Problem Pinball Skateball Bally 1980.Mpu not start.

[JDJVLC]

Hello friends,i have a skateball pinball bally 1980,which does not start up correctly,sometimes when you start several times starts,but to start almost always i have to press in MPU Self button to reset memories and then you can start,also the sound should be heard by default sometimes changes.Someone could help me?since this is my first pinball Bally System 1.Thank You!

[wiredoug]

Unless you have the skill to fix it then sometimes the easiest option is just to buy an alltek board and replace the MPU

http://www.allteksystems.com/products-mpu-replacements.html#mpu

[Strangeways]

The first thing to check is if there is any corrosion on the MPU from battery leakage. I suspect there will be some as the most affected area is within the reset section of the MPU. If the original NiCad battery is still in the board, then it needs to be cut out and replaced with a battery pack or similar.

The sound option is set via setup #18 and selecting 00, 01 or 02. If you are resetting the MPU via the reset switch on the MPU then this setting will not be retained. Also, if the battery is flat, then it will lose this setting also.

The easiest test is to remove all the connectors to the MPU board except J4. Then switch on the game and look for 7 flashes. You can clean J4 connector pins and gently reseat the socketed chips. Be careful that you do not touch U8 (5101) as it is a CMOS device.

[beaky]

+1

[swinks]

I had similar problems when I first got my Skateball (now sold) after it travelled to me and it ended up needing a few chips (removable ones).

Let us know where you live and then maybe a tech from here can visit you if they are close or alternatively if you are not confident to identify the issues yourself you can always take the board out and send to a member as a few techs that can help. Make sure to tag the leads and take photos before removing if you are not confident.