(Topic ID: 266605)

Replacing the M6800 in a Stern MPU100 with an Arduino

By DickHamill

3 years ago


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  • 282 posts
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  • Latest reply 80 days ago by DickHamill
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There are 282 posts in this topic. You are on page 5 of 6.
#201 2 years ago

This is awesome!! Dolly could finally play 9-5 in the background!

#202 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Check out PinballHelp 's videos of his progress on Paragon too, for a glimpse at what the development process is like:
https://www.youtube.com/c/PinballHelp/videos
I think the ideas are pretty straightforward, but the code might be a little daunting because the published stuff is optimized to fit in a small amount of space.

Thanks DickHamill I have been watching PinballHelp videos for years and it was Mike's "anyone can do this" encouragement that got me into started repairing games and eventually got me to even start a website & YouTube channel of my own I am many many years and about 4k subscribers behind PinballHelp and will definitely re-watch all of his BSOS series before diving in and plan at this stage to also document my journey into this Pandora's box you have opened with BSOS.

Jason
-------------------------------------------------------
https://www.youtube.com/c/PinballEvangelist
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https://www.instagram.com/pinballevangelist

#203 2 years ago

PinballHelp thanks for the info in your post above... I am a little worried I may be getting in over my head but going to give it a try, I have programmed several Arduino projects so a little familiar with the code but this will be a on another level to my current Arduino experience.

I have now received a couple Arduino Uno's & the Wav Trigger board from www.sparkfun.com I ordered... just waiting for the "BALLY/STERN ARDUINO ADAPTER" kits from RoyGBev and I will be diving in.

I have also heard that there is a Discord server for those working on this... if so can you share the details?

Quoted from PinballHelp:

Quoted from Evangelist:
3) Could this be used to capture the scores on the machine?

Do you mean save high scores or something else? It does all that and more. I'm looking forward to adding additional functionality with more powerful Arduino/RP versions (especially ones that can talk to the Internet.

I was thinking more about the ability to send scores or other stats to a server which could be available online....

-------------------------------------------------------
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#204 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

In the switch test, the player displays show the intermittent status of the first four switches reporting closures.

That answered my question, it is 4-rollover switch scan.

Now the real problem.. Of all things.. Tilt switch diode shorted... Clipped out now, will replace with a silicon rectifier, prolly 1N4001.

Game running fine again, and thanks once again...

#205 2 years ago

Thinking about this, I would be very interested in the work on the Mata Hari table. I have one sitting in my shop now, that for months I have been trying to decide if I should fix and sell it, or restore and keep it. Some new rules and light routines would sure make me want to keep it!

1 week later
#206 2 years ago
Quoted from Evangelist:

PinballHelp thanks for the info in your post above... I am a little worried I may be getting in over my head but going to give it a try, I have programmed several Arduino projects so a little familiar with the code but this will be a on another level to my current Arduino experience.

If you or anybody has any questions, feel free to reach out to me. IMO, one of the best parts about this project is how everybody gets to collaborate. We've got a really supportive community.

I'll try to make a separate post about my Paragon project soon. I am getting close to having it finished and am anxious to work on some other stuff, but we're also addressing some minor glitches with different versions of hardware/software.

#207 2 years ago
Quoted from Evangelist:

I was thinking more about the ability to send scores or other stats to a server which could be available online....

This is 150% something I want to do too. And I have the resources to be able to develop the cloud/server side that could receive the data. We just need to fill in a few missing bits technologically. One issue is, with the current version of Arduinos we're using, there's not as much program space to do much, and they don't support internet connectivity, but some other Arduino versions do. There's also the possibility of using Raspberry Pi versions too.

Quoted from RandyW:

Thinking about this, I would be very interested in the work on the Mata Hari table. I have one sitting in my shop now, that for months I have been trying to decide if I should fix and sell it, or restore and keep it. Some new rules and light routines would sure make me want to keep it!

I've been messing with the Mata Hari version too. Dick's code has some pretty cool features, including some very unique strobing/dimming techniques that look really cool (but probably wouldn't work with LEDs). This is probably one game I would keep with the original lights because of the neat effects the BSOS version does.

#208 2 years ago

I have ordered and received the RoyG board. I am going to pick up an arduino later. Will this work with the Nano V3? Or is there a specific hardware version I should get? Thanks!

#209 2 years ago
Quoted from RandyW:

I have ordered and received the RoyG board. I am going to pick up an arduino later. Will this work with the Nano V3? Or is there a specific hardware version I should get? Thanks!

Most recently, I've been using this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NJNJCTX/

I've also had luck with this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713XK923/

#210 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Most recently, I've been using this one:
amazon.com link »
I've also had luck with this one:
amazon.com link »

Perfect! Thank you!

1 month later
#211 2 years ago

I got my board from Roy and have it all soldered up and ready to go. I'm finding the documentation on how to put this together a bit scattershot. Then you have things like this image https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BallySternOS/BallySternOS/master/images/Rev2Serial.jpeg where the board is put together very different than in other pictures. That's confusing af.

So my first question is do I need a daughter board for the audio? Because that's not clear to me. My second question is what does this mean "Install a jumper between the 5V pin and center pin of the 5V – Vin header. The Vin pin should be left disconnected." I know what a jumper is, and I know 5v but what the googly moogly is a Vin header?

#212 2 years ago

I've made it to the point where I'm trying to export the code from the arduino ide to the board. I've got a folder called trident2020 and it contains these files only:
BallySternOS.cpp
BallySternOS.h
BSOS_Config.h
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp
SelfTestAndAudit.h
SendOnlyWavTrigger.cpp (only for some games)
SendOnlyWavTrigger.h (only for some games)
Trident2020.h
Trident2020.ino

When I try to verify/compile it I get the error: BSOS_Config.h: No such file or directory

So if I comment out references to the above config file, which is a real file that does indeed exist, I get a little further.

But then it throws a new fatal error:'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope. I'm adding a bit more from the error message below. Ideas, anyone?

trident2020\SelfTestAndAudit.cpp: In function 'int RunBaseSelfTest(int, boolean, long unsigned int, byte, byte)':
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:104:31: error: 'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope
for (int count=0; count<BSOS_MAX_LAMPS; count++) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BallySternOS.cpp:59:26: error: 'BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS' was not declared in this scope
volatile byte LampStates[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS], LampDim0[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS], LampDim1[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS];
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:113:21: error: 'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope
if (CurValue==BSOS_MAX_LAMPS) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:207:27: error: 'BSOS_AWARD_SCORE_1_EEPROM_START_BYTE' was not declared in this scope
savedScoreStartByte = BSOS_AWARD_SCORE_1_EEPROM_START_BYTE;
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#213 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

I got my board from Roy and have it all soldered up and ready to go. I'm finding the documentation on how to put this together a bit scattershot. Then you have things like this image https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BallySternOS/BallySternOS/master/images/Rev2Serial.jpeg where the board is put together very different than in other pictures. That's confusing af.
So my first question is do I need a daughter board for the audio? Because that's not clear to me. My second question is what does this mean "Install a jumper between the 5V pin and center pin of the 5V – Vin header. The Vin pin should be left disconnected." I know what a jumper is, and I know 5v but what the googly moogly is a Vin header?

The picture you linked is not from a Roy kit, although it might look like his. It was a board that I built out.
Some of the games (Trident, Stars2020, Black Jack, @bluebomber's Flash Gordon) don't require a sound card and others (Meteor2021, Stars2021) need a sound card to play.
In the beginning, I tried to always build the games to work with/without a sound card, but with the newer Stars & Meteor there are gamplay elements that don't make enough sense without sound prompts.
Since there's no "official" hardware associated with the project (there are multiple revs & different kits available), I can imagine it's easy to find what appears to be conflicting information.
I think that the notion of a jumper between the center pin and either 5V or VIN was something that existed on ROY's first kit. If the kit you bought has two ICs with it (74155 and 74240) then I believe you can ignore that instruction. If your kit only came with a 74125, then your board would have that jumper.
I'm afraid I'm not making anything clearer.
Perhaps RoyGBev will chime in.
Let me know what game you're building for and I can give you better guidance on whether the sound card is a necessity. I think it always makes the games better, but Stars2020 does a decent job with the chimes.

#214 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

I've made it to the point where I'm trying to export the code from the arduino ide to the board. I've got a folder called trident2020 and it contains these files only:
BallySternOS.cpp
BallySternOS.h
BSOS_Config.h
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp
SelfTestAndAudit.h
SendOnlyWavTrigger.cpp (only for some games)
SendOnlyWavTrigger.h (only for some games)
Trident2020.h
Trident2020.ino
When I try to verify/compile it I get the error: BSOS_Config.h: No such file or directory
So if I comment out references to the above config file, which is a real file that does indeed exist, I get a little further.
But then it throws a new fatal error:'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope. I'm adding a bit more from the error message below. Ideas, anyone?
trident2020\SelfTestAndAudit.cpp: In function 'int RunBaseSelfTest(int, boolean, long unsigned int, byte, byte)':
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:104:31: error: 'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope
for (int count=0; count<BSOS_MAX_LAMPS; count++) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BallySternOS.cpp:59:26: error: 'BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS' was not declared in this scope
volatile byte LampStates[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS], LampDim0[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS], LampDim1[BSOS_NUM_LAMP_BITS];
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:113:21: error: 'BSOS_MAX_LAMPS' was not declared in this scope
if (CurValue==BSOS_MAX_LAMPS) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SelfTestAndAudit.cpp:207:27: error: 'BSOS_AWARD_SCORE_1_EEPROM_START_BYTE' was not declared in this scope
savedScoreStartByte = BSOS_AWARD_SCORE_1_EEPROM_START_BYTE;
^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those are all the files you need. I'm not sure if you have a typo above, but just in case... You said they're in a folder called "trident2020". I think the Arduino IDE is case sensitive and requires that the ino name be in a folder that's named precisely the same. So, if it's not, make sure your folder is "Trident2020" with a capital T.
Then, when you open Trident2020, does the IDE open with all the files in different tabs?
You should see all the files listed in the project. If you don't, it means that the IDE is not seeing all the files in your folder for whatever reason. I would double check that all the files have full permissions to the Arduino IDE.

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#215 2 years ago

Thank you, really. It was the capital case. That one is on me, guilty. I changed that and it now will compile without error. So that's great news.

Let me just take a second to say that what you've done here is amazing, and of potentially unrivaled utility. My first game was Trident, I still love her dearly and play her often. I'm a huge fan of all the Sterns of this era. I can't wait to play this thing.

My progress has only gone so far. When I try to upload it appears my pc can't properly communicate with the Uno. In the device manager it's listed under Other Devices > USB Serial. I've tried to update the drivers but it keeps saying they can't find the drivers even though I selected the folder they are in manually. The IDE can see port COM 3, but it can't get device info "Native serial port can't obtain info". I've turned off and on everything, toggled serial monitor... I need a break to clear my head, my next idea is to try with another pc.

Thank you so much again for the advice earlier.

#216 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

Thank you, really. It was the capital case. That one is on me, guilty. I changed that and it now will compile without error. So that's great news.
Let me just take a second to say that what you've done here is amazing, and of potentially unrivaled utility. My first game was Trident, I still love her dearly and play her often. I'm a huge fan of all the Sterns of this era. I can't wait to play this thing.
My progress has only gone so far. When I try to upload it appears my pc can't properly communicate with the Uno. In the device manager it's listed under Other Devices > USB Serial. I've tried to update the drivers but it keeps saying they can't find the drivers even though I selected the folder they are in manually. The IDE can see port COM 3, but it can't get device info "Native serial port can't obtain info". I've turned off and on everything, toggled serial monitor... I need a break to clear my head, my next idea is to try with another pc.
Thank you so much again for the advice earlier.

Ah, glad to hear you got the compile issue solved!
As for the communication, it has been a solid 10 years since I used windows, so I'm not great on the whole device manager side of things. Can you post a link to what device you have? I'm using a Nano clone that uses the CH340 drivers to talk to the ATmega328P (old bootloader) device. Here are the drivers I installed:
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-ch340-drivers/all

#217 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

and of potentially unrivaled utility

To me, there's nothing better than a super cheap way to get new functionality from something I already know/love. I was thrilled to be able to put new rules on old machines, and super happy to share that with other people. Now I'm hoping to get to play some of the creations that other people have put together (Flash Gordon, Paragon, etc.).

#218 2 years ago

Ten years, wow. I prefer Macs, and I have an old MacBook Air that still works great, and while they're probably worth close to what they charge for them it's still a king's ransom. As a software engineer/front-end developer I just have to ride whatever flow my current employer prefers. I will say that MSFT has been putting out a lot of really useful business software the last several years. I didn't even notice at first. And then they dropped that whole Linux subsystem thing, and now recently there's a native Terminal in Windows. They still aren't cool like Apple, or brutally efficient like Linux, but they have increased the usefulness of their ecosystem dramatically.

But they still stink at some things because on my desktop I got no love from the Uno, plugged it in to my several year old laptop running an unsupported version of Windows10 and the UNO came up on COM 4 ready to talk. Another win for old hardware.

#219 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

Ten years, wow. I prefer Macs, and I have an old MacBook Air that still works great, and while they're probably worth close to what they charge for them it's still a king's ransom. As a software engineer/front-end developer I just have to ride whatever flow my current employer prefers. I will say that MSFT has been putting out a lot of really useful business software the last several years. I didn't even notice at first. And then they dropped that whole Linux subsystem thing, and now recently there's a native Terminal in Windows. They still aren't cool like Apple, or brutally efficient like Linux, but they have increased the usefulness of their ecosystem dramatically.
But they still stink at some things because on my desktop I got no love from the Uno, plugged it in to my several year old laptop running an unsupported version of Windows10 and the UNO came up on COM 4 ready to talk. Another win for old hardware.

I haven't done a version that's port-mapped for the UNO, btw. There are port definitions in the code for the Nano and the MEGA2560. It's not difficult, but I thought I should mention that if you're going down the path to interface an UNO there is a little work to be done getting all the signals to the right ports...

#220 2 years ago

After finally getting the Arduino connected and uploading the compiled code to it I plugged it in to see what happens and it appears I still have a way to go. I've attached two pics, I guess to make sure I'm not putting on wrong, I don't know. I tried it without the J5 plugs connected to the BSOS board, and without. The only difference is that when the J5 plugs are plugged in there is a "race car" like sound coming from the speaker. When it's just the BSOS board I get some lights but nothing else.

Where do I even start troubleshooting from here? Am I some kind of moron, did everyone else just put theirs together and it just worked?

22BFE879-2B7B-4155-B66E-BC9CEDC3CBEA (resized).jpg22BFE879-2B7B-4155-B66E-BC9CEDC3CBEA (resized).jpg5FCA0E77-1E60-4842-97BF-919E50FFD97E (resized).jpg5FCA0E77-1E60-4842-97BF-919E50FFD97E (resized).jpg
#221 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

After finally getting the Arduino connected and uploading the compiled code to it I plugged it in to see what happens and it appears I still have a way to go. I've attached two pics, I guess to make sure I'm not putting on wrong, I don't know. I tried it without the J5 plugs connected to the BSOS board, and without. The only difference is that when the J5 plugs are plugged in there is a "race car" like sound coming from the speaker. When it's just the BSOS board I get some lights but nothing else.
Where do I even start troubleshooting from here? Am I some kind of moron, did everyone else just put theirs together and it just worked?
[quoted image][quoted image]

If you're getting sound disturbance with the board plugged in, it suggests that either the board's not aligned with the connector correctly (the far right pin of the BSOS board should be aligned with the far right pin of J5), or there's a maybe a solder bridge?
A couple of things to look for are
1) Do the LEDs on the Arduino light when you turn on the machine? If not, you definitely don't have the right connection to J5.
2) Does the machine boot to old code when you take the jumper off the "Switch" header?

#222 2 years ago

Ah ha! Progress. The Leds do light up on the Arduino. If I remove the Switch jumper, it does boot to old code, without sound. If I plug the J5 plugs into the new board it boots to old code and has sound.

I went through every solder connection for continuity a couple days ago, but you never know.

#223 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

Ah ha! Progress. The Leds do light up on the Arduino. If I remove the Switch jumper, it does boot to old code, without sound. If I plug the J5 plugs into the new board it boots to old code and has sound.
I went through every solder connection for continuity a couple days ago, but you never know.

Ah, good, so the machine can boot successfully when the Arduino is out of the way.
Next step - look in BSOS_Config.h and see what BSOS board you're compiling for. You have a Rev 2 board there, but the default on GitHub is Rev 1 (since Rev 2 isn't an advantage for Trident).
// Hardware Rev 1 generally uses an Arduino Nano & (option) 74125
// Hardware Rev 2 uses an Arduino Nano, a 74155, and a 74240
#define BALLY_STERN_OS_HARDWARE_REV 1

If you have Rev 1 (as defined above) you'll want to rebuild for Rev 2 like this:
#define BALLY_STERN_OS_HARDWARE_REV 2

#224 2 years ago

I'm very excited to say that seems to have done the job. There's no sound, I assume you need to daughter board to play wavs, is that the only method of getting sound?

#225 2 years ago
Quoted from Luskmonster:

I'm very excited to say that seems to have done the job. There's no sound, I assume you need to daughter board to play wavs, is that the only method of getting sound?

Awesome!
In that same file (BSOS_Config.h), you can tell the software whether you want to play sounds through the WAV Trigger (which is the default), or use the built-in SB-100. Look for these lines:
//#define BALLY_STERN_OS_USE_SB100
//#define BALLY_STERN_OS_USE_SB300
#define USE_WAV_TRIGGER

And uncomment the SB100 line and comment out the WAV_TRIGGER line, like this:
#define BALLY_STERN_OS_USE_SB100
//#define BALLY_STERN_OS_USE_SB300
//#define USE_WAV_TRIGGER

The sounds through the SB100 aren't great, but better than nothing.

#226 2 years ago

Brilliant! Thank you again for all your help!

4 months later
#227 2 years ago

Doing a run of Mega boards for friends... What's the recommended amp for the wav trigger? Tie into the existing sound board, the wav trigger's on-board amp, or a new dedicated amp?

#228 2 years ago
Quoted from RatShack:

Doing a run of Mega boards for friends... What's the recommended amp for the wav trigger? Tie into the existing sound board, the wav trigger's on-board amp, or a new dedicated amp?

Everyone has their own solution for speakers at the moment. Some Meteor folks have pushed audio through the amp on the SB300. I usually find powered computer speakers with a sub (used) and mount those. On a future machine, I'm going to try this amp:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y67PZB1
(based on the recommendation of @mathazar
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/meteor-2021-new-code-for-stern-meteor-1979/page/6#post-6650679)

#229 2 years ago

That amp is interesting, similar to the Lepai amp but without the sub channel.

Heard of someone using a cheap soundbar from Walmart on their Meteor 2021.

1 week later
#230 2 years ago

@DickHamill
I am very excited to have found this thread. I'm pleased to read/watch videos that demonstrate you've coaxed control of a commercial pinball machine away from the MCU and onto an Arduino running your vision of game play.

I own an 80's Black Knight (BK80)--Williams System 7--and I'm building a growing list of tweaks I'd like to make to the game in three areas: game play, illumination, and sound. My purpose is not to rewrite the excellent extant code; Rather, I want to concatenate my ideas in some compatible manner that complements the existing programming with the intent to improve the game.

I'd begin, for example, by programming a "release" to the Magna-Save after activation--a common lament familiar to many BK80 players. I'd like to add some additional physical elements to the playfield--a gate, directional roll-overs, a couple targets and a slingshot--and tune the game logic to integrate these items into every aspect of existing play. BK80's attract mode and multi-ball display announcement are brilliant. But the beautiful playfield is poorly lit. I'd like to add individually addressable RGB LEDs that serve to attenuate the gloominess of the game, and also serve to alert the player to different modes and play conditions, circumstances, and goals during game play. Additionally, I'd like the existing sound effects and voice to be layered (iow, on "tracks") to prevent sounds from interrupting each other during game play. And I'd like to explore the integration of a soundtrack. This is a summary list and in no way complete.

It's an ambitious list. A journey of a thousand steps begins with that first step. I own the game. Research into the viability of the effort is the first step, Finding information resources--ideally, a lengthy laying of the hands by both Steve Ritchie AND Larry DeMar over a case of beer and an EEPROM burner--is the second. Short of the ideal, you've shown it's possible.

#231 2 years ago
Quoted from lothian:

DickHamill
I am very excited to have found this thread. I'm pleased to read/watch videos that demonstrate you've coaxed control of a commercial pinball machine away from the MCU and onto an Arduino running your vision of game play.
I own an 80's Black Knight (BK80)--Williams System 7--and I'm building a growing list of tweaks I'd like to make to the game in three areas: game play, illumination, and sound. My purpose is not to rewrite the excellent extant code; Rather, I want to concatenate my ideas in some compatible manner that complements the existing programming with the intent to improve the game.
I'd begin, for example, by programming a "release" to the Magna-Save after activation--a common lament familiar to many BK80 players. I'd like to add some additional physical elements to the playfield--a gate, directional roll-overs, a couple targets and a slingshot--and tune the game logic to integrate these items into every aspect of existing play. BK80's attract mode and multi-ball display announcement are brilliant. But the beautiful playfield is poorly lit. I'd like to add individually addressable RGB LEDs that serve to attenuate the gloominess of the game, and also serve to alert the player to different modes and play conditions, circumstances, and goals during game play. Additionally, I'd like the existing sound effects and voice to be layered (iow, on "tracks") to prevent sounds from interrupting each other during game play. And I'd like to explore integration of a soundtrack.
It's an ambitious list. A journey of a thousand steps begins with that first step. I own the game. Research into the viability of the effort is the first step, Finding information resources--ideally, a lengthy consult with Steve Ritchie AND Larry DeMar over a case of beer and an EEPROM burner--is the second. Short of the ideal, you've shown it's possible.

I haven't worked with a Black Knight, but I have a Jungle Lord downstairs that I will be programming this year. With my board, you have to implement everything from the ground up. If you want to reproduce the old rules, you would have to rewrite them all from scratch. Tweaking the ROMs might make more sense if you just want to make minor changes to what's there. It's not simple, but there are resources around to go that path.

As for the sound card, you're limited by its capabilities. I've made some improvements to sound handling in my rewrite of Stellar Wars by prioritizing sound callouts and queueing them to some extent, but there's only so much you can do without upgrading to a polyphonic sound card (like the Wav Trigger).

I haven't done any implementations (yet) where I've added switches / lamps / solenoids. It's not impossible, but my goal is to make a non-destructive mod that can quickly upgrade an existing machine while still allowing the original gameplay with the flip of a switch. More extensive modding is not in my short-term plans.

Good luck with your project!

#232 2 years ago

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/arduino-pinball-controller/page/16#post-6693094

another possibility, if he means the same black knight as you do (the original)

looks like he's working on getting black knight going in apc

1 week later
#233 2 years ago

Hey DickHamill can you update your hardware webpage to make it clear you need an Arduino Mega 2560 PRO for the Rev3 boards?

Missed that detail and now I have a stack of Mega 2560's to get rid of

#234 2 years ago
Quoted from RatShack:

Hey DickHamill can you update your hardware webpage to make it clear you need an Arduino Mega 2560 PRO for the Rev3 boards?
Missed that detail and now I have a stack of Mega 2560's to get rid of

Sure thing - can you link me to where you're referring to?
It's not easy to keep up with the documentation.

#235 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Sure thing - can you link me to where you're referring to?
It's not easy to keep up with the documentation.

https://github.com/BallySternOS/ballysternos.github.io/blob/master/hardware.md

Documentation is a bear, that's half the reason I don't have public projects.

#236 2 years ago
Quoted from RatShack:

https://github.com/BallySternOS/ballysternos.github.io/blob/master/hardware.md
Documentation is a bear, that's half the reason I don't have public projects.

Ha - smart move!
I've patched it up, I think. If you don't mind, take a look and see if it's more clear now.
https://ballysternos.github.io/hardware.html

How many machines are you doing?

#237 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Ha - smart move!
I've patched it up, I think. If you don't mind, take a look and see if it's more clear now.
https://ballysternos.github.io/hardware.html
How many machines are you doing?

Yup, looks good!

One for myself (Star Trek & Magic), and requests for 7 or 8 for local players so far.

2 months later
#238 2 years ago

I have been developing new rules for Bally Eight Ball called Eight Ball Plus. The code has just been released here:
https://github.com/BallySternOS/Eight-Ball-Plus

I have a new thread for the new game located here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/eight-ball-plus-new-rules-for-bally-eight-ball#post-6841147

#239 2 years ago
Quoted from BJM-Maxx:

I have been developing new rules for Bally Eight Ball called Eight Ball Plus. The code has just been released here:
https://github.com/BallySternOS/Eight-Ball-Plus
I have a new thread for the new game located here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/eight-ball-plus-new-rules-for-bally-eight-ball#post-6841147

Awesome new rules! Lights are fantastic too!

#241 2 years ago

Does anyone have a link to some gameplay video of Mata Hari running the Arduino and code update(s)? After the blast of fun I'm having with the 2021 Meteor code, I'm thinking of updating my Mata Hari now, too.

#242 2 years ago

Anyone working on updated code for Bally Playboy by chance?

#243 2 years ago

It will need tested, but I think Pinball Electronics / nvram.weebly.com MPU will be compatible starting at revision 30 when the IRQ and A12 jumpers are closed.

mpu.r30 (resized).pngmpu.r30 (resized).png

#244 2 years ago
Quoted from barakandl:

It will need tested, but I think Pinball Electronics / nvram.weebly.com MPU will be compatible starting at revision 30 when the IRQ and A12 jumpers are closed.
[quoted image]

That's great news! Maybe someone out there can give it a test.

I have a new version that plugs directly into the 6800/6802/6808 socket (and the CPU plugs into the daughter card). I developed it for Williams, but it works on Bally/Stern as well. Does the weebly MPU use one of those 40-pin processors? I would understand if you didn't want to recommend people removing the CPU from the socket, of course.

IMG_4356 (resized).jpegIMG_4356 (resized).jpeg
#245 2 years ago
Quoted from Mathazar:

Does anyone have a link to some gameplay video of Mata Hari running the Arduino and code update(s)? After the blast of fun I'm having with the 2021 Meteor code, I'm thinking of updating my Mata Hari now, too.

Sadly, the Mata Hari code was never finished. I didn't have one here, and it was too difficult to try to remotely program/debug. I hope to finish it in the future.

#246 2 years ago
Quoted from insight75:

Anyone working on updated code for Bally Playboy by chance?

Bally Playboy is on my list, but I don't think I'll get to it in 2022.

#247 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

That's great news! Maybe someone out there can give it a test.
I have a new version that plugs directly into the 6800/6802/6808 socket (and the CPU plugs into the daughter card). I developed it for Williams, but it works on Bally/Stern as well. Does the weebly MPU use one of those 40-pin processors? I would understand if you didn't want to recommend people removing the CPU from the socket, of course.
[quoted image]

I don't mind. Using a 6802 with external clock and internal memory setup if that matters.

#248 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Sadly, the Mata Hari code was never finished. I didn't have one here, and it was too difficult to try to remotely program/debug. I hope to finish it in the future.

Ah, that explains it - thanx. If you ever do want to take up working on it remotely again, I'd be glad to help on my end with my MH. Former computer storage test engineer (now engineering director for a high performance computer OEM). I still test and document well.

#249 2 years ago
Quoted from DickHamill:

Sadly, the Mata Hari code was never finished. I didn't have one here, and it was too difficult to try to remotely program/debug. I hope to finish it in the future.

I have a friend with it in his machine and he can switch between the original and the current iteration of your Mata Hari code. Will help him load up the new code if there are updates.

#250 2 years ago
Quoted from barakandl:

I don't mind. Using a 6802 with external clock and internal memory setup if that matters.

Cool - I designed my 6802 support around the way that the System 6/7 board is set up. It has crystal inputs on 38 & 39, and expects an output Phi2 from 37.
Is your clock designed like a 6800? (Phi1 and Phi2 fed into 3 & 37?) Regardless, I pass pin 36 (RE) to the 6802, so the internal memory flag should work.

I'm guessing that if you have your clock set up to feed into 3 & 37, I'll have to set my board to 6800 to work on yours. No big deal, just a documentation thing.

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