Cool!
Yes, as far as plugs go, they're completely interchangeable. Would have to use new ROMs though - wouldn't be able to junp back to the proto without changing the board back.

The switch matrix is dead because that's what the security chip does, disables the switch matrix. So if the code expects there to be a security PIC, and there isn't one, there's no switch matrix, essentially making the game unplayable.

Yes, you can swap boards without issue, connectors are exactly the same.

--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com

As a Demo Man fan, I'd be interested in seeing pictures of this rare piece! Do you have a link to any?

Neat piece, but this might be one of those situations where having a prototype is a pain. Think Funhouse with a system 11 sound board.

Prototype and low-production stuff are always going to be challenging. If you're interested in that stuff, you just simply have to be prepared for the extra time & attention that may be necessary for owning them.

Not what I was driving at. Proto's that can run production software are the best of both worlds. You get the rarity without losing out on the more mature code of the regular machines. Proto's that are stuck running proto code which often means whatever version it came with are neat, but from a player's perspective not as desirable.

A few years ago someone unearthed a proto tmnt with an assembly not found on the production machines. It had no roms and may very well still be useless to play without them. There was a wwf that showed up with a taf like magnet arrangement. It was sold as not running, but same deal applies. Funhouse prototypes with the system 11 boardset cannot run production roms and are stuck with early code. OPs game is neat, but he can drop in another cpu board and get the full experience. Otherwise, you have a demo man with red boards and less to play.

There are a few protos that recieved short runs that would be more interesting for the player. Radical for example as the production machines did not get much in the way of updates and the proto machines had more to them.

No sorry - you will need to replace the board itself. No way to get non-S software to run on an -S board. (And, like mentioned, vice-versa.)

On the PLUS side, you won't need to worry about changing out any of the *other* boards..

(Edit: $65 for a ROM set? I am definitely under-charging..!)

Any WPC ROM will boot in any version WPC CPU. Just don't expect to be able to play the game because as mentioned, the switch matrix is killed by the PIC if things don't match up.

The ASIC, CPU, and RAM are also interchangeable between CPU versions, and all will work fine in all versions of the board.

I have used and reproduction CPUs if you need one. Though you should be able to find a used one from a Pinsider for less than I could sell you one for.

--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com

What was the point of the security chip? It's not like someone was going to bootleg the entire cabinet and all the assemblies to make bootleg pinballs.

It was williams way of region locking machines. This was a move to help distributors from being poached by other distributors willing to sell machines for less, but who were in a different region of the world.

The most significant difference was the introduction of the security PIC. This devices contains a serial number and a handshake mechanism. The serial number is displayed at startup, and allowed the manufacturer to identify the dealer who sold a machine into a particular region. This approach was necessary when substantial price differences were common across Europe, to prevent grey imports.

http://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Williams_WPC#WPC-S_CPU_2

Different but compatible.

--
Rob Anthony
Pinball Classics
http://LockWhenLit.com
Quality Board Work - In Home Service
borygard at gmail dot com