Yes, there are about 6 versions at last count. IPDB has the fixed solar value reset to 500k, solar advance 250k one posted.
PAPA used one in the past that capped the solar value at 100k (because you can keep collecting it in multiball).
There is one that sets the solar value to 750k.
There is one that lets you start a solar value at whatever level you like for each player, then it resets after collection to another whatever value you like. This one lets you set the energy values and tweak other values as well. (This one reports as T-6)
There's a couple more that didn't really go farther than the forum where this was discussed that I'm likely forgetting since they were just different values.

Pinbot was one of the most commonly modified games on the defunct pinhacks.com because it was so easy to find the jackpot code (High speed, as well).

As soon as my video camera memory card arrives I'll shoot a video of some of the changes in T-6 and possibly the one that idealjoker was referencing with gameplay changes as well.

List of options in pinbot L-6 tournament rom

Gameplay/description of the PEMBOT mod described by idealjoker

Gameplay starts at 6:30
Description at beginning

Someone might have put the wrong bulbs in there or did it on purpose as the sun insert was subject to meltdown if locked on.

They would have had to have swapped a bit of power wiring to do this so look for capped off +24v wires or even soldered/heat shrunk wiring if they continued the chain that way.

Yes

http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH

put in "pinbot vortex" for search.

59$ bare and 79$ with decal sheet and either flap installed.

the limit switches aren't registering if the game doesn't see 'closed' for the visor it assumes it's open so it's cycling it until it sees closed.

http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PPS-B-11407

Doesn't have the brackets so you'd have to make some.

Center post is shown in the flyer so it's likely that all games were supposed to come with them.

That's really common on this era of system 11 games.

No fix AFAIK unless someone came up with something, they didn't really worry about this type of thing back then on commercial equipment. It gets louder and softer because of the high voltage displays (although it would be interesting to see if it does it with LED replacements)

System 11 games did this when they were new. There's zero shielding on the audio wires.

This would make the ramp become a ski jump!!

I guess if you're bending down to make up for ramp not going low enough it would be different. Bending it the other way causes the ski jump effect.

The ramp gets out of adjustment from worn parts usually, or binding in the coil area.

Yeah, people in a production environment aren't going to fool around with toothpicks. They're setting them up as quick as they can, and the pins up is the best way.

In home environment when you have time to play around, different story of course. I don't see any harm in leaving them up, if you want to do it that way.

the left eye socket is on the special solenoid circuit so maybe it's blowing there because of an issue there... do all your pops and slings work correctly in the game?

No, it's more likely to be a mechanical issue. The pulse from the CPU is going to be the same. If your line voltage/solenoid voltage is low it could be electrical. If the targets are gummed up they won't reset properly.

Since they never make it all the way up, they fall again, triggering the switches, causing it to try and reset it again. Repeat.

Not an error just poor choices on the modifiers part. There are at least six different Pinbot tournament roms in existence and that one is the worst choice IMO.

Flaked graphite was the only thing I ever read on that from the manufacturers' and it was likely not in conjunction with drop targets, but I don't remember for sure.

If drops don't work 'dry' there's something wrong.

Hey pinneighbor (glenside here):

Likely the jumper on the mpu board is missing so it's defaulting to german.

From pinwiki.com:

W7 - Language Select Jumper

W7 is used only in games up to Cyclone. Games with 16 digit alphanumeric displays do not use this jumper. If installed, the game automatically reverts to English after losing the content of the RAM. If a different language is preferred, the "adjustments" menu provides an option to change the default language. Only a few early System 11 game ROMs contained multiple languages. For these games, if W7 is removed, the game generally defaults to German text.

Later System 11 games used language specific ROMs at U26 and U27.

The spiral ramp in the corner has been reproduced and is available at Planetary Pinball and other major suppliers like Marco spec, etc.

This is more likely as the solenoids aren't a matrix. The switch matrix is only for scoring on special solenoids.

The activation switch grounds the inputs to the logic chips which fire these. The solenoid test activates them through a different circuit path.

Check for solenoid voltage on the coils in question. I think you'll find it missing.

Voltage set meter to DC positive lead to lug of solenoid doesn't matter which and negative lead on the side rail.

The activation switches are not part of the matrix. The score switches are. Go to pinwiki and read up on special solenoids.

Don't overthink it. Switch needs adjustment or is flat worn out and needs replacement. That's your first step. Then you start looking for other things.... next up would be to make sure some other switch in the matrix isn't reading as that switch. That's tougher because it might be a strange combination of other switches that cause it to pop up.

If it happens again leave the machine in the state it's in (ie. balls whereever they are) and go into switch level test, see what switches are showing closed, and make sure they are all actually closed (and any closed switches that aren't showing, investigate why)

Clean all the crusty flux off the board.

I don't know if anyone has come up with the mosfet swap for system 11 to get rid of the hot lamp resistors, but them being hot is normal for the darlingtons that are stock. It's a pretty big design choice for williams from system 3-11 - probably was felt it was good enough for the expected commercial life of the machines.

I haven't done any tests but I've often wondered if the resistors will still get hot with LEDs in the game.

I suspected it but I didn't want to state for sure unless I was 100% on it. I have really moved away from fooling around with the boardsets in my games though, they all work right now and I've found that I've lost the patience for that kind of work lately (well, last 5-6 years for sure....)

Oddly, I don't mind building new boards though. That's satisfying.

5 ohm 10 watt (bigger)
330 ohm 7 watt (shorter)

pasted_image (resized).png

The 330 ohm one is the warming resistor - see the circuit diagram shows the +solenoid voltage, going through the bulbs, then through the 330 ohm to ground. So that's on all the time.

The 5 ohm one is likely to add a slight load to the solenoid driver transistor. It will also limit the inrush current I'd think but don't quote me on that. G-P-E or GRUMPY would know this better than I would. Personally I'd wait until you get the correct resistors, or if you have other 10 watt ones that are much lower resistance probably ok to use one of those temporarily. It might even blow the flashers instantly without it - the bulbs are 12 volt in series will take 24v- so sending the normal solenoid voltage of 28v through them is already over their limit. It does it so short which is why they don't blow in normal usage (also the pre-warming).

The door might be sagging if it's not what GRUMPY says.

System 11 some hum is normal. Having the screws in place will cause a ground loop you need to isolate the board from the mounting brackets to combat that.

Didn't say that unbonding it from the ground eliminated the hum, but it's a way to eliminate a ground loop. That's if the hum is caused by that; on Bally games it often is. When I used to work on car stereos ground loops were a huge problem, and the solution was to have all the grounds at the same point.

Is it the special solenoid activation switches that fail or all the scoring switches? Activation switches don't show in switch test only scoring switches do. If activation trace back your ground for them and make sure it's got a good ground. If scoring same thing but trace back the column drive. Common for a wire to get fatigued and make-break continuity but still seem whole.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pembot-no-relation/

It still cuts off unless you have pembot or the tournament ROM.

Yes or the bridge board.

I can check later but I'm pretty sure the auto adjust code isn't bound by the manual adjustment so it could get shorter until your percentage drops below the setting.

I'd look for a bad connection in anything that got touched when you (presumably) pulled the non-socketed ram out. A hairline solder crack/broken trace/sneak short. Any previous battery leakage anywhere on the board that might be hidden? Also, maybe your nvram is flaky, do you have any other ram to swap in (either nvram or regular)?

Do an install factory to clear everything out.

I've found over the years that nothing makes me get bored of a game more than if it's way too easy. It's why I used to churn through a game in 2-3 months and swap it for something else. Loose or no tilts, everything set either factory or easier. Boring.

Now I set everything up like it's at a tournament. The casual people who play don't notice (they don't shake) and they don't know the settings. Keeps the ball times really low and the interest/challenge levels high.

That's not a resistor it's a diode. It's required. It's a 1n4004 diode. All switches in a switch matrix need them although they are left off of coin switches sometimes (which is bad if the switch gets stuck on)

Some switches will have a resistor and capacitor on them, those are the special activation switches on the pops and slings.

1n4004 also but you can just get 1n4007's they will all work (higher voltage capacity)

No, pf doubled score is for everything except the jackpot

Since you can only get the jackpot while the score is doubled anyway doubling it would be kind of meaningless. Now, if you could double it by hitting it in a grace period when you lose one ball that would be worth it.

I wouldn't. That's there more to dampen the ball going into the eye and directing it down.

The brackets need some adjustments, they are likely too close to the saucers. You can either bend them up a little bit or move them back.

That's going to depend on how they are regulating the +/- 100vdc on the display. If they are using the Zeners like the original boards did, you do it the same way. Look at the schematics to see.

edit, schematics:
http://www.rottendog.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DPS005.pdf

Totally different way of regulating (and maybe an error on schematics, as they show -100v and -110v....)

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/how-ic-lm337-works-datasheet-application-circuits/ explains how the values are set. If you look at that page it seems like the max voltage it's supposed to handle is -37 volts, so RD is driving it way out of spec?

You might just want to live with it. Or if/when your displays finally bite the dust, just get LED replacements.

EDIT (again)....

So, the +68v output I originally thought was solenoid voltage is likely the other display voltage, so the voltage swing looks like it's designed to be 168 volts, or 178 volts, so no need to do the mod.

This is what you would install to get the equivalent strength to the series wound it would have originally had

629's are too strong for pinbot.

A lot of people/operators only stocked 629's to make it easier for parts availability

That sounds like chance, if the ball happened to drain right as it was off the state would be lost. That would need to be fixed in the code if so.

setting 34 is this (planets memory) - but it shouldn't operate randomly for the sun if it's set to carry over the progress.
MoSeS_1592 can you confirm a way to always get/not get it?

That's a memory protect on that game, not a power cutoff like the newer games did.

Remove the ball trough switch and let it hang down does it still do it?
Go into test mode, the trough shouldn't fire there even if the trough is closed.

Can you rotate the right flipper base at all? That might give you clearance.

Shooter rod pull the c/e clip off the end with pliers while holding the spring back. Then it just comes out.

Flipper bats loosen the pawl clamp and pull the flipper straight up. Can tap the shaft lightly with a hammer to get it started out of the clamp.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pembot-no-relation

Message 4