Bally MotorDome w/ Swemmer 6803

[CUJO]

Anyone on here have any troubleshooting experience with a 6803 based Bally game?
I do not know this boardset like I know a WPC 95, System 11 or WhiteStar.
If after watching the video let me know if I'm overlooking something.
Thanks in Advance!
CuJo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=939dJ1h6oK4&t=3s

[FUNWIZ]

It's a simple system, meaning if one switch acts up, such as at the beginning of the block, it won't see anything further down the block, after that until it clears.  It's a pinball reading one switch at a time.  It's showing 3 errors.  If you can't clear them, for the moment, cut the wiring on one side of each of the switches and see if it goes away.  If it does not, game is wired wrong, possibly plug in wrong place or reversed. 

[CUJO]

It's a simple system, meaning if one switch acts up, such as at the beginning of the block, it won't see anything further down the block, after that until it clears.  It's a pinball reading one switch at a time.  It's showing 3 errors.  If you can't clear them, for the moment, cut the wiring on one side of each of the switches and see if it goes away.  If it does not, game is wired wrong, possibly plug in wrong place or reversed.

In switch test, it'll show all 3 switches closed.
Top Lane 'P', Right Bumper and Outhole (cause the ball is sitting in it).
On power on, just the first two switches I listed show up as CLOSED.

So cut or unsolder the wire on one or both under playfield? Or pull the associated pin out of the connector at the 6803 board side?

[FUNWIZ]

Cut the wires, if you unplug the connector, you wont be able to test everything else.  Again, if any switch is closed on the pf, the CPU stops to wait, so it wont do ANYTHING else.

Heading out for service calls along 75, be back on here when I can.  GL

[CUJO]

Cut the wires, if you unplug the connector, you wont be able to test everything else.  Again, if any switch is closed on the pf, the CPU stops to wait, so it wont do ANYTHING else.

Heading out for service calls along 75, be back on here when I can.  GL

I was just talking about pulling/unclipping the associated wire from the connector housing.

[FUNWIZ]

If your having trouble with a particular switch, you only cut one of the wires next to the solder joint at the troubled switch.  Pulling off the connector won't help trouble shoot unless your wanting all the input switches dead.  If you pulled out a wire from the connector at the CPU, the switches are matrix ran, each wire can usually run 8 switches.  For example, removing Top Lane P, 53, white/yellow wire located at CJ4-13 is strobe 2, also runs Top Lanes M, P, & R, Left/Right Rth Lane, right ramp and left spinner.  If you removed the other wire for Top Lane P, 78, orange/black wire located at CJ4-3, return strobe I6, also runs left flipper, tilt, and left arrow target.  Once you clear the switch closed errors, you can also hold each of the buttons down on the keypad, to make sure its working correctly.  HAVE FUN!  :0)

[CUJO]

If your having trouble with a particular switch, you only cut one of the wires next to the solder joint at the troubled switch.  Pulling off the connector won't help trouble shoot unless your wanting all the input switches dead.  If you pulled out a wire from the connector at the CPU, the switches are matrix ran, each wire can usually run 8 switches.  For example, removing Top Lane P, 53, white/yellow wire located at CJ4-13 is strobe 2, also runs Top Lanes M, P, & R, Left/Right Rth Lane, right ramp and left spinner.  If you removed the other wire for Top Lane P, 78, orange/black wire located at CJ4-3, return strobe I6, also runs left flipper, tilt, and left arrow target.  Once you clear the switch closed errors, you can also hold each of the buttons down on the keypad, to make sure its working correctly.  HAVE FUN!  :0)

Alrighty!
I'll try later today. I'll cut the wire to the right bumper switch first, then power on pin to see if it excludes it from the power on switch error. If it does, I'll power off and clip the wire to the Top Center "P" switch and power up. If the errors are gone and then it boots with no errors, I'll see if the SWITCH TEST button will allow me to start Switch TEST, then exit normally where I could not exit it before without powering off pin. Then I'll see if the keypad behaves..

Thanks

[CUJO]

Ok, clipped the top lane "p" wire. Doesn't show up now on power up.
Which wire do I cut on the Right Bumper, the yellow one?

[FUNWIZ]

Thanks for the great pix!  Lets cut the green capacitor off, remove it completely and restart the game.  That should fix it.  Then find the cap on the other switch and remove it also.  Hook that wire back up and retest.  Now that those are clear, see what other errors might pop up.  Note here...  If another switch error comes up, and it has a cap across it, remove it as well.  I don't think the new replacement boards will need them anymore.  Game should play OK without them.

[CUJO]

I clipped off the caps on those two playfield switches and now I can get to the KEYPAD and those two startup errors
disappeared.

I still cannot exit the SWITCH TEST MENU by pressing it again when it states but that's ok
as far as I'm concerned. I got it set to FREE PLAY and SET PIN to DEFAULTS.

Do I really need to replace those two bad caps I clipped off?

BTW, they RIGHT POP BUMPER is now working and so is the Top Lane "P".

Game has finally come to LIFE!!!

Thanks for the help!!!
CuJo

[FUNWIZ]

Glad to help, happy that it is finally working ok. 

---Do I really need to replace those two bad caps I clipped off?---  I don't think the new replacement boards will need them anymore.  Game should play OK without them.  You can replace them if you wish, won't hurt anything unless they short out again.  Now if another goes bad, you'll know what it is, how to test the switch matrix, and how to fix it by removing the bad cap. 

[CUJO]

Glad to help, happy that it is finally working ok. 

---Do I really need to replace those two bad caps I clipped off?---  I don't think the new replacement boards will need them anymore.  Game should play OK without them.  You can replace them if you wish, won't hurt anything unless they short out again.  Now if another goes bad, you'll know what it is, how to test the switch matrix, and how to fix it by removing the bad cap.

I emailed Fred Swemmer who made the 6803 board and he advised me I should replace those two bad caps...eventually.
Not sure why or what their purpose are but he made it sound like if I don't replace I may run into future issues.
Here's the quote from his email below:

"Yes, of course you need to replace them.
Don't go the cheap route, you will lose and pay for it dearly in the end............... and the game is totally indifferent for creating you some issues. "

Thanks FunWiz!

[FUNWIZ]

The cap charges while the switch is open, and during game play, the ball is hitting this and that at a fast rate, and can hit several targets in a second.  The cpu and program back then again only registers 'one at a time', and the caps help the cpu 'see the hit' longer, hence where an EM will only register a hit a second, an SS can register multiple hits in a second.  In other words, if you hit 2 targets at once, it might only register one, but the cap would make it register longer, 50 milliseconds, and the cpu would add up both the hits to the score.  I hope I explained it in a way it's understood. 

Since 2 have failed, probably others will also, so buying a group lot of them +2 extras, and just change them all out when you can.  In the meantime, enjoy the game. 

[CUJO]

can you tell by that hi res pic I posted what kind of caps i need to order?
it's labeled:

.05M
12V

I guess it is a ceramic disc?

Fred Swemmer also stated he didn't realized that caps could go bad like that on Bally's . He was stumped for awhile too.

[CUJO]

Update:
I replaced the two caps that were shorted out and another one on the left  target back that someone had previously snipped a leg off so I replaced that one as well.

Also did a left bottom flipper rebuild and fixed the middle gate ramp to open/close as game calls it out.

I got a "behavin" MotorDome now.

Plays a lot different know that the "P" rollover is registering now.