I have a new project, and I would like to get a bit of feedback. Basically, it’s a GI OCD for System 11 games. I started with the GI OCD for WPC and stripped it down to replace a System 11 GI relay board. It includes a microcontroller to do active fading control, and it is programmable just as the GI OCD for WPC is.

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Compared to the kits that I currently sell, these are a bit more difficult to install. Since they need to be connected between the transformer and the string being controlled, a wire has to be desoldered, a connector added, and another wire with connector added and soldered into place.

First, here’s the back of the backbox light board in my Whirlwind.

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There are three separate strings of lights here. The one on the top is on constantly. We want to leave that as-is. That string then runs into the relay that is shown to allow the string on the left to be controlled. The string on the right is also controlled by the same relay board, but it is a bit simpler since it doesn’t have an “always-on” portion. We’ll start with that one.

The solid green wire already runs through the relay, but the white-green one is connected directly to the GI string. We need to disconnect that, and run it through the new board. Here is where it’s connected.

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I desoldered this wire and added a new wire that will be used to return power from the new board to the GI string.

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The same sort of thing needs to be done with the controlled portion of the purple string.

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I then added connectors to the other end of the wires. Both of the original wires, which come from the transformer, go into the input side of the new board, so they need to share a connector.

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The two newly added wires will carry the controlled power from the new board to the GI strings, so those will also share a connector.

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We’re now ready to install the board. It’s really pretty simple once the wires have been modified.

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Whirlwind has a total of three GI relays. One is on the back of backbox light board, and the other two are under the playfield. Those ones under the playfield only control a single string of lights, but they are much more difficult to track the route of the wires since they are bundled in the harness. I also had to lean down into the cabinet to desolder and resolder the wires. It was not especially fun.

Here is the location where I tapped into the string. As you can see, there were two white-yellow wires connected there, and only one of them was replaced. I had to find the one that was coming from the transformer. The other one runs to the next lamp in the string, and it needs to remain there. In order to make sure I had the right one, I disconnected the wires and measured the GI voltage on one of the wires. If I got this wrong, I could burn something up, so I triple checked my work.

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Here is the board after replacement.

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...and finally one more board to replace. Here's where the connection was made.

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Like the GI OCD for WPC, I can program default values or use the GI OCD GUI software on a Windows machine to reconfigure it. I decided to leave the USB-serial part off the board and use a inexpensive converter board for programming. This saves a little bit of space and cost. I only bought one and was able to use it to reconfigure all three boards.

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I know the next question is “Can you post a video?” Well, maybe. I tried to record one, and as always with lighting, it is very difficult to show the effect. The resulting video kinda sucks. I’ll give it another try later.

Now for my question. I would like to offer these for others, but I don’t want it to result in a bunch of support requests or people burning up stuff in their machines. Are people interested in this, and do you feel like you have the skills to install it? Comments?

I'm waiting on a quote for contract assembly now, but I'd expect it to be slightly higher than a GIzmo, so probably about $55. That would put it at $165 for 3 to do all of them in a WW. It's also possible to leave the original relay on certain ones. In the case of WW, I could have left the backbox stock and only replaced the two under the playfield. I'm not sure about the number of relays in any other games at this point.

I'd love to keep it below $150 for a game, but it's going to depend on what the quote comes back. I could also keep them cheaper if I didn't have to spend as much time on support and/or deal with replacement boards due to failed installations. With the potential to mess things up, I don't realistically see that happening, though.

Edit:
It will also be around 2 months minimum before I could have these ready for sale.

I received the quote, and it's a little better than I expected. I would probably be able to sell these for $50.

I also looked up a couple more games. ES could use 3 of them. Taxi could use 2.

There doesn't seem to be much interest so far, but I'll probably have a small batch made, even if it's just for friends' games and a few hardcore guys like @lapean111.

No, at least not easily. It's intended to be a replacement for the separate GI relay boards (C-11998-1 and C-11902-1) in late System 11; Big Guns and later.

So, I took a look at the schematic for those games, and although this board wasn't designed for that, it looks like it would actually work well with a couple of cables and/or adapters to bypass the power board and use one of these instead. It may need a different resistor value to handle the higher relay control voltage, and I'd have to look into the current capacity.

Correct, it has two separate drivers. Only one control input, though. You could use two in parallel if it was necessary to handle the current. I don't think it would be necessary, though. Since you're only using it if you go to LEDs, your current draw will be much less than before. Combining two strings on a single pin won't be an issue with LEDs. The main question would be the bridge that's built into the new board, and the more I think about that, I'm nearly certain that will be fine as well. It's the same diodes that I use on the GIzmo, and that has 4 strings running through it.

Ok, I'll get in touch once I get more of them. I guess I could send you one of the prototypes, but I'm loving them in my Whirlwind now.

I could have sworn the schematic said 34V vs 28V, but I guess it makes sense that it is just the low power coil voltage.

Does anyone want to use it for the application I designed it for?

True. I was just joking.

It will add a smooth fade on/off as well as eliminating any strobing. It will still turn on/off at the same times as it does without the board, but it will now do so smoothly rather than sharp transitions. If you look up GI OCD for WPC, it's basically the same function.

It also gets rid of the clicking relay, which could be good or bad depending on your preference. Finally, it could be used to replace a failed relay board and for a bit more cost than standard replacements, you'd get something that works well with LEDs that also be less prone to failure than a mechanical relay.

That's LED OCD, and it has been available for System 11 for quite a while now.

I thought that through during the design process. If I had went with a single board in the backbox:

1. You'd still have to remove the relay boards and jump the solid wire side of each string, like you mention doing with the EnerGI Maestro
2. For the Whirlwind letters, you would have to run a completely separate set of wires to keep them solid while controlling the others
3. You'd have to find a spot to install the board in the backbox, rather than replacing the relay boards
4. You'd need more complex cables to tap into all the signals, adding to the cost
5. Some of the the control signals are on different solenoid drivers depending on the game, so there would not be one universal cable set
6. You'd need to include the maximum number of drivers on the board, so for a game like Taxi, you'd be buying drivers that wouldn't get used

There are trade offs either way, and I'm happy with the results of the way I decided to go.

I did place the order for 50 of them today. It will be about two months before I have them.

Honestly, though, if I were you, I'm not sure I'd be in a hurry to switch over. You be in for about $150 more than you are already, and you would only be gaining the independent control, a different method of programming, and a slightly different fade algorithm. You've already done the work to integrate Craig's board.

BTW, if you'd like to drive out west sometime to see mine, you're welcome to visit.

I just did some calculations, and it will be fine. With the current resistor value, it could go up to 45V and still be operating within typical range for the photocoupler on the input. Thanks for checking.

Yeah, it should be good down to about 12V.

When you're talking about the BB relay, you're still talking about GI, correct? You don't want to use this to replace a relay that drives a coil.

Sad to say it's been long enough since I played one that I don't remember it.

Just a quick note that these are available on my website now.