Installed the Pembot rules...but the game won’t let me enter initials for high scores. Anyone else have this issue? I’m also having an issue with the left flipper sticking up...maybe that’s the issue??
(Topic ID: 270845)
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Pinbot
Williams, 1986
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Long Island City, NY
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:I’m also having an issue with the left flipper sticking up...maybe that’s the issue??
The PEMBOT patch does not affect entering the high score initials except for a longer timeout to allow you to hear the entire victory melody. Scrolling through the letters is controlled by the lane-change switches, which are part of the flipper mechs; this is why the flippers have to be energized while entering the initials. As long as your left flipper is up, the left lane-change switch remains closed and the game thinks that you have not released the flipper button.
1 week later
Turns out there was a loose wire with the flipper button...no issue with the high scores and software. Thank you!
3 months later
This is a long shot here but figure I need to rule it out.
I'm having a minor but irritating problem with my PinBot that has the PEMBOT rom. There are 4 flasher bulbs under the visor (two behind the visor and two under the kickout holes). During game play all 4 flashers operate normally and flash as they should when the visor is open. During attract mode however, when the visor opens only the two RIGHT side flashers flash. The two left side remain dark. Normally during the attract mode sequence all four visor bulbs turn on for a few seconds then begin flashing in a left-right-left-right pattern until the visor closes. On my machine only the two RIGHT side bulbs turn on during attract mode, but during game play all FOUR visor bulbs, both left and right, operate just fine.
I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a glitch in the PEMBOT rom that may have gone unnoticed. If someone could please confirm this attract mode sequence functions normally with the PEMBOT rom (which I'm almost positive it does), I'd really appreciate it so I can rule it out.
I posted this issue in the PinBot forum but no advice yet but if anyone here has any suggestions let me know.
FYI, for reference Pinsider "FLASHBALL" was nice enough to post a video link of the correct attract mode sequence. In the video you can see what is supposed to happen. On my machine the left side of the visor remains dark in attract mode but operates fine during game play.
Thanks!
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:During attract mode however, when the visor opens only the two RIGHT side flashers flash.
You are talking about the flashers inside the visor (eye-balls), right? In the attract-mode code, both left and right flashers are made to blink:
rules_code_25_thread:
Loop
load Reg-A #CS_RIGHT_EYE_OFF
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
load Reg-A #CS_LEFT_EYE_ON
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
sleep 6
load Reg-A #CS_RIGHT_EYE_ON
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
load Reg-A #CS_LEFT_EYE_OFF
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
sleep 6
EndLoopSo I am not sure what's happening here. I'll take a look at the attract mode in my game next time I am there. Probably either tomorrow or Friday. Please send me a PM reminder if I forget...
Quoted from alveolus:the vocal inserts don’t light in attract mode when Pinbot says “ I see you”
Is this also a PEMBOT-only issue? If so, the two may be related.
Quoted from idealjoker:You are talking about the flashers inside the visor (eye-balls), right? In the attract-mode code, both left and right flashers are made to blink:
rules_code_25_thread:
Loop
load Reg-A #CS_RIGHT_EYE_OFF
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
load Reg-A #CS_LEFT_EYE_ON
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
sleep 6
load Reg-A #CS_RIGHT_EYE_ON
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
load Reg-A #CS_LEFT_EYE_OFF
jumpSubroutine6800 switch_controlled_solenoids
sleep 6
EndLoop
So I am not sure what's happening here. I'll take a look at the attract mode in my game next time I am there. Probably either tomorrow or Friday. Please send me a PM reminder if I forget...
To clarify there is one flaher under the eye kickout hole and one behind the metal rail on each side under the visor. Both lights dont function on left side in attract mode .
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:To clarify there is one flaher under the eye kickout hole and one behind the metal rail on each side under the visor. Both lights dont function on left side in attract mode .
If you put your old ROM's back in do they work?
I have confirmed both issues with my game. I am very much intrigued because I have not modified the boot-up sequence or any part of the attract mode that is executed before the first bug shows up when you turn on the game. This may take some time...
1 month later
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:During attract mode however, when the visor opens only the two RIGHT side flashers flash.
I finally got back into pinball coding today, and it turned out that this behavior is related to a weird Pinbot "easter egg": With the original L5 ROMs installed, when you press a flipper button while the two eyeballs are blinking during the rules display, the flipper briefly engages and the left eyeball stops blinking until the end of the rules display. Also, with German text enabled, the left eyeball never blinks during the rules display.
The technical reason for this weird behavior is that the designers ran out of regular controlled and switched solenoids for some of the high-power lamps, including the left eyeball in the visor. So they had to use a special solenoid, which are typically only used for the slings and jets. Since the special solenoids are tied to the flipper relay the left eyeball cannot blink unless the flippers are enabled. So, the designers enabled the flippers during the rules display, but maybe they did not want kids to start playing with the flippers without paying (perhaps you can think of a better reason?) so maybe that's why the flippers are turned off when you press one. I have no idea why the flippers (and left eyeball) are not enabled with German text.
In any case, in my current fix the flippers are simply left energized after they are turned on during the rules display and turned off at the end. So you can play with the flippers if you want. When you enter a coin during the rules display the flippers stay energized until you press the start button.
For the eventual L2 update I may tweak another minor thing or two. One of the things that I am thinking about changing is the "Reach Planet" feature. With PEMBOT rules the planets are easier and with the autoadjustment it is possible that the extra ball gets close to the sun, which is no fun. So I am thinking of disabling the auto-adjust on that and probably also setting the default to Earth. Any opinions?
Quoted from idealjoker:For the eventual L2 update I may tweak another minor thing or two. One of the things that I am thinking about changing is the "Reach Planet" feature. With PEMBOT rules the planets are easier and with the autoadjustment it is possible that the extra ball gets close to the sun, which is no fun. So I am thinking of disabling the auto-adjust on that and probably also setting the default to Earth. Any opinions?
I like the idea. I've personally never been a fan of auto adjust in any game but that's just me. I'm glad you found the issue with the visor lamp in attract mode. Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to research the issue. If you update the code I would definitely use it in my machine.
Quoted from alveolus:the vocal inserts don’t light in attract mode when Pinbot says “ I see you”
And I also found this issue. Another easy fix.
1 month later
Nuremberg
idealjoker - Thanks a ton for all your hard work and for sharing this with us! I can't imagine how much time this took!
I just got a programmer and started playing your code yesterday. I think it will take a while before I really get a good grasp on the rule additions/changes, but I am loving it so far! It seems like you did great adding depth, balancing some scoring and I am liking the ball save for the balls that shot out of the pops and straight down the outlane without a chance to touch it with the flippers.
If you decide to release further updates I'd love to be in the loop! Let me know if you need feedback and/or testing.
4 months later
Sorel-tracy, QC
idealjoker Thanks a lot for your great work.
Is the patch J1 dated 2020-11-12 the latest one ?
i'm asking , cause as i'm reading the thread, not so long ago you wrote about some bug fix .
Thanks
Got my Pinbot updated to the Pembot ROMs. So far no issues and I am going to dive a little deeper into the additional features before I can really give an objective review on the new rules. I can say that the save ball feature alone is worth the upgrade. I have newbies over all the time and sometimes my Pinbot drains down the middle right off the bat out of the pop bumpers. (Probably need to look into that too)
Nice work idealjoker!
Quoted from mindstorm88:Is the patch J1 dated 2020-11-12 the latest one ?
That is the last released version. There is a beta version with a couple of light bugs fixed currently under test and a release of this version has been on my to-do list for a while. I'll try harder...
3 months later
Quoted from Dr_Gonzo:it will work for location as well?
I have not changed anything about the coin-handling, so it should work on location. I'd be interested to know how the game does on location.
3 months later
1 week later
Quoted from waletboy:Does anyone sell a programmed chip so I can just change out myself? I’d be interested in buying!
I would also be interested
idealjoker is there an updated description with the rules and features or is this post still up to date - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pembot-no-relation#post-5963131 ?
I'd like to make up some new instruction cards.
Quoted from outerorbit:I'd like to make up some new instruction cards.
This is awesome, thank you very much! The post you refer to is still accurate. An update is overdue, though, so I'll do this right now.
ANNOUNCEMENT - PEMBOT J-2 RELEASE
I have created updated PEMBOT code with the following bug fixes and minor improvements:
- left visor lamp did not flash during rules display in attract mode
- robot mouth did not light up during speech in attract mode
- typo in German text
- bootup error abort did not work correctly
- increased default high-scores and replay score
- disabled reach planet auto adjustment and set reach planet to Earth by default
- improved default user message
Until I have found a suitable site for hosting the new patch files please send me a PM with your email address.
Quoted from outerorbit:idealjoker is there an updated description with the rules and features or is this post still up to date - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pembot-no-relation#post-5963131 ?
I'd like to make up some new instruction cards.
I’m interested in the instruction cards if you are making them!
Quoted from waletboy:I’m interested in the instruction cards if you are making them!
I'll let you know if I do. I am still trying to figure out how to cram all the updates into a card. I was also thinking keeping it more like the original card rather than doing anything to heavy on the graphic side. But that may change, I haven't decided yet.
Quoted from outerorbit:I'll let you know if I do. I am still trying to figure out how to cram all the updates into a card. I was also thinking keeping it more like the original card rather than doing anything to heavy on the graphic side. But that may change, I haven't decided yet.
Looking forward to seeing this!
1 week later
Quoted from waletboy:Does anyone sell a programmed chip so I can just change out myself? I’d be interested in buying!
Me as well!
Quoted from waletboy:Can you switch to the original game code with the PEMBOT roms installed?
No, PEMBOT was not designed to let you play the original rule set.
Finally got around to making these. I have 3 variations of instruction cards. One with Pembot rules and a QR code that when scanned will take you to the Pinside post by idealjoker with the complete list of rules and changes. The other is without the QR code and last is the regular default Pinbot rules. The below images are for preview only and cannot be used for printing. I have shared a link below to a ready to print pdf. Please feel free to download and print.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XTKcKIwMg2ZNViQR2n6WdnfAK8yoH72/view?usp=share_link
I spent a lot of time on these to make them perfect for you all. So I ask kindly, please do not try to sell these. I have secured the pdf to only be able to open and print. Please bare in mind the previews as well as the print ready pdf were created in CMYK. The colors will look faded because of this. Lastly, if you have any suggestions on how to better write the rules I am all ears please pm with suggestion. Otherwise this is it for the time being.
Thank you idealjoker for making this happen and for putting in all the hard work for us all to enjoy a new experience on our Pinbot pinball machines.
Pinbot - Apron Cards-01 (resized).jpgPinbot - Apron Cards-02 (resized).jpgPinbot - Apron Cards-03 (resized).jpgPinbot - Apron Cards-04 (resized).jpgQuoted from outerorbit:Finally got around to making these. I have 3 variations of instruction cards. One with Pembot rules and a QR code that when scanned will take you to the Pinside post by idealjoker with the complete list of rules and changes. The other is without the QR code and last is the regular default Pinbot rules. The below images are for preview only and cannot be used for printing. I have shared a link below to a ready to print pdf. Please feel free to download and print.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XTKcKIwMg2ZNViQR2n6WdnfAK8yoH72/view?usp=share_link
I spent a lot of time on these to make them perfect for you all. So I ask kindly, please do not try to sell these. I have secured the pdf to only be able to open and print. Please bare in mind the previews as well as the print ready pdf were created in CMYK. The colors will look faded because of this. Lastly, if you have any suggestions on how to better write the rules I am all ears please pm with suggestion. Otherwise this is it for the time being.
Thank you idealjoker for making this happen and for putting in all the hard work for us all to enjoy a new experience on our Pinbot pinball machines.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Looks great! I will be using these for sure! Thank you!
Quoted from outerorbit:Finally got around to making these.
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:Looks great!
100% agree!
Quoted from outerorbit:Finally got around to making these.
These are awesome, thank you! My favorites are the one with the QR code and the last one (INSTRUCTIONS). Since a couple of the cards are labeled PEMBOT, I think I should explain the name: PEM stands for Power/Energy Management.
Quoted from outerorbit:Finally got around to making these. I have 3 variations of instruction cards. One with Pembot rules and a QR code that when scanned will take you to the Pinside post by idealjoker with the complete list of rules and changes. The other is without the QR code and last is the regular default Pinbot rules. The below images are for preview only and cannot be used for printing. I have shared a link below to a ready to print pdf. Please feel free to download and print.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XTKcKIwMg2ZNViQR2n6WdnfAK8yoH72/view?usp=share_link
I spent a lot of time on these to make them perfect for you all. So I ask kindly, please do not try to sell these. I have secured the pdf to only be able to open and print. Please bare in mind the previews as well as the print ready pdf were created in CMYK. The colors will look faded because of this. Lastly, if you have any suggestions on how to better write the rules I am all ears please pm with suggestion. Otherwise this is it for the time being.
Thank you idealjoker for making this happen and for putting in all the hard work for us all to enjoy a new experience on our Pinbot pinball machines.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
These look really awesome. Nice work! I love the Saturn in the background. Really, really cool.
Quoted from idealjoker:I think I should explain the name: PEM stands for Power/Energy Management.
Awesome; always kind of wondered what the meaning was behind it.
Quoted from idealjoker:PEM stands for Power/Energy Management.
Awesome thanks for the info. I was wondering what it meant as well.
Quoted from interconnect:These look really awesome. Nice work! I love the Saturn in the background. Really, really cool.
Thanks! It definitely looks a lot like Saturn but it's actually supposed to be a solar system similar to ours in a way but just more stylized with a few extra lines. The sun is the large black void you're seeing and the lines represent the planets that orbit it and maybe some other space junk haha. Similar to to what is seen on Pinbot's playfield.
Quoted from outerorbit:Awesome thanks for the info. I was wondering what it meant as well.
Thanks! It definitely looks a lot like Saturn but it's actually supposed to be a solar system similar to ours in a way but just more stylized with a few extra lines. The sun is the large black void you're seeing and the lines represent the planets that orbit it and maybe some other space junk haha. Similar to to what is seen on Pinbot's playfield.
Oh, well I got that totally wrong! Now I see it; looks awesome though.
Made a small update by request of idealjoker added line about disabling lock stealing.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17XTKcKIwMg2ZNViQR2n6WdnfAK8yoH72/view?usp=share_link
1 week later
2 weeks later
BUG REPORT (J-1 and J-2)
Match awards do not fire the knocker. This will be fixed in version J-3.
I think that the user base has grown recently. I intend to wait some before releasing the next update, to give the new users time to find additional bugs. I am also considering adding a pause feature similar to the CAT NAP I have implemented in the Bad Cats home ROM I am working on.
All,
I'm a little confused, the original rules had an special award for reaching Jupiter correct? Now its earth? but during game play (with PEMBOT ROMS) Jupiter is (still) lit as the planet to reach for special?
Quoted from Cariba:All,
I'm a little confused, the original rules had an special award for reaching Jupiter correct? Now its earth? but during game play (with PEMBOT ROMS) Jupiter is (still) lit as the planet to reach for special?
setting 46 sets the planet
theres also auto percentaging you can turn on/off adjust to tweak this
Here's how it works in the two released versions:
J-1: On factory reset the planet is initialized to Jupiter (adjustment 46). The auto adjustment (#45) for the planet is set to 4%, i.e. the game changes the planet automatically to try to award the EB on average once every 25 games. Both these adjustments are the same as in Pinbot L5.
J-2: On factory reset the planet is initialized to Earth. The auto adjustment for the planet is disabled, i.e. the planet does not change automatically. You can still change the planet with adjustment 46.
I am planning to making a post with release information including release dates and a detailed change log.
Quoted from idealjoker:Here's how it works in the two released versions:
J-1: On factory reset the planet is initialized to Jupiter (adjustment 46). The auto adjustment (#45) for the planet is set to 4%, i.e. the game changes the planet automatically to try to award the EB on average once every 25 games. Both these adjustments are the same as in Pinbot L5.
J-2: On factory reset the planet is initialized to Earth. The auto adjustment for the planet is disabled, i.e. the planet does not change automatically. You can still change the planet with adjustment 46.
I am planning to making a post with release information including release dates and a detailed change log.
I see, and can auto planet adjustment be enabled and #45 be set to 4% or whatever, in J-2 still?
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