Black Hole sound issues (anyone have a soundboard I can test with?)

[David_Vi]

On the home stretch with Claire's Black Hole, but experiencing sound issues we've had since we got it, which I thought would be solved by now.

It's an export Black Hole, so no speech. The background sound is one of the switch sfx but playing over and over, it's definitely not the correct background sound. Hitting some switches gives a different sfx every time.

We've got a pascal board now but had issues before so it's not the mpu.

I've repinned all the connectors involved with the sound board and checked the contacts, cleaning with a fibreglass pen.

I'm starting to wonder if the sound board is at fault. Is this possible? Is there any way to check?
The only way I can think of is to try a different sound board, would anyone be willing to loan us one just to try?

Tomorrow I'm going to try taking the IC's out and cleaning the legs, as I'm at a loss at what else to try

I really want to get it running nicely so it can make the UK Pinfest classic comp , so really appreciate any help

Some pics from before pascal board.




Repinned connectors

 

[Phil Lee]

I don't like the look of the electrolytic at the extreme left of the board photo. Mind you, my eyes these days..

(But maybe trick of lighting)

 

[Moonraker]

Did you say that it was the same sound when you pushed the test button on the sound board?

I'd replace all the Electrolytic caps on the board given their age not just the one Phil highlighted.

 

[Fantazia2]

Might be a silly question, but have you confirmed that the repinned connections have all the cables in the right place?

 

[David_Vi]

Might be a silly question, but have you confirmed that the repinned connections have all the cables in the right place?

It crossed my mind yesterday, I did the pins one by one so they should be correct but I will double check when I can find that info in the manual, I'm struggling at the moment

I will try replacing the 4 big capacitors when the replacements arrive.

Did you say that it was the same sound when you pushed the test button on the sound board?

I'd replace all the Electrolytic caps on the board given their age not just the one Phil highlighted.

I haven't tried the test button for a few weeks, I remember it playing sounds but I'll try it again later.

Some more pics

 

[Arv]

Do the test button again. If everything is fine it's a connector issue.

Make sure all wires coming from the driver board are sound and have continuity.

Check z13.

 

[David_Vi]

What is the intended behaviour of the test button?

There's a sound test in the pascal boards menu, it plays a lot of different sounds but also a lot of duplicates and nothing that is reminiscent of the export background sfx.

(I have non speech selected as the sound board in the pascal settings)

 

[Fantazia2]

Was there a sound issue before you re-pinned the connectors? Could be someone in the past has for whatever reason reseated the wires in the connectors and got one of them wrong, I would just have a double check with what the schematic says.

 

[David_Vi]

Was there a sound issue before you re-pinned the connectors? Could be someone in the past has for whatever reason reseated the wires in the connectors and got one of them wrong, I would just have a double check with what the schematic says.

Yup, I had less sounds before I repinned.
It didn't look like it had ever been repinned before so I doubt they were incorrect. Small chance I have redone them wrong but I doubt it as I did them one by one and also had the issues before.

 

[Phil Lee]

So with extra pics, caps now look ok (if original, still worth swapping, esp. on sound cards)
The repinning is an obvious point to check - for correct placement/continuity, just because it's a variable that changed recently (not foolproof, but often wire colours on plug/socket together should 'match' - apologies if this is obvious)
It seems also that many of the chips seem to have been replaced/ re-socketed. I would run a meter to check each IC pin is connecting properly.. again pics seem to show corroded pins on some perhaps? Worth cleaning up in case it's just a dodgy contact (and therefore one address line down or??... I haven't looked at the schematic)
Best of luck.
Brought a Bally up recently - eventually found it had one shorted (not electrolytic!) capacitor on the sound board that stopped the whole machine boot. Nice cheap fix though!

 

[Fantazia2]

The repinning is an obvious point to check - for correct placement/continuity, just because it's a variable that changed recently (not foolproof, but often wire colours on plug/socket together should 'match' - apologies if this is obvious)

I would have to say that statement is not 100% true, it possibly may be for a Black Hole but Im currrently working on a Jungle Lord and the pinning of the wires between the MPU and the Sound PCB dont match on the plugs

For example on the MPU the pinning goes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, N/C, N/C, N/C from the bottom up for sound select, but on the sound card it goes N/C, N/C , 4, N/C, 2, 3, 0, 1 from left to right, so I would always refer to the manual/schematic to confirm which cable colour should be in which location on the plug, assuming the schematic is off course accurate.

 

[Fantazia2]

Also, just learning this stuff currently, but depending on how the sound card works there could be a stuck input buffer on the board causing the wrong sound to be played, instead of an incorrectly pinned cable.

 

[Arv]

Also, just learning this stuff currently, but depending on how the sound card works there could be a stuck input buffer on the board causing the wrong sound to be played, instead of an incorrectly pinned cable.

Yeah that might be Z13 the 7404.

 

[Fantazia2]

Also just looking at your dip switches from the original photo it looks like you have Dip 1 set to On with is scoring sounds only, and Dip 2 set to off which is no attract sound, thats assuming that the left hand side says open which I would expect to be off, so could it be a stuck switch always triggering a SFX instead of the background sound you're expecting? But then I suspect you would also see the score going up all the time to show this anyway so probably not right.

Have you got a logic probe?

 

[AlanJ]

Yeah that might Z13 the 7404.

i hate 7404,7408 etc. weaklings.

 

[David_Vi]

I've ordered a couple of 7404

The dip switches are rockers and it was playing attract sound so I assume they are correct. I had never heard the attract till the pascal board