Arcade Collecting > Pinball
Intermittent Problems with Williams Blackout (System 6)
Neverending Project:
I have done a bit of board-level repair work on my Williams Blackout, but it still has some intermittent problems. Sometimes when I power it on it goes right into audit mode. Sometimes it powers on but with no displays, no attract mode, and no audit mode. And sometimes, it will power on into attract mode. If it powers into audit mode, I can use the flip-off-then-on trick to get it to attract mode and then I can play a game.
But even during a game the entire machine will flicker - lights, scores and all - and eventually the scores will go black and the game will completely die. While it is flickering I hear the coin door solenoid clicking, to the same "flickering" pattern as the lights. It's as if there is a loose connection or something - even though nothing is being moved or wiggled.
Now the first thing I thought of was the 40-pin interconnect between the CPU and driver board. I have replaced both the male and female headers on this interconnect. I have also removed the battery pack (and installed fresh batteries) so I should not be booting into audit mode. I have also replaced the caps on the regulator board, checked the bridge rectifiers in the back box, and done some other recommendations on Clay's site.
Can anyone give me some other things to check?
ChadTower:
Double check the 40pin for shorts and check for shorts in connectors. Replace the bridges - even when they pass the diode tests those old bridges can act differently under load.
Neverending Project:
OK, will do. One thing I forgot to mention - when it doesn't boot (no displays, no attract mode, no audit mode), I checked pin 37 of the interconnect and it was low. I read here that this is the blanking signal and it should no stay low. Does this mean it could have something to do with the reset circuit?
ChadTower:
It could but I'd check for the shorts first... a short can pull logic lines low and cause resets. If you did a good job on the interconnect it probably isn't the problem but may as well eliminate that. Did you repin any plastic connectors? If you did check those too. I've introduced a short that way once or twice.
Another thing to check is your main power connectors between the head and the cabinet. There are four - they are the same housing - and if you get them wrong you can fry your CPU board. I did that to my Laser Cue and let the smoke out of a bunch of stuff... now that I think about it, it may have booted to audit mode when I did it, too. Check the wiring colors and not the connector colors. The connector colors are inconsistent from the factory.
Neverending Project:
--- Quote from: pinballjim on November 07, 2008, 02:52:23 pm ---I think your 5101 is flaking on you...
--- End quote ---
I thought so too, until I replaced it. Unless I did a crappy job of installing the socket pins (which is possible, I will double-check) I can rule that one out.
It seems like it is temperature related. It has a hard time when I first turn on the machine. It first turns on, but the CPU won't boot. After a couple of minutes of futzing around (off and on again), it will boot into attract mode. Today I did this, and just let it sit in attract mode without touching anything. After about 10 minutes, it locked up. Wasn't in the middle of a game or anything. Once it locks up, I can't get it to reboot by powering off or anything.
I want to sell it, and keep thinking if I can fix this issue it will be worth a lot more. But I need to get rid of it, so I may need to sell it as is.
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