Star Tech Journal

STAR*TECH JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 1984
7
The "Bear" Facts continued.
Revision A, B, or C. The EPROMs designed to be
used with the LD-Vl 000 are marked as Revision D.
The players and PCA boards are not inter-
changeable and the software is not the only
difference on the PCA boards.
There are several new design modifications
which enhance the operation of the game mainly
by making the boards operate more symmetrically.
The new boards use a 16Mhz clock which is
divided down to attain the 4 Mhz clock rate that the
unit runs off of.
The laserdisc itself is interchangeable and
there have been no modifications made.
OK, now for a problem about which I want you
to listen io each and every word.
First, if you don't have this problem, don't add
this fix ... REPEAT, IF YOU DO NOT HA VE
THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, DO NOT
ADD THIS FIX! I'll explain why after I give the
problem and fix.
The initial problem will be that when you make
a movement with the joystick, the disc player won't
receive it! At first this will happen intermittently,
then the complaints will become more frequent
( usually starting with movement to the left side,
then the rest of the movements follow).
The fix is to add a .1 uf disc across the V cc and
GND connections of the microswitches on the
joystick. Now possibly it would be better for you to
get a ferrite core and run a wire from the V cc side of
the microswitch looped through the ferrite core 2
or 3 loops. But the idea is the same. You're simply
upping the voltage being popped into the 7 4 LS244
buffer chip located at US on the PCA board. Now
if the problem has gone on long enough, the
74LS244 is probably damaged and should be
replaced. If you use caps ( .1 uf discs) keep the leads
as short as possible. The upped voltage will help
actuate a weak 74LS244. But if the problem isn't
evident, don't add the caps, as it could wipe out a
good IC by kicking the voltage up too high. If your
coin switches are also passing coins without counting
them, this fix can be used there also.
Well, I hope I have helped some of you out.
Last but not least . .. the new, complete,
correct, beautiful Dragon's Lair service and
instruction manual is available and can be received
by calling the customer service department of
Cinematronics! 800-854-2666 ( outside CA).
619-562-7000 (in CA).
See you next month ... Bear.
~VIDEO
~GAME
TROUBllSHOOTING
GUIDE
FOR
VIDEO
GAMES
• CUT TO THE PROBLEM IN SECONDS
• EASY TO UNDERSTAND
• DESIGNED FOR OPERATORS,
ARCADE OWNERS & TECHNICIANS
• LAMINATED FOR DURABILITY
• UNCONDITIONAL MONEY BACK
GUARANTEE
CHECK OR
MONEY ORDER OR
SEND
I
COD
$12 95
VIDEO
TROUBLESHOOTING
GUIDE
I
I
I 515 S. SHAW
I RICHMOND, MO 64085
Please send
VIDEO CHARTS.
TOTAL ENCLOSED
SHIP. CHG. INC.
TO SEND C.O.D. CALL 816/776-5938
WILLIAMS
FLIPPER ASSEMBLY INTRODUCED
* FIREPOWER * II NEW
AND BIG STRIKE GENERAL ILLUMINATION CIRCUIT
NEW FLIPPER ASSEMBLY INTRODUCED
GENERAL ILLUMINATION
FIREPOWER JI and the BJd-STRIKE shuffle
The new assembly features a SO-volt coil with a
separate 50vdc power supply and a redesign. Parts
can be replaced with less effort and premature
wear and breakage does not occur. With simple
maintenance, weak flipper conditions do not occur
as easily as on other systems. Smooth action is
provided and the higher voltage permits equal
flipper strength with less current and therefore less
pitting of the end-of-stroke and flipper button
switches.
The smooth action results from a new plunger
and crank arm assembly. The connection between
the crank arm and plunger link is a bolt and nut
type with a roller spacer which is easily disas-
sembled and the plunger is impregnated with teflon
to reduce friction and wear. The plunger return
spring is conically shaped and won't imbed into the
plunger or over collapse. Strength has been added
to the flipper shaft bushing and the coil stop unit,
which is mounted separately by two screws for
easy replacement of the unit and the coil. The end-
of-stroke switch has tungsten contacts and a
capacitor across it and t'1e flipper button switch to
decrease arcing.
The flipper power is now supplied by a separate
transformer with a 11 0vac input and a 48vac
output. The 48vac is then connected to a separate
flipper power supply board which rectifies it to a
75vdc (no load condition) output that is applied to
the flipper coils.
alley include an improved general-illumination
circuit. Pinball and shuffle-alley games that use the
power supply with the general illumination relay
begin to melt 20A fuse F6 or begin to heat
connector pins 3P8 and 3P9. Current and future-
production games eliminate the fuse and replace it
with separate 5ASB fuses mounted off the power
supply board.
WHAT THE NEW CIRCUIT DOES FOR
YOU. Three advantages of the outboard fuse
circuit are ( l) better heat dissipation, (2) improved
general-illumination reliability and (3) easier
troubleshooting.
BETfER HEAT DISSIPATION. Outboard
fuses completely remove the heat from the power
supply board. And with multiple fuses, heat is
spread out and dissipated far more efficiently than
it was with one fuse.
IMPROVED RELIABILITY. In older games,
a short in any branch of the general illumination
circuit would pop the 20A fuse and black out all
your general illumination. With the new circuit
only part of the general illumination will be lost
when such a problem occurs.
TROUBLESHOOTING ADV ANT AGE. Now
a blown general-illumination fuse isolates the
problem to a particular area of your game (i.e. to
either the coin door, backbox insert door or to one-
half of the playfield). With the new circuit assisting
you, you'll only need to troubleshoot the part of the
circuit that's bad.
Reprinted courtesy of Williams "' Logic Supply''
I
1
NAME - - - - - - - - - -
1
L-=l=~E/:'.'.'., ________ J
ADDRESS_________
PROMs
PROGRAMMED
EPROMs
$5 each
Bl-POLAR
ANY PIN SIZE
$10 each
PALs
$25 each
MICROS
$35 each
PROGRAM
AUTOMATION,
INC.
385 Main Street
Suite Number 2
Metuchen, NJ 08840
201/494-3330