Everything I’ve done update wise up and til now has been done to make sure no one was left behind. Of course ditching original hardware and just making updates for pinbox etc would have been a lot less of a headache, but that would have caused much upset so I stuck with original compatibility.

Going forward I’m not sure what the best option is. I know I’m going to get alot of messages if I move away from stock prism cards.

Well, when you've felt like you've hit the limit with stock hardware or have a great idea that can only be done outside the constraints of the original card, I say let the ideas flow! I personally try to keep things stock as long as I can, but I'm guessing at some point I'll have to do something other then the original hardware as parts and knowledge of the old stuff isn't as common. I would probably prefer to update my prism card 1st than to switch to pinbox, but I have very little knowledge on the workings and pros and cons of pinbox. If there were additional software advancements for the game only available to pinbox and the like, I'd probably make the switch when the time comes for my equipment to be repaired or possibly sooner, depending what is added in the new code.

Just love that this game keeps getting better and having more features 20+ years later! Thank you applejuice !

I personally would not convert to nucore... I would do an eprom rework/swap tho to get 8MB if it gave applejuice more cash (donation/kit purchace) and the freedom to expand the game.
I'd also be willing to put some effort in to helping him design a kit if he needed it.

Different topic:
Does anyone have any installed photos of the chrome small saucers on their RFM? Pinkitten posted some photos of the small chrome installed on an Attack From Mars remake and I'd love to get some similar photos for RFM.

Hi guys,

Great news... I finally installed a shaker motor! And, it is amazing! I'm loving it!

Easy install... super cool! Thanks applejuice !!!!

One question about the code... I was playing last night and I noticed that there is NO shaker use on the "Mothership Multiball" and in the "Attack Mars" modes... 2 of the most important and crazy action modes... full of explosions and "places" for the shaker effects.

I would love to have some "shaker feedback" on those 2 modes. Is this something that will be added in the next code versions? There is any configuration that maybe I missed?

Btw, I'm running version 2.22 on completely original hardware (computer, monitor, etc).

And the shaker gave me extra power... I made 1.7 billion in the test match!!!!

Looking forward to some feedback! Thanks, guys!!!

Cheers!

Mav

Hi again guys,

Another quick question.... This has never happened before, but in the last few weeks my RFM has crashed twice. It happened twice in the Martian bowling stage.
The machine crashes... the playfield completely turns off (all lamps) and nothing else works (flippers).
The music keeps playing. The monitor is also still on but locked in the last image. The backlight light remains on.

No other solution than to turn the machine off and on again.

As stated before, I'm running version 2.22 with all original hardware. No error message on menu checking, everything is apparently perfect.
Any tips? Something that needs checking? I would appreciate any comments or possible solutions.

Cheers!

Mav

IMG-0238 (resized).jpg

Check for bulging caps on the motherboard.
If not present, has the PSU been replaced?

It's actually a very old bug that they said they fixed but never really did. Not sure why it's happening to you more often. Mine will do it once in awhile but it happens in maybe 1 in 100 martian bowling missions. If it is happening to you every time you could have a RAM issue on the PC.

I'm looking at a refurbished computer for my RFM. It is set up for a led TV, but I want to use the CRT already in my game. Does anyone know where I can get the adapter I apparently need and how hard it is to install?

Thanks,

Ryan

I had planned to swap out the original computer/prism card but I REALLY want to leave the original CRT. Concerns over getting pinbox/nucore to support it properly is holding me back.

Hi Zitt,

I checked here and apparently nothing is visually wrong with the motherboard (bulging caps).
Regarding the Power Supply, as far as I know, everything is original... only the fan (CPU fan) was replaced.
According to the last owner, this machine has a rare motherboard (computer) that only a few machines have. I don't know exactly... this was the story told by an expert in Pinball 2000 in Germany to him.

The strange thing is those freezes never happened before... kind of strange. As I said, it's is very random and very rare to happen... but, in the last 2 weeks, it happen twice. Not a big deal... but... it made me nervous.

I can just forget about it... or investigate it.

Thanks for your message. Cheers!

Hi LITHONIO,

Crazy... thanks for that info! It makes me kind of more relaxed now... knowing that is a kind of "expected" bug sometimes! I will keep tracking that behavior... and if it gets more often, I will investigate it deeper (RAM, PSU, etc).
Thanks again! Cheers! Mav

The biggest problem at the moment (imho) is installing it. There are installers floating on the internet if you search for it but they are old. You need updates for the Ubuntu system that goes with the installer but that Ubuntu version is no longer supported so the automatic updating isn't working correctly. Some good searches on fora will give you several options on Linux code lines you can use manually to get the updates done, but that can be somewhat challenging. I've done it several times and everytime I think I know the drill, but somehow there's a reason the updating isn't working properly. But I'm not a coding wizard and have to do it with only common sense and a lot of trail and error Once you've got it running it runs smoothly though! And updating to Applejuice's software versions is also very very easy when you run Pinbox.

I do confirm this happened to me once in a while but did not experienced this lately.

Hi, does anyone have an extra one of these plastics or know where to get one without buying a whole set? It goes over the scoop and the clear plastic part protects from airballs off the drop target. Pinball Center has them, but I can't order to the US from them.

image_63960_1_600x600 (resized).jpeg

Hey all! Anybody have the ability to copy a pinbox hdd so I can set up a pc for easier updating? I'd like to go that route but haven't been able to set it up. I have a hdd copier I can send if somebody is willing to lend a hand. Any takers? Please send a pm if you are willing to help me!

Here is what I use to setup Pinbox for customers and did this for a local pinball shop a couple of weeks ago.

*** Make sure PC is connected via Ethernet ***

1. Install Pinbox from ISO.
2. When process is complete and it dumps to the command prompt after reboots, follow the process below:

Login as pinbox user(pinbox/pinbox)
sudo su
sed -i s/us.archive.ubuntu/old-releases.ubuntu/g /etc/apt/sources.list
sed -i s/security.ubuntu/old-releases.ubuntu/g /etc/apt/sources.list
apt-get update
apt-get purge lxdm
mv /etc/lxdm /etc/lxdm.orig
apt-get install lxdm
cp /root/pinbox/scripts/pinbox.dekstop /etc/xdg/autostart
rm /etc/init.d/pinbox
reboot

Open Terminal Application
sudo apt-get autoremove --purge xscreensaver
reboot

3. Make sure to adjust the Audio level in the Linux GUI.

*** You will need to use the Nucore audio amp or re-wire the speakers for use with a standard 2.1 amp like this(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070Z87YO/) ***

Notes:
- I use high GHz Core2Duo at a minimum and SSDs to reduce boot times.
- You can get these to work on CRT with a special flavor of the Radeon 5450, but the drivers are finicky

I'm of the opinion we should move forward with improving the game beyond what the original hardware could support. My original computer died a decade ago so I'm running NuCore and I love it (LCD, Jukebox, reliability). I think one of the things that could set this game apart is the ability to really live up to its original mission which is to get new games. Maybe we can't have a new playfield, but I'd love someone to make a version of Medieval Madness that plays on the RFM board.

If you left us prism owners behind I wouldn't be upset. It's still a great game even if I can't move forward anymore. I don't see me ever trying to put a NuCore PC together. If someone makes a new prism card with more RAM so we can stay with current updates I know I would get one. If not, it's not like I will stop playing RFM.

Has anybody bought the Stroke of Luck illumination mod from Mezel Mods? If so, could you send pics of how and where you mounted it?

Thanks,

Ryan

I finally got my usb to serial cable adapter today, and was able to upgrade my machine to Version 2.23. After some initial struggles to get the computer to communicate with my laptop, I went to the amazon reviews for the cable i bought and realized I didn't need the null-modem adapter. After that, the update went smoothly.

I have to say, applejuice did a hell of a job updating this game. I really like the changes.

Which cable did you buy?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0769CTG14/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_FACXGYVEREE4RSRW2A1B

I bought the 3m version. I think I could have gotten by with a shorter one.

Is your computer using windows 10? Which updater program are you using? Sorry for all the questions but I'm having a hell of a time connecting my pc.

try this page: https://brianpeek.com/pinball-2000-software-update-with-windows-7-x64/
I used windows 10 and it worked fine.

anyone looking for a nice RFM with original computer that has a nice Diner to trade?

I was using an old window 7 laptop. I used the Brian Peek method spelled out below.
One note on that laptop cable I sent the link for. The drivers that come with it suck. The chipset used in the cable is a PL2303, and you can get drivers directly from the chip developer that work much better: http://www.prolific.com.tw/us/showproduct.aspx?p_id=225&pcid=41

How exactly did you attach the saucer to the pcb and get the 555 bulb installed to light up the saucer if you don’t mind?

Where exactly did you install the diode at? Should be on the motor leads or can it go on the connector to the loom?

Just finished a playfield teardown, it looks a lot better now

20211018_215842 (resized).jpg

Looks very bright; but it's probably just auto-color balance of your camera.
If it looked that bright in real-life; I'd be concerned about seeing the monitor's reflection.

I just replaced my flash rom to have double the size. Will try to flash it later this week with the normal update to see if it works. This should be a drop in replacement chip. However you need some soldering skills to replace it . Took me 20 mins in total

FE2C36C7-B9F0-4BB6-A1B0-888A964802E3 (resized).jpeg

Whooo... Ahh... Keep us posted.
I assume that is a Prizm card ... not the motherboard flash.

Great work. This chip should work fine as its the sister chip to the original. Did you check williams did actually do what they said on the schematics regarding the extra address line A22 for the higher 8mb flash? Does look like williams planned to up the flash ram size on the prism in later games by building in the access to the higher address line. I have a prism card i will be doing this to aswell so i can test some new builds, though i use pinbox for dev testing.

I just flashed update code into the new chip, it works flawlessly.
applejuice Yes I checked the schematic and it now should be able to flash 8Mb. Williams has placed the address line that is necessary for the extra 4Mb. However keep in mind to move the cmos data to a higher region when making new code as it is now behind the update code.
I know a lot of the workings of the prism card as I have build an almost working driver (dcs is not working) in MAME for pinball 2000. (incl serial terminal )
My prism card is not used as I have original nucore at home in my machine so I can do all kinds of experimenting with the real stuff.
I have another 8Mb flash chip at hand as I ordered 2. If someone from the NL is interested I can do a swap for you

I assume the replacement chip is the Intel in the pic. I don't have the tools or good eyesight needed for a surface mount chip. I'd happily pay for a chip swap on my prism if it means I can keep original hardware and still get applejuices next update.

Correct. The Intel chip is the flash chip. I used a stereoscope and hot air station for removal. I soldered it with a soldering iron.
With some experience it is almost no work at all however without the proper tools I would not try to do it yourself.

It looks that way on the photo indeed, but the bulbs are just the regular ones. No issues with seeing the monitor

Wow, that's awesome! Do you have plans to release that?

Pinball 2000 in mame would be great

If you want to test out some larger update builds on the real hardware and your nucore build then let me know. I made one tonight larger then 4mb to test the internal change to 8mb and seemed to build ok. I haven’t physically tried it yet though. Cmos stuff we’ll have to see as this is all a walk in the dark right now

If things go well here then v2.24 may be the last to support original prism cards without upgraded flash. Larger builds I’ll also probably jump the version to v2.3 onwards to

applejuice Excited to see what you can pack into the extra space. Have you given any thought to being able to turn off the ball saver at the beginning of each new mode as an option? I would be interested in having a tournament mode that you could enable that has preset options like no EBs and no ball save at all and a set order on the stroke of luck awards or maybe just have it always give points like the AFM tournament mode rom. I'd be happy to help with anything I can. Testing, etc. I'm a big tournament person and would love to use RFM in my tournaments, but it plays too long with the ball save coming on each time a mode starts and then also getting ball save awarded by the scoop. Thanks and keep up the great work.

The flashrom has a standard layout and order. The original size = 400000h bytes and cmos data is written to flash starting at 3e0000h.
I can load your new code into my prism however when I boot up, it will overwrite this area immediately with cmos data and garbling the game code.
I can have a look which statement is doing this and supply it to you if that will help?

It is not my intention to keep the code for myself. However it first needs some cleaning before releasing it and I have to make changes for the latest mame version. It does not work anymore on that version.
Furthermore I have plans to rewrite it to qemu to have it run much quicker. You really need some horsepower to run this in mame. I just changed hardware at home (now running 11th gen i5) and that also helps a lot in speeding things up.
I made some screenshots from mame running RFM and SWE1

2021-10-21 08_34_58-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_35_43-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_36_33-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_36_57-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_37_08-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_41_28-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_41_56-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_42_21-Window (resized).png

2021-10-21 08_42_38-Window (resized).png

Yep as i'm sure you'd guessed i'm aware of the order of the update. the upper 1mb of the 4mb flash is actually the sound update, so the game code would probably run but i understand what you are saying. What i am looking at is whether this address is hard coded or whether the build process uses the value of the defined flash ram size and deducts from it to create the cmos address start. Maybe we should take this to pm or start our own pin2k dev thread?

I'll say again this is great, brilliant work and its also great to see other original pin2k dev work going on

So what is the problem with the DCS2 emulation? Just a thought, but can't you use the source and emulation already in mame from the williams Zeus arcade hardware stuff? I think they use the dcs2 hardware aswell. Both hardware was around 1999. Interested to hear the journey

If I look at the internals it could even be that they took into account what size the flash rom is. I will try to mimic the bigger flashrom in my code and see if it moves the cmos to the new address then we are good to go

edit: just build a new version with 8mb flash and now the cmos data is moved to address 7e0000h in the flash rom! So if you can provide me new code I can try it out on my prism card. It will not work in nucore as it does not support the 8mb flash chip. I have changed the reponse of the flash chip in my mame driver to mimic the bigger chip so it knows it has 8mb instead of 4 mb

I’m a fan of all of this convo going on. I can’t follow any of it, but I like it!!! Haha

I agree with this 100%!
I recently picked up a HUO RFM from the original owner in original condition. I'm terrified of upgrading anything and don't know what I'll do if I go to turn it on someday and it doesn't boot up. I doubt I'll ever update anything unless it's broken.

You might as well be writing this in Chinese - but I love it.

Oh, that's even more awesome!

Great screenshots