Okay, here's the board work so far:
1) checked all fuses to make sure they're proper values
2) Game boots into audit mode. Common issue with the sys3-7 games when there is an issue with the memory (game settings) circuit. Put in fresh batteries, no change. Check the diode to the batteries that stops the circuit from trying to charge batteries while powered and stops the batteries from trying to power the board while off. Diode is good. Pull batteries and put them in a flashlight to be sure - good. Put batteries back in, now it boots to attract mode. Conclusion: battery holder probably needs to be resoldered as it looks good. I'm going to remove it and run a two pin connector to a remote holder anyway to avoid leaky batteries ever killing the game again.
3) Game credits but won't start. Check the leaf on the start button - good. Check the diode on the start switch - good. Check the wires on the switch back to the connector - good. Shrug and put 3 balls in the trough. Now it starts. Guess the Williams games need balls in the trough or the start switch does nothing. Didn't know that.
4) Lots of sounds missing including all speech. Sound test switch only plays one sound. Pull sound board and replace all header pins with new square pins. Don't expect this to fix the issue but I'm going to do it all around for reliability reasons. Doesn't fix the problem. Pull the sound select connector and ground each pin manually. All that should play a sound work so the nonspeech game sound problem at least is not the sound board. Waiting on a supplies order so I can recap the sound board - it's also possible the pot on the speech board is bad as I couldn't get any range out of it on the DMM. Clay's guide says that the sound select on Sys7 is done by a PIA on the driver board - I'm going to redo the driver/mpu interboard connector anyway so maybe that will clear it up. If not I check the PIA.
5) Game won't advance to ball 2 when ball one drains.
Supplies in the mail right now: header pins for all boards including interconnect, terminal pins, connector housings, female interconnect terminals, polarity pins for new connectors, cap kit for sound board.