pasted_image (resized).png

So I was looking into high tapping my Blackout, to make the solenoids stronger. It specifies a lot of jumpers to be added and removed, some on 6P1, some soldered directly to the transformer, and that seemed really complicated compared to newer/older games.

I'm not a transformer expert, but it seems to me like, if you just moved the lower line connection (6P1-1) to connect to 3/7 instead of 4/8 on the transformer, it would accomplish the same thing as all the jumpering they specify, shouldn't it? With no wire on 4/8, the 3-4 and 7-8 windings on the transformer are no longer connected at one end, and would be out of the equation. And since 2+3 and 6+7 are already jumpered on the transformer, connecting the line voltage to 6 is the same as connecting it to 6?

Further, it got me wondering, it looks like the 1-2 and 3-4 windings are going to the lamps/solenoids, while 5-6 and 7-8 are going to the logic and GI. Is that true, or is it just a coincidence of how it's hooked up? If so, could I just move 4->3 and leave 8 where it is, to effectively high tap the coils+lamps while leaving the logic and GI voltages alone? or do I need to move both for it to work?

This is more an educational question about transformers than needing help with the specific game.

The mechs have all been completely rebuilt with new parts already anyway. I've had a problem on multiple Williams games of this era where some just play much weaker than others, even though they should be the same specs wise; exploring various options to try to address it has sorta become a hobby at this point :/

So why does the line voltage need to be connected in two places then, if there's only one primary winding? I've seen other transformers where there's only one place for the line voltage and they're drawn with one winding... I'm trying to understand exactly how this all works so I can know whether my proposed jumpering change is correct

So, I did a quick experiment. Disconnected everything from the transformer, checked voltages.

Normal 117 jumpering: solenoid rectifier putting out 26.5VDC, '9.3VAC' at 9.9VAC, '6.3VAC' at 7.0VAC.
Move wire from 4 to 3: 27.8VDC, 10.5VAC, 7.0VAC.
Move wire from 8 to 7: 27.9VDC, 10.5VAC, 7.4VAC.
Move both wires: 29.9VDC, 11.2VAC, 7.9VAC.

So:
- changing the jumpers partially to the 105V setting has different effects on different voltages, but it's nothing clear cut like what I was hoping.
- Moving those two wires produced a 12% change to the power, which is consistent with 105 / 117, so I *think* that I am correct about my simple two wire change being equivilant to the giant list of changes williams lists?
- doing just the 4->3 change seems to be a pretty safe way to get a tiny bit more juice out of the transformer. Bumps the solenoid voltage up ~6%, but leaves the GI voltage the same. I powered the full game on like this after some additional checks, and it works fine. Coils feel a bit stronger, but still not as much as I'd expect compared to other games.
- I was tempted to try the game at 105V setting as most voltages looked okay, but I wasn't sure about the 7.9VAC on the GI. I'm not sure how high the LEDs I have installed are rated. I emailed comet to see what they say, since that also makes me curious
- even a full high tap really doesn't change the voltages /that much/. It seems like even the 117 -> 105 change, which slochar mentioned as being very large compared to the high taps he's used to, is still not anything more than most EMs' high tap options, for example.

I mean, I could I was playing my genie next to it and that has like 23-650s in it stock, as do most gottliebs. On BH and HH they even ran the 650s at 40V!

The 50v flipper conversion I did on Black Knight didn't really make the game play that different, since I used medium strength 50v coils with it. It was just sorta clear that the 25v coils used in BK as well as Blackout are just straining too hard, while the 50v coils aren't being stressed. Sadly I don't have another spare 50v transformer. But to the same point, I think that my BK, even before the 50V upgrade, was one of the williams SS that *didn't* play bad. It played way faster than every other black knight I've ever played, even when stock. I've worked on two gorgars, both with the same work done on them with mechs etc, and one just played noticeably better than the other. Every coil felt stronger and someday I want to really figure out why...

Hmmm, that does sorta make sense. With the 117 jumpering, it uses 1-4 and 5-8 in parallel, while with 235 it runs straight through, 1-8...

Replaced as in, with new parts, or removed?