If you have a TOPS Tournament set up and running on the game, yes the tournament button can be used on free play.

LTG : )

Yes.

Yes, cabinet and lockdown bar versions ( except NASCAR, which needs a tiny momentary contact button because stuff is in the way below the lockdown bar )

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3214
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1897

If no connector inside the cabinet, yes. Easy to do. See picture of AC/DC one.

LTG : )

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You can have the tournament running the same time as the regular start button. Start a tournament and both buttons will be flashing. Press tournament and tournament rules apply, press start button and your regular game rules apply.

The tournament button is wired exactly the same as the start button. I'm not sure about spike, but in pre-spike games, you need to solder on a diode and the ground wire, the other wires are already in the game with spade connectors on them that you plug into the button. Just mimic the start button.

Does anyone have a pciture of how TOPS looks in LCD games? Did they program it with more info for the big screen or is it just the same code?

TOPs is part of the codes, and in the manual, the tournament menu is explained.
If you don't see the tournament menu, this means you have a flipper without it.

Tried setting this up on metallica.

Not sure what The NC or C is on this button from Pinball Life.

Do I really need Diode. I thought I hac wired my button exactly like start but damn button doesnt work.

Doesnt register in diagnostic node either, but lights up just fine.

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Did you remove the switch and look ? Usually marked on one side.

Yes.

LTG : )

there are actually 2 different cabinet versions and 2 for the lockbar version.
1) the samm system lockbar version for potc and games before that. (nascar is different as mentioned)
2) samm system cabinet version
3) spike cabinet version

* spike start button is different as well starting with the lcd spike games. the start button current is larger than previous spike games.

LTG : )

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The easiest way to wire a tournament button is to just look at the start button. The wiring is identical, diode needed.

I don’t understand why stern adds tournament buttons to international games, but not in domestic American games. It seemed like a very cheap part to not include.

Simply cost cutting, or is there a reason for this?

Thanks a million. Looks like I guessed right now to figure out why it doesn't work for me.

I have a few questions if someone could chime in. I’m trying to hookup a tournament button on my Stern Star Wars

- start button has red, yellow/purple, grey, and black/white wires attached.

- the cabinet spade connectors are red, yellow/red, grey/white and black/white

So the colors dont exactly match up, I’m a little confused as to where to start. Does anyone have a picture of their wired Star Wars tournament button?

Thanks for any help, Michael

Star Wars, or any Spike games for that matter, do not need the diode. You will connect it exactly like the start button. Put the yellow/red on the same prong that holds the yellow/purple and the grey/white on the one that has the grey wire above.

That worked perfectly! Thank you for the help..

I did this on a POTC by REMOVING the wires going to the tournament start button, and placing those wires on a coin switch below a coin slot that accepted coins (or bills) on the machine door (after disconnecting the normal coin door switch wires.)

Basically when the machine is set to free play, either type of game can be started by closing the appropriate switch (regular start, or tournament start) WITHOUT inserting any coinage. By removing the wires that start a tournament game, and placing them on the coin switch, a coin then acts as a person pushing the tournament start button. Thus it now requires a coin to start the tournament (though it is ONLY one coin to do so). If you have a bill acceptor,then one bill (dollar) can be the trigger.

I worked through the single switch closure issue, by giving out 1.00" tokens (for the donation amount required), and putting a 1.00" token acceptor in the coin door slot, and labeling the coin slot with "INSERT TOURNAMENT TOKEN HERE". Thus one could "sell" the tokens for the tournament entry fee, a tournament game can be started by people with the tokens, and free play is still available for a regular non counting game when the machine is not being used by someone competing in the tournament.

I've used this setup for a number of years, and not had a problem with it working when I use it. Just make a couple of wires to go from the Tournament start button to two wires with male/female spade connectors that I can then place on the coin door switch lugs and the wires from the MPU to start a tournament that are removed from the tournament start button to quickly convert a machine to this setup.

The tournament BUTTON wires are Grn-Brn and Tan-Vio, remove these from the tournament switch, use an extension wire you make to connect each to a coin door coin switch (NO/C) that you remove the normal coin door wires from.

The lamp is on Yel-Red and Org-Brn which I leave connected.

wire (resized).png

I'm not an expert. But your game can't be both free play and money play. Even if for tournament.

LTG : )

Did some thinking on this. On the validator harness black and white is 110 AC.

Orange and brown would go to coin switch lugs NO ( normally open ) and C ( common ). ( or appropriate spots on coin door interface board )Those two wires would pulse the coin circuit.

So you could put one wire on each wire of the tournament button and see if it works. If it does, remove the switch from the button so you can't start a free one.

LTG : )

I'm back to don't know if it can be done.

LTG : )

You should use credit relay common and credit relay normally open as your two wires from the bill validator, and hook them to the two wires for tournament start....

If it is putting on a credit, you have the wrong wires on the switch matrix, or you need to remove the wires on the validator going to the coin interface board, and have them only go to the tournament start input. It should NOT credit up on a bill insert, or a short of the tournament wires, but it should INSTANTLY start a tournament game.

If that is a 110V acceptor, it would be pins 1 and 16 on the acceptor (the two leftmost pins, top and bottom) that would then go to the tournament start button input connector.

I ordered the tournament button and cable for my Star Wars premium. I was wondering if anyone has a picture of the order to attach the wires and where does the female end attach on the board? thanks

For a start. Page 15 in the manual. Switch #74, gray and white, black and white.

LTG : )

Thanks LTG. I see Node board 0 and port CN6 (top) that is the location for the tournament wires but I'm not sure how this female ending of the wire connection is supposed to work?

node 0 (resized).JPG

Only games that have the tournament button on the lock bar use that harness. Anything else you use existing wiring in the harness near where the button goes. One solder connection will be necessary.

Here is mine. Doesn't look like Spike 2 needs a diode like SAM. I have the square button from PBL

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