Lawman, I will answer this to-be-continued story a little later.

Some of you are aware that I have been making the wire gates for the bagatelle section of the Catacomb pin. Several months ago I had a pinsider contact me about the mounting brackets for the gate.

Two days ago, I had another pinsider who is restoring a Catacomb contact me about those same mounting brackets (see pics).

Screen Shot 2020-01-23 at 6.26.22 PM (resized).png

I am not equipped for any serious sheet metal bending. This is something that Kerry at Mantis would have the right equipment to make these.

The problem is making only 1 or 2 sets would cost a fortune. The other problem is that they will not break or wear out. They are made of stainless steel. So if your Catacomb has these brackets then you are set.

What I am inquiring about is if there is anybody else out there who would like to have a set for a wild ass guess of just in case.

I would really like to be able to help these two people out because, the pin is not very playable if the gate assembly is not installed.

Is there anybody else needing or wanting a set of these?

Im in for 2 sets

As you can see, this request for people wanting the gate mounting brackets is rather thin. So, I need to ask how much you would pay pair of a pair?

They look like something you should be able to buy for $25-$30 dollars for a set. But my uneducated guess is that you would be paying at least $60.00 per set. Maybe higher.

Would you still be interested at $60.00 per set? What about $80.00 per set?

If no one would be interested at these nose bleed prices, there is not much point in me trying to pursue this any farther.

PM sent.

I would be interested in 1 set for sure !!

I'll take a set.

That is 4 sets. And one person has not spoken up yet.

So 5 sets so far.

I'll contact Kerry and if he is even interested.

Someone new has PMed me with a request for 2 sets.

That makes 7.

If anybody this is interested would make a post on this thread it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

I am in for one set.

I have been waiting for you. #8.

I'll reach out to Kerry tomorrow and try to see if I can get some idea of pricing.

Count me in too, Cotton.

Number 9. Number 9. Number 9.

Just put me down to help out the team

do you mean Me? im still in for 2

No. I linked my reply to Methos, who was the late arrival. You are still in for 2.

Was on vacation, sorry for the late response.

Being on vacation is nothing to be sorry about. No apologies needed.

I have emailed a request for pricing on 10 sets.

Now we wait.

Kerry has responded to my request. I am not interested in sending him my set of mounts as samples. Right now, they have become too valuable to place in the mail. If they were to get lost then I would be in the same problem we are trying to solve.

I am going to dust off my drawing skills and work up some isometric drawings with measurements and hope he will be able to work with my drawings. If quality drawings will not work for him then I will have to ship.

What I can tell you is if he can do them they will be laser cut, which means nice smooth edges.

Please be patient. On my way to the print shop to get some quality drawing paper.

Anyone experiencing the background sounds changing volume on their Catacomb?

Working on someones Catacomb, the background volume changes during game play when any switch is hit. i.e. the background volume could be the same level as any switch sound effect. Hit any switch on the playfield and the scoring effect will play at normal volume but then when the background sound returns it could either be the same level as the scoring sound or half the volume level. Scoring sounds are always the same 'normal' volume level. Only the background sound level will sometimes play at half volume.

Have installed all factory boards and problem occurs.
Replace factory boards with new aftermarket boards one at a time and the problem persists - this includes Alltek solenoid driver board, Alltek MPU board, Weebly SB300 sound board, Alltek lamp driver board.
Have tried disconnecting the speech board, the lamp driver board, and the displays. Replaced the ribbon cable from the MPU to SB300, replaced the volume control. Problem persists.

Interestingly the problem with half volume is worse with the Alltek MPU board. Have tried a memory clear with no difference.
It is better with my factory MPU board using four EPROMs (background volume level is mostly at the higher 'normal' level).
Have tried a factory MPU board with RA22 and another factory MPU board with RA23 ROMs - doesn't resolve it.
Have tried some of the suggestions others have used with Meteor sound issues, i.e. using identical 5101 RAM chips (Philips) at U8 and U13 on the factory MPU board, replacing the four 2716 EPROMs with two 2732 EPROMs. No difference.

The background volume difference happens on the first two or three switch hits, at worst will take a dozen switch hits.

Anyone seen (heard) this?

Only one last long shot item i could suggest is maybe something is wrong with the speaker. ???

Sorry i don't have something better.

Cheers, I think the owner also tried the speaker and volume control from another Stern with no luck.

It's only the background sounds that sometimes go to half volume. Weird..

most likely if everything around it has been swapped out with no change. could also be bad pins in the harness, if they havent been repinned yet

Happens with the original factory SB300 sound board and two aftermarket Weebly SB300 sound boards.

has the VSU been swapped out?

VSU-100 has been disconnected. No difference.

volume pot bad?

Mine does the same as yours. This is the second Catacomb I’ve had and the first also did this. Could it be normal?

Tried a brand new 25k logarithmic pot and I think the owner also tried one from another Stern. No luck.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Only significant things not changed are transformer/rectifier board and wiring harness.

Thanks, that's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of.

It's just like what happens in this video. We first noticed it with the game just sitting idle in game mode that the background sounds would intermittently drop volume - the owner noticed he could trigger it by hitting switches and scoring:

Exactly like both of mine

Did you install a new ribbon cable between the mpu and sound board?

Maybe it is part of the sound package like the wave in Seawitch and the sound in Quicksilver.

what are the voltages on the soundboard? do they hold steady when watched for a minute? have the MPU and driver board small harnesses been repinned? has the rectifier board be repinned and checked for cold solders?

It does have a new ribbon cable, but we did try an old one from another Stern.

That's the question. cottonm4 has a Catacomb and in his reply he didn't hint at having seen this.

To be honest I only briefly checked the voltages but did so with my oscilloscope and didn't see any changes. Owner also said he measured them with no change.

I suspect those connectors in the head have not been repinned. I haven't looked at the rectifier board.

It smells of some sort of software timing issue not helped with the bad design of that J5 ribbon cable sitting on the CPU bus with no signal termination on the SB300 side. I wish I understood Sterns PIGS programming so I could experiment with the sound engine.

When i get home i will listen to your video on my computer equipped with good speakers. I am currently listening on my cell phone and it sounds just like my Catacomb.

It will be very late this afternoon or tomorrow before will be back at my computer.

My Catacomb has been in storage for almost a year, but i dont remember any sound volume fluctuation in the sound(i could be wrong), and i think I would have noticed when switches were closed, a volume change. if its not the boards, not the program(no change with eproms) not the voltage, it almost has to be a connection/wire issue.

My catacomb would double sounds and speech and I had all boards professionally repaired, all new connectors, new pot and new speech chip, never could solve the issue.

I have listened on the better set of speakers. I am not hearing anything different from mine. I don't know. May be I have been thinking it is a feature.

I know I wish I could make that "growling" sound go away. I have got used to it but would prefer it was not there.

It's Sterns software interpreter language: "Pinball Interpreted Game System".

When my Catacomb comes out of storage next year it's something I'll look into because I want/hope to make the background sounds sound more like it does in PinMAME which is random vintage computer tones rather than random clicking noises. i.e. stopping the tones from being filtered.

The background volume changes are very obvious in person - if you haven't noticed it on your game I guess it's not doing it.

That was the initial thought, but when all game and scoring sounds are normal volume level and only the background sounds sometimes drop in volume and can be manually triggered, typical connections issues seem unlikely.

Which effect is the growling sound?

Thanks all!

I don't know what you would call it. It is that low pitch sound that I think is supposed to represent the chained monster.

The sound on mine does the same thing!

let me know what happens, but I'd be in for 2 sets for sure.
I could paypal you some funds to send em ups special parcel or something, but yeah I'd understand not wanting to loose em.
thanks for looking into it at any rate.

i dont mind the back round sounds, i kinda like them. but id pay good $ for a modern speech module to replace the synth voice

I have learned to live with that sound. And agree majorly for modern speech.

When I got my Catacomb, I couldn't stop repeating the monotone "Prisoner one escaping from Catacomb" voice. The historical significance that these early Sterns used the first speech processor chip manufactured isn't lost on me. I might be oldskool but I couldn't imagine having modern speech on these old games.

that will be in my head all day

You have a point.