Author Topic: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !  (Read 2203 times)

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Offline Strangeways

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Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« on: December 15, 2014, 08:28:07 PM »

A typical story - A machine ends up in the APR workshop after endless repairs by others that quite frankly, deserved a thread of it's own. This driver board was nice and clean and looked like it was repaired. Initially, it worked for a while, and then the problems started again, but with even more issues !

The board resets the CPU, Slam Tilt messages, "door open" messages, NO Feature lamps, NO GI, and it randomly blows fuses.

After "repair" - The GI now works and fuses don't blow as frequently.

After assessing the game and observing the problems, I removed the board and checked the previous repairs..





GI connectors have indeed been replaced. All the fuses are over rated - most GI fuses are 8 Amp Slo Blo ! - So that explains why the fuses don't blow that often ! Four of the fuse holders were broken, most likely, from being "over fused".

Flip the "repaired" board over and I almost threw up !





Close up of the "repaired GI connectors" !





Here is a photo of he replaced Bridge Rectifier, with the legs not trimmed. This explains the resets when pressing the board !





Messy soldering. A blob of solder splash shorting out.





If you don''t have the correct parts, just make it up as you go ! Here's a BR with lugs "modified" to suit the board.





Here's the previous "repairer's" workmanship. J120 and J121 removed to find this mess !





Some AMAZING "repair work" being done these days !

The board has been correctly repaired and the game is almost 100%.  ^^^




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Offline ddstoys

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2014, 08:39:05 PM »
That's some quality work lol

Offline Homepin

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2014, 09:29:39 PM »
Geez your harsh - I thought I did a reasonable job of it myself.... <.>
« Last Edit: December 15, 2014, 10:10:36 PM by Homepin »
Replacement Pinball PCBs that remain faithful to the originals

Offline Retropin

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2014, 10:42:58 PM »
Seems a nats tadger is a good insulator when repairing a GI connector

Offline Freiherr

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2014, 12:07:08 AM »
PC based systems would also be easy hacks for these guys. Anything you can find in the shed that can be soldered is a useful spare part.
We need an Idiots Guide to pinball repairs published by these guys. Should be a good seller.
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Offline Redback

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2014, 07:40:18 AM »
Nice to see things repaired correctly,

Any after (repair) shots (pics)?

Red
Found hobby, now need coin

Offline Strangeways

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2014, 09:23:52 AM »
Nice to see things repaired correctly,

Any after (repair) shots (pics)?

Red

Yes - I'll take some "after" shots. I need to install some Homepin flipper optos as the ones in this game were not working.
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Offline spacejam0

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2014, 09:37:03 AM »
That's some quality work lol
Hey Dan does this remind you of my board repairs?

Offline johnwartjr

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #8 on: December 25, 2014, 05:36:35 AM »
Looks like a number of boards that come through my shop as of late.

I get a lot of boards that worked until someone tried to 'bulletproof' it, by replacing all the bridges and caps. IMO this is not a good idea, as the originals are rarely bad. 5v resets can often be fixed without touching bridges and caps. Most people claim they fixed the problem, when the only thing they've done is fixed a bunch of cold solder joints by replacing the components.

Almost always, they've pulled a bunch of through holes, and I have to pull the board back apart and fix their damage. I've installed a ton of eyelets this year and have reliably repaired a great number of driver boards without ugly jumpers.


Offline andtan

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #9 on: December 25, 2014, 10:11:04 AM »
I've installed a ton of eyelets this year and have reliably repaired a great number of driver boards without ugly jumpers.

Hey John,

Where do you source your eyelets from? They seem to be a difficult item to locate - or I'm just looking in the wrong places @.@

Andy

Offline Strangeways

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #10 on: December 25, 2014, 10:32:20 AM »
Here is another board that was badly "repaired". Symptom was that it was continually blowing either the top HV fuse, or both at the same time.

However, this only started happening AFTER I removed the 10 Amp fuses ! They SHOULD be 3/8 Amp Fast. A very common band aid for dodgy repairers / dealers is to mask the problem by overfusing the boards.









Given so many tracks are damaged, I was thinking of using the Homepin HV board.


I've installed a ton of eyelets this year and have reliably repaired a great number of driver boards without ugly jumpers.

Hey John,

Where do you source your eyelets from? They seem to be a difficult item to locate - or I'm just looking in the wrong places @.@

Andy

I've never seen these available ? I have not really looked that hard - but it would be a great option.
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Offline pinball god

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #11 on: December 25, 2014, 11:23:42 AM »
Looks like a number of boards that come through my shop as of late.

I get a lot of boards that worked until someone tried to 'bulletproof' it, by replacing all the bridges and caps. IMO this is not a good idea, as the originals are rarely bad. 5v resets can often be fixed without touching bridges and caps. Most people claim they fixed the problem, when the only thing they've done is fixed a bunch of cold solder joints by replacing the components.

Almost always, they've pulled a bunch of through holes, and I have to pull the board back apart and fix their damage. I've installed a ton of eyelets this year and have reliably repaired a great number of driver boards without ugly jumpers.



I agree. Most if not all my reset problems were fixed by repairing the actual plug/connector on the pcb. A lot of times people change bridges etc and think that was the fix, but really they unplugged the pcb and the reseating of the connectors most probably solved the issue
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Offline johnwartjr

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #12 on: December 25, 2014, 05:24:23 PM »
Given so many tracks are damaged, I was thinking of using the Homepin HV board.

Overlay boards are a good way to get some more life out of a board. I keep one next to my test rig, when I get a faulty board in for repair, I throw a overlay board in circuit to make sure the board doesn't have a logic problem before I do a HV rebuild. I find most times, troubleshooting the logic isn't cost effective, so if a board has a logic problem, I set it aside for 'some day' when I have more time.

Offline johnwartjr

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #13 on: December 25, 2014, 05:45:56 PM »
I've installed a ton of eyelets this year and have reliably repaired a great number of driver boards without ugly jumpers.

Hey John,

Where do you source your eyelets from? They seem to be a difficult item to locate - or I'm just looking in the wrong places @.@

Andy

I started off buying mine from International Eyelet in California.

http://internationaleyelets.com/

A little pricey, honestly.

The 'proper' way to set eyelets is with a press and the correct dies. Both dies come to a point, one is spring loaded, and as the eyelet is clenched (similar to a rivet) the point retracts into the die, and allows for the eyelet to be set.

You get the correct number drill (I'm not a machinist, but apparently machinists use drill bits with a # that assigns to the diameter, instead of a fractional or decimal value), enlarge the hole, and insert and set the eyelet.

I have been using a cheap hand held leather rivet punch - the kind someone might use to put rivets or rhinestones or tacky charms on a leather belt. The end result isn't as tidy as using the correct die is, but it's also 10 bucks instead of 200. The correct dies would be nice - and maybe I'll get them at some point.

Here's one like the one I bought:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/361037874688?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Or, a couple good starter kits:

http://www.soldertools.net/categories/PCB-Repair-Materials/Through%252dhole-Repair-Kit/

http://www.circuitmedic.com/products/201-3140.shtml

I use the most of the Keystone #33 eyelet - that's the one that is sized for .156 header pins like on WPC GI. I also use the #33 on plated through holes for WPC snap caps, and wire lead bridges.

500 of the #33 eyelets cost me about $25 USD.

I have 2 other sizes I use - 1 that is the size for a transistor leg, and one that is the size of a typical IC leg. These are tough to set, really painful. I imagine having the right tools would make all the difference in the world. I use a pointed pick and a very small phillips screwdriver, one on each side of the eyelet, and can get them set well enough to work.

2014 was a very expensive year in my shop for equipment - all 4 factory WMS test fixtures (Sys 3-7, Sys 9-11, WPC-WPC-S and WPC-95), new upright compressor, new sandblasting cabinet (for corrosion rework), new JBC soldering station, and a few other tools plus some electrical rework to facilitate everything else. Perhaps 2015 will be the year I can get setting eyelets 'right' :) Thankfully, I've got a decent repair business!


Offline DSB

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Re: Pinball Hacks - WPC Style !
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2014, 01:38:06 PM »
Quote
Hey John,

Where do you source your eyelets from? They seem to be a difficult item to locate - or I'm just looking in the wrong places doh

Andy

http://www.mektronics.com.au/

Mektronics are the Australian distributor for Circuitmedic products. They are not all on the site but if you email them they have access to the full circuitmedic range. Just give them the Circuitmedic parts numbers. Not a cheap product but they work well if you want to avoid jumpers.