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Lost my knocker

DrPinball

DrPinball

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Aug 2, 2011
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My TAF has the gold Roms (it says Special Collector's Edition on the DMD). The replay knocker never sounds and I'm not able to find the knocker solenoid in the test page. Anyone have any ideas? Is it missing from my version of the firmware?
 
Hi,

I am running L6 roms and on the solanoid test page, test 2 is thing knocker which sounds the knocker, i would be surprised if your software does not support it because in the seance mansion award it sounds the knocker every time you shoot the ramp. If i can be any more help get back to me.

Cheers Adie
 
I don't have test 2 on my software, and it doesn't knock during séance. Looks like my software is deficient. I'll check what level Roms I'm on.
 
I was wondering if it was configured as a 'quiet' mode I.e. no noisy knocker?
 
If in doubt i would reset everything to factory defaults, i suppose you need to be in touch with someone who is running the gold roms but i would say it is a knocker problem because the best part of seance is when it hits the knocker, especially as it comments on how many knocks you get.

Adie
 
This may be a silly question, but you do have the knocker hardware installed, correct? Seen quite a few TAFs without the knockers in them thats all. (even one that had the solenoid shaft removed for some strange reason).
 
Yep, all hardware present and correct. Because it wasn't sounding during the game my first port of call was to try the test function, but its not on the list of solenoids to test.
 
The knocker also sounds when you get a replay doesn't it? I am sure it does on mine but I am too far away to check. Mine does not have gold roms yet.
 
Many machines that have been sited, the op's usually took the knocker to power a counter, thus no knocker. easy to put right again if the knocker is there, usuall on the right hand side of the base cabinet on a TAF.
 
Calimori' date=' post: 1693026 said:
The knocker also sounds when you get a replay doesn't it? I am sure it does on mine but I am too far away to check. Mine does not have gold roms yet.
Click to expand...



The Gold Roms do offer so more soundbites etc ,some extra animations BUT they also in some peoples view unbalance the game with some random scoring elements introduced. I haven't played it enough to comment but from what I hear I think i'll stick to vanilla TAF.
 
GrizZ' date=' post: 1693032 said:
The Gold Roms do offer so more soundbites etc ,some extra animations BUT they also in some peoples view unbalance the game with some random scoring elements introduced. I haven't played it enough to comment but from what I hear I think i'll stick to vanilla TAF.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I don't think we will have learnt the game we have for a while so won't rush to buy the gold version. Might be time for me to track down a local TAF owner and play their game to compare it with mine. Help me find when mine needs tweaking.

I can post pictures of my knocker tomorrow if you need it Dr?
 
Just checked over the machine. The knocker is in place and wired up. The problem is software related, the solenoid is not showing in the solenoid test function - paging through the solenoids it goes from sol 1 to sol 3, skipping sol 2 which is the knocker.



I suspect the game rom is at fault. I think I'll get a set of normal game roms.



I'm on LX-3. Maybe if anyone has this they could check if they can test sol2 ??



Cheers guys.
 
And I removed the batteries to do a full factory reset and no change.
 
I think Andy Netherwood answered this on the uk pin group. "change the cpu dip switch settings from usa to uk".... Always quality info from the legend.
 
Yep, I posted on there as well. I'll check tonight. Only problem is TAF is based on WPC-89 boards which use soldered links rather than switches. It'll be a bit more effort to test.



Will post back with my findings.
 
Andy was correct. The jumpers had been cut to an undocumented setting. I added a makeshift jumper to achieve European setting and the knocker became available in test mode and started working during the game. I just need to solder in a jumper permanently.
 
Great stuff. And remember "It has to warm up.........so it can KILL YOOOOUUUU"........
biggrin-1.png
 
Do you think this cut or wiring was a mistake during a rebuild or done on purpose?

Good to hear you have solved it, I would be interested in the pictures.
 
GrizZ' date=' post: 1693032 said:
The Gold Roms do offer so more soundbites etc ,some extra animations BUT they also in some peoples view unbalance the game with some random scoring elements introduced. I haven't played it enough to comment but from what I hear I think i'll stick to vanilla TAF.
Click to expand...



Having played a regular TAF with gold ROMS fitted I can confirm Ive is correct. There is an (occasional?) extra random scoring element awarded with a mansion room award. There is also a multiball jackpot points increase when selecting the bookcase rather than the chair to start said multiball. :cool:
 
Fixed the jumpers tonight by soldering on a wire to get the right setting for Europe. I suspect that all jumper wires W14 to W18 are in place when the machine is manufactured - this is the setting for USA. Then when the machine is exported the operators only need to remove jumpers to get their desired setting - you can see the ends of the jumpers where they were cut. Unfortunately in my case they got it wrong!



First picture shows W14 to W18 - where there's a link it's ON, otherwise it's OFF - the current setting doesn't match any of the options in the manual.

CPUJumperBefore-1.jpg



This next picture shows the soldered link...

CPUJumperAfter-1.jpg



This is now the European setting i.e.

W14 - ON

W15 - ON

W16 - OFF

W17 - ON

W18 - ON



The upshot of this change is that I now get the Thing Knocker in the test menu and it knocks during the game.



Cheers.
 
I guess someone took their EU set up too far, the other resistors look difference from mine too.



DSC01785-1.jpg
 
Different looking resistors is quite normal in electronics as there is so many different manufacturers out there... what is interesting is the difference in c28's (plus c29 and c30 on the Dr's board) !
smile-1.png
 
Hum, my C29 and C30 match but not sure what that is on the C28? Same as at B below it. Are their guides to what these should be?
 
Yeah that is interesting. Why would there be a capacitor instead of a resistor on c28?? Going to have to look at the manual now...
 
Meant to be a 680pF capacitor if I can read the schematics correctly. Not sure it's function yet though I know it is to do with the sound.



EDIT: Just dawned on me that C would be capacitor, R would be resistor. So C28, C29, C30 would all be capacitors.
 
Thinking about it the PCB's were probably manufactured and components printed on to it a couple of years earlier, then they either updated the circuit or had to change it to cope with improving ic's - eg the original U7 may have been intended to be a different chip altogether or they originally had 74244 and had to alter the circuit when they fitted the LS version....
 
The 3 components we're talking about are definitely capacitors - they look like resistors but they are caps. There are 2 X 22pF and 1 X 100pF. They are part of the crystal oscillator circuit for the CPU clock. If they were resistors the oscillator wouldn't work and hence the game wouldn't work.
 
Never seen caps that look like resistors before. Probably to fry the brains of unsuspecting pinball repair guys.
 
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