Problem wouldn't be on the board, other than the diodes. With the bulbs out like that, check them. If they're bad, replace them. Likely, though, problem is off-board somewhere.

Do they light up even when the game is in test mode?

Go into test mode, and see if:
(1) The lights light up in individual light mode (and one of them is NOT selected to flash.), and
(2) How the lights react in Light Row/Column test.

I'm guessing that the answer to (1) will be that they're on, even with all other controlled lamps off (i.e. Boot-up mode of the game).. If I'm right, there's a wiring issue or a transistor is grounded..

--Me.

Good! Let me know how it goes!

Samples had a coil there, was cut for cost reasons. The 'kickback' was handled in the software, instead.

I remember playing a sample down in the showroom of Greater Southern, and having it actually kick back.

I believe so. I also wouldn't be surprised that if your added the wiring and coil, it would still fire. However, without a SS to test on, it's all assumption.

A way to test, I believe, is to trick the game with the glass off. Ensure "Saved By The Spell" is lit, then double-TAP the outlane switch. (First activation is ball rolling down, second would be ball getting kicked back. If the game does not serve another ball from the trough, then at least the firmware knows how to handle a game with the coil installed, and *boom* .. Easy mod!

Yeah, I wasn't sure about that. I may try loading up the FW in VP and messing with the switches. Now I'm just curious..

Good to see and know then! I have it filed away if I ever become an SS owner.

Look on the underside of the playfield, and see what's screwed into them.

Good to see you landed one!

What did you get with it?

Probably related to The Getaway: High Speed II 's "three-cop-car at the donut shop" easter egg. There's another game with a three reference, but at the moment I'm drawing a blank.

They need to be cleaned somethin' fierce!

Get a LedOCD - it'll fix that right up. (Will remove the pulsing that's creating the hum..)

Also check ribbon cable..!

Huh. Do the right sounds play in test mode?

Take CV ribbon cables to SS, and see what happens? To me, it still sounds like it's an addressing issue. For some reason, the AV board in SS is getting incorrect calls. Bad ribbons, cold solder joint on ribbon headers, interference from something else (spider motor?)

Coin doors should be *black*.

Yeah, I believe it was at the York show last year.

Knowing Cameron, there IS a way to get this lyric to display.. And eventually, it'll be found.

I THINK (and I'm likely wrong) that it lights the left outlane 'kickback'.

Re: Ribbon Cable - that's just a magnet, to help reduce EMI

Okay, I don't have a Scared Stiff, so I'm just basing off of what's in the manual.

That coil has a Power/Hold.
If it's not 'holding' open, then there's something wrong with your Hold winding, OR, the return spring is too strong and overpowering the hold winding.

You should be able to test it in the Coil test - though in that case, the coil will be pulsed, so you *may* need to have your fingers on the diverter to feel it 'try' to move. If you trust yourself, yo ucan ground the hold winding to keep it 'on', and examine the mechanism, see if it's strong enough for the spring, etc. (But careful, if the winding isn't good, then you may blow your fuse or overheat the coil.)

Good luck!

Do NOT use LEDs on these - you will lose the whole cool 'fading' effect that the lamp effects give off!

And the photos were all taken over a grey snow background. That.. doesn't help.

Grab a picture.
A factory reset would have cleared this off. You can set it in Service Menu -> Utilities -> Set Custom Message.

If the "Set Custom Message" is blank - i.e. the messages aren't listed there - then go into Tests -> Dipswitch Test and hit the Start button. When you do, a 4-letter/number code will appear on the screen. Write it down. Likely in this case, the previous owner made themselves a custom ROM image and hard-coded the message in there. (No, you can not do this with a simple "hook a PC up" method.)

Ah, I forgot about this - and if you have NVRAM installed, you will continue to see them until the game is powered on until the day rolls over.

Yeah - it's burnt into the ROM. An Easter Egg - like all the flipper codes that WPC games have. It'll be gone tomorrow (again, assuming you do NOT have an NVRAM installed..)

I am, honestly, really more curious where you got that Indiana Jones one..?

Switch matrix issue. What are you getting in Switch Test?

The door switches (NOT slam tilt) are DIRECT SWITCHES. The fact that you're having issues with a Switch Matrix AND direct switches makes me think that either you have a nasty short somewhere, OR, you have some damage on your MPU.

Try disconnecting all your switch harnesses, and power the game on, see what happens.

Had to pull up the manual, but J205 is dedicated switches (Up, Down, Esc, Enter, Coin 1-4), and J208 is switch matrix Rows (White/xx) and J206 is Switch Matrix columns. (Green/xx)

Yup, exactly! You got this!

So the issue is on the MPU board. Whether you buy new or repair is up to you. Without seeing and inspecting the board, no way to be sure.

For your question - if you buy a replacement board, it's plug-and play, though you WILL have to swap over 1, 2 or 3 chips from your old board to the new one. (Number varies on the seller and what they include with the new board.)

All aftermarket, AFAIK.

You need non-ghosing for the inserts. Non-ghosting won't do a thing for GI. Though with the effects - both insert AND GI - I would strongly recommend an LEDOCD & GIOCD mod.

This is completely expected.
A ball passing over the sensor changes impedance for it to be 'out of' range of the expectation, so it activated the switch/LED.
Unplugging the loop board will do the exact same thing.

I saw you mention this before - which board(s) were different? Two different driver (board with the pot and LED) and loop boards? Or did you only change the driver only? Did you try adjusting the pot with the loop board not mounted on the playfield?

1. It's possible the loop board is shorted, or bad,
2. It's possible that like someone else mentioned, that something (metal) is interfering with the loop board.
3. It's possible that the cable connecting the two is picking up interference or not making a solid connection.

For #3, for example, it's a common fix in TZ to hard-solder the connecting cable, as interference, iffy, and loose connections to the plug can cause bad inductance readings.

Okay - some things to keep in mind: (And I only bring this up because in the past, I've had to deal with this in my career. You know those squares or circles you see on the roadway in front of traffic signals? Some railroads use them as well. Yeah, same detection technology here.) I'm not saying that these would be enough to set off the board here in SS, but it's issues I've run into before -

Depending on the sensitivity, some things you think may not interfere can cause issues - including a person's fingers simply holding the loop board. A dirty board, or a scraped solder mask (green coating on the board) can cause issues.

I am ALSO assuming that the LED is a sensor LED and not a +12v or +5v indicator LED. I don't have this game in my collection now, and I don't remember having to ever mess with the board, but the manual says that the LED is representing the output and not voltage present. If you have a 3rd party board, though, I would double-check.

The cable connecting the two will be BEST if the two conductors are twisted and not loose. Help minimize noise.

The cable connecting the loop board with the driver board has no polarity. (Because the 'loop' board is just that, a loop.)

Honestly, I would check your cable connecting the two boards - likely there is a loose/intermittent connection on the IDC connectors.

Because while we 'home' collectors are upset when little things break, back in the day when operators were the main reason Pins existed distributors had to stock up on components that broke easily. A day down is a day's worth of earnings lost.

In the power cage, down by the service outlet/power switch.

Sadly I don't - I'm going from 100% memory here, sorry.

Have you measured any of the voltages? +50, +12r/ur, and +5?

Every single time I play this game - this is my end goal. Not the 'Scared Stiff' wizard mode, but the Spider Multiball. I rarely am able to manage it. Well done!