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DMD Driver Boards Blowing?

James

James

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Joined
Dec 29, 2017
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Location
Norwich
Alias
James
Hi all,

So World Cup Soccer is playing but the DMD has gone again. This issue went away when I got a new DMD board but came back just now with the new board.

I got a new ribbon cable as the old one was a bit shocking. Redone the header pins on the board as they were a bit used from constant reinsertions but no joy.

On boot up I am getting nothing on DMD but when going into test menu I get this.

The DMD worked for ages but then I get this. It’s so intermittent too. I’m getting either a dead DMD on boot up or this which was from the off.

FEB8DAF0-2A59-4DD8-B9F6-A0A6FB9FC4AA.jpeg

sound and game plays fine...
 
Last edited:
James said:
Hi all,

So World Cup Soccer is playing but the DMD has gone again. This issue went away when I got a new DMD board but came back just now with the new board.

I got a new ribbon cable as the old one was a bit shocking. Redone the header pins on the board as they were a bit used from constant reinsertions but no joy.

On boot up I am getting nothing on DMD but when going into test menu I get this.

The DMD worked for ages but then I get this. It’s so intermittent too. I’m getting either a dead DMD on boot up or this which was from the off.

View attachment 109257

sound and game plays fine...
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like you need a PIN2DMD! Ditch the high voltage and go 12V... shameless ad I know... but I do have some in stock and colour files are available for that machine
 
They are £145 inc Vat, plus shipping. Ridiculously cheap I know! They’re shipped activated also. So just need colour files and an micro SD card
 
Have you actually checked your hv section of the dmd driver board? You should test the hv voltages with the display running. Was this the board you changed or are you meaning you changed the dmd display?
 
Hey @myPinballs - it was a new known working DMD board and it was working up until I sorted the fliptronics board issue. Now the game plays fine.

The actual display itself hasn’t changed but seemed perfectly healthy when this board arrived after being out of action and now it is doing this...

@MadNat - thank you worth considering anyway, tbh, cheaper than CDMD. There’s one in my shadow that’s arriving shortly so will get a hands on one soon enough. They look very good.
 
James said:
Hey @myPinballs - it was a new known working DMD board and it was working up until I sorted the fliptronics board issue. Now the game plays fine.

The actual display itself hasn’t changed but seemed perfectly healthy when this board arrived after being out of action and now it is doing this...
Click to expand...

So if you disconnect the fliptronic board ribbon cable does the dmd display clear up? Also, for clarity dont say 'dmd board' say dmd driver or dmd display as its confusing otherwise
 
Disconnecting if Fliptronic and Sound Board doesn’t clear it up.

voltages left you right

3F8EA88F-F372-4350-9965-28C0457D5D98.jpeg

-115.9
-104.5
Blank
0
0
4.8
12.2
65
 
Afraid not - but this is the second driver board in it and was working, it’s now symptomatic of the last one. Could something repeatedly drag down a DMD driver?

It almost seems like the DMD signal is cutting in when it goes into test menu, before that theres No HV hum or display, although That is intermittent too.
 
James said:
Afraid not - but this is the second board in it and was working, it’s now symptomatic of the last one. Could something drag down a DMD board?
Click to expand...

still need more clarity here. when you say ‘dmd board’. Which board have you changed and which one is constant? Dmd driver or dmd display??
 
DMD Driver is changed - DMD display is constant sorry. But DMD display was good when DMD Driver originally changed. Now the issue seems to be back.
 
Seems to only display ANYTHING in test menu again. It looks like a display issue but I’ve tried a different cable from MPU to Driver Board - haven’t tried a new cable from Driver Board to Display although could nab one easily out of something else, will do that next.
 
Take the protective cover off the back of the DMD pcb and let's see what the electronic components look like as the condition of these don't look promising...

DMD.jpeg
 
@James, was this some sort of project when purchased? I've bought hundreds of games over the years, in my experience ones that have been stored for a long time and have corrosion in the game or even badly stored for a short(ish) time will generally have a DMD that dies a death within the first 6 months of re-use
 
James said:
DMD Driver is changed - DMD display is constant sorry. But DMD display was good when DMD Driver originally changed. Now the issue seems to be back.
Click to expand...

dmd displays can fail seemingly randomly as they are high stress items and if original are getting near 30 years old now. They also can and do cause other issues, ie they start to draw more current as they get old and it’s not unheard of that it may mess up a dmd driver board over time.

what I tend to do is try a stern led display board in the game first or test for a short time the dmd display in another manufacturer game where the dmd driver design is different to build up a better picture of how the items run. Just suggestions though

I would get another dmd display at this point and not use the old one anymore
 
I have a stern display here from TWD which I imagine is an LED - didn’t know I could use it to test, im going to make up some wiring for it. The 5v off the DMD board, into two pins, then the two grounds as normal and try that.
 
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James said:
I have a stern display here from TWD which I imagine is an LED - didn’t know I could use it to test, im going to make up some wiring for it. The 5v off the DMD board, into two pins, then the two grounds as normal and try that.
Click to expand...

Yep 👍🏻
 
Noticed you put a 2nd video up on your youtube channel. Looks like the DMD to me! Do what Jim suggest and throw in the LED one.

What I would do to make life easier is use an external 5v power supply that is a minimum of 2amp and put the stern display on that. Less messing about.

Could use an old PC power supply, on an ATX short the green to one of the blacks (this turns on the PSU) and use a red for 5v and black for 0v. I always keep a couple about for testing various things.
 
Ok so next issue - getting test menu data fine, but game images there is nothing... not or boot anything when there is some kind of service error...

Very strange.
 
I would now unplug the ribbon cables from the Sound board and fliptronic board then see if it has game images.

Reseating is a good idea if you can get them out with the correct tool. Dont ruin the Asic.

The eproms and other socketed chips are easier to get out.
 
Just the MPU ones I’m guessing - not sound ones too.
 
I was fiddling with my ToM today trying to figure out why the tigeraw mod wasn't working. Put the speaker panel back in turned the game on the DMD is dead. Its a colordmd so press the button and get the menu. the DMD cable was hosed... but the good news is I fixed that and the tigersaw mod!
 
These games are over 20-30 years old - we have to accept that things are going to fail.

Capacitors are starting to go all over those boards now. If I bought a non-reissue DMD bally/williams game now I would be changing a load of electrolytics and all those ribbon cables.
 
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