Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1991-September - Vol 13 Issue 7

Rowe AMI CMOS
Credit Co111puter
Data East Flipper
l111prove111ents
Customer Service
Data East Pinball, Inc.
Melrose Park, Illinois
RandyTeny
Alpine Amusement
Connersville, Indiana
SUBJECT
SUBJECT
Our new and improved flipper cabinet switches
are better than ever. What we've done was to go
from a microswitch to a gold contact leaf switch.
Recently while repairing some older AMI juke
boxes (R-7 4-80) for sale purposes, I ran across a
recurring problem.
CHANGE
PROBLEM
The reason for the change was based on exten-
sive customer feedback. This switch has a better
capability for self-cleaning due to the wiping
action of the blade. As before, you won't need to
use any diodes or capacitors.
Unit will not credit.
SOLUTION
Replace C9 ( l 5u @ 50v) and C 15 (200u @ 75v) in
CMOS credit computer with equivalent caps.
PART NUMBER
NOTE
The part number for this switch is 180-5048-01.
This switch is only for use on Data East pinballs
with Solid State Flippers. For older games prior
to Robocop, use the Tungsten contact switch
180-5048-00.
Had this problem in four out of five units, even
though they were two slightly different units
(Rowe AMI Part# 601-00066 and# 601-07593).
COIL CHANGE
Additionally, we have gone to a softer coil. The
coil is 23-1100. The part number for this coil is
090-5030-00. This coil can be used in any of
your Data East Pinball Solid State Flippers.
So if you feel your coils are too strong, by down-
sizing the power by using this part.
Alnerican Technos
Wrestlefest Freeze
Evan Wessel
Mercury Amusement
Havertown, Pennsylvania
SYMPTOM
American Technos Wrestlefest upright game
goes blank or completely locks up.
* * *
MURPHY'S LAW
SOLUTION
# 1307
Note that a stuck coin switch will cause this
symptom.
Phone & Fax
See page 21 for updated manufacturer
customer service phone & fax numbers.
.. .......
.
. ..
. ... .
STAR*1ECHJouma1·/··•··········
...
..
.
. ......................
.
• • ••••• • .• · •. Septemhefl 991 · .· · •·
Pioneer CD Juke Popm.eter Readout
Interpret the Hex
Erwin Boot
Automatic Music Company
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
SUBJECT
The above Pioneer CD juke boxes have a most
interesting (if you're into that sort of thing!)
though highly unusual method of displaying the
popularity of CD's during popmeter interroga-
tion - it's in Hexadecimal form!
HEX READINGS
We had been seeing weird
5A, 3f, 2b, etc. type
popmeter readings and had
been ignoring them believ-
ing that we were finding
garbage in the RAM. Wrong!
For some reason known
best to Pioneer and not ex-
plained in their manuals,
the number of plays is dis-
played in hex format! (Only
I more chip in the circuit
would have brought the
display into an intelligent
understandable readout
form.)
A right side figure of an:
A represents 10
b represents 11
c represents 12
d represents 13
e represents 14
J represents 15
Normal numerals in the
right side column have
their proper indicated
value. The left side figure
represents the number of
"16 times" to which must be
added the value of the right
side figure.
EXAMPLES
Thus, a Pioneer popmeter
display of 39 plays doesn't
really indicate nearly 40
plays, but instead indicates
3 lots of 16 (- 48) plus 9, i.e.
a total of 57 plays.
BASE 16
For those not familiar with
hexadecimal, (which is a
system based on 16) use
the following formula for
converting the display:




Similarly, Id indicates 29 plays (16 plus 13), 4A
= 74 (4 x 16 = 64 plus 10) and ff indicates 255
plays (15 x 16 = 240 plus 15).

Download Page 5: PDF File | Image

Download Page 6 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.