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Author Topic: Bally home pinball model service information  (Read 29149 times)

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Ken Layton

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Bally home pinball model service information
« on: December 30, 2011, 01:32:42 pm »
I've just added a ton of information and photos to the Bally home model pinball page at pinwiki if anyone is interested.

http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bally_Home_Models

TopJimmyCooks

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2011, 01:59:14 pm »
Thanks for doing that.  I don't have a home model Bally but I still appreciate your knowledge being shared. 

Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2011, 04:04:18 pm »
Ken, I just saw all of that and wow! Thanks!
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2011, 04:28:59 pm »
I had taken a bunch of pictures of the Captain Fantastic home model I worked on during the summer. I was finally able to get some advice on how to post them to a wiki format.

BTW, I added some info and pictures to the Atari pinball wiki too. Worked on an Atari Superman last summer and took pictures of it.

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2011, 05:13:07 pm »
That is so cool man! Those pics are really sweet for me personally. I'm 100% visual, thanks again!
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Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2012, 12:31:10 pm »
I added some more to it last night.

I've now edited the information and pictures for a neater layout and look.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2012, 12:36:20 am by Ken Layton »

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2012, 02:26:07 am »
Well it looks like someone has developed a modern replacement game board that works in both Series 1 and Series 2 home machines. They have posted a youtube video of this new board:


Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2012, 10:09:41 am »
Thanks for the info Ken, my MPU is dead and (pending price) I finally have a solution other than hanging the backbox on the wall.
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2012, 12:28:50 pm »
I wish there were more information about this new board. There needs to be a website for it with pictures of the board, information, pricing, etc.

If it were priced at $200 or so like an Altek board, my friend who has a Captain Fantastic home pinball machine with a dead CPU board would buy one.

EDIT: I found out some more information on it. The board is called the "Pinball Mind". Here is a link to it:

http://www.nightmarepark.com/Pinball%20Mind.html
« Last Edit: January 22, 2012, 12:46:44 pm by Ken Layton »

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2012, 03:14:47 pm »
ken
what i did not see was pricing
on either of the board's and or the sdk s/w ?

ed
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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2012, 09:30:27 pm »
It isn't released for sale yet. Only bad news for me is that it doesn't look to replace the power board which is also cooked to a crisp on mine.
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2012, 09:44:39 pm »
Generally the power supply board can be repaired.

Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2012, 06:11:03 pm »
My power board has burned up so much of the traces that I am starting to think that I just need to take inputs and outputs of it and just redesign the power board. The guy on KLOV shelved the project and it might be the swift kick in the ass I need to do it. Maybe actually include a fuse or 2 in the design too!
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #13 on: February 17, 2012, 12:16:41 pm »
The "Pinball Mind" board will have two options for power. One option includes a complete re-engineered power transformer box which includes new power supply board inside it (you send your old power transformer box and power supply board for a core credit). The other option allows you to use a common Peter Chou screw terminal power supply for the +5 volts. You use the Peter Chou supply in conjunction with the original power supply board and transformer box with the original units still providing the other voltages.

There is a website showing pictures of a guy's Fireball home model that got converted to using conventional pinball lamp sockets and switch assemblies in place of those phony microswitch units on the original machine's giant playfield circuit board:

http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/album521

EDIT: The above link is now no good. Please see my post further down the thread for the new link to the Fireball pictures.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2013, 12:44:55 pm by Ken Layton »

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2012, 02:41:09 am »
I scanned the instruction and score cards for the Captain Fantastic home pinball. They are attached here in pdf format.

Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2012, 11:02:48 am »
I scanned the instruction and score cards for the Captain Fantastic home pinball. They are attached here in pdf format.

Ken, so that I don't steal credit from you, would you mind uploading them to PinWiki and placing them on the page for these games?
Where's my gold star :P

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2012, 01:52:48 pm »
Yeh I guess I could do that. I also posted it on the manuals section of KLOV.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #17 on: February 29, 2012, 11:56:53 am »
I added a switch matrix chart today.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2012, 11:08:35 pm »
I've heard from the developer of the Pinball Mind board for the Bally home pinball machines. He's got the first group of sample boards being fabricated right now. I think he should receive them in about 3 weeks. Then beta testing can be done.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2012, 06:01:31 pm by Ken Layton »

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #19 on: April 20, 2012, 06:02:21 pm »
I've made a few minor updates in the Bally Home Model repair section of pinwiki.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #20 on: May 06, 2012, 02:16:13 pm »
The Pinball Mind "sample" circuit boards have arrived from the PCB manufacturer and are now at the developer's residence so that the programming and testing can be done.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #21 on: May 08, 2012, 01:53:38 am »
I've now seen pictures of the Pinball Mind circuit boards as they arrived from the PCB manufacturer.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #22 on: January 02, 2013, 11:05:16 pm »
Here is a new link to the pictures of a Fireball converted to use normal pinball switches and lamp sockets:

http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/at90s2313/library/Pinball%20and%20Arcade%20Games/Fireball%20-%20Heathkit

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #23 on: January 03, 2013, 09:55:08 am »

This is awesome.  I really dig seeing this much love given to machines most collectors consider $20 trash.   :cheers:

Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #24 on: January 03, 2013, 08:48:03 pm »
I'm VERY slowly working on getting a set of boards developed to drop into these machines. The original boards were junk, and it really scares me where they cut corners on it. I'm behind schedule on this by a longshot as I was hoping to have a test board in my game by now, but it didn't happen. Soon hopefully, soon.
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2013, 11:45:30 pm »
The main "corner cutting" they did was with the power supply board.

Pinball Wizard

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #26 on: January 05, 2013, 10:32:06 pm »
The main "corner cutting" they did was with the power supply board.

That is very true, but it scares me. Who doesn't fuse this crap!?!?!
Where's my gold star :P

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #27 on: January 05, 2013, 10:45:54 pm »
Yeh those Series 1 machines had no fuses!

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #28 on: January 29, 2013, 12:45:42 pm »
I've been trying to track down some info on the Pinball Mind.
After a few emails I was pointed to http://www.marcospecialties.com/

They think the new replacement boards will be ready for sale by Mid Feb.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2013, 12:18:28 pm »
That is good news, but I see no mention of it on Marco's website. Any idea on pricing?

Originally, "Nightmare Tony" (the late Tony Gonzales, the Pinball Mind creator) had envisioned selling this with a Peter Chou screw terminal switching regulator power supply kit. The new power supply would handle the +5 volts for the Pinball Mind logic board and +12 volts for the amplifier section of the board. The main weakness of the home model Bally pinballs was the cheapo power supply that had NO overvoltage protection. When any component on the original power supply failed, usually a catastrophic failure followed with several other components going bad too. When that happened, +22 volts (solenoid power) would get applied to the +5 circuit and fry the cpu board. Tony also envisioned the need for a decent regulated +12 volts for those people who wanted to mod/upgrade their home model machines with things like lighted flipper buttons.

The main thing was that the new Peter Chou power supply would supplement the original power supply board and power transformer. The original power supply board would only be providing solenoid voltage and switched illumination voltage. With the Peter Chou handling +5 and +12 volts, there's no way the power supply could fry the new board.

Tony had also thought of adding fuses to the series 1 transformer assembly and replacing those crappy "push-to-reset" circuit breakers on the series 2 transformer assembly with conventional fuses for reliability.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2013, 12:24:52 pm by Ken Layton »

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #30 on: February 06, 2013, 05:59:12 pm »
Thanks for all that info. I've seen your name pop up on a few different boards/threads when I was looking for answers.  :)

I was following Tony's website and emailed El Dorado games, the company he listed that would sell the board. They told me the project had been dumped off to Marco Specialties, and after an email with them I found out this
"We have spoke with the gentleman who was originally in charge of this project and he was talking about turning it over to us. I believe we have the plans and everything and are working on this board now. It will probably be mid February until we have these available"
They could not tell me anything on price.

I have a Bally Home Fireball. The backglass lights powerup and the flippers work, but that's it. Nothing on the playfield works and no scores are registered. I was hoping this new board would be an easy and not too costly fix.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #31 on: April 09, 2013, 12:04:14 pm »
John Robertson in Vancouver, B.C. (Canada) has just announced he has a replacement cpu board available NOW for the Bally home model pinballs Series 2 machines (Series 1 board coming in a couple of months). Here's his announcement:

Finally, after trying to get this off the ground for over ten years I
have a solution to the failing 3850/3870 CPUs and support ICs for the
Bally Home Pinball games.

Just finished the rough test today, and the replacement part covers both
versions of CPU with a PCB needed for the older 3850, and the original
3870 socketed for the second version of the MPU. This uses the later
version software but all of the game functions (including sounds) are
present as per my test machine - a Captain Fantastic (home) machine.

Immediately available for the single chip (3870) series games @ $75USD
plus shipping.


And, in a month or two, I should have something ready that folks can
install for the three chip (3850/51) series games that will cost around
$125.

John :-#)#
--
    (Please post followups or tech enquiries to the newsgroup)
  John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
  Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
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       "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #32 on: April 09, 2013, 12:22:58 pm »
if john has it
it will be right
there in second thinking here

ed
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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #33 on: July 02, 2013, 02:53:18 am »
Now posted on youtube is a series of videos from a guy developing new hardware and software to operate the Bally Fireball home pinball. Here is just one of his videos:


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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #34 on: July 03, 2013, 01:11:45 am »
Here is a video showing how the original Bally Fireball home model pinball plays and sounds.


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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #35 on: December 26, 2015, 07:44:05 pm »
Great thread Ken. Figured I'd add to it for future use purposes.




I picked up this Fireball earlier this week that was pretty damn cheap and SUPER clean but didn't work. 5v and 12v were dead and R101 position in the 22v section of the power supply was charred like a mofo. After reading this thread I ended up wiring in a switcher to handle the 5v & 12v and rebuilt the 22v section with new transistor, caps, diodes and resistor. Once all that was done, the damn thing fired right up and the ball was ejected.

All was well except the pop bumpers were awful. Left one worked 85% of the time an right one worked 15% of the time which was determined to have a bad micro switch. The problem with the set up is the spoon switches are mounted to a big pcb under the play field and conventional pop/spoon leafs would not have worked without major modification.




Stock pcb mounted switch.




Got the idea in my head to use a couple williams leaf switches from a defender panel I had kickin around. Cut the spoon portion off the arm of the micro switch and soldered it to the switch that I had bent.




Switches installed.




PCB back in place with switch wires soldered right to board.


Game is actually pretty fun when you have pop bumpers that work 100% of the time.



good day.

Ken Layton

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #36 on: December 26, 2015, 09:30:35 pm »
That's a good idea you got there!

I had an idea that it looks like it would be possible to 'shoehorn' in a Gottlieb spoon switch assembly such as GTB-22704 or GTB-22704 which are available at Pinball Resource. These are small enough that they look like they would fit in this application.

Maybe even these:

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-6459-09

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-6459-09R

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #37 on: December 31, 2015, 02:27:54 pm »
Play field stripped, cleaned and detailed all parts. New rubbers, pop skirts, rod and rings plus coils sleeves throughout.











I didn't like this original post since it made the ball hop really bad. You can see above I changed it to a standard post.

Turned out to be a fun fast little game. A nice example of one of these things for the condition it's in. Was fun to fix up and get working again.


good day.

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #38 on: December 31, 2015, 08:35:20 pm »


Shot a vid of my table. You can see it's no slouch now.



good day.

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Re: Bally home pinball model service information
« Reply #39 on: May 30, 2016, 12:04:16 pm »
Man....chopperthedog....you sir are an inspiration!   :applaud:

Seeing your Fireball gives me hope that I can bring mine back from the "mostly dead" state it's in.