Catacomb
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Quoted from spiroagnew:If anyone wants to post a picture of their Catacomb serial number I'd be happy to add it to the IPSND on your behalf (I am an admin for the site). If we can collect more serial numbers maybe we can try to help narrow down a production number.
Hey Spiro. Just joined the club. Where is the serial number? I dont see it stamped on the cab like other Bally's?
Quoted from Shenanigander:Hey Spiro. Just joined the club. Where is the serial number? I dont see it stamped on the cab like other Bally's?
I mean "like Bally's" not "other Bally's".
Quoted from Quench:Front of the cabinet on the lower left side. See here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/catacomb-club/page/5#post-3577714
Cool thanks!
Mine is 5313. Does anyone have a spare bagatelle ball to sell me? I have a 1 inch wooden bead in there now but it's not great. Also my backbox wire gate falls out of the track a lot. Is this common? I just removed mine for now as my ball will sometimes get jammed behind it when it gets out of the track.
20180917_154228 (resized).jpg
Quoted from Redketchup:I may have a repro bagatelle ball that is pretty close to the original... let me check tonight
That would be awesome thanks!
Quoted from Redketchup:I have one... Pm me your adresse and i will send it to you
You are the man! Thanks so much. PM incoming!
I am getting through reading all of the pages of this thread but not there quite yet but I did see someone seems to have had the same issue as me.
My background bass sound cuts in and out at seemingly random switch hits.
Is this normal or do I have a sound issue?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/85i4ez3maxowro3/Cat%20sound.m4a?dl=0
Quoted from cottonm4:I don't hear anything different than mine. If there is something wrong I don't know about it.
Quoted from Spagano314:You have a sound issue. I replaced several chips on my should board and it eventually went away. I don’t have the machine anyone so I really can’t help you with exactly what chip it was. It was one of the most frustrating things to diagnose as it’s not repeatable. The sound would just get quiet randomaly and then get louder a couple of seconds later. Good Luck. I wish I could be more help.
Thanks for the replies. Definitely a sound issue. Just discovered this...play both clips back to back.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/54es4xg07r6uvz0/Cat%20sound%202.m4a?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8gciszu3wj5362/Cat%20sound%203.m4a?dl=0
Quoted from Shenanigander:Thanks for the replies. Definitely a sound issue. Just discovered this...play both clips back to back.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/54es4xg07r6uvz0/Cat%20sound%202.m4a?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s8gciszu3wj5362/Cat%20sound%203.m4a?dl=0
Links don't seem to be working but the pitch for the voice in the game changes from "normal" to deep.
Quoted from cottonm4:The first link is working. It sounds like mine. I have never heard another Catacomb and have nothing to compare it to. I just figured this is the way it was supposed to sound.
If you figure it out I would appreciate knowing.
I will see what I can figure out. I uploaded the sound bytes again. Lets try these links...Listen for the change in pitch on the voice. The lower pitch also sounds a bit slower.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/katjyur1p4tta4k/Cat%20sound%202.0.m4a?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7l7xebazjkvq5mc/Cat%20sound%203.0.m4a?dl=0
Ok 1st link works but not 2nd. I am smashing my head against the wall now. The clip works on my desktop just fine. The other clip's link works fine. Cant get the 2nd one to work. Must be bed time(*)&
&#$(&*_&@#$_)*$_@)(%
OK couldn't give up just yet. Merged both clips into Audacity. This one link should play them both. Fingers crossed!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qegvmcmkn91wgwz/Cat%20sound%20high%20and%20low.mp3?dl=0
Quoted from cottonm4:Ok. I hear what you are talking about. Mine sounds like the audio clip with the higher pitch voice. I have no idea what's up. You might try snagging a sound board and a speech board on Ebay. I know that's not much help. I'll put it my "do some digging file" is best I can do.
But your Catacomb is playing OK. Correct?
Sorry, forgot to reply to this. Yes it is playing great overall. Spent a lot of time tweaking, adjusting and dialing things in. Occasional reset to look into as well as the sound issue. Just ordered new plastic set from CPR 
Just installed new thick, glossy printed apron cards!
20180925_173042 (resized).jpgQuoted from Xtraball:“Just ordered new plastic set from CPR”
If your right slingshot plastic is in nice condition, I’d like to buy it from you! Would you consider selling it? It’s the only plastic I need.
The bottom has a chip out of it sadly
Quoted from cottonm4:Where did you get those apron cards? I want some.
You can download them on IPDB https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=469
Then take the file to the print shop. I paid $6.40 cents for 3 pages total. (one for walking dead, 2 pages for Catacomb). All on thick and glossy card stock!
Thanks so much to cottonm4. Just got my wire gate in the mail today. Also have a repro backbox ball on the way thanks to redketchup. Should have smooth bagatelle action soon. I currently have my crappy gate removed and a not too spherical wooden ball that gets stuck sometimes. Playable but not great. Plus I have to adjust/clean all backbox switches as some dont work too well. Will be night and day difference soon!
P.s. I'm finally starting to figure out the rules to everything. Was one number from completing my 1st set of toast today
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Interesting re the coins.
As for overall game plays, doesn't every game have this? Diagnostics in the manual.
It's the 11th press of the test button.
I am just playing around with these settings at the moment but didn't want to accidentally re-set my overall plays, if that is possible. [quoted image]
I would guess that your total plays could in theory be accurate if you have the original battery on the MPU but any person/operator can reset that value by pressing the reset button on the mpu clearing it to zero so I would say that number cannot be trusted in most cases.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Follow up question after more testing and I cleaned all 9 switches.
The top 4 of A,B, C, and D are for sounds.
Middle 4 score points.
Bottom 4 give the grid letters/numbers.
What I can't figure out is this. Do all 3 switches have to register for the bottom switch to give the letter/number?
It seems that way in testing in that if I just press bottom switch nothing happens?
If this is true, then it explains why sometimes a number/letter is not awarded as the plastic ball only needs to not trigger one of the 3 switches. So, all 12 switches needed to be cleaned and gapped perfectly?
[quoted image]
I was wondering the same. (Why 3 switches per column in bagatelle.) Thanks for that info! I have noticed the same...sometimes a grid letter is not awarded in the bagatelle game when it should. I JUST recently cleaned all 12 switches and adjusted any that needed it. I made sure that when using my finger to test the switch in switch test that I didn't have to push the switch down too far for it to register. I noticed one zeener diode was broken and that switch was not working so I replaced that and that switch now works.
Here is what I think is the answer to your question.... The caps on the switches likely need to be replaced. They get old and dry up and do not do their job as effectively. They help switches that are hit very fast to register. So far I replaced the 3 caps on the rightmost column switches as I know that column has not registered before occasionally. I may end up changing the caps on all 12 switches. Pretty easy to do. I just cut the legs of the old caps but left room to solder the new caps to the old legs. I did dremel the old caps legs a bit just to polish them up and give them a nice fresh soldering surface 1st though.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Very interesting!
What kind of caps are you putting on?
Any links?
Mine is working better with switches cleaned and gapped very tight.
Haven't tested it much yet though.
Btw, anyone who says the bagatelle isn't skill based, doesn't understand how it works! Need lightning reactions to change colors at last second!
0.047mfd 50v ceramic cap is what I use. Sorry I forget where I bought them but I bought 100 of them for super cheap. Great to have on hand.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Still only played a few test games!
I just want everything working 100% and then I can play it properly and start to work out how to score on this game.
Love the ball action on this game.
It really is a unique pin - nothing else like it out there.
And yes, the letters does give a playing advantage as more chance of that late left flip to change the colors.
Brain has to work fast but not as fast as with numbers!
Starting to get better at the bagatelle game as well. I usually pick a color that I have none of or the least of and keep flipping till i see that the ball is going to land in a column I already hit then hit the left flipper fast to change the color. Is that your guys strategy?
Quoted from Shapeshifter:I wasn't sure what you meant so googled..... and then looked at my game.
Found these - NOS.
Exactly the same as in my game.
Worth stocking up for anyone who owns this game. Always nice to find original parts.
ebay.com link » 100 Pc 05uf 100v 20 Capacitor Z5u Series
Hey man. Those capacitors are likely 40 years old so I would not use them if I were you. You may not improve the situation at all. I would stick with new.
Quoted from DrJoe:One of the knocks against the bagatelle is that the worse you do on the playfield, the more chances you are likely to get to equalize your game progress via the bagatelle. This becomes a big equalizer in games (for better or for worse depending on what you like in a game). It would have been better, in my opinion, if you had to earn bagatelle flips on the playfield (for each set of drops completed perhaps).
Still though, it's a cool and unique game.
That makes sense! I can agree with that. Catacomb was actually in the Intergalactic Pinball tournament bank this year at replayfx so it is not on the tournament blacklist at least!
Quoted from OTTOgd:I sort of view it as the solid state version of a DMD video mode.
Quoted from OTTOgd:Ha! That's a great description, thanks.
Haha yes that works! I like it.
When I first started playing my Catacomb I thought the Bagatelle was just a delay and kind of a pain in the ass. Now that I know what I am doing and there is clear skill and strategy I enjoy playing it and the challenge of it but if you don't understand it I can see how it would just be seen as a nuisance.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Interested how you manage to fit those metal posts to plastic in the backbox?
You actually have to use a soldering iron and heat up the metal post and wiggle it out. You have do the same when installing the post to the new plastic. I just did Eight Ball Deluxe plastics. What a bitch. There were maybe 40 - 50 metal posts to do. Catacomb will be a cinch compared
Quoted from cottonm4:While sorting thru some paperwork I came across some helpful operator notes on a Catacomb speech board schematic.
Awesome info. My speech voice pitch is going crazy. Sometimes high, sometimes low. I even heard it high at the beginning of a sentence and low at the end of the sentence. It is all over the place. I need to address. These docs will help! It does not do the hyper fast talking though. Just pitch changes but the lower the pitch the slower the talking.
Finishing touches on my Catacomb. Backbox plastics replaced and Stern Electronics keychain added. Just have to get my sound working properly now! Replacing the metal bells was pretty easy afterall using the soldering iron trick. Always a little nerve racking taking a soldering iron to brand new plastics though!
20181030_181644 (resized).jpg20181030_183901 (resized).jpg20181030_183937 (resized).jpg20181030_183950 (resized).jpgQuoted from cottonm4:This is a good place to point out that the wide piece of plastic does not have a broken corner in the lower right. That is a designed bevel cut so the ball will not slam into a sharp corner; Rather the ball would be deflected and continue on to the four columns.
Makes sense. I think my big backbox plastic was all smashed up likely due to someone installing a regular pinball in the backbox maybe?
Quoted from Shapeshifter:Nice!
I just emailed CPR to ask if they would consider selling backbox only plastics.
They would sell a lot.
They will sell just the backbox plastics? That is sweet! Get them to toss in the Stern keychain plastic as well!
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