Awesome!

The order of the special solenoids (17-22) is due to the order of the pins in the housing (either at the board end or the tester end). Let's get this fixed. I'll work with you offline (PM) to get this sorted out.

I am confident that when I get your pending slave and universal master alphanumeric boards sent out, you have them assembled and working you will be happy. A single (dynamically switchable) board for all Williams System 11 and Data East alphanumeric game software. No more "difficult to read" displays.

An update. I know people have made requests for other reproductions and I have a few pending boards to build and/or pack ... but sometimes I can't help myself. This expiring mind MUST know if board(s) that have arrived work or not. So I spent yesterday (Sunday) building the boards after spending Saturday helping three different people with completely different problems.

This is a pet project of mine. Almost a holy grail of boards for me. It might seem silly but every person is different and every person has different likes and hates when it comes to different aspects of a pinball machine. So ... what is it?

It's the 128 x 32 dot matrix display (DMD). A compatible low voltage version built with (almost) all through hole components. I have always wanted a white display for a Twilight Zone. I'm a few steps closer to it but not there yet.

I originally had prototypes made using a different board for each of the different subsystems (interface, columns, rows and LED blocks) connected with ribbon cables. The prototype mostly worked (did show some problems but no logic problems) and I attributed the problems to the likely reason I had not used a big enough trace for the power lines. I had confidence to go ahead with the complete board due to the lack of logic problems.

The display is built from two boards using the same (initial) scheme I used for the alphanumeric displays - a master (logic) and a slave (panel). The Stern (and Vishay) displays use SMT (surface mount technology) components in the space around the LED blocks as they are small and can all fit onto the front of the board. THT (through hole technology) components are larger and require more space. To accommodate the additional space requirement the master mounts to the back of the slave and is connected through inter-board connectors - a lot of them for all the signals.

I got this completely installed last night but it didn't work 100%. It only worked 50%. All the columns worked. Half of the rows worked. I went to sleep dejected at the failure. While all excited it was difficult to switch off and laying there the problem dawned on me. It aligns perfectly with what I often tell people "creativity (or solutions) don't happen on demand". It turns out I put the row drive MOSFETs in backward. The MOSFETs are mirrored symmetrically along a line to make trace routing easier and more consistent. I put the MOSFETs in the same orientation and forgot about the mirroring. I swapped them around this morning and it works! Passes the WPC (T11) display test 100%.

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I need to finalize what actual MOSFET will be used. The prototype allowed for use of SMT, TO-253 or TO-220 components. I used the IRLML6401 on that prototype and it exhibited some problems. I used the FQU17P06 and FQP17P06 for the TO-253 and TO-220 components and they worked just fine. So I ended up using them on the initial board. The FQU is much smaller than the FQP so I think the board will default to using them. Perhaps a small daughter board to support the IRLML6401 for those that want the SMT component. It's much cheaper than the FQU. It's also much more fiddly to solder in.

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The only SMT component is the (constant current) LED driver. It's not available as THT so the SOIC to DIP adapter is required. There is a pot to adjust brightness. The master board supports the low voltage (Stern) 4-pin connector or the high voltage (Williams) 8-pin connector. I might toy with the idea of using the +12VU on the Williams connector and regulate it down to +5V for the display so as not to tax the +5V circuit. One downside of this is that it would tax the +12VU on the Williams connector but it should be fine (unless the +12VU line is loaded down with a lot of mods or LED strips). The other is that it would require either board space or (yet) another daughter for the regulator.

The only things left for me to do are to arrange for LED block manufacturing in some different colors and test fit the display in an actual machine to make sure it actually works (fits the required physical dimensions). The board does not require specific LED blocks from any specific manufacturer. Blocks can be purchased from sites that sell a 1.9mm row anode compatible component.

Today is a happy for me. I got this working on the initial revision after a single prototype!

I just took a quick look at the available Capcom manual at IPDB and it doesn't show anything about the logic. That manual just shows connections between the boards not the specifics of the board. Without knowing what the protocol is it's hard to be sure. I could guess that it's probably the same protocol used for the 128 x 32 but just quadrupled to 256 x 64 but I'm not certain. It looks like it uses a 14-pin ribbon cable so odds are good it's the same serial protocol. Add to that I don't have a bench rig, know anyone with the game or any familiarity with Capcom and I'll be honest with you the odds are fairly low (realistically close to zero).

True that the cost is minimal. One possible reason is trying to maintain spacing. I have retrofitted these connectors onto original WPC-89 CPU boards and there is a need to cut one of the sides off in order to have the header fit. For another connector there is a need to cut a part of it to fit over an IC. If a socket is installed at that IC it makes it even more difficult.

The shrouded headers take more board space. I can't say that's the reason but I did have to shuffle things around to get both the headers to fit in at the top and for them to fit in at the sides.

I hadn't planned on any. I've been focused on trying to get boards ready for the next order. When I'm in this frame of mind I just stay focused on it and try to avoid any distractions. Once the order is placed it takes time so I can then switch to something else.

Having said that ... I don't keep stock of completed boards. I only have one completed WPC-89 CPU board ready to go (I built two at the same time and one was requested). I can't complete requests very quickly. It takes time to build boards. If I spend time building boards it means I'm not spending time working on the next board. It's a trade-off.

It's the festive season though so I will offer a 10% discount on bare boards only. It still takes me time to pull, pack and send boards but it's much less time than the time to pull boards, pull components, prepare components, insert components, solder components, wash the board, test board, pack the board and send the board. The discount is good until the end of Cyber Monday (PST). The discount is only good for bare boards that I have in stock. Some boards I have a reasonable number (but not a lot) and some I have only a handful. I don't know what my counts are. Sorry.

Internet and TV is back! Sure was slow using my phone as a hot spot. I wanted to upload some images of the last working thing but the upload was so slow it kept failing. It got me thinking about what people did before TV or radio? I guess they actually socialized and played card games or other such things.

Back in the days when I was working at the CPU instruction level it was important to keep the pipeline full. Out-of-order execution processors were good at keeping their pipelines full but those with less complicated circuitry were bound by the order of execution. I fall into the latter category (less complicated circuitry). I have recently had a flurry of communications that have ended up in about two+ weeks of work ahead of me. This means that while I have made an effort to keep the new board pipeline full (I have an order that is about ready to be shipped to me) these new items will not get much attention or time until I've complete the more immediate work at hand. I might use them as a distraction. It's like that integer divide instruction that takes about 400 times more cycles to complete than the simple integer addition instruction. Avoid the integer divide instruction like the plague.

I finally got around to testing the portable system yesterday. Here are the results.

WPC testing in a Terminator 2. This machine does not have a fliptronic board so I didn't test the fliptronic connectors but their principle of operation is the same as the other solenoids. The only thing to verify is the pin connections and I can do that on the bench.

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With the speaker panel in place (so you can see the display) this is the clearance between the boards and the woofer.

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Clearance to the DMD.

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The single diagnostic panel. It unifies the bench boards. A single board at a machine is easier to deal with than three or more boards.

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The bigger picture.

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Onward to System 11 and my favorite test machine.

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Clearance is good.

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And the bigger picture.

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Sorry. Forgot pricing. I punched the numbers into my algorithm.

Portable Tester System 11 bare is $75.
Portable Tester WPC bare is $80.
Portable Tester Bundle (System 11 and WPC) bare is $105.

Portable Tester System 11 complete is $150.
Portable Tester WPC complete is $175.
Portable Tester Bundle (System 11 and WPC) complete is $200.

The definition of bundle is NOT two separate sets but one of each of everything required for either System 11 or WPC. Bring the single panel and the connector boards you need for the machine you're investigating.

Ethernet patch cables are NOT included in any configuration.

The reasons for being priced more expensive than the bench testers are due to:

- the panel is a big board (board area is a factor in pricing).
- there are a LOT of small little boards (each board has a base cost).
- the connectors are not as cheap as standard headers and housings.

Essentially the convenience drives up the costs. In my opinion it's worth it. When I first connected this up to the Terminator 2 I opened the coin door to enter the diagnostics and then remembered that I needed to use the panel. That was weird. I am so used to seeing the diagnostic readout on the bench and not at the machine. It was good to see the diagnostics at a machine without having to remove the board from the machine. This is a good way to exclude playfield versus board when diagnosing an issue.

The System 9 board is mounted upside down. Actually ... it's mounted right side up if you look at the silkscreen. The System 11 board is mounted upside down. As Albert Einstein said it's all relative depending on your point of reference.

I see from a picture on IPDB that there's more than adequate clearance for the connectors. The problem with System 11 board mounting location is that the connectors have very tight clearance from the speaker panel when the display is in place.

For System 9 I cannot comment on whether the light board has enough clearance from the connector boards when the backbox is in place (in order to be able to see the displays). I simply have no experience with it and no machine to do any testing or measuring.

So for people interested in anything I have available are aware ... I got a flurry of requests and for the first time I'm behind and have had to build a list of things to track everything that is going on. I thought I bought enough of some parts but clearly I was wrong and will need to order some additional parts for complete orders. I guess I underestimated the demand. This really began as an adventure for me and being able to help people diagnose problems or keep their machines running is definitely rewarding.

I don't want this to prevent people who are interested in anything but I want to be clear that I have a backlog and I will complete things as quickly as I can. I want to help as much as I can but for these boards I do EVERYTHING as a one-man show. I ask for some patience. If you have a pressing need for something let me know in your request and I can try to shuffle things. Some boards I can't speed up no matter how much you need (unless I have a board ready-to-go which would typically mean using the board(s) I used to make sure everything works or robbing from my bench rig). The big boards fall into that category.

Thanks to everyone now and in the future for the support!

Seems like this is the package sending season. Lines at the post office are insane from mid-morning all the way through the day until almost closing. They are going out into the lobby area. I've never seen FedEx deliver on the weekend (unless you request some form of ultra priority). I had FedEx deliver one package on Sunday the other week and today they delivered a package on Saturday. They must also have a backlog or high demand. Looking at the FedEx transportation network it appears they have multiple flights from their hubs to the same metropolitan areas. Operating B777 and MD11 aircraft and multiple flights they must be BUSY.

I placed this (now next to last) order before I got the recent requests for boards to keep my pipeline full. The pipeline is now interrupted and has stalled. Something like the CPU flushing the pipeline and restarting everything. A cheap CPU I worked with in a past life used this as a "get out of jail free" card.

These boards will have to wait until I've cleared my backlog. It'll be a while.

As mentioned this board was completed before the influx. It was 90%+ complete so I just went back and double-checked everything and completed the board. Found an error and hopefully haven't missed any others. We'll see. Status is going to remain unknown for a while.

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I slipped these small boards into the same order. The Data East to Williams converter. It converts the signals from Data East CN18 to Williams 1J18 and Data East CN19 to Williams 1J19. This should allow a Data East CPU board to be used in a Williams System 11 machine without any custom wiring to make the special solenoid section compatible.

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And with that ... back to boards, components and soldering. I am barely (if at all) reading any help request threads here.

I have done some of this (offline - in PM) with people who have asked for it. I have also provided either part numbers or links if requested. Aside from the reasons I have mentioned above (counting, etc) I don't like to endorse any particular manufacturer or merchant. Everyone has a choice. I don't want to force my choice on someone. I can also possibly confirm compatibility of a choice if need be. I have done this (offline) as well.

Agree with the response from barakandl. I did compile and send out a kit for the WPC-89 CPU board. I knew it was something that I really didn't want to do. After doing it I confirmed to myself that it was something I really don't want to do again.

In summary: help is provided if need be. Part numbers and/or links can be provided if requested. Obscure or difficult to obtain components can be provided if requested (and assuming I have some stock - I usually do). I may have posted this before but if not I will post it again ... I understand apprehension at acquiring components. Looking at lists of part numbers on Mouser or Digikey can scare even the most hardened and experienced electronics shopper. When I search for parts I still feel this. I provide help to the best of my ability. I am sure anyone who has already asked for it can attest to this.

Both. I have a document available. The original Williams manuals provide most of the information as the reference and values very closely match. The physical location is mostly the same as well although not 100% identical. Some of the OEM parts like the bussed resistor/capacitor networks (SRC) have been replaced by a bussed resistor network and discrete capacitors. You won't find the information about the capacitors in the original Williams manual but it is contained in the document.

It's an implementation detail. The simple answer is that features removed or differences in component values are implemented in different daughter boards that plug into the main board.

The more detailed answer is that there are three daughter boards. One implements the digit display. A second implements the amplifier. A third implements the sound/speech (DAC).

The base board implements the common features.

Between System 11 (nothing) and System 11A Williams removed the digit display and introduced the 3 LEDs.
Between System 11A and System 11B Williams removed the amplifier and changed some values of components in the analog section.
Between System 11B and System 11C Williams removed the entire sound/speech section.

Each of those removed sections is implemented on a daughter board. If I didn't implement it this way I would need a separate board for System 11 (nothing) versus System 11A. The additional daughter boards, removal of the battery holder and reset section allowed me to insert discrete capacitors that complete the circuit (as designed) for the OEM "SRC" components that are no longer manufactured. Each of the 8 SRC components for the sound and display signals requires a discrete capacitor and each capacitor takes up physical board space. Through hole components take up a lot more space than surface mount but are more easily serviced. These boards do not use surface mount components (except the AV ASIC).