Play Meter

Troubleshooting:
By Randy Fromm
Here's an important notice for
all of you t hat operate Allied's
Clay Champ game. During pro-
duction, a 50 ohm, 5 watt resistor
was accidentally replaced by a
jumper wire. This resistor is in
the collector circuit of the motor
driver t ransistor, and is used to
limit the amount of current
drawn by t he motor, through the
transistor.
The resistor can be installed
without removing the printed cir-
cuit board by cutting the jumper
and soldering the resistor leads
to the two halves of the jumper.
The installation of the resistor
should be performed as soon as
possible, before the transistor
fails from excessive current
drawn by the unmodified circuit.
By the way, the trigger
microswitch can be reolaced by a
Radio Shack switch, part number
Clay Champ
275-016. I spent an hour or two
trying to mickey-mouse another
switch, before I realized that the
replacement switch was locally
available.
As a point of interest, an
arcade in Texas reports that
during their first week in opera-
tion in a large shopping mall,
Clay Champ was their top game,
outgrossing Asteroids and Galax-
ian. Good shootin' guys!
Allied (now Centuri) service
manager Frank Sole reports that
new Xenon flash tubes are avail-
able that will be able to withstan'B
the rigors of service without
cracking as the original tubes did.
Contact your local Centuri dis-
tributor for details, or telephone
the manufacturer at its new toll-
free serv:ce number: 800/ 327-
6749.
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The following information is presented to offer directions in
alleviating common problems found within the electronics systems,
and also to aid the operator in isolating defective components
within the game.
Clay Champ MCB Assembly #339-01-5900
Total assemblies sampled: 100
Failures:
A-I.C. U27
32%
2716
21%
B.- All I.C.s fail
C.- I. C. U24
6522
19%
D. - I.C. U25
6522
11%
7%
E. -I.C. U23
6522
All other failures not noted-less than 50fo.
Note: Failure "B" due to improper use of plug P2 on interface
P.C.B. (not used in DED games). The problem can be avoided by
removing fuses F1 and F2 on the interface P.C.B. These fuses are
not used, and when in the circuit, P2 is "hot" with llOV AC. It is
physically possible to cross plugs P5 and P2 which, with F1 and F2
in the circuit, places llOV AC on the+5V DC buss.
Clay Champ Interface P. G.B. Assembly #939-01-5400
Total assemblies sampled-125
Failures:
A- Transistor Q20
Tip 122
B-I.C. U5
74164
C-I.C. U1
7406
D - Capacitor C4
240 mfd/350 V
E-Diodes D1, D4
In4004
F- Capacitor C14
.47 mfd/100 V
All other failures: less than 5 %.
31%
12%
10%
100fo
10%
8%
Michael Von Kennel
Von Kennel on board
at Taito America
After two months' intensive search
for a professional to assume a top
position in national sales, Taito
America Corp. named Michael Von
Kennel to the post.
Von Kennel's administrative, or·
ganizational, and documentative cre -
dentials have been earned as vice
pres id ent of Greak Lakes Acceptance
Corp .. Inc ., the financing sub idiary
of Bally Manufacturing, and as credit
manager of Midway Manufacturing,
where Von Kennel also handled Bally
consumer products.
"Michael's strongest suit is the
heavy contact he made with the
domestic field during his prior
assignments ," said Jack Mittel,
president and chief executive officer
of Taito America. "He knows most of
t he distributors in this country and is
well received by them. Beyond this,
his game sense is a reliable gauge of
trends and successes."
Von Kennel's major thrust will be
directed to supporting Mittel in
bringing Taito America to its rightful
position in the electronic video game
indus try. "Based on levels of tech·
nology and research, past perfor-
mance and future goals," Von Kennel
said, "this company is the only place
to be ."
He and his wife Paula reside on
Lake Shore Drive. They are ex-
pecting their first child in January.
Tennessee meets
The Amusement and Music Oper-
ators of Tennessee will hold their
annual convention on December
12 and 13 at Opryland Hotel m
Nashville, Tennessee.
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