What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Complete Williams Blackout (1980)

All back together and looking great. I'm super pleased with how it cleaned up.
A few niggles along the way but nowt too serious. I do need to desolder a few lamp holders and soak them in a glass of coke overnight as they're not working.

Put new drop and spot target decals on. Jobs a good un'

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg

image.jpg
 
Here's a strange one though. It's just started playing up :rolleyes:

Randomly it will just go into attract in the middle of a game. I'll have no flippers and when it drains it doesn't recognise it. Also the sound just freezes. I have to start a new game to get it out of it.

It's not a reset. The game doesn't power off then restart. It just goes into attract mode, as if I just switched it on with the exception of the frozen sound!!

Didn't do that before :mad:

Any suggestions peeps.

Edit: Just watched @lukewells YouTube vid and it maybe the power supply having a 5v issue. I didn't link it to both flippers being pressed but it could well be that as I haven't tried it. One thing I did notice, is the pop bumper lamps go out once they're hit and randomly come back on. This shouldn't happen either according to the vids I've watched.
 
Last edited:
Right o Pete. Now you mention it this problem has only manifested itself since I cleaned the contacts on the flipper switches and eos'!!
I guess a switch test would reveal this? I'm not familiar with the diagnostics menu in these old games. Would that explain the random extinguishing of the pop bumber lamps though?
 
Last edited:
Scratch that. It's defo only happening when both flippers are pressed simultaneously. New caps for the power board it is. Not that I ever double flip:rolleyes: Must have been discovered by my mate :oops:
 
Great work Gaz, she looks sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Just a shame you are so far away as I would have loved a few games.
 
Cheers Daz. Just need to sort the reset.
I reckon after I cleaned the switch contacts, it was just enough to draw a bit more current and t'was the straw that broke the camels back so to speak.
 

In my case it was because the filter capacitor was almost entirely dead and spikes were getting through to the +5v rail and causing it to crash, rather than the voltage sagging.

If you have voltage sagging then also clean/replace any power related header pins, and you may need to re-pin some of the power related harness connectors as well.


If you have the original filter capacitor though, replacing it can only be a good thing.
 
Thanks Luke. Yes the pf is very nice. Shame the cab isn't as nice but hey, you don't play that.

I'll replace those parts which you did in your vid and go from there.
 
Mmmmmmmm I love pinball machines. They're my favourite.
No I don't I'm lying. They ****ing **** me off.

Now the sounds stopped working.
I noticed a little capacitor or whatever they're called had snapped, so resoldered it and flashed a game up, then I got speech for one game, now i have nothing again:mad:

Any suggestions welcome
 
Looks beautiful Gaz. You'll iron out the gremlins soon enough. I've spent the last week tracing all the faults on my new Bally Gold Ball MPU and only just got it going again today. I'd check the stability of that +5VDC to the MPU. Random partial resets and strange goings-on can be because the CPU briefly skips out of it's programme. Unless they've been done recently I'd definitely get some new capacitors in your power supply. The ones from the 70s and 80s were only good for about 10 years!
 
Cheers Peter. I've reseated all the connectors and cleaned up the connectors and it's stopped the resets for now. Board repairs are above my pay grade so I'll send em both off when I've sold a kidney.
 
Clean connectors are just as important as new caps! Does BLACKOUT use Molex/Trifurcon connectors for the boards? I know they have a limited lifespan in terms of the number of times they can be disconnected and reconnected, but getting the header pins nice and clean usually does the trick. Point in case was when I cleaned the EOS switches in my VECTOR flippers. Nearly doubled the power because once cleaned they were conducting the current so much better!

BTW, just wondering on those large green bonus inserts above the flippers: are they really badly cupped or is it just the photograph playing tricks? Did you fill them with clear? Are the so bad as to affect play? Just curious...
 
The inserts are cupped but I have to say the camera makes them appear worse as the Mylar is so shiny. The ball isn't affected unless it's going REALLY slowly then it can tip the ball of course marginally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom