(Topic ID: 234457)

Cheap Power for Bally/Stern Displays - Will this work

By Cheddar

5 years ago


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  • 77 posts
  • 18 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by PinFixin
  • Topic is favorited by 6 Pinsiders

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    There are 77 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
    #51 5 years ago

    First time posting pics.... Has all schematics for the display tester and displays a home made glass tester, and some personal notes about what to do if...

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    #52 5 years ago

    That is super cool. Thanks for posting it

    2 months later
    #53 4 years ago

    Finally started using my tester. Works amazing on LEDs, but on my high voltage I'm having something weird happen on the displays.
    Using a Nixon clock power supply putting out 200 v DC.
    Keep getting a voltage jump? On the far left digit on all 5 displays I tested.

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    #54 4 years ago

    I have seen that too. I keep my power around 180VDC so I don't see it as often

    #55 4 years ago

    Cool I'll try a little lower voltage will have to wait a few weeks. I fried my power supply hooking up my 12v dc backward.

    #56 4 years ago

    Hi guys,

    I would avoid using 200VDC as they are normally working with 170-180VDC

    I think also che some glasses are getting old enough and this could also indicate that they are getting tired and cause those effects.

    Thanks anyway for feedback.
    Gianfri

    #57 4 years ago
    Quoted from gianfri:

    Hi guys,
    I would avoid using 200VDC as they are normally working with 170-180VDC
    I think also che some glasses are getting old enough and this could also indicate that they are getting tired and cause those effects.
    Thanks anyway for feedback.
    Gianfri

    Cool definitely try that. Loving the tester. Great work.

    #58 4 years ago

    Not sure I get why a tester is needed for these plasma displays. For a sound board or SDB I get it. Why not just plug into a working game and run the display test? I have done it this way for hundreds of displays. Never needed another tester.

    #59 4 years ago
    Quoted from jj44114:

    Not sure I get why a tester is needed for these plasma displays. For a sound board or SDB I get it. Why not just plug into a working game and run the display test? I have done it this way for hundreds of displays. Never needed another tester.

    I don't currently have a Bally or stern at my house to test them. I've still repaired a bunch with it.

    #60 4 years ago
    Quoted from jj44114:

    Not sure I get why a tester is needed for these plasma displays. For a sound board or SDB I get it. Why not just plug into a working game and run the display test? I have done it this way for hundreds of displays. Never needed another tester.

    Options are a good thing and you get full access to the display board on the bench for probing.
    I haven't got a tester set up as yet but for anyone repairing lots of displays I'd think reducing female display connector wear in their machines is a good idea.

    #61 4 years ago
    Quoted from jj44114:

    Not sure I get why a tester is needed for these plasma displays. For a sound board or SDB I get it. Why not just plug into a working game and run the display test? I have done it this way for hundreds of displays. Never needed another tester.

    I think you have already got the answers but in general, with any kind of tester like this one:

    - you don't need to have an alive machine to test one or more displays;
    - you can confortably sit in front of your test bench and do test + repair without standing up and down to go back to the machine;
    - in case of nasty short or damages you avoid killing you working machine;
    - when reparing a display you need to switch it on several times before having it good, this means connectiong it to the pinball machine as many times as;
    - this tester runs a series of tests which are intended to confirm that all digits and segments are ok, in a normal machine you have to power on, wait, move to tests program, etc etc.;
    - this tester goes straight to the point.

    Now, before having it, I was doing exactly like you said, but I was tired of using my machines as test benches, keeping them constantly open and looking hugly.

    Getting your feedbacks and positive comments makes me really proud because it looks like I produced something really useful not only for myself.

    #62 4 years ago

    just been tinkering with the NCH6100HV high voltage module i bought from ebay. Great value for little money to the UK from China
    Set it to 170V and now just waiting for Gianfri display tester to fall through my letter box!
    Cheers Bob

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    #63 4 years ago

    Hi Bob,

    I'm assembling the new testers after my Easter holidays, I'll ship it to you in the next days.

    Regards
    Gianfri

    1 week later
    #64 4 years ago
    Quoted from gianfri:

    Hi Bob,
    I'm assembling the new testers after my Easter holidays, I'll ship it to you in the next days.
    Regards
    Gianfri

    thanks Gianfri
    turned up the other day, thank you

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    #66 4 years ago

    Thinking about getting gianfri 's display tester and looking into a stepper to drive HV (ebay.com link: itm). What do you use/connect into the stepper for the 12-24V DC In? I haven't been able to find any pictures showing how that part connects.

    #67 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mathazar:

    Thinking about getting gianfri 's display tester and looking into a stepper to drive HV (ebay.com link). What do you use/connect into the stepper for the 12-24V DC In? I haven't been able to find any pictures showing how that part connects.

    I use one of these: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/RQ-50B?qs=V9a8iPeg90yfVL7CjCrVgQ%3D%3D

    and just stripped some wire of the end of a jumper and put it in the connectors on the nixie board.

    #68 4 years ago
    Quoted from Cheddar:

    I use one of these: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/RQ-50B?qs=V9a8iPeg90yfVL7CjCrVgQ%3D%3D
    and just stripped some wire of the end of a jumper and put it in the connectors on the nixie board.

    Interesting....mouser is out of stock (7 weeks) but it's on Amazon for $20. Did yours come with the wall plug cable or did you have to fashion your own? Amazon doesn't list any "accessories" that get packaged with it.

    #69 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mathazar:

    Interesting....mouser is out of stock (7 weeks) but it's on Amazon for $20. Did yours come with the wall plug cable or did you have to fashion your own? Amazon doesn't list any "accessories" that get packaged with it.

    I used an old pc power cord. Yeah it didn't come with anything

    #70 4 years ago

    Hello all,

    I think you can find several models with several budgets.

    this is working in my bench and it's quite cheap:
    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-DC-8-32V-To-45-390V-High-Voltage-Boost-Converter-ZVS-Step-up-Booster-Module/32900346733.html

    2 weeks later
    #71 4 years ago

    Got my display tester board the other day - thanx very much, @gianfri. I had a chance to play with it tonight and it's going to be very useful to me. Nice product.

    #72 4 years ago

    Thanks man!

    Having people happy makes me happy.
    It's a nice feeling when you realize that something you have produced is finally helpful for the others.

    Thanks for your feedback and have fun!
    Gianfri

    2 weeks later
    #73 4 years ago
    Quoted from Mathazar:

    Got my display tester board the other day - thanx very much, gianfri. I had a chance to play with it tonight and it's going to be very useful to me. Nice product.

    On your video it mentions the driver or level shifter transistors as likely suspect when a digit fails. FWIW in working on hundreds (maybe thousands?) of these display boards about 90% of the time it's the 300k Ohm resistor opening up. Just letting anyone reading this know there are a couple of known causes when a digit fails on these early Bally and Stern displays.

    #74 4 years ago
    Quoted from pinfixer:

    On your video it mentions the driver or level shifter transistors as likely suspect when a digit fails. FWIW in working on hundreds (maybe thousands?) of these display boards about 90% of the time it's the 300k Ohm resistor opening up. Just letting anyone reading this know there are a couple of known causes when a digit fails on these early Bally and Stern displays.

    Indeed - thanks for that @pinfixer. I've repaired 23 displays since getting that display tester (so much easier!) and out of those 23, 8 got fixed by replacing resistors. All I had to do was follow the guide:

    http://stevekulpa.net/pinball/bally_disp6r.htm?fbclid=IwAR1bAGVVyt-YPDiuSx3rtf66OJOZ0XOv16wFBMp1ZqhsZF-7Cbr9F2yHxkA

    #75 4 years ago
    Quoted from pinfixer:

    90% of the time it's the 300k Ohm resistor opening up.

    I think you meant the 100k ohm resistors. They're the ones that fail.

    #76 4 years ago

    Love those old Bally brown box testers, had several years ago!

    2 years later
    #77 2 years ago
    Quoted from Mitch:

    Finally started using my tester. Works amazing on LEDs, but on my high voltage I'm having something weird happen on the displays.
    Using a Nixon clock power supply putting out 200 v DC.
    Keep getting a voltage jump? On the far left digit on all 5 displays I tested.[quoted image]

    Just got the tester, ty! Very handy! I also went with the ZVS stepup converter. Much easier to use for this application. I got one of the 6300HV (replaced the 6100HV) and it didn't work.

    Anyways, I am having a somewhat similiar issue as the quoted post. However, it only happens when the digits strobe from left to right. A small purple square appears next to the comma as it's strobing to the right. Every other test on the display looks PERFECT. Even when having the commas lit all the time, they look fine. It's only when it's strobing quickly from left to right.

    The display is way too bright for the recording to show what I'm talking about. I have included it here but it's not much help.

    What do you guys think of this? Almost looks like it's arcing. Happens on 2 different displays.

    -Pat

    There are 77 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.

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