I built a Williams System 3-7 solenoid driver tester today I felt like showing off. This makes testing every solenoid circuit safer and easier.
The design is very straightforward. One LED for each solenoid. Positive side of every LED is in common and gets a wire with an alligator clip on the end (to attach to +5 VDC). Negative lead of every LED goes through a resistor (i used 270 ohm because i had a ton of them) than out to a connector wired just like a normal game would be.
I have 3 of Hans' testers, makes testing the solenoid drivers easy. And they weren't super expensive, either. I use them on sys 3-11.
I thought about making a universal one with connectors on the tester board, but went with specific ones...
Next up, a lamp matrix tester.
I can understand making something because you want to, but Hans also has an awesome lamp matrix tester for $18 shipped...
http://www.siegecraft.us/pinball/lampmatrixtester.html
Make cables to fit whatever generations of boards you repair... I've used mine on Sys 3 up through WPC.
Quoted from johnwartjr:I have 3 of Hans' testers, makes testing the solenoid drivers easy. And they weren't super expensive, either. I use them on sys 3-11.
Been finding all sorts of neat places they work. I used one on the display header in conjunction with Andre's boot rom. Also works on the sound PIA header for System 7 CPU boards.
-Hans
Quoted from johnwartjr:I can understand making something because you want to, but Hans also has an awesome lamp matrix tester for $18 shipped...
http://www.siegecraft.us/pinball/lampmatrixtester.html
Make cables to fit whatever generations of boards you repair... I've used mine on Sys 3 up through WPC.
Have all of Hans' tools - alll good stuff. I keep meaning to make a switch harness tester for Sega/Stern W/S - too many other projects in the way.
viperrwk
Quoted from HHaase:Been finding all sorts of neat places they work. I used one on the display header in conjunction with Andre's boot rom.
Nice - thought about trying that on the next board I worked on after noticing my hacked together one looked a lot like your solenoid tester - though yours looks WAY better. Glad to know it works!
viperrwk
I like to tinker, so I enjoy making things like this.
Hans, do you use it on the sound board connector to just see if the PIA is cycling with the test rom?
I have been meaning to make a LED tester for the Andre test rom. It is hard to interperet the flash results with the normal on mpu board diag LEDs.
You can do that, or you can also boot the board on the bench and run it through the sound test cycle too. Since mine are based on 9 pin headers, it's a bit short to also test the comma pins for the display out as the CPU board header is IIRC 11 or 12 pins.
-Hans
Well, judging by the date on your board, you did yours about the same time I made mine..... perhaps a bit earlier. So don't feel too bad about it.
The solenoid board is brutally simple as far as layout. You're just looking at an LED and resistor per circuit, and if you don't mind the board space on it you can also add in buttons/switches for the special solenoids.
-Hans
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