Check if the Prom of the CPU is the good model (Letter)

Take a look to the schematic - What is the relation between all this contacts ('3x bonus, target...) in the matrix - For sure a strobe line , a strobe column or a diode .

So take a look at the connector (pin) of this line , column - and check the diode.
If you have the schematic , send it to me , i'm ready to help/

Lionel.
[email protected]

Same here.
I may have Sinbad schematics but won't be able to access them until Wednesday or Thursday.
If all the affected swatches are on one line , do a continuity check from the connector contact to each switch.
Also I have seen the switch matrix diodes go bad .
They are located under the playfield and can be checked with a DMM set to the Diode setting.

If all of the leaf switches are working and the diodes are good, which sounds correct since it was working and not is not, I would guess you have a connection problem. I would use a DMM and put one lead on the switch and the other at the connector to make sure nothing is open. I would also double check the board connector to ensure the pins are bent or broken. If I am repeating things you have already tried I apologize. Good luck.

OK, so if the game played , the PROM is good . The PROM has a sticker Letter B as writen in the article :
http://www.pinrepair.com/sys1/index.htm

Take a look at :
http://www.pinrepair.com/sys1/index.htm#smatrix

In your manual , every switch has a number

On the matrix , locate this number (what line , what column )
and check continuity between the connector (from the pin of the line ) and the switch , from the switch to the column..
Check the diode in the middle with a DMM.

Yes, they are on the bottom of the playfield, not the cabinet.
They are on the bottom (underside) of the playfield near the top, close to the head.
Not sure on the Sinbad but my CountDown has them on the left side of the playfield.
As I mentioned, check each diode with a DMM set to the diode scale.
One polarity, DMM negastive lead to the diode banded end, DMM positive lead to the other end of the diode, the DMM should read some value (all the diodes should read ~ the same value).
Swapping the DMM leads, the reverse polarity, the DMM should read open.

Also you mention that you replaced the A1J7 connector. Do you mean the connector nylon housing shell or the contact pins that go into the connector housing??

A1J7 is known to suffer from battery corrosion on the contact pins. Did you look at the contacts with a magnifying glass to see if there is any corrosion or bluish crud on the contact pins? Did you replace any contacts in A1J7?
Let us know.
Also do you have the System 1 Guide by Clay?
Let us know.

From Clay's Guide:
Replace Connector Pins.
The .156" Molex single sided edge connector pins used to mount connectors to the power supply, CPU board and driver board most certainly will need to be replaced (especially if there was *any* battery corrosion on the CPU board). Most certainly the CPU board's bottom edge J7, J6 and J5 connector pins will need to be replaced. Also the driver board's top edge J1 connector pins probably too.

Guide is here:
http://www.pinrepair.com/sys1/index.htm#connect

Connector part here:
http://www.pinrepair.com/sys1/index.htm#connect

who922

Check out my video for a Count-Down I am selling.

At the 1:34 mark to the 1:48 mark you will see where the switch matrix diodes are located.

Hope this helps

who

For us to help we need answers to our questions.

Again, Also you mention that you replaced the A1J7 connector. Do you mean the connector nylon housing shell or the contact pins that go into the connector housing??

A1J7 is known to suffer from battery corrosion on the contact pins. Did you look at the contacts with a magnifying glass to see if there is any corrosion or bluish crud on the contact pins? Did you replace any contacts in A1J7?

Let us know.

Also do you have the System 1 Guide by Clay?

Let us know.

Then that diode is possibly defective.
Did you run a continuity check to see where that diode is going, which connector and pin, which switch?

I believe the diode is a 1n34 germanium. That's what I have always used.
You may be able to use a 1n914 or 4148 silicon. Not sure , never used them on the switch matrix. Probably will work.
Rat Shack carries them:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062576&retainProdsInSession=1&numProdsPerPage=60

who

You need to check all the contacts in A1J7 and A1J6 at the barest minimum.
Please do that first before doing anything else. Use a magnifier and make sure that there is NO corrosion or acid damage on any of the contacts .

As far as the extraction tool and the tip breaking off, you need to be gentle when trying to extract a contact. I have found that when a contact sticks in the connector housing it is usually corroded. A clean contact usually comes out quite easily.

If you have access to a bench grinder you should be able to fix the extraction tool by taking off each side to get the proper width and depth for the extraction tool tip.

You needn't to change all the pin - because it's not easy .

Give us please the number of the switch out of order.

Take the map of your playfield in the book , every number of switch is writen SWnumber 20 for example= extraball,...SWnXX= rollover A...

What is the number of the contact KO ?

So we will be able to give the number of the pins to change

My Joker Poker was giving me skull cramps with a display issue. The four digit (credit/ball in play) display quit working. I had a friend with a Sinbad test it, and it worked on his machine. As I was testing continuity on every wire on that display connector, I bumped a wire on the main transformer, just beneath a wire I was testing. I could feel it was loose. I soldered it, and that was the issue.

Can you feel any loose connections anywhere, maybe on the transformer?

Just a thought.

Pins and connectors are the worst cause of issues and System1 .

Don't touch the machine no more except to play

Have fun !

That's what happened with mine...the display just stopped working. The wire on the transformer was loose enough that it could have even been vibration from a pop bumper made it lose connection.

I had a hell of a time trying to get my Sinbad game to boot every time and performed to following:

Removed and sanded every single ground connection in the head. And added one on the MPU and one one the power board, and one on the driver board. These are required, even when replacing with new boards.

Removed all the boards in the game and cleaned every edge connector on the back side with fine 600 grit sand paper. Then cleaned each with rubbing alcohol.

Installed a 3 AA battery pack (WITH BLOCKING DIODE) and then the game booted.

Once it booted, I went through every single test step and cleared every single setting using the large red button on the MPU in the head. If you don't perform this, the game could be expecting a digit but something else entirely could be "stuck" in the audit memory, depending on what state the game was left in the last time it successfully called up it's audit information.

You can also turn to pinwiki for some more tips about getting the game to boot consistently..

I know, you will have to get the game booting and the displays working properly in order to clear each audit item. If the game doesn't boot, then the test mode/audit modes will not work either.

Keep in mind that just because the game kinda plays does not mean it booted properly. Mine did that kind half-ass played junk all the time.

Honestly, your overall problem regarding the display issues look and sound like a connector issue. I would sand the edge connectors of all the displays while you are working on them and also look to see if there are any broken pins inside those connectors.

I know you said that you performed the ground mods but did you check them with a multimeter to check for continuity between all the points you added? Also check that the Head<-->Cabinet grounds are removed, sanded and re-screwed down and tested with your meter as well. Also check that the coin door ground is removed, sanded and re-screwed down as well. Also check the grounds in the bottom of the cabinet. I never got my game working consistantly until I checked and cleaned them ALL. There are over a dozen ground points in the game counting the ones you add!

If you haven't replaced all the edge connectors, you shouldn't ask for any more help until you do. Just about all the problems you're listing can be due to bad edge connectors. Using a small, skinny screwdriver to eject the pins will work.

While you're doing them, also remove the CPU board and inspect the fingers where the edge connectors connect. Often they can be worn, especially at the PS board connector. If some fingers are worn, clean them with alcohol and flow solder on them to make them conductive again. It's somewhat of a hack, but has worked for me (and lasted).

The edge connectors are a poor design. If yours are original (35 years old), I suspect they are the cause most of your problems. You're wasting time working on anything else if you haven't replaced those connectors.

I didn't want to word it that way, but that's basically the truth. Until you replace those edge connectors, you're chasing your own tail. I learned about the edge connectors from Clay's site:

"These card edge connectors are rated for 25 "cycles" - that is 25 removal-installs. Over the life of a 20+ year old System1 game, certainly this life span has been exceeded. Combine that with battery corrosion problems and vibration from game play, and it's obvious that any Gottlieb System1 game will REQUIRE all the main connectors to be re-pinned. If you want your System1 game to work reliably, YOU MUST RE-PIN ALL THE CARD EDGE CONNECTORS."

http://www.pinrepair.com/sys1/index.htm#power

From my experience, he's absolutely right. Get those edge connectors replaced and I'll be happy to help you with any remaining issues, as I'm sure others will.