OK it looks cool. Where did you get the Pinbox software? My RFM works fine, it would just be nice to know a backup plan exists.

Huh. Interesting, seems lots of work

So any ideas about the sound breaking up when the games is played? I tried messing around with IRQs a bit and that did not help. Seems a common problem. It's pretty much a deal breaker for me if the audio can't be made to work clean.

More like fast stuttering, similar to this video in the game play.

Audio is good when the game is started. Music is fine. Pressing the flipper buttons in attract mode - the callouts are fine. Once the ball has entered the playfield the sounds start this cutting out, stuttering. Some may call it distortion, I guess - technically this is rapid audio loss. Sometimes this is experienced on computer systems with driver problems.

The system is an HP Compaq DC5750. Onboard audio is HD audio ALC260

I'll probably try playing around with this one a little more since it is the only one I have available at this time.

I fixed the sound problem. I disabled the on board sound and installed a Creative Sound Blaster Live!, And then reinstalled the system. Audio now works perfectly on the AMD based HP Compaq.

You are correct to find a graceful shutdown method for this system. It's a well known fact that linux based operating systems can get file structure damage if suddenly shutdown. I have an Ubuntu based MP3 jukebox that suffered from repeated shutdowns, it really started to display some odd boot behavior: trying to repair itself. dumping me to GRUB menus and more. Eventually I had to reinstall the operating system. The original RFM operating system might have had some kind of compensation for that, and engineered to accommodate a lifetime of power switch shutdowns.

True that. Anyway, the "text book" way is a proper graceful shutdown. I know I don't always do that with my Linux systems and they rarely have any problems. My MP3 jukebox running under Ubuntu did, so it is possible. I know my family isn't going to understand or perform a procedure, they are just going to reach under the game and flip the power switch. If I ever converted to Pinbox, I'd have to engineer a solution or live with the potential for sudden shutdown damage.

As suggested, a backup clone is one idea. I wouldn't flip out over not having a solid method of elegant shutdown, but if someone has the time to work through and come up with a solution, I'm all good with it.

Probably whatever was the default settings at the time when reinstalled, which is ext4. I have not had problems with it since.