(Topic ID: 285662)

LED-OCD board issue in Fish Tales....SOLVED!

By Bryan_Kelly

3 years ago



Topic Stats

  • 9 posts
  • 6 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by gatordad
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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#1 3 years ago

I've got a FT with all controlled lamps working perfectly. Once the OCD board is installed, insert #68 (light fish finder) does not work. I've tried multiple types of LED's and also an incandescent. Still nothing. Once I remove the board, the insert works fine.

I've checked with Harold, the guy who makes these, and he has no idea why. He did share a video showing that insert working with his board installed, so we know it's not something specific to FT.

Needless to say, this is way over my head.

Any ideas?

#2 3 years ago

I have both ocd boards in my FT with no issues. Have you tried the software? You can adjust the brightness for each insert. Maybe try adjusting that insert in the software and see if that changes anything.

#3 3 years ago
Quoted from jawjaw:

I have both ocd boards in my FT with no issues. Have you tried the software? You can adjust the brightness for each insert. Maybe try adjusting that insert in the software and see if that changes anything.

I have not tried the software. I did, however, try two other OCD boards in the FT with the same results.

I also tried the bad board in my BSD and the #68 insert worked fine.

#4 3 years ago

Maybe a wire is shifting out of place within the connector and losing connectivity when you move it around to install the OCD board?

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#5 3 years ago
Quoted from ForceFlow:

Maybe a wire is shifting out of place within the connector and losing connectivity when you move it around to install the OCD board?

The weird thing is, it's the lamp matrix. Wouldn't a bad connection result in more than one insert not working?

Everything before it and after it in the columns and rows works fine.

#6 3 years ago

This is definitely a weird issue.

Anything at the connections to the LED OCD, input or output, would affect the other lamps in the same row or column.
It happens with multiple LED OCD, so it can't be a one off "oops, lamp #68 is set to 0%" or something like that.
We have seen other FT games with working LED OCD.
Without the LED OCD in this game, #68 works.
Bryan can correct me if I'm wrong, but this LED OCD in a different game, #68 works, right?

One note is that I originally thought you were talking about the Caster's Club lamp that is on the plastic. If it's just a regular insert, it's even more mind-boggling.

If I had hands on, I would start by using the software to have the LED OCD directly drive the lamp. That way, you know it's not the input to the LED OCD causing the issue. Assuming it still doesn't light, I would put a lamp and diode in parallel with the non-working lamp using test leads. You can do this either at the LED OCD outputs or at the lamp. At the lamp, you are also testing the playfield wiring, obviously.

Yellow column 6 wire --- diode ->|- --- lamp --- Red row 8 wire

My favorite matrix test tool is the Siegecraft tester board, and if this was attached instead of the playfield wiring, it would be easy to see if the game's outputs are being interpreted properly and if the LED OCD is driving the lamp.

The main difference is that the output from the LED OCD is a higher frequency PWM signal. Maybe there is something different about the diode or socket in the game.

#7 3 years ago

Problem solved! I received this PM from another Pinsider. Seeing as he PM'd instead of responding in the thread, I won't mention his name.

"I'm going to guess a flaky diode on or near that lamp. When using driven by the transistors at the wpc rate, it works well enough to conduct. When under the faster scanning and the mosfets of the ocd board, it's not turning on."

I changed the diode and all is good. I always thought diodes were good or not good...no in between. Learn something new everyday.

#8 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting and glad you got it solved.

#9 3 years ago

Good man! Thanks for posting the solution.

How big is it? lol

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