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Arcade Collecting => Pinball => Topic started by: Ken Layton on December 30, 2011, 01:32:42 pm

Title: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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 (http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bally_Home_Models)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: TopJimmyCooks 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. 
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard on December 30, 2011, 04:04:18 pm
Ken, I just saw all of that and wow! Thanks!
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: jrivelli 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!
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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 Mind Test Attract Modes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wplyXb1yro#)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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 (http://www.nightmarepark.com/Pinball%20Mind.html)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: ed12 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
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on January 22, 2012, 09:44:39 pm
Generally the power supply board can be repaired.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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!
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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 (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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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?
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on February 29, 2012, 11:56:53 am
I added a switch matrix chart today.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on April 20, 2012, 06:02:21 pm
I've made a few minor updates in the Bally Home Model repair section of pinwiki.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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 (http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/at90s2313/library/Pinball%20and%20Arcade%20Games/Fireball%20-%20Heathkit)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: ChadTower 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:
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on January 03, 2013, 11:45:30 pm
The main "corner cutting" they did was with the power supply board.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Pinball Wizard 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!?!?!
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on January 05, 2013, 10:45:54 pm
Yeh those Series 1 machines had no fuses!
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: cheeseviking 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/ (http://www.marcospecialties.com/)

They think the new replacement boards will be ready for sale by Mid Feb.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: cheeseviking 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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)
                     www.flippers.com (http://www.flippers.com)
       "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: ed12 on April 09, 2013, 12:22:58 pm
if john has it
it will be right
there in second thinking here

ed
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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:

Fireball Home Pinball - Progress Update (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJR-yLD6q8E#ws)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on July 03, 2013, 01:11:45 am
Here is a video showing how the original Bally Fireball home model pinball plays and sounds.

Fireball home model (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGE5xzPtLaw#)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: chopperthedog on December 26, 2015, 07:44:05 pm
Great thread Ken. Figured I'd add to it for future use purposes.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341211)

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.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341213)

Stock pcb mounted switch.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341215)

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.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341217)

Switches installed.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341219)

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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton 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/515-6459-09)

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-6459-09R (http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-6459-09R)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: chopperthedog 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.

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341499)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341501)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341503)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341505)

(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341507)

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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: chopperthedog on December 31, 2015, 08:35:20 pm
http://youtu.be/BHvsZ3cpxP4 (http://youtu.be/BHvsZ3cpxP4)

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



good day.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Phelpsmeister 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.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on November 16, 2016, 01:05:16 am
Updating this old thread. The original designer of the "Pinball Mind" board passed away from cancer several years ago. His work, drawings, designs, etc were turned over to Marco Specialties who promptly did absolutely nothing and shelved it. So that's how things sit right now.

If anyone would like to design new modern boards for the Bally home model pinball machines, PLEASE DO IT. A modern replacement board is sorely needed. John Robertson at flippers.com has made some replacement cpu chips to bring the original boards back to life.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: ed12 on November 16, 2016, 03:30:22 pm
ken
do u know which micro he used ?
or would like just to call john and ask ?
maybe i can help as i do have all of the admiral (bally-home-pin) stuff

ed
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on November 16, 2016, 11:52:12 pm
I believe the cpu chip he was using was a 65C02.

Here is an archive of his site:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120827232720/http://www.nightmarepark.com/Pinball%20Mind.html (http://web.archive.org/web/20120827232720/http://www.nightmarepark.com/Pinball%20Mind.html)

Attached is a 3D drawing of the board. I do have the board schematics Tony had drawn up, but it's a 500K pdf and forum file size restrictions prohibit it. I could email it though.

Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: ed12 on November 17, 2016, 12:46:36 am
please do
i was  looking for the sdk also

ed
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on November 17, 2016, 01:59:27 am
A better archived webpage has been found and it has the high quality pictures of the board still there.

http://web.archive.org/web/20141208105120/http://aleg.eu01.aws.af.cm/tony/Pinball%20Mind.html (http://web.archive.org/web/20141208105120/http://aleg.eu01.aws.af.cm/tony/Pinball%20Mind.html)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on November 21, 2016, 05:58:17 pm
Great thread Ken. Figured I'd add to it for future use purposes.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341211)

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.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341213)

Stock pcb mounted switch.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341215)

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.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341217)

Switches installed.


(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=136713.0;attach=341219)

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.

A good substitute would be either of these complete assemblies:

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3776 (http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3776)

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3290 (http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3290)
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: chopperthedog on November 22, 2016, 09:19:28 am
A good substitute would be either of these complete assemblies:

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3776 (http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3776)

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3290 (http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3290)
Those would work, but with major modification to the pcb (cutting notches and adding jumpers). There is not enough clearance to get a conventional spoon switch in there, which is why I went with a williams leaf with the crazy bend so I didn't have to hack up anything. If you look at the pic in my Evel Knievel home model thread you can see bally rotated the pop assemblies a complete 180 so that standard spoon switches could be used.



good day.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on November 22, 2016, 10:56:44 am
Looks like a guy could get a nibbler going to the right in that picture and cut away part of the board unless there were traces on the top of the board there.
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: thedon554 on September 13, 2021, 09:50:23 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 (http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bally_Home_Models)

On that wiki page, there's mention of adding fuses on the primary and secondary ac power circuits for the series 2 machines; what would be a good amperage for those fuses?  Or what would be a good way to go about determining it?
Title: Re: Bally home pinball model service information
Post by: Ken Layton on September 14, 2021, 12:27:14 pm
I would say to try a 1 amp slo-blo fuse for the AC primary side of the power transformer and a 2.5 amp slo-blo fuse for the 18 volt feature lamps/logic supply (red wires) of the transformer.