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Safe Cracker
Tech Corner
Basically following the safe format as my
other 'tech' pages, most of this deals with the software, but there are a
few hardware issues listed here as well. Right now the page is in basic
stages, mostly so I don't forget notes to myself. I'll get things flushed
out as I work on it. Have an issue or question on the software? E-mail
me. Items here:
ºSoftware Bugs:
These bugs/glitches/errors occur in the latest
version of the software, version 1.8. I use the 1.8G version in my game,
and it's possible that some of these don't appear in the 1.8N version as
well. If you know of any items I didn't include, E-mail
me.
- Test Mode:
- Adjustment 'Flipper Plunger' does not do anything. Might be
related to auto-plunge bug at start of game (see below)
- Bookkeeping Menu refers to 'Safe #' light as 'Invisible' still.
Software was never fixed when playfield art changed.
- Attract Mode:
- Pinball Game Mode:
- Occasionally, pressing and holding (or pressing rapidly) both
flippers at the start of a game will make the game auto-plunge the
ball immediately, regardless of the adjustment setting (see above)
- If you had the Wheel Award lit before getting into the board
game, and get kicked out of the board game by hitting an alarm,
the Wheel Award is still lit. This causes a problem if the award
was 'Lite Lock' or you get 'TNT Multiball' from the Teller.
- The timer for the award '2 Donuts' is not 'paused' while
a ball is in a ball-capture, while the timer for the light is
paused.
- Switch Interrupt timing. I don't know exactly what to call this,
or if it's a bug, but the two games I've owned seems to have a
problem with 'seeing' switch closures. It's not just the eddy
sensors, My game often 'misses' the in-lanes, out-lanes, and
top-lanes. The only reason I'm listing it as a bug is because I've
seen this on the two separate games I've owned. If you have this
problem, please let me know.
- If the game is going through a ball-search, and an opto is
closed during some point in the search, the game will 'ignore' the
closed opto. i.e.: During ball search, ball knocks down last
drop-target. Ball becomes unstuck and game will not notice the
down drop- target until after a time. Only seems to be with Optos.
Seen it happen most with the Yellow targets, and the Getaway
kicker.
ºCommon Hardware Issues:
Some common hardware issues you should be
aware of, especially concerning the Game Board.
- Game Board Circuit: The IC's controlling the lights
are very fragile to static and power spikes. They are wired in series
from the Power Driver Board. Each chip controls 8 lamps on the board.
Symptoms of a bad chip include items such as:
- Position on board is off by one. (Land on a '$', you get the
'Candy 2000' award.)
- During fast light effects, the section will either stay off, or
flash intermittedly
- A 'phantom' light will light up when another light is on.
If there are several segments that are showing symptoms, it is very
possible that the leading chip, before the chips in the sequence that
are causing the problem, might be bad itself, although it's own segment
may be functioning fine. If your game does show these symptoms, my
recommendation is to remove all of the old chips, solder in sockets, and
plug new chips into all the sockets.
- Lock-Up Ramp: Often, people will have problems with
the lock-up ramp, having the ball fly out of the ramp, not make it all
the way up to the lock, among other problems. First, there are basic
things you need to check. Make sure that the kick-up solenoid is
seated firmly in the brackets, and has very little play. Also, make
sure the plunger does not have chicks or an uneven tip on it. Finally,
the coil-sleeve is necessary. Make sure you use the right kind - it
should have a flange that fits through the rear and front
brackets. If the back of the sleeve is damaged, I suggest changing it.
Doing the following can give you amazing results. Also, you may want
to look at the opto alignment. See if you can adjust it. When the opto
is tripped is when the solenoid fires, and timing is just about
everything. If your kick-up still throws balls, you can cut a small
piece of lexan, and mount it over the ramp. I've had to do this on one
game, and now it woks perfectly, keeping the ball into the channel up
into the lock.
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