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STAR* TECH Journal
July 1992
WILLIAMS
ATARI
PENNANT FEVER
RELIEF PITCHER
THROWS
A. CURVE
SOFTWARE UPDATES
Todd Tuckey
TNT Amusements
Southhampton, Pennsylvania
Al Vernon
Atari Games
Milpitas, California
SYMPrOM
SUBJECT
This problem really had mei stumped! It seemed
that the curve ball relay would activate on any of
the pitches, sometimes every ball and sometimes
just once a game.
The codes on two Eproms have been updated. The
part numbers and locations are:
136093-0011 Rev D at location 19E
136093-0012 Rev D at location 19J
T'SHOOTING
WHAT'S NEW
In the diagnostic tests, everything seemed normal.
Because this one game uses the System 8 board, I
could not switch it with a another to see if the
problem followed. But, we did change resistor
packs, etc. on the board and after this were really at
wits end.
The main features of the new program are:
• Reduce Game Time
If you are experiencing long game times on your
Relief Pitcher game, these two new Rev D Eproms
will give you more flexibility in determining diffi~
culty settings to help eliminate this problem.
SOLUTION
I finally turned the game over to ace electronics
man, Joe Connor, Service Manager at Mondial,
Philadelphia. He spent several hours 'scoping the
board.
Then he discovered, on the playfield pitching as-
sembly, a misadjusted cam switch. Although this
switch was indicated as working during the self-
test when you pushed it with your finger, the
automatic pulsing of the switch was apparently too
brief.
If this normally open switch (switch 22) wasn't
pulsed during the pitch, the curve ball relay would
activate. Also, note that there is a normally closed
switch (switch 28) which would always read closed
in the switch test, but this is normal.
Eight new difficulty settings have been added to
the Rev D Eproms, with the default set to "Hard".
• Reset Problem
There exists the possibility that the game may
hang-up and reset if there is a problem with the
base running or even when a fielder catches a fly
ball. The new code corrects this problem.
MISCELLANEOUS
• When set to "No", audio in the Attract mode will
be completely disabled.
• In the two-player game, the players were given a
free second inning -this has been eliminated.
• The various cosmetic problems in the newspaper
and the audio have been fixed.
SOURCE
PosTIT
So, folks, put this note inside your Pennant Fever so
that you too don't go crazy! If your game is throwing
you too many curves, check the cam switch adjust-
ment.
Eprom Rev D updates are available through your
authorized Atari distributor upon request. If you
have any questions please call your Atari distribu~
tor or Atari Games Customer Service at 408/434-
3950.