got that wired correctly only a single lamp should be illuminated for each lamp. These boards should be correct so this gives you a good baseline.
• Now wire ONE LAMP and only one lamp (bayonet).
• Run the single lamp test again. Verify everything works correctly. You still have a good baseline.
• Proceed to the next ONE LAMP. Do the same verification.
• Once you feel confident that you understand what you're doing (and WHY it works) then start doing multiples if you want. If you start doing multiples before getting one correct you will just introduce so many errors that you won't be able to figure anything out.

That's my advice. Take it or leave it. It's your machine. You can build it and wire it however you want.

Since you didnt do exercise 1 as I recommended, or due to your lack of expertise didnt see anything.

Here is another one:

Unplug and remove the mansion board and inspect carefully this board for backwards diodes.

Remove and check all of the other lamp boards the same way.

This is a good place to start as these lamp boards are "fixed" in that they are pre-wired from the provided harness.

If the boards are EXACTLY perfect, this will rule out half of the circuitry.

I agree with DumbAss above.

Your result is all over the place after a lot of bad work.

Clip off all the wires to the lamps and start over.

The next time:

Build and install the lamp wires by a single column from the matrix chart.

Start with column 1 and install the 8 lamps one at a time.

When done, run the single lamp test and check that each lamp runs indiviually in that column.

When certain that column 1 is perfect start wiring colum 2, and so on.

It seems like a lot of work, but really its nothing that cant be accomplished in a couiple hours.

Please make sure you use DumbAss example on wiring each lamp socket.

He is correct on this as well as everything else.

Be certain that the wire colors EXACTLY match on each and every lamp socket.

You can verify the wire integrity of the column wire at each lamp socket as you go with an ohm meter.

You can also check the path of the column wire all the way to the connector at the backbox to insure its good.

The column wire is HALF of the wires in the column and is easy to check as you go.

The other side of the lamp sockets have specific wire colors and go to specific pins on board in the backbox.

Insure that these are correct or the wrong lamp will light up in single lamp test. This will be apparent as the screen will display the lamp description that does not match what you see on the playfield.

As you have mentioned you are color blind, it may be worth the effort to label each wire with it's color when you have a color seeing assistant. It is a lot of work up front, but knowing for sure the wire color code will help you know where to put the wire. Unfortunately, without knowing the wire color code I think sometimes you are guessing where the wire goes based on it's location in the harness. This can lead to issues that are hard to diagnose.

I am also color blind, but its not that big of a deal as all the wire colors look different anyway.

The key is knowing what represents a specific color as listed vs what I see.

I used to enlist the help of others when solving problems, but they often cant tell what a color is either. They tend to be no help at all.

As an example:

I hold up a yellow wire and ask, "what color is this?"
The answer varies between yellow-orange, or yellow green or orangey yellow, but definitely not yellow.

With all the variations of paint color, hue, fading and dirt, the listed colors are really only a guide and the colors are different enough that its easy to differentiate between them.

So, color blindness doesnt really matter at all.

I'm also color blind. My meter is my friend and goto when working on something, if I'm unsure of which wire I'm working with. You have to go slow and methodical. I can't imagine doing this project and not having an understanding of how to use a meter....

It's not rocket science though.

Put it on continuity (beep) mode.
One probe on one end of the wire/connector, the other probe on the other end of the wire/connector.

If it beeps it has continuity (is continuous) if it doesn't beep there is a 'break' in the wire somewhere.

Not directed @ you chillme, just a Public Service Announcement

Matt.