Play Meter

Issue: 1977 June - Vol 3 Num 11

Video Bowler
New
Flipper
Suspenseful
Sunbird Corp ., a Minneapolis
company specializing in electronic
games, recently announced the
release of their new video game,
Super Bowler .
Super Bowler accommodates up
to four players, providing them with
authentic bowling action and scor-
ing . The ball actually travels across
the screen, causing the pins to
disappear as it strikes them . A
built-in audio system highlights the
action on the screen with the sound
of the ball being released and
traveling down the alley, a gutter
ball , pins being hit, pins falling, and
the cheers and whistles of the
crowd whenever a strike is thrown.
Super Bowler has adjustable
volume control, a selectable beer
frame display, and a Pro / Amateur
switch which allows the players to
select their own skill level.
The Sunbird game operates on
100/ 115 volt AC or 230 volt AC
50 / 60 HZ. A test switch on the
front of the lamp board simplifies
on-location circuit checks and lamp
replacement . And the unit comes
complete with operating and main-
tenance manual, coin box, remote
control, and a one year warranty.
Home Pinball
Wico has announced entry into
the growing home entertainment
field with the introduction of a new
electronic home pinball game, Big
Top.
" The game has the scoring,
lighting, action and skill shot
features found on the commercial
games, " said Games Division Man-
ager Frank Happ, "but it will cost
substantially less. Happ said the
game will retail for about $450 and
carries a 9O-day limited warranty
backed by nation-wide service.
Wico's Big Top features solid-
state electronics with digital display
score board . Other features of the
home flipper include electric ball
return , dual chime sounds, auto-
matic ball count, spinning target,
three bulls-eye targets, two action
kickers and two electrically operated
individual flippers .
Cabinet construction is of ~ in.
and 3f.t in . wood composite with
steel legs with levelers . The game's
overall dimensions are 63 in . high,
43 ~ in . long and 20 ~ in. wide.
Shipping weight is 143 pounds.
The game will be manufactured in
Wico's 85,000 sq . ft . game division
plant in San Marcos, Cal.
Supplement Out
Wico Corp., Niles, III., has
announced publication of "All New
from Wi co, " a catalog supplement
consisting of 16 pages of new items
for the amusement and vending
industry.
Items shown in the
supplement are not listed in Wi co's
1977 catalog .
Highlight items include a new
security item for flipper and ciga-
rette machines, specialty tools for
video games, and plastic signs for
food machines.
"Sally's Hang Glider is as tricky as
the sport for which the game is
named," commented Paul Cala-
mari, Bally sales manager, announc-
ing volume delivery this week of the
new four-player flipper pinball.
" The trickiness of Hang Glider,"
Calamari explained, "is based on the
interlocking functions of a centrally
located kickout hole. a bank of 5
drop targets and the build-up out-
hole bonus."
For example, a ball shot into the
kickout hole, when adjacent special
light is lit, scores special. The light
lights when all 5 drop targets are
downed for the second time and
subsequent times in each ball
played. Skilled manipulation of the
ball can score several specials with
each ball shot.
Outhole specials may also be
scored by the bali's crossing left or
right out lane rollovers with adjacent
special light lit, the lights alternat-
ing, left and right, after the bonus
score is at the 15,000 top mark .
"Here again," Calamari said, "the
drop targets and kickout hole are
i nvo Ived . "
Although bonus advances 1,000
for ball contact with any of a variety
of bonus-advance skill objectives, a
major factor of bonus building is the
kickout hole, which advances bonus
1,000 for each 'kite' lit under the
hole. One 'kite' is lit for each drop
target knocked down .
" What happens the first time all 5
drop targets are dropped?'" asked
Calamari. "Again we have Tinkers
to Evers to Chance' - targets to
kickout hole to extra ball. The first
drop of all targets lights the extra
ball light under the kickout hole.
Then ball in hole lights 'same player
shoots again: qualifying the out ball
to return to shooter tip as an extra
ball .
"So, throughout the playfield,
while numerous scoring objectives
are included, the interlocking influ-
ence of kickout hole, drop target,
and bonus are constantly apparent.
"The only thing not tricky about
'Hang Glider' is collections," Cala-
mari concluded. "Location tests
already indicate that 'Hang Glider'
will set some new profit records ."
57
lr~~H~~~[R]l If[(][1J~~~
by Robin Minnear
Conversions:
A letter
Negative Logic
When first learning about Logic or
when first starting to repair logic
boards, most people eat dirt when
they come across a negative logic
situation.
You may come across a weird
looking symbol on your schematic
or go way off track when applying
Positive Logic functions to a
Negative Logic situation . The truth
is that the same logic gate will
perform a different logic function in
a Negative Logic situation .
The reason Negative Logic and
Positive Logic are used together is
that by their combination , the
amount of chips needed to perform
a task are usually reduced .
The best way to understand
positive / negative logic is to apply
them to a couple of common logic
gates.
Figure 1 is the truth table and
symbol for the Nand gate (74OOl.
According to the truth table, if
inputs A and B are high at the same
time, the output Y goes from HI to
LO.
This is the positive logic
situation.
It is important to realize that this is
the basic" And" function . A and B
are high to make the output change.
All of this is assuming that the Nand
gate is looking for His coming in.
What if the Nand gate is looking for
LOs to come to inputs A and B7
Figure 2 is the symbol for the
Nand gate when it is hooked up in a
negative logic situation . Notice that
the zerks are on the inputs instead
of the output. It is the same device,
same truth table but he is going to
do his thing, or function when lows
appear on the inputs.
Looking at the truth table in
Figure 2, if A is low or B is LO, or A
and B are low at the same time, the
output Y is high .
Now we are
dealing with a situation where if
either A or B are low the output will
change . Now we are dealing with
the basic OR function.
Figure 3 is the positive logic
symbol and truth table for the Nor
gate (7402). According to the truth
table if A or B is high, the output Y
is low. Again, this is the positive
logic situation where the Nor gate is
looking for His on his inputs to do
his thing.
Figure 4 is the negative logic
symbol for the Nor gate. This time
58
we'll be concerned with the inputs
going LO . According to the truth
table in Figure 3, if A and B are low
at the same time, output Y is HI. No
other combinations will produce a
HI on the output.
To summarize this mess, "In a
negative logic situation, Nand gates
act like Nor gates and Nor gates act
Most logic
like Nand gates."
schematics show the negative logic
symbols for negative logic situa-
tions. Be aware that there are some
schematics that only use positive
logic symbols.
FigUl. I : St;Mm.fic
Cut E,ch IS.IP C) ~
I Jr-
Is
.", E,
I
(
,
RATE
Cut Elch IStlP 01
.28V
~t
------"1- ....-
V RESET
J",,-
)
...-
I
I
....
...-
l:"' -
J",,- t
IS.", F,
Log ISC", A'
- L-...-...7
IS.", a ,
JumI* to'l"lft"SET
o
~
",,,,.1: PC BOMd c~
Concerning the Trak 10 conver-
sions discussed in the January
article and the April "Mailbox" :
Mr. Randall of Oceanside Amuse-
ments solved the disable "Crash"
problem one way. Here is another,
somewhat simpler method. Add a
diode (lN914) between F9-S and
C7 -5 so that " A ttract" will disable
the crash op-amp.
(Cathode to
F9-S) .
This method was devised by our
Service Department in the devel-
opment of the "Grand Prix" - Chal-
lenger Customizing Kit for Grand
Traks or Trak 10's, sold by O.B.A.
Inc., in Dallas.
Another modification (which is
incorporated in the Kit) which may
be of interest is improved steering
for Grand Trak and Trak 10's. This
modification improves the sensitiv-
ity and "feel" of steering action.
Changes at and near I. C. chip A4
are made, and a jumper wire added
from A4-13 to a point connected to
V RESET which originates at H1 -S.
(Electrical changes are shown sche-
matically in Figure 1. The mechan-
ics of the corresponding PC board
changes are shown in Figure 2.)
The changes can be executed by
performing the following sequence
of operations:
Step 1. To change "P" from
A4-13 to A4-12, perform two
operations:
Sever, between the
chip and the PC board and as near .
the board as is practical, I.C. chip
lead A4-13, then bend the severed
lead up and away from chip &
board . Jumper between PC board
PADS A4-12 and A4-13.
Step 2. To change "Rate" from
A4-12 to A4-11, perform three
operations: On the back (non-chip
side) of the board , cut the etch at
A4-12. On the back of the board,
cut the etch near A4-11 . Add a
jumper from A4-11 to the etch
which led to A4-12.
Step 3. To connect the now
isolated A4-13 to "v RESET' which
originates at H 1-S, first, check for
continuity between H1 -S and B1 -11,
then perform the final operation:
Connect a jumper wire to the
uplifted lead A4-13 and to B 1-11
(H1 -S or V RESET) .
Nathan E. Bush
Steed's
Garland, Texas

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