Hate to make make my joined the BK club a support request but pinball can be a mystery sometimes. I recently picked up a Very nice BK that I have wanted for years! Has a New Rottendog MPU and the game plays and functions perfectly. However.... none of the displays work. I picked up a new LED set thinking they were shot and the upgrade would give it a new life. Unfortunately new displays and card installed the result is the same. Just a few random numbers lit (like before) and nothing else? I could Really use some help. My Guess is there are issues with the power supply board but guessing also got me a new set of LED displays! lol. Any help on this would Really be appreciated. I am stuck and playing this awesome game without a score display minimizes the challenge. Thank you for Any assistance. I am rather good with a soldering iron, not so great at hunting blind.

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I double checked every ribbon cable and they look correct to me. Replaced every board connector and pins that connect the displays to the MPU and power supply. Verified 100v etc on power supply and still nothing.... What simple or not so simple thing am I missing or is this BK possessed by some higher power?? Any advice would be Great appreciated so I can actually enjoy this amazing game.

OK, now you have me intrigued. No, it doesn't look like the coin door switches work granted without displays I don't know what they should do. Does this mean something Hopefully?? I do hope that this coin door question can lead me to a new path. Thanks for any reply.

OK, played with the coin door again and while I don't see an action on the displays (still just a random number on each) the playfield lights do stop cycling when I hit the door switches so I will assume they are working. Still lost.

I checked the plug you referred to which is IJ3 on my board and it measures 4.9 volts. I believe thats correct though nothing would surprise me at this point. Thanks for giving me some direction.

Sorry forgot a picture if that helps.

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After replacing the 6821 chip I noticed a pimple on the IC6 chip. I assume this may be the issue, fingers crossed. I emailed Rottendog to see if that was the case and how to get this chip. I do hope this is it now I need to figure out where to find it. Thanks to all for the guidance.

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Just wanted to post an update and completion to this post hoping it may help someone in the future. Cody and others you were correct. I ended up changing out the 74HCT154 chip with the "bump" in it and the game now works Perfectly as do all the displays! Simple extraction and Great Plains had them out to me for a minimal $3. Only moderate disappointment in the entire ordeal to be honest is after buying the board, displays, and countless other items from Rottendog I did not receive any response, support, or guidance even after multiple calls and emails. Sad to me as in the past the support has been remarkable and the products used to be fairly premium. Thanks again to All on this forum for reaching out to provide guidance, the BK lives on and the restoration can begin.......

NEW Custom Black Knight Illuminated MOD replacement ramps

Show your beloved Black Knight the love he (or she?) deserves! Are your 37 year old ramps dented and showing their age? New from The Mod Couple we offer you this complete plug and play Illuminated Custom ramp set to make your Black Knight Shine!! Simple install, you don’t even have to raise the playfield! (Maybe 15 minutes?) Precision cut from the same stainless steel and hardness as original with a Custom highly detailed theme art cut to accent each piece. Each ramp has an illumination filter as shown with LED back lighting. Light grain finish applied though you could polish them too a shine if you wished. As seen in photo, it does a great job of adding some much needed light to that area while also giving it a Truly custom look!! Everything is included in the kit!! Plug and play LED setup, Both left and right ramps Pre-formed to original shape, and a bottom adhesive shim to ensure level installation. Completely Reversible granted I’m not sure Why you would remove it? Does Not effect ball roll or play. Light up the Knight with this personalized kit. Ramps are in stock now and ready to ship. Feel free to PM me any questions or inquire about purchase. Complete kit is $117 plus 6.95 priority shipping. Thank you for viewing our New Product!!

The Mod Couple
Dave and Darcy

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Thanks Vintage. Hard to photo how great it looks live. In my opinion it looks like something Williams would have done to add value and a unique look. Definitely lights up that area which is normally pretty dark.

Great questions and I do appreciate the input. To start I will say that I have had these ramps in personal test for some 500 plus games now (as shown in photo) and there is no sign of wear nor did I see any pitting of the ball with weekly checks. My opinion is in newer era titles (DMD WMS, Bally, Stern) where ball play and travel is Insanely fast, these old titles like BK are fairly slow playing games. JMO The ramps are extremely thin (.020" Stainless HH) and while the ball does travel over them they really don't register any action or movement. In say a Hobbit which also has monogram ramps and high speed travel I would question ball wear. The surface is extremely smooth (same as originals). As for comparison to Cliffy's. GREAT Product that I have on ALL of my games!! My guess is the reason (though I have not seen it) why that application Might wear is because the ball is Technically jumping over the Edge of the Stainless rim. In my application the ball is simply rolling across it. Hope that makes sense and Love my Cliffy's! lol Thanks again for the feedback, they really do look Amazing and almost bring an element to the game that seems to Belong there which is not always the case for a MOD or upgrade.

The Mod Couple

While I have been in the Black Knight club for awhile now making ramps etc today I Officially and Finally finished restoring my own BK! What a great game and wonderful addition to my collection. A call out to Mayfair for the Amazing New replacement backglass. Truly a piece of art and worth Every penny!! I overhauled the machine from top to bottom (labor of love) with new boards, displays, and complete airbrush playfield touchup. Thanks to VID and his Amazing support documents! I did end up giving the Playfield protector a try on this title though I do not give my endorsement nor would I buy any more for various reasons. Just does not look/play right for me. Personal opinion. Other than that thanks to all on this group for the detailed photos, upgrade ideas, and trouble shooting advice when I was trapped with Rottendog board issues. Turned out amazing and Very much worth the time/research/effort.

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Good luck with the stenciling! Luckily I didn't have to go that route with only very minor black touch ups to a rather nice original cabinet. Not the case with the Bally Kiss I'm currently working on. That one was a basket case from top to bottom so I'll see how my hand is with stenciling on that one.....

Not sure if this will help you but you could always simply download the manual with schematic if not. Good Luck.

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Really hoping someone can help me Please. Have a really nice BK that is not wanting to play nice let alone at all all of a sudden?! Game worked perfectly for a long time suddenly he (she) is fighting back. During game play the game will suddenly just reset? Not that familiar with this older board sets and hope someone could share some advice. My guess is start with the (2) BR's circled? Or do I just opt for a completely new power supply board as that is the only not new piece I haven't replaced? I would appreciate Any guidance thanks!!!!

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Since I will be ordering parts, any other "yeah I would do that also" type parts? I think I have a new voltage regulator somewhere in my box o crap. Since I have all new boards including displays would it be reasonable to just get a new power board? I only ask this because this game is at a relatives house now and the thought of driving there every other week to trouble shoot a new part is a last resort I am hoping..

Thank you Very much for the advise! I will overhaul them this weekend. Much appreciated!

Thank you VERY much! Huge help and definitely a good plan of attach. I will do all that has been recommended and hope they enjoy the game for many years to come! Thank you all for your help!!

Turns out I called and they said it is only doing it when they flip both flippers which is why I assumed it might be the bridges. Fun with old games....

Looks great. For cleanup a good cabinet clean with Mean Green or your favorite cleaner and your good. Maybe some target stickers and a refresh on some of those dried out rubber nuts and you will be good. As you don't have much of any wear on the playfield a slow and cautious cleaning with Novus 3-2-and 1 and a good wax and the playfield will be ready. For the "not working" part of your formula do your best to describe exactly whats happening or Not happening and when and there are many here that will help as BK experts. Good find.

Are they sunken or cupped? Seems like if they are simply sunk in you could relevel and epoxy them? I think those are going to be hard inserts to find. Best of luck. Great game. Let me know if you should need any pics as I recently tore one down completely.

I'll shoot you a PM. I scanned my set as a backup in case I needed another.

Would need to PM me your email as the file is to large to send.

Looks awesome but I would strongly suggest using Nylon X instead of ABS. Was designed to hold up under serious stress where abs tends to crack in short order. Mattermaker makes great Nylon filament in several colors. Just a suggestion. Good luck and looking great.

I use the same 304 full hard stainless steel and same thickness as the originals. Direct replacement only with a bit of flare and some much needed light in that area.