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Strange cosmic sound issue

HomerRamone

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
1,359
Location
Newcastle
Have checked connectors, disconnected things etc etc. Still cant suss out what's amiss here.
Sound works when you turn it on.. then it stops. Sometimes after 2-3 seconds sometimes after 8-9. Just don't get it.


Any thoughts appreciated.
 
I did contact the maker of the audio board (which is these fellas here http://pinballpcb.com/contact/)
Whilst they were helpful (esp considering I didn't actually buy it from them) they were no real help.

Ive tried disconnecting the soldeoid drive connector and running the self test - but that dont seem to work.
Im thinking maybe its the driver transistor(s) starting to break down ... but im guessing. Its a 3rd party MPU/Driver board (rottendog)
 
If you disconnect sound board from the other boards, is there a self test button? if not can you try trigger sounds by injecting high or low signals to its input?

really need to figure out if it’s the sound card itself at fault or the signals from the mpu not getting through properly

the sound in your video clip almost sounds like a warning sound, like somethings not right? are all voltages correct?
 
There should be a diagnostic button - but its a jumper, however shorting it doesnt seem to produce test sounds. (But as I said its a 3rd party board - though im sure that should work)
I have just tested the voltages (prior to reading this - spooky) and there only looks to be 10.8V at the sound input at 10J and there should be 18.7
(I put the meter across 9 & 5 and also across 5 & 1 - not sure if thats the correct way to test ?)

1671290872656.png
Those are coming directly from the transformer though - I have replaced these because previously they had "chocolate block" connectors at either end - which was bugging me - but I was getting this issue before I replaced that.
A new transformer sounds expensive :(
 
Ah - I see. Didnt realise that.
Reading across 1 and 9 gives me 20.7.
And when its going beep beep it still reads the same.
I actually disconnected J3 when it was beeping - and the beeping persists so the sound board for whatever reason is deffo doing the beeping.
 
(I Also shorted the diag pins whilst it was actually playing sounds - and it just stops playing sounds and does nothing - im sure the original will do the sound test in that situation)
 
I do have the original as the originals all came with it.
Nno idea as to whether they work, presumably they were replaced for a reason.
Actually the sound board is missing the j3 header. May try installing it and trying that.
Actually II still have the boards for my robot Ron which is the same sound board..
 
Tried my Robotron sound card this afternoon - and it seems to work fine. So I guess theres something amiss with the sound board. The place that it came from did offer to check and repair it if its faulty for $20-30 so I could do that I guess. Although not sure if shipping will make this just as expensive as buying a replacment. (Time I pay to send it the US - and assuming they want paid for returning it).
Will put the J3 header back on the orignal one (and probably replace the caps) and see how that pans out !

Thanks
 
This... is the sweet sound of victory.
Replaced the caps and header (What a quest getting the old caps out !).
Woohoo !
 
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