Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1990-December - Vol 12 Issue 10

ii
1989-90 AMOA
Ganies Award
Winners
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Nintendo Coin-Op
Installs New Service
Hot Line
Amusement & Music Operators Association
Chicago, Illinois
Nintendo of America
Redmond, Washington
Ailititd wiTltiJti w~i-J tLt1.1Wtirtc&d at AMO.A's
Effective November 1, 1990 the Nintendo Tech-
nical Services Department will implement an
exclusive telephone line to provide technical
assistance for Nintendo Coin-Op products.
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WINNERS OF THE
AMOA GAMES AWARDS WERE:
*Most Played Video Game (Dedicated): Teenage
Mutant Nirya Turtles by Konami, Buffalo Grove,
IL
*Most Played Pinball Game: Whirlwind by Mid-
way Mfg. (Bally Games), Chicago, IL
*Most Played Conversion Kit: Final Fight by
Capcom U.S.A., Santa Clara, CA
*Most Innovative Game: Smash TV by Williams
Electronics, Chicago, IL
*Most Popular Other Game: Grayhound Bas-
ketball by Grayhound Electronics, Toms River,
NJ
*Most Played Dart Game (new category): English
Mark Darts by Arachnid, Rockford, IL
*Most Played Pool Table (new category): Valley
Cougar ZD-4 by The Valley Co., Bay City, MI
*Most Played Jukebox (new category): Rowe CD
100 Laserstar by Rowe International,
Whippany.NJ
The Jukebox and Games Promotion Awards
were voted on by AMOA members. In the jukebox
and games category, winners reflect top revenue
producers between June 1, 1989 through May
31, 1990.
*New Equipment Award: The Simpsons pinball
game by Data East Pinball, Melrose Park, IL
(This award was voted on on-site by operators.)
AMOA is a non-profit organization comprised of
some 1,500 owners, distributors and manufac-
turers of coin-operated amusement, music &
vending equipment.
By dialing the new toll free number, your call will
be answered directly by a Technical Service
Representative. This will improve overall call
processing time and decrease the incident of
busy signals received.
To take advantage of this new, improved service
please dial the following number:
800/628-4126
1
Attention I
A new seminar site has been added to S*TJ's
Winter '91 schedule. In addition to February
23/24 at Shaffer Distributing in Columbus, OH
and March 9/10 at Rowe International in
Boston, MA, the program for advancing
technicians will first travel to American
Vending Sales in Chicago, IL on February 9/
l 0. For more information, please see page 23
in this issue.
MURPHY'S LAW
#1210
STAR*TECHJoumal
)
December 1990
Early Bally Pins Switch Matrix Checklist
Reinhard Bangerter
Nickels & Dimes
Laguna Hills, California
SYMPTOMS
The game tilts immediately when you start a
game ... before the ball gets kicked out. The board
has been checked out twice already and the
harness has been thoroughly checked for shorts
etc. Also, all the tilt switches have been dis-
connected.
bad sockets on the CPU Pcb or the diode on the
Start switch touching the metal of the front door,
and of course, cold solders to the Sol/Reg Pcb
connectors.
Even a cold
solder on the
Lamp driver
Pcb or any of
the Displays
can effect the
operation of
the switch
matrix since
the
same
strobes are
used
to
strobe all de-
vices the CPU
controls.
SOLUTION
Those games
were notorious
for erratic prob-
lems like these
described. The
problem is prob-
ably a bad disc
capacitor across
a
playfield
switch such as a
stand-up target
of a thumper
bumper.
SWITCH CAPS
OTHER CHECKS
The caps were used to stretch the closed-pulse
on switches that might not stay closed long
enough to be read by the switch matrix software.
When the caps go bad, they will cause switches
to produce closures of other switches even if you
haven't hit the switch with the bad cap.
Check the harness one more time for old times
sake, then look for pinched wires on the coin
door wires and any place else that may cause a
switch matrix line to get connected to the game's
ground.
LAsT RESORT
VERIFY
The quickest way to see if this is your problem is
cut one lead to each cap on switches like
thumper bumpers, stand-up targets, star
rollovers and the tilt switches themselves.
OTHER CULPRITS
Could be the small orange wire from the fuse
card to the Solenoid/Regulator PCB, the blue
filter cap (11,000 mfd/ 16v) on the Sol/Reg pcb,
If you don't find anything there, disconnect both
wires from the ball tilt in the bottom of the
cabinet. Sometimes the capacitor on the as-
sembly gets leaky and I've even seen corrosion
from all kinds of moisture sources cause a short
in the thing.

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