More (self-inflicted?) Whodunnit issues. I did some much-needed work on my Power Driver Board and after re-installing it, I have no controlled lamps. Would someone please take pictures of the J133, J134, J135 connectors to make sure I have them connected properly (they are all keyed the same!!!!)? Also, J120 would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Mine was like this in a few spots so i used 24 hour Araldite (you guys might have a different name for it over there), super glue is ok for some things but it has fairly poor shear strength. The repair may not look fantastic but it will hold and should sort your problem. Unfortunately for now that left ramp is unavailable as new

Too Easy

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Thanks for the quick pics. I looked at mine and the wiring at J120 and J121 along with J133 and J134 are opposite of yours. I thought that was my problem but in looking at the schematic (and confirming with a DMM) they are keyed the same and are truly parallel connections (J133, J134 and J135 are triplets). Additionally, J137 and J138 are twins. Further investigation led to the discovery of no 18v on the power driver board. I had just replaced the header connector at J121 and all of the caps, including the 15,000 uf caps at C6 and C7, so I no doubt messed something up. Back to the workbench!

W?D are notorious for this. Usually some washers will keep it intact but for plastic "Ambroid Pro Weld" is a common product used. There were a few spot on my W?D that needed it!

I messed up a through-hole on the + side when I removed C6. Put in a stitch and all is good. Thanks again for the pics.

I think I have a nos left (train) ramp somewhere. I will dig it out and let you know.

Let the bidding begin Think you'll find there's a bunch of people need one of those, including me

I just listed the main ramp. It's a little scuffed up but should polish up ok

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292455939039?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

My right reel isn’t sensing the opto. Any ideas? I’ve taken the “problem” opto board and tested on the left and center... it works on those reels fine.

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Weird. Threw my hands up and put it all back together so I could just play... now all the reels work fine. Whatever works!

So nice to have freshly shopped playing 100%!

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Might be cracked solder joints on the opto board and resetting it might have make a good connection. I know you put it back together which is a PITA to get back out, but it might be worth messing with if you ever run into it again.

This ^

Or also these, all of which I've experienced in some place or other:

Or also a tenuous break in a wire that is sometimes open, sometimes closed.
Or the flexible stuffed "pin" in the Molex connector isn't bent enough & isn't touching the PCB solidly all the time.
Or the flexible stuffed "pin" in the Molex connector isn't seated all the way & is pushed back slightly, so it isn't touching the PCB solidly all the time.

-Jason

Having trouble with my reels matching the dmd. My right and left get a little off as the game goes on. Is this common? Motor and opto's check out. Actually replaced opto on right reel. Did the white electrical tape trick. Kinda scratching my head......any help is much appreciated.

Thank you

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BUMP

My center reel does that as well. Haven’t dug into it to see why yet. I believe there are several known issues with this, one being the way the reel connects to the rod. The reels are cheap plastic and crack there.

I have had this happen when the wheel doesn't run true (wobbles) so the opto miscounts the opening it's supposed to see. Also the grub screws holding it in place are often over tightened and crack the plastic on the wheel so it becomes loose.

I desperately want to see someone remake the center ramp. Mine is discolored and a brand new clea one would be awesome!

is there supposed to be a gate on the shooter lane exit?

No...I wondered the same thing forever.
To much traffic during multiball. I assume the proto's had it. But i could see that breaking over time. Thus factory left it out. Also gives you a shooter lane save with it gone, but instant auto fire will happen.

yeah, it is odd. tyvm.

fyi: just got one of these in a trade, so there may be more questions coming .

When shooting up the main ramp the ball often rejects and comes back down. I was wondering if there is any mods that anyone has done to the ramp top bar that reduces this happening?

There should be a gate at the top of the ramp that prevents the ball coming back down after it reaches a certain point. Maybe this part is missing on yours? I think this is the one.

Or maybe you have weak flippers? Could be time for a flipper rebuild.

Yep this must be it. No way the flippers could be that weak with the elevator being so close

pinball machines: gotta love 'em.

weird that you even hear a clunk. what does that coil do in test mode? maybe do that with the playfield up, so you can figure out what the clunk is. remember, you'll have to hold in the coin door interlock to enable high voltage. same thing for the reels; see what they do in test.

GI could definitely be wiring. a loose connection anywhere in the daisy chain in between bulb sockets or at the connector on the power board.

Agree with that, clunk means "something" is happening. Perhaps the coil is firing but something in the mech is binding?

do you have a multimeter? i'd test continuity back to the driver transistor.

You can test the wire pathway to the trough coil by doing a "dirty test". Use a piece of wire (easier with some clips either end) and touch one side to the ground braid and the other to the metal tab on the top of the transistor, in this case i believe it's Q82. If the wire path isn't broken anywhere the coil should fire BUT this doesn't test the transistor itself mind you.

haaawt!

And then, I was off the case.

Whodunnit just left, on its way to somebody with more time & more enthusiasm. :]

Have fun!
-Jason

Can someone please confirm that the led on the 16 opto board stays lit all the time? I've been getting a "Check fuse F115, F116, J112 and Opto 12V supply"
The fuses test ok so i'm suspecting the 16 opto board has crapped itself as the led doesn't come on
Edit* So i checked the 12V coming into the board from J116, there's 12V at the plug no worries but no 12V going to the connector (took the GND and 12V wires off the plug at the board and tested with a DMM) So it looks like there is a wire break somewhere between the opto board and the driver board, bloody weird cause nothing has been done to the machine in the past month or more.....Gremlins?

Ok, All Good I bypassed the 12V and GND wire to the 16 opto board with another 2 pieces of wire and all works again so now i just need to track down where one or the other is broken along the line. I can sleep peacefully tonight

My bet is the back of the power driver board at fuse F116. Been there done that on both BR, GI and W?D.

Also...Are you running a Topper or any other mods of the power driver board? Who dunnit does not like extra power draw off driver board.

Yes there is some mods running off the driver board but it hasn't been an issue in well over a year, machine gets played regularly too. I think i have tracked down where the wire is busted, just gotta do a bit more investigating There is 12V at the board/connector for sure as it was still running a mod off it, just no power getting through to the opto board itself.

Found the break and all back to normal again

Looking for a new center ramp. Anyone know if available? TY)

Hopefully Freeplay40 will get around to remaking the center ramp, he has mentioned it a few times and he thought it would be possible to vac form one.

Well i'm now officially off the case also. I have sold my machine and i know it's going to a good home. I'm sad to see this one go but the lure of my first ever NIB pin (IMDN) is just too strong, something had to go to part fund it. Thanks club members for all your helpful tips, suggestions etc!!

The mystery is building...
Marc at Freeplay40 has center ramp in hand. Hopefully he will make center ramp soon. It will be a tough vacuform, not injection mold. His center ramp for Hurricane is bulletproof, so it should work.

And then (we) were on the case! My wife just purchased a Whodunnit and it arrived tonight. It powered up nicely, but we're having a problem. The first time that you activate the right flipper, it sticks in the "up" position and won't come down. If you power down the machine, it comes down immediately.

Tried playing the game in Novice mode to test it more--after about thirty seconds of game play, the flipper will begin firing randomly, and sometimes even return to the down position--only to become stuck "up" again when activated.

We tried reseating connectors on the opto board. No joy. Still waiting on a manual--so thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Hmm, usually if a flipper is getting stuck in the up position and it's not a mechanical binding issue then the coil is being shorted electrically, quite often a blown transistor can cause that. Inspect the flipper mechanism under the play field to rule out a binding anywhere. If it seems ok and the flipper feels like it has tension (powering on) when you try lowering the flipper bat by hand then it's definitely a short. Check the wires leading to the coil for any obvious shorting from another wire but i'm tipping it's a blown transistor. The main reason for that thought is that the flipper lowers upon power off.

Turned out to be a wire that was shorting out near the coil. It's fixed and machine is working well. Anyone know where you can find a "Tony's Palace" plastic? Our machine is missing this one--but otherwise in good shape.

And can someone point me towards nice looking custom instruction cards for this machine?

Glad to be on the case!

I don't know where you can get a single plastic, Marco had whole sets but thats probably over the top. Here is a scan of one so you could make your own.

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Herae are some I like. I particualy like the cast of caricters one rather than the actual instruction card. Have you read the pages of introduction to the cast at the begining of the manual?!!!

Cast of characters card.pdf
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TECH:
My newly acquired Who Dunnit pinball machine has a strange problem. It plays fine for game after game, but after any extended period of inactivity, the machine will begin to behave strangely. "Autofire" (ball save) will fire over and over, but flippers won't work at all. When you finally switch off the game to reset, the machine always powers up with the following error message:

Check Fuses F115, F116, and Opto 12V Supply.

Fuse F116, a slow-blow 3 amp fuse is always blown. Replace it and the game functions normally again for awhile---then several games later, same problem again.

I've tried burn-in to induce the failure, but nothing happens.

Any clue where to begin troubleshooting this one?

Thanks in advance.

Abby & Les Rayburn
Maylene, AL