Buffalo, NY
Quoted from brainmegaphone:Are the leaf switches worn or is it your controller rubber grommit that is worn?
They are very worn out. The rubber grommet seems fine.
(Topic ID: 116040)
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Baby Pac-Man
Bally, 1982
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Where can we find any documentation on the controller anyway? There is nothing in the manual, nothing on wiki and it seems no one talks about it much here. Is there any documentation at all about them?! If I needed a replacement controller assembly, parts for it or new leaf switches etc. where do I go to look for this info?
Quoted from ICPjuggla:Where can we find any documentation on the controller anyway? There is nothing in the manual, nothing on wiki and it seems no one talks about it much here. Is there any documentation at all about them?! If I needed a replacement controller assembly, parts for it or new leaf switches etc. where do I go to look for this info?
Bally/Midway arcade game manuals or parts catalogs would probably be your best bet. I don't recall seeing any joystick info in the pinball manuals or parts catalog.
Quoted from ICPjuggla:They are very worn out. The rubber grommet seems fine.
My game came from a very busy arcade where it was apparently played on location for the first decade of its life, and the joystick is still original.
The previous owner also had A LOT experience with Baby Pac-Man; the main issue with the joystick is that the leaf switches get really bent from play. I had issues with the left switch and it took some time fine tuning to get it to register.
You should probably be able to replace it with a regular joystick assembly. They were pretty basic.
Also post some pictures of yours.
Sorry for the late response been busy around here lately. I’m still having the issue. Checked all connections, cleaned the leaf switches and I’m still having the intermittent controller problem. Here are some pictures of the underside of the controller maybe someone can see something I’ve missed.
388619B5-41ED-4EB7-B38F-329FB57D933D (resized).jpeg693B36AD-F072-4A07-A717-8524AC2D6327 (resized).jpegEFBBEACD-883E-48E0-8361-6AE2C95F5BFD (resized).jpegQuoted from ICPjuggla:I will note it’s not one switch not working, the whole controller goes dead. Up, down, left and right all cut out at the same time.
Connections at the molex connector seem tight and fine in the cabinet.
Has that molex been repinned? Have you tried to reheat the header on the board where it plugs in?
1 week later
I’ve hit a wall!
I’m not getting anything for RCV XMIT 40
Normally I just had to reseat J2. However I did it and checked continuity this time and it’s all fine! Connectors replaced as well! What else should I be looking for at this point?
The right portion of my playfield is not responding/registering and my right flipper won’t work. No outhole eject, no saucer eject, no tunnel scoring or spinner!
Not sure what else could cause this very specific problem on RCV XMIT 40 when I have continued from the 2 resistors as well as the pins.
2 weeks later
Does the microprocessor at U27 have any sound files on it? I'm wanting to replace it and the holder instead reflowing, but I'm new to the whole EPROM ROM thing.
Quoted from Crt1989:Does the microprocessor at U27 have any sound files on it? I'm wanting to replace it and the holder instead reflowing, but I'm new to the whole EPROM ROM thing.
U27 is a CPU, not an EPROM.
The sound EPROMs are U29 & U30.
EPROMs have a window in the chip covered by a label. This is so they can be erased with UV light and rewritten.
Be very careful about replacing a chip socket. The traces and solder pads are *very* fragile. If you are not an experienced in soldering/desoldering, or if all you have is a soldering iron (and not a desoldering iron), I would highly recommend that you leave it alone or send it out for professional repair. Once a pad or trace is lifted, it's difficult to reliably repair.
IMHO, vidiot boards are one of the worst boards to do work on since the traces and pads are so fragile. On top of that, there are no replacement vidiot boards available.
The primary reason why you don't see too many baby pacman games is because of vidiot board failures, and it was a tricky board to repair, so many games ended up getting tossed.
Quoted from ForceFlow:U27 is a CPU, not an EPROM.
The sound EPROMs are U29 & U30.
EPROMs have a window in the chip covered by a label. This is so they can be erased with UV light and rewritten.
Be very careful about replacing a chip socket. The traces and solder pads are *very* fragile. If you are not an experienced in soldering/desoldering, or if all you have is a soldering iron (and not a desoldering iron), I would highly recommend that you leave it alone or send it out for professional repair. Once a pad or trace is lifted, it's difficult to reliably repair.
IMHO, vidiot boards are one of the worst boards to do work on since the traces and pads are so fragile. On top of that, there are no replacement vidiot boards available.
The primary reason why you don't see too many baby pacman games is because of vidiot board failures, and it was a tricky board to repair, so many games ended up getting tossed.
All true. I have repaired many and still do but it ain’t cheap.
1 month later
Quoted from TheCnyPinGuy:Hello all
Trying to dial in My Baby Pacman Monitor
Can anyone tell me what each Pot Controls
2 on Neck Board
2 on the Board
3 along edge are labeled
Here’s a picture
Thank you
[quoted image]
I’ll have to look at mine.
I’m still having constant issues that the buttons and half the switches aren’t communicating with my game, so I’m thinking of cutting my connectors and redoing them again...
does anyone have a suggestion on how to trace what fault would be causing this? It’s very intermittent while playing half will respond and then die on me.
Quoted from TheCnyPinGuy:Hello all
Trying to dial in My Baby Pacman Monitor
Can anyone tell me what each Pot Controls
2 on Neck Board
2 on the Board
3 along edge are labeled
Here’s a picture
Thank you
[quoted image]
Post 206 on page 5 on this forum. I posted pictures awhile back that should answer your question.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/baby-pacman-clubwaka-waka-waka/page/5#post-3280066
Here is a problem I have been trying to chase for a while, every few boots the high scores start to become corrupted with random scores and characters. I installed NVRAM but had this problem prior to it. Any thoughts as what chips feed high score information to the ram?
5933D9B5-8547-44BE-8729-BB974F6FCB79 (resized).jpegQuoted from Asmig:Here is a problem I have been trying to chase for a while, every few boots the high scores start to become corrupted with random scores and characters. I installed NVRAM but had this problem prior to it. Any thoughts as what chips feed high score information to the ram?
[quoted image]
Try reseating the chips in the upper left corner of the vidiot board I had the same problem.
Quoted from Antennaejim:Try reseating the chips in the upper left corner of the vidiot board I had the same problem.
Looks like thats the fix, I removed all the roms (U9-U12) cleaned the legs and reseated. Passed ten boots in a row with zero issues. I’ll replace the single wipe sockets with double wipe sockets in the future if the problem ever reappears. Thanks and happy new year!
Quoted from Asmig:I’ll replace the single wipe sockets with double wipe sockets in the future if the problem ever reappears.
Something to keep in mind: the pads and traces on the Vidiot board are very fragile. Don't take the idea of replacing a socket very lightly with that board. You can potentially cause damage even if you're careful.
The MPU and driver boards don't seem to have that problem, so replace away on those.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Something to keep in mind: the pads and traces on the Vidiot board are very fragile. Don't take the idea of replacing a socket very lightly with that board. You can potentially cause damage even if you're careful.
The MPU and driver boards don't seem to have that problem, so replace away on those.
I replaced some of the smaller sockets on the vidiot without issue but would prefer not to have to replace the bigger sockets as they do appear to be in good condition. Any idea why the vidiot is more delicate than the mpu would be?
Hello... Huge Baby Pacman fan here. 
Here is my Baby Pacman 100% controlled by PinMAME $100 worth of boards from Ultimarc.com and a custom driver board I built. Thought you guys might be interested. I modified the PinMAME source to allow it to control the Ultimate IO board. The solenoids will be triggered by an Ultimarc PacDrive board, which will connect to the custom solenoid board. I found there was a problem controlling the solenoids directly from the Ultimate IO, so I am changing that.
Here's some videos:
Ian demonstrating Baby Pacman game play:
Building the custom solenoid driver board:
Testing the custom solenoid driver board for the first time:
This may be the most reliable Baby Pacman machine in existence!
I'm happy to share additional info and source code if anyone is interested.
Later,
Brad O.
Quoted from brado426:Hello... Huge Baby Pacman fan here.
Here is my Baby Pacman 100% controlled by PinMAME $100 worth of boards from Ultimarc.com and a custom driver board I built. Thought you guys might be interested. I modified the PinMAME source to allow it to control the Ultimate IO board. The solenoids will be triggered by an Ultimarc PacDrive board, which will connect to the custom solenoid board. I found there was a problem controlling the solenoids directly from the Ultimate IO, so I am changing that.
Here's some videos:
Ian demonstrating Baby Pacman game play:
Building the custom solenoid driver board:
Testing the custom solenoid driver board for the first time:
This may be the most reliable Baby Pacman machine in existence!
I'm happy to share additional info and source code if anyone is interested.
Later,
Brad O.
Wow, what an impressive first post! Welcome to the club!
That’s an incredible feat and you sir, have problem just saved a good many Baby Pac’s out there! Now there is an option, albeit very involved, that allows one to remove the god-awful Vidiot board, as well as circumvent the terribad connectors that cause nearly all the faults! It’s wonderful!
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:Wow, what an impressive first post! Welcome to the club!
That’s an incredible feat and you sir, have problem just saved a good many Baby Pac’s out there! Now there is an option, albeit very involved, that allows one to remove the god-awful Vidiot board, as well as circumvent the terribad connectors that cause nearly all the faults! It’s wonderful!
Thank you! Yes, part of the reason for my post is to potentially save any Baby Pacman machines out there whose hardware is beyond repair. I believe someone stole the hardware out of my cabinet to fix another Baby Pacman. The total cost is around $200 - $300 plus a whole bunch of labor.
Quoted from brado426:Thank you! Yes, part of the reason for my post is to potentially save any Baby Pacman machines out there whose hardware is beyond repair. I believe someone stole the hardware out of my cabinet to fix another Baby Pacman. The total cost is around $200 - $300 plus a whole bunch of labor.
Let me know when you start selling this product so that’s in plug and play. I’m in.
Quoted from djreddog:Let me know when you start selling this product so that’s in plug and play. I’m in.
This will never happen... at least not by me. That will have to be done by someone who is willing to do the incredible amount of work considering that such a thing would probably only sell only 3 or 4 units.
Later,
Brad O.
I believe I have things reliable now (time will tell). We now control the solenoids with a PacDrive connected to the solenoid driver board and use the Ultimate IO for the input switches and lamps only. Here is a video of it working:
Here is the PinMAME source code and binary in case you want to try it out.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11yR_5iEpzpEu8L9Ha3rqGrFYzyIKvDN2/view?usp=sharing
Brad
Here's a correct link for the source code for PinMAME that controls the UltimateIO and PacDrive:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EyDWgv-UfC4jja8hEGW0aS-xFOJwkXUp/view?usp=sharing
So being a new guy who comes from arcades without any pins, this hybrid machine has some unique appeal to me. A couple of questions for you experts:
How reliable is this, i.e. is it feasible to buy one as a starter machine with minimal upkeep? Assuming you pay more for a nice condition one in the first place? Also, is it a pretty good "bang-for-buck" piece, in terms of cost to fun factor? Seems like a pretty unique concept here.
Quoted from jonebone:So being a new guy who comes from arcades without any pins, this hybrid machine has some unique appeal to me. A couple of questions for you experts:
How reliable is this, i.e. is it feasible to buy one as a starter machine with minimal upkeep? Assuming you pay more for a nice condition one in the first place? Also, is it a pretty good "bang-for-buck" piece, in terms of cost to fun factor? Seems like a pretty unique concept here.
It's one of the hardest "pins" to work on and maintain. The VIDIOT board is a huge problem, and replacement hardware is not easy to come by. If you bought this as your first pinball machine, you will probably become very frustrated with the hobby. The game is great and so is the concept, I own one, but I have to work on it more than any other machine and most of the time it stays turned off because I haven't bullet-proofed the game to make it more reliable.
This was actually my first pin but I purchased it from a retailer so the boards and crt had all been gone through. I have only had minor issues with wires breaking due to age and a chip for the high scores and the NVram fixed that. I did have to change out all the pots on the vidiot board as those were untouched. I play mine every day. It's the most played game in the house if you exclude my PC.
2 weeks later
It's ALIVE! ALIVE I tell you!
Dead right flipper, monitor is super sketchy, gouges and pieces of MDF missing but, all in all, not a bad starting point.
Sound works, game works, playfield seems to mostly work - althought the "return to maze" pits don't seem to function. A re-cap, a little playfield work, & some new pots, and I should be in business.
image1 (resized).jpegQuoted from jj44114:I repair Vidiot boards if anyone needs one serviced.
You should make a Pinside business or a thread about it!!! A lot of guys could use Vidiot repair service!
Also do you do the Vidiot Deluxe that was in GatG? I have a Vidiot deluxe and I can’t test it but I’d like to have a working on for when a Granny shows up near me!
2 weeks later
Question: Is there a place to get replacement laminate for the sides on this machine? Or, is it just better to go with the paint mentioned earlier in the thread?
The sides of my Baby have some pretty ugly gouges, and I'll need to sand/bond/sand/etc, but when done should I go to the trouble of securing new laminate?
Has anyone done this?
Thanks for any tips...
Quoted from Mai-Tai:Question: Is there a place to get replacement laminate for the sides on this machine? Or, is it just better to go with the paint mentioned earlier in the thread?
The sides of my Baby have some pretty ugly gouges, and I'll need to sand/bond/sand/etc, but when done should I go to the trouble of securing new laminate?
Has anyone done this?
Thanks for any tips...
Last I checked Phoenix Arcade should have the entire art package for this game
I've heard of someone using .7mm formica.
Also: https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showpost.php?p=2571687&postcount=22
Arborite S-480 GL - Daffodil
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:You should make a Pinside business or a thread about it!!! A lot of guys could use Vidiot repair service!
Also do you do the Vidiot Deluxe that was in GatG? I have a Vidiot deluxe and I can’t test it but I’d like to have a working on for when a Granny shows up near me!
I have fixed a few in the past, but I don’t have a granny anymore to test one in.
Installed a new bezel from Phoenix Arcade. My old one had a couple big gashes in the glass right over the monitor area so I finally replaced it. This thing is super nice if anyone wondered how his work is. Didn't realize how faded the colors where till I got this one. Before anyone asks my old one is already claimed by a friend of mine. He is going to frame it and hang it in his arcade.
IMG_20190214_173622399 (resized).jpgQuoted from Isochronic_Frost:Last I checked Phoenix Arcade should have the entire art package for this game
They do, and I've already purchased their side art. Like all of their stuff, it looks fantastic. ...But, the Baby Pac side art is just a couple of decals that cover about a quarter of each side. The yellow on the sides either needs to be painted or re-laminated.
Wondering if replacement laminate is actually worth the effort.
Quoted from Lithonion:Installed a new bezel from Phoenix Arcade. My old one had a couple big gashes in the glass right over the monitor area so I finally replaced it. This thing is super nice if anyone wondered how his work is. Didn't realize how faded the colors where till I got this one. Before anyone asks my old one is already claimed by a friend of mine. He is going to frame it and hang it in his arcade.
[quoted image]
Is that the reproduction bezel? Why aren't the fruits colored!?
Quoted from gutz:Is that the reproduction bezel? Why aren't the fruits colored!?
It's washed out from the camera. Here is a closer pic I just took.
Bezel close up (resized).jpgQuoted from Lithonion:It's washed out from the camera. Here is a closer pic I just took.
[quoted image]
Thank goodness. Phoenix arcade does really good work and i would be shocked if they missed that detail. All is right in the world, carry on.
Dear Baby Pac lovers
Are there people who are interested in buying a brand new clearcoated Baby Pac-Man playfield?
I gave Micro (Highclasspinball) a baby-pacman playfield and the cad drawings to recreate and reproduce the baby pacman playfield with a modern hard clearcoat.
If people are interested, please make yourself heard in this thread because he is asking for suggestions of new playfields:
Just meantion that you are looking for a a baby pac-man playfield is enough...and hopefully he will start the production soon...
thx....
Quoted from gutz:Thank goodness. Phoenix arcade does really good work and i would be shocked if they missed that detail. All is right in the world, carry on.
When I seen your post I ran to the machine to look as it did look washed out in the picture. I was like, "wheeew it's fine" lol
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