Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: battletoads on August 12, 2005, 12:24:18 am
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OK! When I open the I/O screen in my Xmen PCB's test mode, it shows all the buttons on my CP and next to each one is a '0'. When i push a button, its corresponding '0' turns to a '1'. All the buttons on my CP work, except 'Coin 1' is ALWAYS at '1'. All 4 of my coin wires that come from the jamma cable and the jamma+ cables are running to buttons on my CP because my coin doors are screwed up.
I tried cutting the wire that runs from the 'Coin 1' plug in my big Jamma cable, and it still has a '1' value. Any ideas? Is there any other wire on the Jamma harness (maybe a parts wire, a key wire, lock, counter, or something) that could make my PCB think that Coin slot 1 is constantly activated? Or could it be my PCB? The connectors are all clean by the way, and the Jamma connector doesn't appear to be damaged anywhere.
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did you check the Coin Switch ? Maybe the wire is stuck. Maybe its connected wrong or its shorted. If you run the game, does the P1 gets credits ?
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From the 'Coin 1' slot on my big Jamma harness runs a red wire. I spliced this with one of my own wires and ran that to a button on my CP. This system works for the other three players, but not player one.
No, player one never receives credits, which seems odd since according to the I/O screen the coin switch is ALWAYS activated. I don't see any visual imperfections in the wire at all. I have a TMNT Konami PCB coming in the mail in the next few days, so if I don't have the same problem with that board then I'll know its the X-men PCB.
How could I tell if it's shorted? If you read my past posts you'll see that the previous PCB in the machine was Battletoads, and that was wired for a common cin mechanism. No matter which slot I put a coin in, anybody could use a credit. I don't know how the previous owner managed this, and I don't understand how something besides the Coin 1 wire is making the game think the slot is in use.
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Thenasty, anybody else, you don't know how I could fix this?
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Did you actually CUT the wire to the Coin 1 pin, or just disconnect it from the button?
From the sounds of it, you say you spliced into the wire, which would leave the existing coin mech in parallel with the coin button.
I would try cutting the wire that leads to the coin mechanism, and see if that cures it.
If it works properly with just the button as Coin 1, your problem is with the actual mechanism itself.
If you want to check the mech, it's not really complicated.
Just make sure that you hear the switch at the bottom of the mech clicking when the wire that actuates it is hit (as if by a coin).
As far as the settings that were done on Battletoads, if the 4 coin mechs are physically wired individually to the JAMMA harness, the "single coin slot" setting was probably a dipswitch thing.
Most of the "four" player games had dipswitch settings that would allow them to be used as a conversion in 2 player cabs (with only two players available obviously).
Because the game designers didn't know the exact layout of the conversion cab, they also usually included settings for "one coin mech only", "two coin mechs that take the same coin", "two coin mechs that take different coins", etc...
Another benefit of this was that the ops could quickly bypass a non-working coin mech using the dipswitches, and get the game back online.
That allowed them to actually FIX the game after hours, when they wouldn't be losing money doing it.
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That's the thing, it doesnt work properly with just a button as Coin 1. If I have a button connected to the 'Coin 1' slot in the Jamma cable or I have the wire cut 8 inches from the Jamma connector, regardless, this damn thing registers a '1' value as if it is always activated. 'Coin 1' is in no way connected to the coin mechanism itself that I can see.
Its weird that when I run a wire from the 'Coin 2' slot to a button it works perfectly, if I cut that wire and dont attach a button, it registers a '0'. That makes me think that somewhere in this game something else affects player 1's credits in some way besides the 'Coin 1' slot in my Jamma cable
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If you're registering a "1" with only a bare wire coming off the JAMMA harness, there's something in either the harness, or board, that is causing that "1".
The harness is rather unlikely because it's about 7-8 pins from ground, IIRC.
The first thing I'd check is the Coin 1 pin itself though.
Is there anything near it that could be creating a connection somehow?
(Solder bridge, another bare wire, etc...)
Next, I would try disconnecting the harness, and slap a multi-meter onto the Coin1 pin, and ground.
If you're getting connection, the problem is in the harness; if not, it's in the board.
I don't know what would cause it though?
If it is the board, I'd wait for the other one you have coming, and check it there.
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Thanks, you are the man. I'll do my best to check it out in the next few days, i'll come back if its problematic
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Unfortunately all I can offer is general troubleshooting.
Maybe someone else can offer up some game-specific suggestions.
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Did you connect the wires to the N/C tab instead of the N/O tab?
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No, its connected to the N/O tab, but if I had it mistakenly connected to the wrong one, could that have ruined the wire or something, or no?
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No, its connected to the N/O tab, but if I had it mistakenly connected to the wrong one, could that have ruined the wire or something, or no?
No.
It would just act like a stuck button.
The NC/NO thing wouldn't come into play anyway because you clipped the wire off, so that there was no switch on to be hooked up wrong.
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So if I can get my hands on a multimeter will I be touching the multimeter plugs on the end of the cut, copper wire that comes from the 'Coin 1' slot in the Jamma cable (while the game is on?) or will I touch the the slot in the Jamma cable that clamps onto the PCB, on the little metal section for 'Coin 1' (while the game is on?)
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Turn the game off, then remove the JAMMA cable from the board.
That will take all the board stuff out of the loop, leaving you with just wiring.
(In this case the switches and such aren't even a factor because you cut the wire to bare wire).
If you have a connection between the Coin 1 wire (either at the end, or at the pin) and Ground (anywhere on the connector, or chassis) with the JAMMA harness disconnected, there's a problem with the harness/wiring itself.
Assuming that there is no connection between the two pins with the board disconnected, reconnect the board, leave the machine off, and test from the end of the coin wire to ground.
You STILL shouldn't be getting continuity because that is what the switch is supposed to do.
If you have no continuity with the harness alone, and have continuity with the board in the loop, the problem is on the board.
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OK, NoOne=NBA=, well the TMNT PCB arrived today, I hook it up, and the damn thing works perfectly, every button, every coin slot. With this in mind, I guess the problem is the X-men PCB. What boggles my mind is is the only place whre the problem could be the JAMMA connector, or could there be some little ROM chip or tiny metal plug thats defectove that is making this error occur? BTW, if you want pics of the PCB/Jamma connector, id be happy to oblige.
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could there be some little ROM chip or tiny metal plug thats defectove that is making this error occur?
Sure - logic chips blow too. I've seen single inputs get fryed in the on or off position, never to change again, while the rest of the chip keeps chugging along.
If you're lucky, maybe its just a metal chip or something stuck to the board.
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OK, NoOne=NBA=, well the TMNT PCB arrived today, I hook it up, and the damn thing works perfectly, every button, every coin slot.
You have the problem isolated now.
I can't help you much from here, other than to tell you to check the board really carefully for fried spots, debris, cold solder joints, etc...
If you don't find anything, you can try reseating chips.
Beyond that I think you'd have to take it to a shop.