Author Topic: Creature switch errors .. but why ?  (Read 1492 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline robm

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • ******
  • Forum Posts:
  • Townsville
Re:
« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2014, 07:51:05 PM »
What is the connector like at the bottom of mpu board. Maybe a slightly dodgy one?

Offline goodolddays

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • ******
  • Forum Posts:
  • Riverstone NSW
Re:
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2014, 08:04:53 AM »
What is the connector like at the bottom of mpu board. Maybe a slightly dodgy one?

Connector looks fine . Also, if it was the connector surely the whole column (or row) would be playing up rather than just one switch .

This fault is doing my head in for sure. I have also checked there is no short to earth from the switch , no short between rows and columns either .
 
 ^&^
« Last Edit: November 27, 2014, 09:02:29 AM by goodolddays »
I need more room ! and more $$$

Offline goodolddays

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • ******
  • Forum Posts:
  • Riverstone NSW
Re: Creature switch errors .. but why ?
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2014, 07:06:08 PM »
The ball trough has the mechanical switches .
The wiring harness looks good. I have made some more progress.
I checked every switch again in single switch test looking for any others that were cycling between open and closed when held closed for a while (same behaviour as rh trough has) and found all but two of the switches in the same row are . (I thought I had already done this check )
I then measured across the NC contacts of all these switches and found most were reading open. I reflowed the NC and common contacts of these switches and this has improved the fault situation a lot .
It is still there but the open/close frequency is a lot less now to the point where I can start and play a game but sometimes game halts before serving next ball and/or occassionally does a ball search . If the trough switch wasn't affected I doubt anyone would normally notice this fault .

I don't understand how a bad solder joint on the NC side of a switch can affect the NO side of the switch (other than if the bad joint is on the common terminal I guess). These switches were still passing self test and registering closed (just toggling between open/closed when held closed) .. but if you just closed them as long as a ball would then they registered closed ie .. work normallly in game play because only the trough switches and ramp up/down are closed for long periods of time in a game (Opto's too of course but they are not part of this PITA fault)
« Last Edit: November 27, 2014, 07:15:11 PM by goodolddays »
I need more room ! and more $$$

Offline Redback

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • *****
  • Forum Posts:
Re: Creature switch errors .. but why ?
« Reply #18 on: December 21, 2014, 07:56:17 AM »
Bally/Williams WPC89 MPU board (with ASIC installed)
$215.00 US plus post

http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/ProductPages/RotDogBoards.html

Time to start eliminating possibilities.

Red
Found hobby, now need coin

Offline goodolddays

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • ******
  • Forum Posts:
  • Riverstone NSW
Re: Creature switch errors .. but why ?
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2014, 10:44:30 AM »
Bally/Williams WPC89 MPU board (with ASIC installed)
$215.00 US plus post

http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/ProductPages/RotDogBoards.html

Time to start eliminating possibilities.

Red

Thanks Red . I think I have already eliminated the CPU board as the culprit . Have already replaced U20 , made 0 difference.
I need more room ! and more $$$

Offline Strangeways

  • Pinball Restoration is my passion
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • *****
  • High Score Initials:
  • Forum Posts:
  • Melbourne
  • ABN 68 283 634 461
    • Ride The Boney Beast
Re: Creature switch errors .. but why ?
« Reply #20 on: December 21, 2014, 10:52:18 AM »
Replace the offending switches. Could have internal issues you can't see that are causing the fault to be intermittent.
Aussie Pinball - Proud to be Australia's Premier Pinball Forum

http://www.australianpinballrestorations.com.au/

http://www.rtbb.com.au/catalog/

We carry the largest range of NEW Ramps in Australia

Offline Steevsee

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • ******
  • High Score Initials:
  • Forum Posts:
  • Brisbane
Re:Creature switch errors....but why?
« Reply #21 on: February 17, 2015, 09:43:10 PM »
What is the connector like at the bottom of mpu board. Maybe a slightly dodgy one?

Connector looks fine . Also, if it was the connector surely the whole column (or row) would be playing up rather than just one switch .

This fault is doing my head in for sure. I have also checked there is no short to earth from the switch , no short between rows and columns either .
 
 ^&^

I think Rob might be on the right track.
Individual switch lines can be affected by a bad connector.  

The Insulation displacement connectors are prone to problems.

You could try carefully pressing the individual wires into the connector with a small screwdriver to see if any change to switch error.


http://www.iobium.com/wpc_idc_connectors.htm
« Last Edit: February 17, 2015, 10:05:00 PM by Steevsee »

Offline goodolddays

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • ******
  • Forum Posts:
  • Riverstone NSW
Re: Creature switch errors .. but why ?
« Reply #22 on: December 09, 2015, 10:02:08 AM »
Yesterday I was able to play about 15 games (and get my highest score ever of 324 Million !) and now there are no switch errors.

Before I turned the game on I reseated the switch matrix row connector (which I had tried before a couple of times back when I was trying to find the cause of these switch errors)

I am now 99% sure all my switch problems are connector related .

Time to order some .100 connectors and replace the switch matrix connectors with Trifurcon which is what I should have done in the 1st place no doubt !
I need more room ! and more $$$