hi all,

first time poster, good to meet yis all.
read thru the entire forum a few months back, lots of good ideas in here

having some trouble with my dmd - here's a youtube video of the TEST function

i'm hoping it's not the dmd itself, but a rom or power supply issue. as you can see, the dead zone moves about and changes shape. anyone else seen (and solved) this problem?

also just finished refitting with leds on my 3 pins,
used this ebay seller
(http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FROSTED-PINBAL-LED-BULBS-44-47-555-styles-QTY-100/140530127375?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.RVI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D6689597519101601579%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D20131017132637%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D140530127375)

really bright even compared to other leds i've used. would recommend them

many thx for the time,
hope someone here can help me out

cheers,
richard

Youtube vid is marked private...

Jaz

whoopsie - i'll fix that now so

richard

From my experience, it looks like an outgassing display to me. If you have another you can hook up to it, I would try that. I bet it solves the problem.

My guess as well, if you have another pin with a compatible DMD, give that a try. I just replaced mine and its super easy.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=164

http://www.pinbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=304

thx for the views guys,
was hoping to dodge the $200 replacement cost tho

question is tho, if the display is failing how come the dead spot moves about?
ie, the test shows a large dead zone to the left of the dmd - during play only the top center is missing, and when using the menu screen, so many of the dots are missing it renders the display almost illegible.
surely if the screen were at fault, once a dot is dead, it would stay dead?

many thanks for the replies so far
r

My BSD is plagued with some serious buzzing from what sounds like the DMD. My old Shadow had this too and I could never solve the problem.. It is really annoying to have all quiet machines and one screaming baby. Anyone have this problem and solve it?

It looks like an outgassing display to me as well. As far as your questions, remember that there isn't a thing like a gas pocket per dot. There is a chamber filled with gas and as you put a charge across the gas, that area emits lite. So, as the display is losing it's gas, where the gas is left can move around.

Again, find another display to swap in to prove it's the display. Then you'll know if you need a replacement. I may have a used one I could sell if it turns out you need it. I just haven't got around to listing them yet.

Keith

Yeah, that's how those things behave. Just because a dot won't light up on one animation/screen, doesn't mean it won't light up on the next one. I'm not sure if the gas is pulled to an area when voltage is applied there and it pulls the gas away from some other areas. In any case, I thought the same thing at one time but that is not the way they work apparently.

Fellas: I'm new to the club.

I added some LEDs to the playfield controlled lamps and had some serious issues. Lights staying on all the time, double lights flashing when only one should etc. These were supposed to be non ghosting LEDs.
In single lamp test, multiple lights going on at the same time. All issues went away when LEDs were removed

Is there a rom revision I'm missing to address the strange issues?

EDIT: I believe I have a lamp matrix issue, not related to ghosting. Thanks!

That definitely sounds like ghosting. I think there's a setting for "allow dim illumination" or something like that. Setting that to false may help.

I am a member of the club as of Monday!

IMG_20140505_174828.jpg

Unfortunately I am experiencing three minor issues: Left Magnet error (which is not affecting play), the top left lane light is unlit (Not the bulb, i swapped it out) and Never of Love Never Dies flasher is out. The last one is the most heart breaking because my wife and I bought the machine in lieu of a wedding party. Now love dies and we feel it is a bad omen.

Plays great though!

Oh, and there is a curtain there now. Please ignore the neglect.

If anyone in Michigan is selling a BSD, please contact me. Thanks.

magnet: check the switch on the far left of where the magnet runs, it would tell the motor when to stop by closing the switch when it bumps into it.

bulb: check to make sure the socket or lug don't spin around easily, may need a new socket.

LND: all three flashers or just one? changed bulbs, checked connection?

Anyone got non-ghosting patched rom?

Above or below the playfield for the magnet?

bulb: The bulbs for the lanes were all in correctly, and i swapped the left and right to see if it was just a simple bad bulb. Might be a loose connection, as apparently it is now flashing irregularly.

LND: Just the Never. I would have checked it a bit closer but I did not know how to access the back of the panel.

I bought it from a store, so the previous owner will be assiting with the fix, I was hoping to save him a trip if it were something simple / stupid. I will probably not do anything more because tinkering cuts into play time and it works well enough.

below

sounds like a bad socket

probably just a bulb

Unlock the back box, carefully lift the translite out and set it aside. Then carefully lift the speaker panel out and set it face down on a towel or directly on the glass. Get some flex flashers from one of the vendors. I just got some nice flex flashers from Comet Pinball. They look great back there and come in many different colors.

Also, Cointaker makes a kit that keeps Love Never Dies permanently lit while the game is on and color changing, looks really nice, but it hides it being functional.

Thank you so much for the input. I am going to wait a couple days but will let you know what the final fix was. I am waiting for my stupidly shiny pinballs to come in before opening the glass again.

Check Ebay. I've seen them there for about $10.

I figured i'd ask you guys as i'm new to the club:

1. Everytime I turn bsd on, a ball search goes off and the magnets goes across the pf and reloads. Sometimes it goes half way, drops the ball, and continues on.. then reloading the ball. Normal?

2. Won't completing the top 3 rollovers light the "2x" light? When I complete the rollovers, the DMD says "2X", but the light doesn't light. I know the light works as I've tested it in diagnostics.

1. Normal? No. Common? Yes. It sounds like the typical issues with the Mist optos. I'm having a similar issue with mine right now...

Jaz

It shouldn't do a full ball search, but it will run the magnet and sometimes reload the mist pocket on the right. However, if it's carrying the ball half-way across and dropping it, that's probably a mist opto problem. How does it run in magnet test?

The 2x light is your jackpot multiplier. It lights when you have two multi-balls going. 3x for 3.

I haven't run the magnet test, but will later on.

Regarding the dropping of the ball: this only goes on when it's starting up during the reload, as described above. Not during an actual game. Runs fine during the game.

I know there is an adjustment A2 44 "Game over unlock" that addresses balls being ejected at different times.

That's referring to emptying castle locks after the game. On power up, if it's working properly, it will simply open the right gate and the mist ball will fall out, it won't carry it halfway across. When you run the magnet test, let it run through several times.

Perhaps then there is a ball trough switch that isn't registering upon startup, making the pin think that there is a missing ball, and therefore the ball search?

And why, upon a proper startup, does the right gate open to all the mist ball to drop out if it's already loaded properly?

I've wondered why it opens it too, but then I came to the conclusion that the machine is just unable to verify if there is a ball there without having it in the trough. I am having a similar issue with the mist, it has dropped twice but only on start up when the ball was in the left on start up.

What would be a normal function if the ball was last in the left hold? My machine has been carring the ball half way and dropping it perfectly SDTM.

I think this is normal behavior if the mist ball is on the left side during startup.

Yes, I agree.

That's what mine does if it's in the left lock too upon startup.

Pretty sure my mist is fine. My issues is always a ball search upon startup.

Makes me think trough switch isn't seeing all balls perhaps

Yeah, could be. Switch test should make that easy.

Got three mbs going for the first time since owning the machine, about four or five months. Had mist and coffin mb going, didn't even realize I had castle mb going until I heard the magic words....thiiiiirty miliiiion." Still didn't break 1 billion, but got a new high of 950 mil. Love this game. in my view, it's better than TAF and smokes HS2, two games I've had and sold in the past year.

Bump. Still can't figure out the problem. I also have half my solenoids out when I do a test. Game will not start because balls do not load into shooter lane.

The coffin ramp has 2 solenoids associated with it. The main coil that lifts it and a secondary little coil that holds it up. Check the little coil. It definitely sounds like you fried something but I wouldn't know what. Any help going through each coil and noting which ones don't work? Maybe a particular transistor that drives several coils got blown?

ramp make sure wires are connected,look at the lift mech,move it with your hands does it bind anywhere?solenoids did you check the fuses?. if all are o.k. I'd look in the manual for which transistors to test/change. g.l. joe

I checked and my F4 fuse was blown. That fuse protects solenoids 9-16. That would be both slings, 3 pop bumpers, right ramp up, outhole and the trough. I replaced the fuse with a 3 amp 250v slow blow and on game power up it blew immediately. I was plugging the flasher circuit board in when my problem started.The transistor for the speaker panel is Q24. I have no idea how to check this. Something definetly fried because I could smell something burnt. If I put in a different power driver board in the machine, would I have the same problem? I could install one from a Black Rose for the time being but I do not want to damage that one as well.

go to pinwiki and print out how to test transistors and how to test coils. g.l.joe also post this problem on the main forum. g.l.joe

Yeah, start a full thread, you have a short somewhere and putting a new board in will either blow something on there or just keep tripping the fuse.

I did a quick transistor test by setting my meter to continuity test, putting the black lead on the board groung lug, and touching the red lead to the transistor tab. All 8 transistors for the 8 solenoids that are not working, were indicating that they were shorted out. Is it possible for all 8 to go out at once? I am going to check if the coils are shorted. Then I will start a whole new thread. Thanks to all that tried to help.

Wow, one thing after another with my BSD. The sound was working just fine, sounded quite good actually, but since I can't leave well enough alone I ordered the Flipper Fidelity kit. Install was very easy, but when I turned the machine on the sound would cut in and out. Talked to Michael at FF and he said without seeing it, could be the volume control, since when I took it out of the loop it was fine. He sent me out a new one free of charge and I also ordered the volume control extension the lets you put the knob right near the coindoor.
Soon after the sound started cutting in and out again and no adjusting would get rid of that and the snap crackle popping of the speakers.
Today I simply removed the whole kit and reinstalled the originals and now there's barely any sound at all and it's crackling like crazy and then it fades to zero sound.

Suggestions? Is this a question of needing a new set of the sound chips? Game still plays great, but I miss the music, callouts, etc.

BSD down! My game has a short. Report says Ground Short on row 3. Same fuse keeps blowing and killing the power to the opto board. No point in continuing to replace the fuse until finding and eliminating the cause for the short. Any ideas on what could be causing it? It seems to occur when lifting the playfield up and down. My tech came out today and was unable to identify the culprit. He took the CPU board with him to run some tests to make sure it's not a bad chip or something. Process of elimination.

likey a pinched wire . look in the manual to see what colour it is and find it and trace it all the way back. i had to do that once , it was a pain, however it was rewarding when i found it !

For once, and just ONCE, I would like to have a pinball machine work perfectly from day one untill the day I die. The closest that I have come is my Stargate. It has run like a champ since I brought it home. Every other machine, if you just think bad thoughts about them they break down.

Don't feel too bad. I spent months bringing a BSD back from the dead, fixed it up, new parts, mods, got it up and playing, and then I screwed it up changing a flasher bulb. Now it is down yet again.

I've been thinking about a second pin (who doesn't after you get the first one) and think a NIB is the way to go for sure, then I read about all the NIB pins that have lots of issues too. There's just no winning, only tinkering and spending money. lol

So over the weekend I was doing some work on my BSD and prepping to order some LEDS. (I also added the BriteButtons RED LED flipper buttons on and they look really nice). I noticed that the top right behind the playfield flasher wasn't working nor was the 2 under the coffin. Neither are getting power in the Sol/fash test (17), but it appears the backbox part function of this Sol no 17 is the red Dracula flasher, which is working fine. My game came sans manual and i've been going through the one online, but wanted to see if anyone had some ideas?

Sounds like you need to invest in The Pinball Arcade.

Did you try just swapping bulbs and wriggling the connector? For me, the one in the backboard under the red silhouette of Dracula was loose and I needed to reflow the solder on the twist socket.