Fixed my stuck top left flipper finally. Ended up just being a coil sleeve, don’t remember it ever getting locked on but it was stuck a bit. I think I’m going to order a new coil as well, the new one was a pretty tight fit.

Had a new baby last week so it’s obviously been slow going. Today was the first time I got to spend any time on the game.

When I have locked balls (1 or 2) and a game ends with ball/s still locked, the game never ejects the locked balls.

When I hit the start button to play another game I can start another game but the balls still don’t eject and the ball count never increments when I drain. Have to take all balls and drop them in the trough. Ball lock switches all register properly with balls on them.

Game has a rottendog mpu, hoping it’s not some bug/glitch with that.

I haven’t looked or researched this yet but thought someone here might have some input first?

The captive balls are not released at the end of a game. They are not counted for any player in the new game. When you put a new ball in the captive area one is released and the new ball counts as your captive ball. The same thing happens when you put a second ball in the captive area. It is only when you put the 3rd ball in that the game goes into multiball.

This is normal behavior. As long as the game can detect all 3 balls somewhere in the game a game can be started. the locks on upper playfield with a maximum of 2 balls in the locks will also be detected as a situation where a game can be started.

Thanks guys, I’m going to have to investigate more then, my drained balls don’t seems to be counting as drained. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention during testing and that could be the correct I think if I was testing without scoring a point prior to draining.

I do have the eject actions you both talked about when starting a new game with locked balls. Will update when I get a chance to get back home and test. On my way to pickup a Space Station!

Alright getting back to my BK this weekend, the start button doesn't work. It use to work but after messing around with a trough switch that is now working it doesn't work any more. I test the switch today with two alligator clips during switch mode and nothing. During switch test mode all switches work except start button switch is the issue.

Make sure there's continuity between the green-brown wire daisy-chained at all the switches on the same vertical column as the start button (called the Credit Button in the manual) and up to the connector in the backbox at 2J2 pin 9 on the driver board.

Screenshot_20230416-215248~3.png

Make sure the diodes are attached firmly at those switches as well. One broken wire or diode at a switch could cut one or more other switches out of the circuit...

Fixed!! Found a broken wire on the ball roll tilt switch.. Thanks guys!

Lol, that was *exactly* what I found on my BK years ago when I was having a problem with the credit button. Discovering that solution really solidified my understanding of how the switch matrix works and the way the wiring daisy-chains from one switch to the next.

Nice work!

Alright who’s got a credit display that works that they want to sell me? I am also looking for a better backglass too.

Yeah I looked at that tilt Bob switch last week and didn’t even noticed the broken wire before, I started pulling on the wires this time and it fell off so easy so I was like okay and solder it back on and presto!!! Lol

As of the next website update there will be a reproduction file on my website http://www.inkochnito.nl
Thanks to the image posted by frenchmarky.
The file got requested a few days ago by Rikoshay

I also updated the score and instruction cards for Black Knight, but I need an original card scan to make it better.
Now it has no slot lines because I don't know where to up them exactly.
Also some score inserts and coinage labels would be helpfull.
Please let me know what you've got for me.

Peter
http://www.inkochnito.nl
If you like my work, please send me a donation via PayPal.

Scans of my original cards. So pristine, they're still white.
BK card 1 (resized).jpgBK card 2 (resized).jpgBK card 3 (resized).jpgBK card 4 (resized).jpg

BTW I've recreated these in vector format as accurately as possible. If anyone wants the PDF files, just pm me.

Thanks for the scans.
These really help.
Didn't you have any other cards (500-5 & 500-6)?
Or any score inserts?

Yes, just looked, I have an incomplete sheet of the 1.25" x 3.75" pricing cards. Looks like three are missing but there are six left on the sheet. Also have the sheets of little stickers of high score labels and maximum credit labels.

I don't have the other full-sized score cards though, only the ones that were on the apron. This was one of the NIB Black Knights from Time Tunnel Warehouse but the original box had been previously opened, and likely raided of paperwork. These cards and the little instruction booklet were the only paperwork left in the small manila envelope stapled inside the cabinet.

Please send me a scan of anything you have available.
Send the file to my email inkochnito @ kpnplanet . nl

Who makes the best replacement glass for this game?

Mayfair

Hello all,
I’m having a strange issue with my BK. The game pretty much always displays 11. Cut it on and it flashes the high scores then shows 11 in the display. Start a game and you start with 11 points. All scores also end in 11. For example 510,211 etc. I have also noticed that the ball count goes from 1 to 3, then 3 again. Your game has the correct amount of balls played, which is three, just the ball in play doesn’t count correctly.
I have used both a Weebly mpu/driver combo board and an original serviced board set. Problem occurs with both boards. I’ve also used both Rottendog LED displays and XPin LED displays and still see the same thing. Very curious. Any thoughts on where to start with trying to chase this issue down are appreciated!

You are losing a bit of bcd data in the connectors.

I agree. Start with the ribbon cable and associated connectors. Does it show 11 on all displays, or just player 1?

Interestingly, it shows 11 only in the player 1 display while in attract mode. Start a one player game and you start with 11 and everything ends in 11. If you start a two player game player 1 displays 11 and player 2 displays 22 with everything ending in 22.
Which ribbon cables are you referring to? The display ribbon connectors? It does it with both original cables and the Rottendog displays and the new cables included with the Xpin displays.
Thanks for the feedback.

From what I understand with System 6 & 7 games, when your batteries are dead or missing and you turn on the machine, it shows 2500_X in the display, X being the rom number. If you then flip the power switch off and on quickly with the coindoor open, it will boot up normally into attract mode. When I attempted this with the BK that I picked up a couple weeks ago, it only showed 2500_2 no matter how fast or slow or how many times I powered on. Batteries were leaking, nothing past the holder, and I've already cleaned that up & added a remote. Driver board had some corrosion damage from the leak on a couple transistors and the flipper relay, which I'll be fixing. Any idea what I should be looking at?

This can be caused by 2 things (typically):

1) The memory protect switch on the coin door isn't working or connected to be CPU board, or problem with the memory protect circuit on the CPU board.
2) Bad 5101 RAM

Not exactly. The 2 means blue flipper roms. The 500 is the game number. The last number is the game ROM revision, 3/4 being in common circulation. Never found a copy of rev 1 or 2. 4 is recommended as there is a bug in 3 which is a bit esoteric but doesn't cause any damage iirc it just ripped you off for some points.

Unless you meant revision number by ROM number. If you have rev 2 I'd be interested in getting a copy of it for analysis.

Yes, revision number by ROM number. IC26 is labeled "BK REV 2 D 800" and IC14 is labeled "BK REV 2 E 000". It's an early production game, serial # 455260.

Thanks Schwaggs. I took the boards out of the game for the corrosion repair, will see what happens when everything is reassembled.

Ah you just reminded me, I helped a friend dump his rev 2 ROMs a month or two ago. I gotta upload them to IPDB...

BK MPU REV2 ROMs.jpg

Can you shoot me a copy too? Looks like ipdb doesn't have l3 either.

Sure thing. Check your inbox. Let me know here if you don't get it.

I've submitted ROM rev 2 to IPDB.

1J5 Pin 9 or Pin 4 on the MPU is where I'd expect the issue. That or the other side of this connector where it plugs into the display board. End pins like number 9 are very frequently ripped out of the IDC plugs. most likely there.

I made a pin out chart you can see here. https://nvram.weebly.com/wms-3-7.html Can help find where a signal is leaving the MPU at easily without scouring the schematic.

For the display to draw a one when it should be a zero your "A" data bit is probably open circuit and a pull up resistor (or just naturally floats to high) is bringing that input to a high.

Starting on the most important things first. New laminated instruction cards!

Inherited a free BK machine from my Uncle working through where to start. Have to get the Blackbox on and evaluate.

20230613_220206 (resized).jpg

Black Knight rev 2 ROMs are now available on IPDB:

https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=310
https://www.ipdb.org/files/310/Williams_1980_Black_Knight_Game_ROMset_Rev_2.zip

Looking for a used, but good condition, depopulated upper playfield to replace the one in mine that has wear, some dried duct tape adhesive remains around the upper trough, and a snapped-off minipost. Anyone who's done a playfield swap have a leftover, please PM me, thanks.

I think that's going to be tough. Most of the recreation playfields are only of the lower.

Has anyone come across one of these or know where to get one? There was a market post recently where a guy was selling his BK machine and this barstool. Would kill for one of these.

Pinside_market_158773_34 (resized).jpg

Most of the playfields are a set afaik.

Google custom shop stool. This probably wasn’t an original Williams offering and the person had it custom made.

I have some BK parts left over if anyone is interested.
Apron & Shooter cover
Plastics
Playfield metal
Displays
Some Playfield mechanical parts
Both playfields (bare)

Can I see what condition your apron and shooter cover are in?

A couple days ago someone on here was looking for the upper playfield too.

"YOOOU... WILL... SIT... ONNN... TH-E-E-E... BLACK... KNIGHT'S... FACE... "

Actually I think it would be hilarious (if nobody has done it before) to take whatever vintage pinball voice you wanted like Gorgar, BK, Centaur, Xenon etc, synthesize it with the correct enunciation and word spacing and everything perfectly as if the game was saying it including any echo or reverb it has in the game, and then make it so you could type into an app whatever you wanted to hear the voice say like dirty words or your personalized phone mail greeting etc.

Just a follow up on this: it is the 9 pin edge connector that corresponds to 1J5 and connects to the display board. If you press on the wires and keep pressure on them the problem goes away. Waiting on an edge connector to rebuild and I expect that’ll clear it up.

Doing a Black Knight 2000 raising targets decal set with a raiser sticker. Since I do not own the game wondering if someone cold give me the measurements of the targets and the dimension of the riser?

Here is the current sample.
Anyone who helps me out will get a free set once it gets printed.

IMG_3156 (resized).jpeg

BK has two foam rubber blocks adhered to the rear glass channel, highlighted in the photo below, I guess they're supposed to keep the playfield in place when the game is moved. Mine crumbled when I cleaned up the channel, anyone ever replaced these? Looking for a part number or a similar substitute from a hardware store.

rubber (resized).jpg

I lost mine as well during the restoration of my Black Knight. I was thinking that the black packing foam blocks that are used in some shipments would make a good substitute when cut down to the correct shape and size, but frankly I just abandoned the idea and didn't bother replacing mine. Doesn't seem to affect anything.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/1980-black-knight-player-s-condition-to-something-better/page/3#post-7414071

I’ve just picked up a Black Knight if like to restore with an original run CPR Black Knight playfield set. Would anyone have a lead on one?

Made an upper ball trough plastic protector for my early-build BK, luckily I have a second BK that has one to use for a template. Had to scrounge for material but something turned up....
100_4691 (resized).JPG
The rough cut part on the left. Used a dremel to cut and grind the edges down.
100_4693 (resized).JPG
The finished piece. Bad pic, looks much shinier in person. And last night it was just the case of a junked PC power supply.
100_4697 (resized).JPG

awesome.. an old ATX Power supply?

This hobby is crazy.. makes you acquire skills you might not normally ever do.. but here we are. Nice work!

Thanks. The guy I bought my STTNG from had it in that machine as a secondary power supply (for 12V I think he said?) as, according to him, some of the solenoids were weak. There were capacitors and two relays hooked up to it also. I replaced several boards that were a mess and am going thru the whole thing, so hopefully when it's time to fire it up again, game will play as it should.

And......I love my dremel tool! A gazillion and one uses. Hard pressed to decide between that and the bench buffer as my favorite.

Would anyone who has the System 7 driver board out of their machine right now mind checking something for me? I am getting continuity between the two solder points marked with the yellow arrows in the photo, and also between the two solder points marked with the purple arrows. These are where the flipper relay is connected. I don't see any solder bridges, or traces between on the board, but they might be connected inside the relay. I checked another junk sys 7 driver board and get the same thing, but I want to make absolutely sure before I plug in this board and fry something. Nothing needs checking between the two colors, just yellow-to-yellow and purple-to-purple. Thanks guys.

sys7driver (resized).jpg