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5V reset issue with IJ

Jazzbouche

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Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
389
Location
Warwick
Hi All - I seem to have the 5V reset issue with williams IJ. It was resetting on Friday night when I had it on alongside a bunch of other machines for an extended period. Haven't had the problem before or since (though rarely have it on for that amount of time) but the pinsound diagnostic file confirms that its dropping to 4639mV. I'm following the pinwiki advice on problem solving this, and so far can show that I have a solid connection between Power and Driver board (only a 0.02 VDC drop). So next step was testing Bridge Rectifier and Capacitors. Caps seemed ok at 250mV AC, BUT...the Bridge Rectifier was coming in at 11V when it should've been 9V. This seems weird! If it was duff it should be showing about 7V so I don't understand why it would be higher than 9. Any thoughts? From what I could see, the positive lead of BR2 (which is what i was measuring) did seem to have a slightly rubbish looking solder connection - but would this cause an increase in voltage? And how would this in turn lead to a drop below 5V elsewhere. Next step is likely going to be taking the board out for a better look, but any advice on what I've found so far would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Andy N, he of Pinball Mania fame and legend 😁 always used to give this advice for resets ....... see below

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A problem with BR2 is a possibility, but is in fact rarely the cause

of most reset problems.



It is more likely that there is a bad power connector. You need to

carry out these checks first.



Measure against ground on a DC scale the voltage reading at TP2 on

the power board – the 5V test point. If this is below 4.9 V then you

have a problem on the power board, either with the LM323K regulator

or the J101 power input connector.



Look to the right hand side of the power board and locate connector

J101 which has red and blue wires. Remove and replace a couple of

times. If it is scorched then it needs replacing. Re-check the 5V and

see if any improvement.



If still less than 4.9V then replace LM323K rectifier.



If 4.9v or above, make a note of the reading and then take another

measurement on the CPU on the top end of the copper coil you can see

to the right hand edge of the CPU. If this is more than 0.04V less

than the recorded reading from TP2 then the power connector between

the two boards is at fault.



Locate the short grey ribbon connector that joins the CPU and power

driver board.



Now remove and replace the connector directly below this on the power

driver board. Do this several times, which basically removes

contaminants and improves connectivity.



This may well solve the problem, but it may re-emerge in the future

and the connector may need replacing long term.



If all the voltages are good, and you have more than 4.9V

consistently on the CPU then you are at liberty to replace BR2 and

its capacitor.
 
Thanks guys,
Yeah this is in line with the pin wiki advice. I've done those checks and voltages are good (4.94). and the drop between the two boards is 0.02, so in theory all good. BR2 should read as 9V, but I'm getting 11V. So looks like replacing BR2 and the c5 should sort it, but I was curious why the voltage had gone up and not down. Pinwiki says your BR2 is knackered if its down at 7V.

Yes - the soldering also looks a bit dodgy from what little I can see. If I'm taking the whole board out I will change the BR and Cap and check all solders.
 
Ok, now have the board out ready for replacement parts. Unsurprisingly it’s had this fix before. How do the repairs look to you guys - there’s a few more fixes dotted around the board than I’d hoped for. Nothing to lose in making fresh fixes I suppose, but wanted to gauge how this looks to experienced eyes. Cost of a new board is pretty high so I’m hoping this one is still in good enough shape.
 

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You should try the replace the connector advise first. In my view this is a big factor in resets. It’s hidden by the fact that to do these repairs you have to take the board out and in the process reseat all the connectors. When you put it back in, it appears fixed only for the connector problem to re-emerge in the future.

Check the previous repair tough, in particular the soldering of the bridge on the component side of the board which is often poorly carried out.

Don’t stump up for a new board, the one you have will be perfectly serviceable.
 
You should also add some wire links between br2 and c5. The original tracks are on the component side of the board. As c5 has been replaced chances are the through hole plating has been ripped out, so you cannot guarantee good connectivity to the capacitor where it meets the track under its own body.
 
Thanks Andy, great advice. I did reseat everything that pinwiki and the above posts suggested, but was still getting an 11v reading at BR2. The actual reset issue is only happening very rarely so hard to replicate. I’m just trying to be proactive and stop it before it gets any worse really.
 
There’s some funkiness going on already on the tracks between br2 and c5 !
 

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Crap - I would’ve probably opted for the lazy fix had I known it was there. I ordered the ‘proper’ fix so i’ll try that first and see how I get on. Good to know there’s a backup solution though.
 
Urgh...The postage and hassle isn’t worth it. Plus I have the board out now and can see what I’m dealing with - might as well tidy it up a bit and try to sort it properly.
Famous last words.
 
I'm getting a reset on my road show when both flippers are pressed together. I'm guessing this is what a 5v reset looks like?

The problem happens when the machine is first turned on, but if you wait 5-10 mins (with or without using the machine) then it fixes itself, so something is working better once warmed up.

I followed this advice:

against ground on a DC scale the voltage reading at TP2 on

the power board – the 5V test point. If this is below 4.9 V then you

have a problem on the power board, either with the LM323K regulator

or the J101 power input connector.

And I'm getting 4.88v I've removed and replaced the j101 connector a few times and it doesn't looked scorched so should I now replace lm323k or should I cheat and get the fix from pinball heaven?

Looking at the amount of paste all over it I'm guessing someone has tried to fix this already so not sure a new lm323k will make a difference if it's already been replaced?

15571400188255871264617944452619.jpg
 
Glad you sorted it. I changed over all the parts on mine, and haven't had the issue since - although the voltage readouts all remain the same. I now think it's actually a supply issue, as I run IJ and STTNG off of a 4way plug extension and I think that may be the issue when all the machines are on at once. That said, I have no proof of this...but I've only ever experienced the issue with all machines on at the same time. Should've noticed that at the start.
 
When you changed all the parts you also took the board out and in the process reseated the connector Dan just did.

It’s advisable to replace this connector as it will likely come back over time.
 
Gonna be more and more prevailant.I think at times we can all forget that the 90s golden era games are 25years old!That's getting on a bit for the components especially the capacitors
 
Gonna be more and more prevailant.I think at times we can all forget that the 90s golden era games are 25years old!That's getting on a bit for the components especially the capacitors
Maybe it will be like an episode of the Twilight Zone.... one day all the 90s pins in the world just stop working! [emoji16]

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk
 
When you changed all the parts you also took the board out and in the process reseated the connector Dan just did.

It’s advisable to replace this connector as it will likely come back over time.

I had reseated (and a bunch of other connectors as advised on pinwiki) beforehand - no difference to the bridge rectifier readout.
That all said - I'm not having the typical 9v problem now, I seem to have a power issue. I thought it was specific to using the extension lead, but had it just now direct from the wall. Switched the machine on and it fizzed then nothing. Pulled plug out the wall and put it back in, turned pinball on and it fired up fine. I've had this a lot with the extension lead, but not from the wall socket before. Is it related? Or perhaps to do with the power cable?
 
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