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Banzai Run startup issues

Spandangler

Spandangler

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Joined
Jul 21, 2011
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Suffolk
Hi guys

Hoping for some suggestions with this conundrum!!

I'm in the midst of purchasing said game and the seller is having some issues. I'm rather hoping we can sort it before Martin collects to save any messing around.

Sounds power supply related to me.

Here are the symptoms

Banzai has a start up issue, I went to start packing it today and I had to turn it ON/OFF then ON again to get it to boot up. It did this when I first bought the machine back in January but went away after a couple of weeks and it's been tip top ever since. Behaviour wise it always boots up on the second switch ON and seems to stay like this for a while and has always played perfectly.

UPDATE: Went back into pin room just now after leaving it off for an hour and started up slightly differently and now flippers and kickouts are really sluggish.

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi's you're my only hope

Cheers
Gaz
 
Can't imagine it's anything too tricky to sort out! Probably psu needing a recap..

I'd just get it collected and diagnosed your end. It's a rare game so get it bought :)
 
Does anyone know if any boards at all from taxi are interchangeable into banzai Run??
 
Spandangler said:
Does anyone know if any boards at all from taxi are interchangeable into banzai Run??
Click to expand...

The flyer for Banzai specifically stated "'it's no taller than, and uses the same electronics package as our other pinball games". The display is different to a regular 11b, a unique panel contains the glass envelopes, with the original System 11 display controller brought out of retirement for this game.

Re. interchangeability with Taxi, I think Taxi introduced a new design (display & logic rails only) power supply, '12246', to accompany the '12247' auxiliary power/solenoid extender/3rd stage coil drive board, so maybe not for the power supply.

edit - a Banzai shown on ipdb has the older '8345' type power supply, which was used from Black Knight onwards, and the 12247 aux power board as used in Space Station, Big Guns Banzai onwards, e.g. Swords of Fury, Taxi. The Cpu and audio pcb's would be interchangeable with Taxi.
 
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If I were to swap out mpu boards with a Taxi mpu, without removing any roms. Would I do any harm ? I just want to check if it boots and try some coil tests.
Thanks
Gaz
 
Gaz. I have board swapped my banzai with bk2k. Just look at the model numbers on the boards to check whether they are the same.

And pray that the interconnect board never goes wrong. Unique to banzai. Impossible to get to. I think mine will get a viking funeral of this ever fails
 
Yeah I'm praying it isn't that!! I can't see that Being the issue though given the symptoms.

Thanks for that though David. Any idea about the harm to be done by keeping taxi roms in while I test it
 
Sorry fella, beyond my pay grade.

Andy Netherwood is a Wizard on these old girls. I would give him a bell.

My banzai packed up after a league meeting. I board swapped with bk2k to narrow the problem down. Andy fixed the offending problem.

My banzai actually fried its own roms. They were red hot.
 
Gaz. Banzai is an absolute fookin coont to move

By far the worst game I have ever moved

Be ever so careful. It has a very high centre of gravity as the backbox is so massive and heavy. I moved mine on a hydraulic truck. I would not want to move one of these on a sack truck.

You MUST watch out for the motorbike lifter plastic. This thing is unobtanium if you bust it. You want it safely in the upper Playfield before you fold the backbox down. If it is in the down potion when you fold the backbox, it is a goner.

There is a button in the top box to move the motorbike. Or you can manually twist the motor.

You may also need to remove the aluminium trim at the bottom of the backglass before you fold it down too. I can't remember. But take your time

And when you lift the top panel with the displays in it, for God's sake make sure that the catch on the hinge engages or it will crash down and smash the backglass

It is a hideous thing to move. Fraught with risk.

I have the correct rubber strip for the top of the playfield glass if you drop me the postage I will send you some. It is usually missing.
 
Very kind mate. I'm assuming the seller knows how to prepare it for shipping. He's sent me pics today and all looks good.
I'll be in touch when it arrives for some top tips:thumbs:

But thanks for scaring the **** outta me:rofl:
 
I reckon when these games were in the wild that they just got left in the same place for years. Noone in their right mind would want to move one of these more than absolutely necessary.

But when installed, you will have the king of system 11s. This thing is Pat Lawlor's first album. Years in the making. Like the first album by the stone roses.
 
Spandangler said:
If I were to swap out mpu boards with a Taxi mpu, without removing any roms. Would I do any harm ? I just want to check if it boots and try some coil tests.
Thanks
Gaz
Click to expand...

Gaz,

You'd need to consider what the test program (Taxi) does as it boots up, and how the two games solenoid assignments relate. If you'll pardon my saying so, Taxi is a fairly 'basic' game as regards solenoid devices, i.e. it doesn't have a stepper-motor wheel like Cyclone or Jokerz, or a moving-car unit like Police Force. So I don't think you'd get a solenoid drive being held On for a while as the program tries to check (using the switch inputs, which won't be as it expects) if such things are working. In fact, as long as it reads the ball trough switches, whatever they correspond to in Banzai, as closed, Taxi may well not use any solenoids at start-up, unless it resets the target banks.

I'd suggest simply not connecting the solenoids when trying the Taxi pcb/program, but in this case they're what you want to test. Maybe just connect the flippers first; the 2-pin section of that split connector for the 'special' solenoids (top right corner in most 'normal' System 11 games). Then add one or both of the other groups 1 to 8 and 9 to 16. But be ready to shut the power off if needed.

Thinking again about the problem, though, the coils being weak makes me wonder if there's something wrong on the 'live' side of their power circuits, rather than the 'return' circuits through the cpu/driver board. As with most solenoids, jumpering the return side to earth would by-pass the flipper relay/cpu board drive transistor/3rd stage drive transistor as applicable.
 
Jay Walker said:
Gaz,

You'd need to consider what the test program (Taxi) does as it boots up, and how the two games solenoid assignments relate. If you'll pardon my saying so, Taxi is a fairly 'basic' game as regards solenoid devices, i.e. it doesn't have a stepper-motor wheel like Cyclone or Jokerz, or a moving-car unit like Police Force. So I don't think you'd get a solenoid drive being held On for a while as the program tries to check (using the switch inputs, which won't be as it expects) if such things are working. In fact, as long as it reads the ball trough switches, whatever they correspond to in Banzai, as closed, Taxi may well not use any solenoids at start-up, unless it resets the target banks.

I'd suggest simply not connecting the solenoids when trying the Taxi pcb/program, but in this case they're what you want to test. Maybe just connect the flippers first; the 2-pin section of that split connector for the 'special' solenoids (top right corner in most 'normal' System 11 games). Then add one or both of the other groups 1 to 8 and 9 to 16. But be ready to shut the power off if needed.

Thinking again about the problem, though, the coils being weak makes me wonder if there's something wrong on the 'live' side of their power circuits, rather than the 'return' circuits through the cpu/driver board. As with most solenoids, jumpering the return side to earth would by-pass the flipper relay/cpu board drive transistor/3rd stage drive transistor as applicable.
Click to expand...


I absolutely admire your knowledge and motivation for writing these replies Jay. Thank you so much.
However my head just turned to pink mist towards the end there.
I'm thinking I'll just send all the boards to the legend and fingers crossed they'll come back working :rofl:.
 
Fun reading this old thread as I diagnose the 50V supply issues on this very machine. Does mend me to believe that an Aux power board rebuild is in order as I have lost all 50V outputs despite the fuses (before and after) still being good. Highly unlikely it's the transformer 50V tap but pretty much everything downstream (all 50V solenoids from the A/C relay), bumpers and flippers all MIA. I'll start a new thread for the Banzai diagnosis!!
 
DRD said:
I have the correct rubber strip for the top of the playfield glass if you drop me the postage I will send you some. It is usually missing.
Click to expand...

Don't suppose you still have some of this strip or know where to get it do you DRD? Massive dirt trap down there! Cheers!
 
Hi, so are you prepared to help a fellow Banzai owner without getting into a political argument?
 
Just asked a question.

Have helped many a brother on here with repairs and bits when I think I can help.

Taken many a game to a show.

Hosted many an event at my home.

Lent many a game to a brother.

Have contributed to group purchases so the brothers on here can keep costs down.

Welcomed complete strangers into my home who wanted to try out machines and learn a bit about the hobby before taking the plunge.

Good luck with your search.
 
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