Painted. First game and I saw something fly. It was a piece of paint.

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My idea was to do a simple modification of removing the ramp entrances and replacing them with ones with up/down flaps (a la whirlwind or pinbot) on both sides. That way you could still have a free flowing orbit shot. I was also going to use coil driven gates to cut off the loop to get the ball into the pops. I felt that that would've opened up things quite a bit.

The center scoop shot is still a bitch to design around.

My thought was to mount a spinning target from above. Rotate it down to block the shot when desired.

If i ever get one again i will have to look into it. Game had potential and the hardware is easy to code for. Far easier than when i looked into updating Pistol poker and mystery castle.

Mine won't boot anymore. Seems to power up fine, but nothing happens on the computer/software front. D7 is lit up on my P3-ROC board, which in the manual means "Watchdog Timer Expired (Drivers Disabled)". That would certainly seem like something(?), but not sure what to do about it. Reflash the software? I do also have the counterclockwise lights in D4, 6, 10, 11 which indicates normal operation. What does your CPU board look like after the game has booted up? I also noticed just now when zooming in that my D8 (USB communications established) is not lit up. I've unplugged and replugged every USB about 3x each, but maybe it's a bad cable. But that sounds too simple to me.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated Compy dung Yelobird or anyone, thanks.

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Sorry not sure though I would start with a new battery. My suggestion is to reach out to Jimmy #Compy as he was integral in the setup for this game and has helped me in the past. Good luck.

First off, I don't have this game, never been inside of one, and don't know the layout of the internals. That said, I've worked on a couple of custom games that use the P3-ROC, so I know just barely enough to be dangerous.

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head, here. The computer that drives the machine is off. That's why the P3-ROC seems to be working fine. It is, but the USB is not connected, meaning, the computer that drives it is not on. Figure out how to override the power button/find the power button/reset button for the computer. Voltages look normal since all the appropriate LEDs are on. Might be as simple as a power connector to the computer that came unplugged. The P3-ROC is not the computer. Follow the USB cable from the P3-ROC and where it terminates will be the source of your problem.

That's my guess. Good luck!

Take a picture of the main board (its a raspberry pi usually located just below the P3-ROC with the blue LEDs.) It's about the size of a credit card. See if it has any lights. You should at least be getting something on the display if it has power. If not, we could probably start there and make sure the micro USB cable that goes into it is snug and providing power.

If its a corrupt software issue or something of that nature, let me know and I can send you an image/SD card.

This game was an absolute nightmare to work on the "design" team with, but I'll do anything in my power to make sure you've got something to flip.

Thanks a lot @compy! I really appreciate it!

The Pi seems to be getting power. The PWR light is lit, but ACT next to it does not do anything. Seems from a quick search it should be flashing green if it was sensing activity?

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In this photo I am showing where it ties into power with a pointer (lower left), a micro USB on the Pi end its wires into a molex on the other end, but I'm sure you know this already.

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Here's a wider view of the backboard with the game powered on.

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I have/can take other photos as well. Tricky to get a 100% view of everything with the center bar in the way.

I've swapped the USBs in the Pi to the other ports and also tried other cables I have lying around and it didn't make a difference. The only A male to B male USB (which is the white cable that goes from Pi to P3-ROC) I could find right now has ferrite chokes on both ends. I'm not sure that matters though? I know I have a ton of those cables around somewhere from old (very old!) portable hard drives, so I can keep looking or just buy a new one. That cable does wiggle quite a bit in the P3-ROC side. Wiggling it around and holding it down doesn't produce anything on the screen, however.

I can't get the HDMI out of the Pi without taking off the board or potentially forcing it out, but I don't assume that matters anyway. The game code would presumably still load even if the Pi wasn't sending data to the screen.

As for previous suggestions, I can not find a battery or reset button anywhere.

Thanks for sending that info!

Ok, so let's do some troubleshooting. Let's assume that the P3-ROC and associated cables are good and focus on the Raspberry Pi. If you've got the RED LED, you've got power, so check. However, green is the SD card access LED, and you're not really getting anything there. Reach around carefully behind the board and pull the MicroSD card out (down) and reseat/reinsert it.

If that doesn't work, I can mail you a new microSD card with code on it, or I can send you an image to flash if you've got the necessary adapters/software to do it. Your choice.

Did I mention #Compy is the BEST?? With so many amazing projects on his plate he still helps out those in need. Mr Awesome!!

I reseated the microSD and got this:

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It never continued loading past that. A few more power cycles and nothing came on the screen each time.

So I reseated it again and got this slightly different error message:

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And every power cycle since then (about 5 of them) has produced nothing. The screen doesn't even get a signal now, it just stays black. The microSD seems a little bent, maybe even slightly cracked. That must be it, a failing/damaged microSD? Or one problem, anyway.

Thanks again Compy, this is much appreciated!

+1 for Compy being a super helpful, super smart, super nice guy!

DM me your address. I'll drop a new SD card in the mail today. That should fix you up directly.

Alright, I tested the SD card on my test fixture here and it booted into attract. Dropped it in the mail for you. Should be there in a few days.

For future readers, is there a specific requirement for the card? SDHC, SDXC... and/or speed class? If there are requirements, are those due to the pi itself so future readers can research that or due to the implementation in Cosmic Carnival ?

Thanks for helping VALIS666 out Compy it’s much appreciated.

Do you simply use Clonezilla to make the new card? Is there an image available? I see IPDB has no entry.

1. Generally just try to make it a Class 10 uSD card. Space requirements are fairly minimal. We used to run the images for 8gb SD cards.

I'll get something submitted to IPDB. For future reference, the final version that was released was 1.0.5 with coinage (released on 9/17/2019) and is at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VKFZPB9d1o5DQbMrVsL_fNmbqFE_fRSF/view?usp=sharing - This is what was being worked on at the point the company was shut down. This will expand to a full image that can be applied with Etcher or Rufus. You must extract the zip and image the file within it to the micro SD card. Just make sure whatever tool you use doesn't try to do any "convenient" bootloader things.

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For historical context, here's a very brief timeline of events:
1. I was introduced to them at Free Play Florida in November 2018 while I was there supporting the software on the Kingpin game. They told me they were working on their own control system and it was going well. (The games they brought had caught on fire, neither were playable). This was also pre-Donny art.

2. I get another call in December saying they may need additional help as they're behind schedule. I send them an estimate and a rate quote. I'm put into touch with their software guy who is also doing their hardware design. Still insists that they're doing fine and no help is needed.

3. I get another call in March (the week before TPF) saying that they're definitely needing help. This time, judging by the timeline and proximity to TPF, they're in a heap of trouble. However they paid Donny a stack of cash to do the playfield/cabinet artwork. So at least the game looks great. I tell them that we'll talk after TPF as I've got commitments to companies unveiling games already at that TPF.

4. TPF comes, the games pretty much blink in attract and do a few things as the player bats the ball around. No optos work on the game, and a half-assed attempt at using a hobby "op amp module" and some botched solder jobs bring one of their two games down the entire show. Still, software guy insists the system is on track. At one point, a mosfet had gotten so hot due to lack of watchdog circuitry (and shit code) that it literally melted/desoldered itself from the board. They were also using SMD FETs.

5. TPF goes, I get a call the following Monday that they've fired their software engineer. I tell them to stop wasting their time trying to put together their own system and use an off the shelf product because they'll run out of money beforehand.

6. Right around MGC, I get a call that they're going to switch to the Multimorphic P3-ROC system and they're shipping me a game. After some back and forth redlining, they sign a contract. At first, they wanted me to move to Largo, FL. I politely declined.

7. Game arrives in May to be completely stripped/rewired. That particular unit is completely swapped over in 4 days (a long weekend). I then send them wiring diagrams for the new system and how we have things wired.

8. I'm given the compute budget of about $50, which means Raspberry Pi 3. Therefore all the python bits are swapped to C++ to run HD video on minimal compute power. At the same time, a majority of the game budget is spent on artwork and the music budget from Hans Zimmer's musicians. I told him they may have been able to get talent that has pinball experience for far less. I also recorded several guitar tracks to cut down on budget. We also couldn't use direct controlled LEDs, and their "EE" insisted that serial RGBs would work, despite previous industry uses being an absolute nightmare.

9. A while later, the first version of the game code is released and sent to them. Most of the rules were pre-determined and sent to me to program in. Most of them were pretty linear "shoot this target X times and then this ramp X times" type rules, which get pretty monotonous.

10. When asked for video content for certain events like extra balls, target completions, jackpots, etc. I'm told that they only want to use video content during certain modes. All other times the screen should be focused on the score. In total, I'm given about 5 videos. There are over 10 modes. Most other games we work on, we have over 30 videos for various things.

11. One day I'm told that they're hiring a junior programmer to do more mode implementations. By junior, it's a fresh college grad with no programming experience outside of java coursework, so it's up to me to teach him "pinball stuff" as well as programming for speed/optimization. The on-site staff have zero pinball experience. The owner actually insisted that stern's games shipped without plumb bobs on the tilt. He had a new Star Wars that he was mocking the cabinet design on, and he never bothered to open the coin box to see that they did, in fact, have plumb bobs for the tilt mech.

12. Another day goes by, and I get a call that the first games they've assembled have weak flippers. After requesting their EE send me schematics, it is apparent that thermistors and other resistance hardware on their power supply board were placed on the outbound rail that fed the flippers. They would clamp down on spikes above a couple amps. Well, flipper power easily blows that out. They also weren't placing filter/charge caps on their PSU board. They decided to design their own board to try to cut down on costs... This was in addition to them initially using 22AWG for coils.

13. A couple weeks later, I'm requested to fly out to Florida because they're live streaming the game and "launching". While I'm there, like always, they're gracious hosts, but surrounded by chaos. Before the livestream, one of their games has failing optos (upper ramp). Turns out that was because their "EE", in the interests of giving the game more "pizazz" before the stream wired a bunch of UV LEDs in series with the optos. Not like he couldn't have noticed, they were literally soldered onto the opto PCB. Again, on this trip, I'm requested to move to Largo, FL.

14. A week later, I'm informed that the company is running out of cash and has to lay a bunch of people off. Sadly, 6-7 weeks into his tenure, the junior programmer was one of the ones that left that day. Dude loved the environment though, working on games.

15. After a failed attempt to reorganize the company's finances, the pinball division files for bankruptcy protection. A few handfuls of games produced.

There are a TON of stories I could share. I'm not sure whether or not I should be sad, mad or whatever. Being a hired gun in this industry is a massive pain in the ass. In the end, I probably got 15% of my total contract's value from them (and a wicked t-shirt and a prototype game that sits on a pallet in my garage). Thankfully pinball isn't what pays the bills. I intentionally leave this game off of my resume for a reason.

Compy Thank you for the history. Interesting read. And thankfully not lost like many pinball archives.

LTG : )

Jeez, they sounded like a mess. Well, thanks for being the patron saint of this game anyway, Compy. If it wasn't for your help and code archiving, me and at some point the other 24 owners would just have a 250lb. brick. A really cool looking brick, but a brick all the same.

I lived a few blocks away from them and actually toured the plant and did an interview for a weekly radio show/podcast i do. It was right when there were about 8 games close to finished but still tons unfinished code and 3-d printing. As I left the factory I was hopeful for them but felt it was a long shot for survival. The year earlier i was playing a pinball game beside them when they set up in FPF and as they left it started smoking, we ran up to them and told them their machine was on fire.
i still have some promo stickers and card sets for the Cosmic Carnival pinball machine.

Compy has all the good stories (and has helped many MFGs stay on their feet, sometimes just long enough to fall harder! .

- Gerry
https://www.multimorphic.com

.

All hail @compy!

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Hope all is well with everyone..... to be honest we never look on pinside anymore but I just wanted to check in. While we apricate Jimmy and all he has done .... I will say his timeline story is full of 1/2 truths. He isn't outright lying but he isn't exactly telling the full story either. One of my biggest issues with his account is regarding his pay. While he is correct that he didnt get all or even most of his pay, he neglects to say that he turned down money half a dozen times. We even offered to put him on a weekly salary and he declined every time. At the time I thought he was just being nice since he knew things were tight. It is kind of crappy to turn down money over and over and then say, without prompting, that you barely got paid. While i do take issue with several others things that were said there is no point in trying rebuke it all. With all that said we thank Jimmy for his outstanding code work and willingness to continue to help people with our pinball machine. We would not have gotten it out without him! As most people know, or should know, pinball is not easy and we spent a lot of time and money putting together a system we believed in and in an industry we all love. While we have no plans to get back into pinball we still enjoy them and hope that others will continue to manufacture them for many years to come. We will continue to check in every year or two just to say hello . Thanks to everyone who supported us and keep flipping!

Glad to hear your still kicking. Still have our game #001 and appreciate all the effort that was made to get it done. While frustrating I don't think Jimmy was taking any cheap shots nor had any intentions of digging on Suncoast. I have talked to him many times about the game and he has always been respectful about the company and those he worked with. Just a great guy in my view. Sad to see this division didn't survive but I am still proud to own the game and appreciate Everyone on the team that made it happen.

So call me crazy but we are going to route the one we just picked up. It is a lot of fun with great art so we want others to have an opportunity to play it.

Been working on testing and we have two LEDs that are out on the board by the drops and all the LEDs on other boards down stream are out. Anyone know where we might source a board? Not sure if LED #3 is bad on the board but maybe we can just replace the LED?

Any leads or ideas are appreciated.

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You might have an easier time just replacing the SMD LEDs than trying to find a replacement board.

Isn't Suncoast Arcade still in business? If so, I'd just ping them for the LED part number (not the board - but the LED itself).

https://www.suncoastarcade.com/

It looks like that's printed on the PCB

Nah, just surface mounted LEDs. Edit: Were you referring to the LED part number itself? If so, wonder if that's a SunCoast part number or the vendor number?

BillPinball Are these RGB LEDs (i.e. multi-color)?

apa102c-rgb

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Just posting this since it was the lowest hanging fruit in a search: https://www.ledlightinghut.com/apa102c-5050-rgb-led.html

I'm sure you can find them on some of the regular electronics supplier sites.

LOL, good eyes spotting that!

Looks like SparkFun has 10/$3.95 (just a quick google search). Don't know cost of shipping.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14863

Thanks everyone so much for the help. Here is a zoomed in pic and apa102c-rgb looks to be the winner. Thank you ForceFlow

Now to buy a few and see if someone local can has the equipment to replace a surfaced mount LED. I got a PM that someone had Rob Anthony replace a surface mount LED so I could go that route as well.

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If you have any soldering ability, it should be very easy to replace yourself. Two irons would help (one on each side - off it comes). But no biggie if you want to have someone do it for you. Clean up the pads w/some solder wick and reinstall.

Thanks everyone for the help. To be safe I decided to send the board off to Borygard

Will update when we get the board back.

I call bullshit. This is cya mode pure and simple. I considered Jimmy a friend and above board ... I highly doubt he spun anything to make himself look better.

Not sure why you need to try to spin a failed business... But you do you

So Borygard helped me out and replaced LED2 LED3 and LED4.

Sadly no lights beyond LED2 still. LED2 does light so the newly installed LED is working fine.

At this point I am not sure what to do. Anyone have any ideas?

Looks like a serial chain led strip.
1: they dont hand solder well.
2: if led2 was always an issue ... Then led1 is likely the problem

Apa102 LEDs reformat the data on die, and retransmit down the line to the next one in the chain

Were the LED's orientated properly? I assume so, just need to ask to be sure.

Howdy Cosmic Carnival owners!
In case you're having chipping problems around the scoop, targets bank or shooter ejects Cliffy's™ has ya covered. Thanks to Bill Brooks of Fargo Pinball I was able to make a nice little set for it-
As always simply email me at crinear at comcast dot net and I'll be happy to make a set for you

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