(Topic ID: 82437)

Did I kill my Demolition Man?

By Chaos

10 years ago


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#2 10 years ago

Take another look at the ribbon cables. You may find one that isn't on right. I.e. It's not connected to both rows of the dual row connector.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
http://www.PinWiki.com - The new place for pinball repair info

#12 10 years ago

Guys,

This kind of game behavior is typically caused by a ribbon installed 1 row off.
There is no short.
The ribbons, with the exception of the thinner dot controller to DMD ribbon, extend the processor data bus. Connecting ribbons one row off will corrupt the data bus, causing this kind of result.

I wouldn't do another thing without checking each of the ribbons one more time. One of them HAS to be installed wrong.

Also, while it will work, the four position ribbon is not for your game. It's for a pre-DCS game, that has a smaller sound board. That's why it's stretched like a banjo string in your game. Maybe that's your TAF ribbon.

Yes, you can boot the game with ribbons removed. Usually, this is benign, but it's possible that something might lock on. Don't let things lock on. Immediately switch the game off. Coils are one thing. Flashers are another. A locked on flasher gets hot fast, and melts domes and plastics.

It looks like you have all the pin 1-to-pin 1 connections right. Find the ribbon connector that is one row off.
If you don't find that, examine each male ribbon header for missing or bent pins.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
http://www.PinWiki.com - The new place for pinball repair info

#22 10 years ago

Mmmmm....beer......mmmmmmm...
I'm glad the game is back to normal. Nice work!
It is assumptions of correctness that delay finding the issue sometimes.
I learned that well back in my Software Engineering days.

For the switch...
...the coil works in solenoid test. Good.
...neither sling switch registers in switch test.
...no other switch problems. Verify this. If other column or row switches are out, the next steps are different.

Assuming (there we go again) those are the facts...
It's probable that either the row or column wire for that switch is no longer connected to the matrix.
Test this by setting your DMM to continuity. Buzz between the green wire with tracer to another switch in that column with the same colored green wire with tracer. The switch matrix diagram will help you find one quickly. If that test buzzes, next test the white with tracer row wire the same way. If either test fails, find the break in the wire. A quick fix is to add a jumper between the two switches where there should be continuity. Ugly, but expedient.

If both tests buzz, then the switch diode may have failed open. If the diode is open, the switch matrix circuit will never work. Test the diode with your meter. No need to clip a leg.

There are other possibilities, but those are the two most likely.

More about switches...
http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Williams_WPC#Switch_Matrix_Problems

--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
http://www.PinWiki.com - The new place for pinball repair info

#24 10 years ago
Quoted from Chaos:

without calling in a technician.

Ahem...you mean in person, right?
You've discovered the down-side to IDC connectors (Insulation Displacement Connectors). They are fast to use in original construction, but over the long term, their reliability is not as good as crimp style connectors.

You can try to solder it to the conductor in the connector, but that's a bit of a hack.
The correct solution is to purchase the right sized female housing. It will be a .100 molex housing. You just need to get the number of pins right. Then you'll need some .100 pins, a crimp tool, and some time. This would necessarily involve recrimping ALL of the wires in that connector. And, crimping two wires to a single crimp pin is a tough way to start your crimping career. It takes practice and the right tool to get it right.

Alternatively, you could remove the "other side" of the white-red wire in the connector, solder the two ends together outside the connector insulating it with heat shrink tubing, then "restuff" the wire into the original IDC connector. This method may work for 100 years or it may not work at all. Results depend on how well you can restuff the wire.

This is the .156 stuff tool...you'll need something similar in .100 to restuff the connector. Some folks will simply use a flat blade screwdriver. (Gasp)
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1590
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
http://www.PinWiki.com - The Place to go for Pinball Repair Info

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