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Complete Space Station

The testing has begun :D Not sure how much I'll end up videoing so going to list things out here as well:
  • Some insert LEDs not working - most were just LED's not seated in there holders correctly or the pads on the lamp boards needing a bit of new solder. All inserts are now working with 1 exception :mad: The lamp for Player 3 Bonus Ball does not want to work at all. Tried new holders, different LEDs, re-flowing solder on the lamp board and nothing. Next thing to check is voltage at the board and the connector in the backbox.

  • Right side of the backbox GI is out - the power connector on the backbox interconnect board is toast :) It had got so hot that the connector had melted to the header pins so I had to de-solder them to get it off. Replaced with new header pins and a new molex connector and all backbox GI is now working :thumbs:

  • 3 orange 1251 bulbs on the backboard don't come on - not looked at this yet.

  • Pop bumper switches need adjusting - not looked at this yet but hopefully just a case of tweaking the switches.

  • Right side lock switch needs adjusting - was registering a lock without a ball being in there. Looked like it was shorting as it had become a bit squashed. Took it off, straightened everything out and seems to work fine now :thumbs:

  • Kickback switch not working - took it off and couldn't see anything obvious, wiggled the wires and it started working fine so put a bit of extra solder on to be sure :thumbs:

  • Space Station not spinning :( - this one had me worried! The motor moved slightly the first time I powered on but then nothing every time after and all you could hear in the test was the relay clicking. Removed the motor and couldn't see anything obvious so cracked open the gear box expecting either shot gears or a burnt out motor. Gears are in surprising great shape and the little dog gear that makes it spin anti-clockwise was working great (this is a common failure point). This had me confused so I plug the motor back into the game with the gearbox open so I could see what it did. It was at that point I realised the molex connector to the motor itself was a bit knackered :oops: Sorted the connector, put everything back together and the Space Station works perfectly :thumbs:

  • 3 bank drop target switches not working - not looked at this yet but have checked that the reset coil is working ok so it's just the opto's on the switch board. Need to check if it's getting power and hoping just a bad connection.
 
ronsplooter said:
The testing has begun :D Not sure how much I'll end up videoing so going to list things out here as well:
  • Some insert LEDs not working - most were just LED's not seated in there holders correctly or the pads on the lamp boards needing a bit of new solder. All inserts are now working with 1 exception :mad: The lamp for Player 3 Bonus Ball does not want to work at all. Tried new holders, different LEDs, re-flowing solder on the lamp board and nothing. Next thing to check is voltage at the board and the connector in the backbox.
Click to expand...

Bad diode ?
 
The three orange lamps on the infill panel are lit whenever the game is in play, and tend to burn out quickly.

And could the flashbulb resistor board be in a less accessible place, on the rear wall of the cabinet?
 
The three orange lamps on the infill panel are lit whenever the game is in play, and tend to burn out quickly.
Click to expand...

I replaced with brand new ones as part of the resto so they shouldn't be burnt out...need to check the wiring, connectors etc
 
Latest update on the remaining issues:
  • Player 3 Bonus Ball lamp not working - Still need to check the diode on the lamp board as per @Sgt GrizZ suggestion.
  • Orange 1251 lamps in the backboard not working - Not looked at this yet but they're all brand new bulbs so maybe a wiring or connector issue. I think there's a test for them under coil test (like there is for the flashers) so need to check that out.
  • Switch matrix problems - Looks like I'm getting phantom switch closures as there's all sorts of weird switch behaviour going on. This needs further investigation :(
  • 3 bank drop target switches not working - this may be linked to the other switch matrix problems but not sure at this stage. I confirmed that the opto board is getting power but none of the switches register. At the moment I've disconnected the opto board from the game while I look into the other switch problems.
 
Mine are out too because I havent got the right bulbs
Click to expand...
Yes, they're 28V or something like that I think which is what the 1251 bulbs are as far as I'm aware....so think I've got the right bulbs :thumbs:
 
Ok, the switch matrix madness continues and changes :hmm: Investigating the phantom switch closures led me to a duff diode on the right lock switch so swapped this out for a new one last night. I've also tested the CPU board by disconnecting the send and return connectors and then buzzing them out with an lead and diode and all tested well apart from:
  • Testing the columns went exactly like the bible said it should but testing the rows was the opposite way round. So pin 1 of J8 buzzed to pin 1 of J10 showed switch 8 close when the bible said it should be pin 1. On my game it goes 8 to 1 rather than 1 to 8 like the doc says....is this an issue with my game or typo in the doc or do some sys11's run this way?
For now I'm assuming that it's ok and it's not a board issue so onto the switch testing. Doing some checks last night led me to a duff diode on the right lock switch so I've swapped this for a new one. This has changed the weird switch behaviour so obviously was needed but now I've got the following problems (all of these tests are being done in Switch Edges and the numbers in brackets are from the switch matrix diagram):
  • N (31) on the TION bank causes the T (28) and I (29) to also phantom close sometimes (not every time)
  • S (39) in the USA rollovers causes the Roll Under Top L (37) and Not Used (36) to also phantom close sometimes (not every time)
  • L (23) in the SHUTTLE bank causes the U (20) and 1st T (21) to also phantom close sometimes (not every time)
  • None of the pop bumper switches register in the test
Something else to note is that the 3 bank drop target opto board is disconnected and out of the game while I'm doing all this. If you look at the Space Station switch matrix there's a pattern with the phantom closures. The 3 switches that makes things happen (N, S and L are all on row 7 (columns 3, 4 and 5) and the phantom closed switches are all in a rectangle of 6 above them on rows 4 and 5. What does this mean? :) I'm going back to test more diodes but appreciate anyone's help and input here?

"Help me @pinballmania, you're my only hope!"
 
Hi,

I'm reaching far back here, but Williams used to have a section in the small handbooks for the older games about phantom switches. AIR, it advised to consider each 'rectangle', taking note of the four corners, i.e. the 'real' switch, the two phantoms, and the seemingly innocent 4th corner, which was usually the culprit.

However, your indications are multiple switches in the same column, suggesting one or more short circuits between rows. Looking at the switch table shows the 3-bank, jet bumpers and slingshots occupying column 8; you have the 3-bank eliminated, and the jet don't register (I take it you've considered that they're the old-fashioned 'Special' switches), but does anything on c8 work?

Another area common to rows 4 and 5, which are appearing as phantoms, is the opto board for the station positioner, #'s 52/53.

I've also just recalled a problem I encountered with Sp.Station, where the bumpers didn't register. I'd foolishly adjusted one of the lane change switches with the power on, and blown a column drive transistor, but it was for c8, not c7 where the l/c switches are situated.
 
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Big thanks to @Biff and @Robbie for coming over this weekend and instead of playing pinball spent most of the time helping investigate Space Station :D

Another area common to rows 4 and 5, which are appearing as phantoms, is the opto board for the station positioner, #'s 52/53.
Click to expand...

Good call @Jay Walker :thumbs: The investigations yesterday seem to have pinpointed the culprit as being that opto board. I'd also got a switch wired wrong which has been sorted and at the moment we're left with the following behaviour:

Here's the switch matrix....

SS Switch Matrix.png
With the opto board connected and Space Station Switch 1 activated (bit of card in the opto) if I then close the Left Lock switch it also shows Not Used (44) as being closed.

If I activate Space Station Switch 2 and close the Left Lock then it also shows Right Lock as being activated.

If both Space Station switches are closed in and I close Left Lock then both the Not Used and Right Lock show as closed.

In fact, if I leave both Space Station switches closed and activate any switch in Row 7 then the 2 switches on rows 4 and 5 for that column are shown as closed.

If I disconnect the opto board with the 2 Space Station switches on it then all of the other switches work as normal.

I have tested the diode on the Left Flipper Lane Change switch and it tests ok.

So if this is a problem with the opto board then the question is what is wrong with it. The issue must be common to both switches on the board as either one individually can cause the problem. I've had a look at it and there's not much too it:
  • 2 pairs of square slotted optos
  • 2 2n3906 PNP transistors
  • 2 tiny little diodes (1N414B)
  • A load of resistors
SS Opto Board.png
Testing the diodes in the board seemed to show them as being ok so could it be the transistors or opto's that are causing the problem? Or anyone got any other ideas based on my description of what's happening? :thumbs:
 
The Legend strikes again :D Nice one @pinballmania :thumbs: Switch 55 was his suspect and the test that Andy said to try has proved it I think. The test was to ignore the Space Station switches on the opto board (I had them disconnected) and close switch 50 (10 point top right) and switch 47 (Left lock) and see if it made switch 42 (Right ball popper) phantom close, which it did :)

The 4th corner of that square is switch 55 (lane change left flipper) so that needs looking at, for starters I'll stick a new diode on it :)
 
After looking at the lane change left flipper switch, a p*ss poor description emailed to The Legend along with some blurry pics he correctly identified that I've got the wrong type of switch there and it's wired up wrong with the diode facing the opposite way to how it should. Going to order the correct switch from Andy but as a quick test wired up as he suggested just now and.....problem solved :D :clap:

Just played a very quick game and no longer seeing the weird switch closures. In fact I think it's fully playable with just some lamp issues to sort as the 3 bank drop targets are all working fine now as well :thumbs:

Massive thanks to The Legend @pinballmania for the support over email....top man!!!!!!! Going to have a beer to celebrate :thumbs:
 
Apologies if you've heard this before, but my Space Invaders had been subjected to some 'automatic pilot' repair work on the flipper units. All four of them have double switches; on the main ones the additional contacts switch the upper flippers, while on the upper flippers gold-contact 'matrixed' switches simply make a firing sound (a bit more thought could have given Invaders 'lane change'). False tilts/end of ball/Game Over were being caused by plain tungsten EoS switches, with no diode at all, having been fitted.
 
Good call @Sgt GrizZ re: the Player 3 Bonus lamp....it was indeed a duff diode on the lamp board :thumbs: Replaced with a new one this evening and now working :) In fact, I think the only thing left to check is the 3 1251 lamps in the backboard as the rest of the game is done.

Just had my first couple of games and it is awesome....the light show is mental with all of the LEDs I've got in it :eek: A couple more videos to do, one going through the various issues and fixes and then a proper gameplay video :)
 
Looks and sounds absolutely superb Chris. Always good to hear music by the legendary Brian Schmidt - Space Station, Banzai, Swords of Fury, BK2K.

These System 11s really do make the world a better place.
 
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looking sweet.
I've a set of green ring leds to go into my pops.
going to try have them come on in condition green.
going to be a tight fit to get 2 sets of wires down through tho pops tho.
 
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