vector saucer speech issue

[stevebm1]

ok,so to update,I swapped out the original mpu with an alltek from one of my other machines and the problem has disappeared,so it seems the mpu was at fault somehow

 

[carl lawrence]

You not got the free play ROMs installed in that board have you ?
As they are quite buggy !!

 

[stevebm1]

I was running vector 10 using one of Daves multiboards,just tried original version on the alltek

 

[carl lawrence]

I only ask because I remember when I had mine ,when the first ball locked in the vec it didn't it just spit it out and reset the defender as if the ball did lock , so the 2nd ball lock in the first vec . This just ment it was a 4 ball lock for a 3 ball multi ball .The game work as it should ,just ment it made it a little bit harder .When I was working it out thinking it was a fault on the machine I was told back then it was the free play ROMs which are at fault .

 

[DRD]

Board swapping is a great diagnostic tool - particularly if you have an Altek MPU. Absent the Altek you are into rom swapping, legs breaking, jumper wire resetting ...

 

[stevebm1]

the only weird thing I found with Vector 10,before the fault developed was that if you locked all 3 balls it would reset the top X Y Z target bank twice before releasing the multiball,but I dare say it could have just been my mpu board causing that as well

 

[DRD]

One thing to watch out for with Vector, along with Fathom and other games with the solenoid expander board, is that you can get 2x solenoids firing at once.

I think that the expander board allows 6 solenoids to be fired by 3x driver transistors by running them through a relay that doubles up capacity. I think the relay is itself fired by the light controller board.

The solenoids are paired up so that the game never needs to fire both at once

Most solenoids on these early Ballys don't have diodes on, but the 6 (?) that go through the expander board do have diodes on. If these diodes fail or are missing, you get funny solenoid issues.

 

[carl lawrence]

It was working properly and its acting up , does sound more like with all the information now mostly likely the mpu is still eating it self with corrosion unfortunately my guess would be .

 

[stevebm1]

well I had the altek board in space invaders,but I have now put the mpu board I had in vector with suspected issues in it's place and that seems to be playing ok,but then space invaders does have a lot less switches than vector!,so I will leave them that way for now,I do have a couple of working spare mpu boards anyhow so I can hopefully keep these old machines going