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CFTBL 'Pinball Missing' fault.

johng2611

johng2611

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Joined
Jan 18, 2013
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397
Location
Sheffield
Hi guys, I have a problem on my Creech, on start up it says pinball missing even though all 3 balls are in the machine. I'm not really into the technical side of things but here are a few things I've noticed.
On start up it does seem to fire the solenoids looking for the balls all apart from the one at the outhole between the flippers, I guess it's the one that returns the ball to the trough after a drain. ( although this does fire in test mode ).
In switch test mode the switches at the outlanes, inlanes & ball trough don't seem to register anything at all when operated manually.
I've looked around for broken wires etc but found nothing, any ideas where to look next would be much appreciated.
I've made a note of test point voltages & led status if any of that can be of help.
Cheers
John
 
I think you're nearly there John!
You got a manual handy? See if all of those faulty switches have a row or column in common
 
Ok nice.

Next you should test every single switch listed on column 5 to see if any of them do work. This will tell you where the cable break is.

(1) If they're ALL kaput then very likely it's the connector at the CPU. See what pin column 5 is on J206 and apply some gentle pressure with a small plastic screwdriver. This will check the splice. You want switch edge test and hold one of the non-workers down. Listen for the beep.
If nothing, look for battery acid corrosion on the connector and the buffer chips just above those connectors (more serious).

(2) If some work then the break is between the switch that works and the switch that doesn't. The wire will be the same colour so should be easy to trace. Prob green with a coloured trace.
 
Thanks mate, I've got a couple of days off later in the week, i'll check it out then, also could it be one of the chips that has gone, LM339 (x2) or ULN2803A, I did check the connector (J206) visually & reseated it a couple of times but didn't check the individual wire ( I think it's the green one with black stripe ). Are the chips just generic components that could be ordered off ebay? Hopefully no acid damage as I had the nvram mod done a few years ago.
Cheers
John
 
Could be busted driver chip but I think you'd get column ground error message if that were the case. Might be wrong though. (Anyone?)

See if some or all switches are dead first. That'll be the major clue.
 
strobey said:
Could be busted driver chip but I think you'd get column ground error message if that were the case. Might be wrong though. (Anyone?)

See if some or all switches are dead first. That'll be the major clue.
Click to expand...
Isolating the issue to MPU board or wiring can be achieved by following this PinWiki section, just need a jumper wire to complete the test.

Williams WPC - PinWiki

www.pinwiki.com www.pinwiki.com
 
OK...I've done the jumper test, I have nothing registering on J206 pin 5, all switches are out on column 5 (inlane,outlane & trough switches). I've traced the wiring back (green/black) as best as I can but can't see any breaks & I've inspected the back of the CPU board for any obvious dodgy connections but everything looks ok. Stuck again I'm afraid!
 
Ok so you've isolated the problem to the CPU board, as everything from the playfield was unplugged and it's still not registering a switch.

The jumper wire you used actually replaces the entire switch assembley and playfield cabling by manually bypassing. You're pretending to be the playfield and wiring harness.

If the board looks clean then it's very likely the column driver chip ULN2803 at U20.

If it's not socketed and you're not a competent solderer then ask a pro to repair it, otherwise you'll risk butchering the board. They'll add a socket for easy future replacement. Andy at @pinballmania can help!

Tim
 
The chip is socketed so no problem replacing it, is there any particular supplier recommended or just order off ebay? Is it just a generic part?
If that doesn't doesn't work I'll contact Andy, thanks everyone for your help, even though I've not got it sorted yet I've learnt a lot in the last couple of days, the most tech thing I've ever done before is a flipper rebuild!. I'll keep you all informed.
Thanks again guys, great stuff.
 
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