Update on possessed JUDGE drop targets.

Once possession happens, the shooter lane will automatically fire the next ball if you drain during a possession

Possession happens in both normal and super game (I’m Anita Exorcism, and super possession continues!)

As KoP suggested, i went into solenoid testing and shook the table. Heck, I even gently coffin-dropped the bastard and it still wouldn’t freak out.

Definitely convinced the issue is software, but I want to be as close to 100% sure before I swap roms. Never done it before, so I'm a little nervous. Any good visual tutorial on how to swap em out?

It's easier to remove the ROM with an IC puller, for example https://www.amazon.com/Jonard-S-340-Insulated-Spring-Extractor/dp/B006C4BCAK
and be very careful not to bend the legs when pushing the ROM back in. Take your time.

Just to make sure, you mean switch test, not solenoid test, right?
If you switch roms, be carefull to install the chip the right way. Look at the indentation in de old chip and install the new one the same way.

...and be very careful with static electricity. You can easily fry a memory chip without ever noticing it. You should discharge any static electricity you may have on yourself by touching something grounded, like the side rails of a pinball machine, and only then start manipulating the chips. You always think this is paranoid BS until it happens to you personally...

Hi all,

Got a weird MPU fault, the machine plays fine but the volume down is pulsing every 6 secs or so (down button is working). unfortunately the previous owner had done some board repairs on it and had replaced both u16/17 LM339 (not well) possibly due the batt leakage and Ive replaced U15 74ls240.

Any ideas what would cause this? I know its the mpu as ive unplugged the direct switches and it still happens and also tested a known working with no issue.

Possessed drop targets update.

So I swapped a different rom and the problem persists.

I did both solenoid and switch tests and the drop target bank works 100% of the time. It’s only in-game when it freaks out.

However, one of these fuses looked a little suspicious to me so I removed the fliptronic controller board to see if there had been any problems on the back. This look normal to any of you?

The game plays 100% mind you, it’s just the drop targets that are freaking out. I have a hunch that this controller board is sending weird signals to that drop target board.

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Yeah that's been toasty before which is never a great sign
I'll stand corrected if i'm wrong but i'm pretty sure the fliptronic board is ONLY for the flippers not for the other coils. Most coils are driven from the driver board. I'm still leaning towards either a suspect coil (maybe the diode on the coil itself could be bad) or maybe the transistor that drives the up (reset) coil.

Yeah, the weird thing to me is that it always works 100% in test mode… which is why I’m suspicious of some kind of poor communication loop between the game and the drop targets.

Here’s a video of the drops working in tests, not working in-game

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V4IBhFPwR6xPLxrEqrTlZiZKTGTquHTC/view?usp=drivesdk

Try removing the connector for the lamps (with machine off) and see what happens during play to remove that from the possibilities.

.

The lamps for the drop inserts?

Actually, all the lamps. You need to prove you don't have a short circuit somewhere. The lamps are off during test mode but on during game play. Just a thought, not saying this is the problem.

So I disconnected the drop lamp bank. No change.

Then I disconnected most of the inserts on the table. No change.

I’m close to finding 999 ways NOT to fix judge dredd possessed drop targets

Yeah, Fliptronic doesn't affect the drops.
You should however check the 12V supply & gnd going to the drop target opto board - see if the contacts are toasty and if the wires are sitting firmly in them.

Would a power issue really be this finicky? Today, the drops are mostly working… a little glitchy, but the game is at least playable. I’m guessing if I put 10 games or so on it, it will return to full-on possession. This is why I’m thinking the drop target board is going. Thinking about ordering one of the redesigns.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AtGeMGAxfG5rvWaIYvSCY9W3rGVeoEj8/view?usp=drivesdk

But I’m determined to figure this thing out.

What’s the best way to check the 12v and ground of the drop target board?

Questions guys I installed the dead world mod. Is the crane supposed to empty the balls off the disc once the games over?

It doesn’t on mine unless I restart the game.

I believe it’s designed this way to get the next player in as quickly as possible, ie, keep the balls on the disc until the next multiball.

I have some slop in the crane and deadworld how do I adjust the crane to go farther in so the ball triggers the opto?

This link has a lot of things you should look into tweaking.

http://www.iobium.com/tuning_judge_dredd_for_the_locki.htm

Possessed JUDGE drops update.

So I changed out a suspicious looking fuse on the dmd board. Turns out it was a 3/10 when it should have been a 3/8.

Drops were working perfect… until today. So what changed? Well, I only had Dredd on yesterday, and today, I turned on the other 8 machines.

I turned most of them off, and the drops work fine again!

So what gives? Do I need some kind of power conditioner for all my machines? Is there some kind of power issue with Dredd specifically?

Feels like I’m getting a lot closer!

Check/replace your 5V/12V 100µF electrolytics - with an ESR meter if you got one. C31 on the cpu board, C2 and C4 on the pdb. Also check the involved crimps and plugs (J101, J114, J210, J118 and the connector on the drop target opto board).
The rectifiers BR2 and BR4 might also cause trouble, although I would suspect that to be showing more severely. Same goes for BR5 and pdb C30 which are responsible for the unregulated 12V, but that should lead lead to all sorts of opto trouble, not just the drops.

You should also measure the 12V, 5V and 12V reg (TP1, 2, 3) on the pdb with a voltmeter with your other machines running, ideally while the possession occurs. If any of these are below their nominal voltage, carefully (dangerous voltage here!) measure your mains voltage at the service outlet, if that falls low too, you might try setting your transformer to high tap - but that should only be a last resort..

Thanks for the suggestions! That all sounds above my pay grade, but I will look into it.

when dredd is on, it seems to fluctuate a lot, between 140 and 170

But when the drops started freaking out, I saw it top out at 240.

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These were the days. Lol.
Just getting one and it is not $1500…
Crazy

lol yeah, this game is insanely undervalued at its current price of ~4-5k Especially considering some of the overhyped games of this era that fetch 7000-9000.

POSSESSED DROPS UPDATE #48

So after changing all the fuses, including one that was toasted, I thought for sure the haunted drops would be no more!

Alas, they still persist.

But now I see a few more toasted items on the menu. This time, the drops themselves and their neighboring lights.

Could this be my problem? What’s the process of fixing this?

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At the least you would swap to new connectors and refresh the wires going into the connector BUT the issue is more than likely going to be on the pins on the board itself. What did the board look like behind those header pins? Going off the discolouration on the J118 connector that's had heat @ the 12V pin which makes me suspect there's a deeper issue going on.

New headers for sure.
Do not practice on your board. You will need good tools for this job and a little knowledge.
Better to send it off to a pro. Desoldering the socket without proper tool will result in pads being partially removed as tbe board has connections on both sides and not just the top.

Yeah, this is kinda what I figured. I didn’t have time to remove the board, but I will tonight or tomorrow and post an update here.

Agreed. I know someone who does a ton of repairs and owns an arcade. I’ll probably just remove the board tonight, take a bunch of pictures and get his opinion on it / take it to him to fix.

I will be needing repairing the front panel of a dredd I am picking up soon.

Who makes the best decals for Dredd?

So I was Dredding (sorry) some crispy bits on the back of the board after the burnt pin connector discovery, but it looks like this board was repaired at some point. Perhaps just replaced.

So could it just be the connectors that need to be replaced? Could they be cause of my haunted drop targets?

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Yeah, that is quite likely (and was about the first thing suggested). Do replace all crispy connectors on both the board and the cable side. A bad connection means a voltage drop when current is flowing, that means heat at the bad connection, that means a worsening connection, that means a rising voltage drop, that means more heat... you get there this is headed.

As mancave said the question is however why there is/was so much current flowing in the first place. J118 supplies all optos and the globe motors with 12V. The opto LED supply current should total to about 0.5A which should not be a problem.. Is everything in the switch matrix working flawlessly? All playfield optos, scoops and the trough?
Maybe the planet got stuck some time and caused the massive current flow? Is it running smoothly and "quietly"? It will never be really quiet, but the screeching sound should be uniform and bright, like the steering of an RC car.

Yeah, everything else is working flawlessly as far as I can tell. I’ve put up a few 300-400 million games in both regular and super game. Not insane scores, but enough to see most everything of what the game does. All modes work as expected. Any other malfunctioning would be obvious I’d think.

I’ve spent some time rebuilding the tower, with a new disc and a few other parts and tweaks. Works 100% of the time now. Globe and deadworld mod disc operate exactly as expected, and yeah, without the glass on, it sounds exactly like an RC car

But now that you mention a stuck globe, and since the globe spins as soon as the drops complete, maybe this is something to keep in mind after a friend of mine fixes the connectors.

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

Hello, am a proud owner of a JD since yesterday.
I was searching for the Dadworld mod for sale but apparently i can only find in USA, to avoid VAT , can someone tell me if there is to sale in Europe?
Also what is the rom i need to use with it?
Thank you

Has anyone bought the mirrored back glass for dredd? https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-backglasses/judgedredd/

Keen to know if someone has one and their opinion if it’s worth it??

I posted this question previously here, probably a few pages back. I've been on the fence about buying one, but I've heard CPRs' mirroring isn't that great, more just shiny silver without much mirror quality to it, and my translite looks fine. So it seems unecessarry to me. I'd have to see some better pictures of it or here from someone who bought one to really convince me.

Interesting. I saw Cary Hardy's video on his mirrored Johnny Mnemonic, and he seemed to be very pleased with the product. That makes me think JD would look good as well. I'm also interested in hearing from someone that has the JD backglass.

Do you have a link to the video you can post? I'd be interested to see it.

I just picked up a Dredd and having some opto issues with the dead world MB, it looks like it is not counting properly and it is releasing more than 3 balls, so when I drain 3 balls the game ends even though there are more balls in play. I understand this is incorrect, obviously, but wondering if there is something in Dredd that I need to look at before I look into the optos themselves.

Interestinglyt enough, the opto/switch seem to work intermittently so I was able to play here and there properly. I have to say, I did not like this game at all so I will be selling it soon, so just want to get it to work so I can pass it along to the next owner free of any issues.

We have a CPR mirrored Elvira backglass in a machine in our local club and I must say that I am really not impressed. The colors are off and a little dull but most notably the CPR backglass seriously lacks details. Where there are fine grainy textures and color nuances on the original the CPR is just a big ugly single colored surface.
This seems to be case with many of their mirror glasses judging from the other threads on here (imho JM and HS2 for example look terrible too), however some people like them nonetheless.

In my opinion the mirroring is hardly worth the much degraded overall quality. Especially at the price the mirrored version sells for..
You gotta decide for yourself, but for me it's a definitive pass.

To me, the CPR backglass seemed darker and didn't look as nice as the original translite when lit up. He does seem really happy with it so maybe it looks better in person.

Just picked up my Dredd Saturday. Can’t wait to start modding the heck out of it!!

Already added the mirrored backglass, green deadworld ring, and metal crane.

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Haunted JUDGE drop targets update #4597

repinned the crispy connectors that were associated with power and lights for the drops.... worked great for a couple of days, then back to occasional haunted drops. Not as bad as before, sooo.... yay?

changed out drop opto board. no difference.

I'm going to be testing all of the transistors today per a friend's recommendation and if that's not it, maybe it's a haunted solenoid.

Pray for me.

I mentioned this before and it may not even relate but when i was restoring a Spyhunter machine and had all the cab and stuff nicely done i was up to getting it all running. I completely refitted all the flipper mechs with new parts (including the switches) BUT left the coils as they appeared to be ok. When i went to test it one of the flippers was shotgunning like crazy...essentially what you describe with your targets. It was suggested to me that the diode on the coil could be bad and so i changed to a whole new coil and yeeehaaa that fixed it. I can't recall if that up target coil has a diode but if it does it "may" be the issue. Have you tried replacing the coil yet? seems most of the suggestions everyone has come up with hasn't done diddly for you unfortunately
In my experience transistors don't fluctuate between working and not they are either stuffed or ok but i could be wrong about that.

Yeah, I'm gonna order some new coils for the drops today. I hope that's finally it

I appreciate you chiming in!

No worries at all. It's bloody frustrating when you can't quite track down a problem, been there myself Weird thing is it's quite often something much simpler than you might think. I've had a habit in the past of overthinking the problem and going for the big causes and then found it was just loose connections/wire etc. Hope you get it sorted!!

Yeah, the thing that drives me NUTS about this problem, is that sometimes it works totally fine. Like just now. I played about 4 or 5 normal games and one super game - drops worked 100% as they should.... it's like some combo of something is pissing it off.

And it ALWAYS works in the test menu. Drops could be freaking out, firing off 5 times a second, go to test? Works flawless. Start the game - instantly freaks out again. Go back to tests? Works flawless.

I've also noticed it always stops freaking as soon as the ball drains, so it's receiving the information to stop, and it listens. Gah!!

The dredd I just picked up is also having opto issues.
Upper left flipper does not work and dead world MB spits balls and the game loses count and after draining 3 the ball ends.

Have not looked at it yet. Like you, it sometimes works.

Leads me think it could be a cpu issue, or opto, or who knows. Have not had time to fix it yet.