Looking forward to the System 9 board! Sorcerer wants to Sorcer!
(Topic ID: 242158)
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider shimoda.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
2 weeks later
Quoted from DumbAss:I have been working on this for most of the past three weeks straight to the exclusion of pretty much EVERYTHING else. These boards (especially the big boards) take time. I also acquired three (local) boards in that time that are awaiting repair. Two have been waiting for almost two weeks now. Fortunately I provided a loaner to keep the machine running. I thought I was going to have a nice relaxing summer.
Sneak peek. It's a software rendering and the limited screen real estate of my laptop prevents a more detailed image. There's nothing like a physical board. It went into fabrication mid last week and it is now awaiting shipping. I have returned to building boards that were put on hold so I could complete this board. I need to build those boards as the recipients have been waiting patiently. I will likely find the time to squeeze building this board and although it is likely I will be able to bench test it I do not have a physical machine to do actual testing. I need to find someone local who has a machine and is willing to let me try it. More details will be supplied when I have the physical board unless there is demand for the information now.
[quoted image]This works. I haven't tried it on my board but I do know that everything I have read about the procedure and the way the board address decode works indicates that it will work. It does require ROM preparation. The big disadvantage is that the mounting holes are upside down. Another disadvantage is that you will likely have to do your own troubleshooting if something goes wrong. I have seen a thread or two asking for help on this forum (specifically related to System 9 software on System 11 hardware) but it seems most people either don't know much about this procedure or don't see the threads in order to be able to provide assistance.
That board looks great, but I certainly don't want anyone missing summer over pinball, maybe over woodworking, 
1 week later
Awesome work DA and I’m hoping Sorcerer will finally come to life with one of these. Gotta be a crazy BOM
Quoted from DumbAss:Got back from testing in my friend James' Sorcerer.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Both configurations work. Shown in the images is the unified (stand alone = does not require OEM speech board) configuration.Original ROMs (2764+2732 game and 27128 sound) with OEM speech board.
Unified ROMs (27128 game and 27256 sound+speech) with daughter speech board.Special solenoid diagnostics work as expected.
This board is officially ready having passed the final test. The list in the initial post will be updated shortly.
Awesome work!
1 month later
SYSTEM 9 update: Board rocks! Took me a minute to get new cpu chips but DA's Sys9 board is the bomb. Sounds great, excellent labeling. Just a great replacement that I can have confidence in now. Sorcerer is feisty! Thanks again Victor for just stellar work and great timing
I want to take a few moments to comment on what came with my bare pcb purchase, not for sake of its guarantee, just to speak about where these products originate. This is based on my experience alone.
The boards I ordered came from the original batch. The System 9 mpu reconceived by Victor (DA) is thoughtful in so many ways that just make sense. Something that has irked me, from a design standpoint, knowing what these games were designed for - recreational use in a commercial setting that requires ongoing maintenance - is the lack of on-board info, or tools, to assist in troubleshooting a faulty system. DA's MPU adds thoughtful special solenoid testing (optional to install but why the heck wouldn't you? It's a few switches and passives), additional LEDs for general system info/feedback, and perhaps most useful, clearly labeled everything. What does this connector do? Oh, it's lamp columns, switch drivers, it's obvious that manufacturers could have (and sometimes did) added these simple features. Mind you, this is an aftermarket product, and the spread of interest in pinball maintenance wasn't something I imagine they fathomed in those days.
I assembled the board probably 3-2 parts I had - parts I ordered. I purchased the added speech daughterboard to tidy things up (I have a spare speech board now with a couple hard to find chips now) and burned the roms for everything to work. NVRAM installed - check. When I had a couple issues early on, Victor helped with just basic info and guidance. Ultimately the only problem I had was a faulty 6808. Finally got my 6802 replacement and this thing sounds so good, clean, loud, crisp. It's pretty neat knowing I've got a brand new MPU in my game that I built. Thanks to Victor (DA) for an amazing replacement option.
1 year later
1 month later
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider shimoda.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
