Bally Rolling Stones Powers Then Nothing - Any Idea?

its broken. maybe not even booting.

 

what do the displays say? are they blank?

 

what does the flashing led on the mpu (top (left) board) do?

Edited October 19, 2019 by wiredoug
oops.. other left

top left board you mean?

top left board you mean?

 

yeah that ;D

with the machine off, have you checked that the switches in question work okay?

its broken. maybe not even booting.

 

what do the displays say? are they blank?

 

what does the flashing led on the mpu (top (left) board) do?

 

ie count the number number of flashes, if any at all. Should be 7. It is a self test booting routine, each flash indicates a different part of the game is working OK. If it stops at a certain number of flashes then it narrows down where the fault is.

Thanks for all the thoughts guys. When I switch the machine on all I get is general illumination (backbox, coindoor and static lighting on playfield) - normally it would click over and you'd hear the sound of the machine starting and the bumpers and drop targets resetting). This isn't happening - dead silent. There is no scores showing and also the self test button doesn't do anything when pressed.

 

I cannot find any flashing lights on any of the boards (I have never ever noticed that there ever was one??)

 

I also don't know what it means to test the switches with the machine off? I have ensured that the start button is making contact, but given it won't even click over when turned on I think it must be something else??

 

Appreciate all your time, thanks heaps, Bret

Time to call your favourite tech in. Maybe bundle it up and go see tony at Pinball shed

Thanks Doug, I think it was inevitable that I'd need some help. I just thought I'd see if I was missing something first before going to the experts.

There's a great member here on the Sunny Coast who has helped me once before. I caught up with him at the Noosa Festival of Pinball and gave him the heads up that I might be giving him a call.

After seeing so many amazing machines I have the urge again to get this girl doing its best.

Thanks again for trying to help.

Cheers, Bret

id say probably the 5v reg on the solenoid board has retired. but its just a guess and its not something you can fix by poking at it. good luck with it

remove and refit connectors

Thanks Doug, appreciate yours and everyone's time in having a think about it.

I don't go poking about when I don't know. I'll stay patient and let someone more knowledgeable than me have a look.

Cheers and happy Sunday evening, Bret

Seems to be a run of Bally SS games having meltdowns lately. I'll go my favourite reply which is good for any old Ballys.

 

"Put a new rectifier board in"

 

:D

Seems to be a run of Bally SS games having meltdowns lately. I'll go my favourite reply which is good for any old Ballys.

 

"Put a new rectifier board in"

 

:D

 

They weren't real good from day one to tell you the truth. Should have been changed years ago.

 

I would definitely be making sure these mods are done to the back of the driver board though....

 

 

 

 

All these links you put on the board. The machine already has links but they go off the board, into the wiring harness and come back through another connection to make the same link so two connections per circuit and there are 3 such links on the driver board so that is 6 connections in a Bally SS harness that simply do nothing, ( other than make the machine more unreliable)

 

The Bally board guys in production should have rectified this but no.

 

One link is for the 5volt and the other two are grounds. Very important.;)

yes, that's what I learnt from Clays harrells site @Autosteve, although now I cant be fooked and send the solenoid driver board off to ken.

Refitting connectors on the MPU board may work, but only for a short wille. Its the far left connector at the bottomt on the MPU that suppliers 5v from the power driver board, try turning on and see if wiggling it and it boots. If it works its only temporary, so may as well do it prpoerly and send to ken

Thanks again all for the follow up. I did in fact do some pulling out and putting back in of some of the connectors and it did boot up. Played poorly, no solenoids. Looked in the headbox and did find the flashing light and found it flashed 7 times. Next game start - nothing again. As you have mentioned it's time for an expert look which is what I will do. I am thinking of new boards as I also would like to run some LED's under the playfield too. Will keep you posted.

Thanks folks, Bret

well that's a good sign, the wiggling and getting it to boot up.

the MPU board, the top left board in the back box only needs edge connector J4 connected for the LED on the board to flicker then show 7 flashes.

The flicker and first 6 flashes have nothing to do with the rest of the machine and its operations, solely MPU related. The 7th flash is confirmation of the 43VDC from the rectifier board.

Possibles are many, but just a few:

headers are dirty

connector pin/s that go in the housings dirty/broken

the actual connection of the wire to the pin, the crimping, the pin may only be making connection to the wire by one or more internal strands.

unstable 5V supply from solenoid driver board. Replace the large caps on the board, one is for your 5VDC C23, it filters the 12VDC supply to the 5V regulator, and one for the 190VDC C26 which filters the 240V supply to the 190VDC regulator for your displays.

No solenoids might be the fuse under the playfield, 1A slo-blo

Edited October 21, 2019 by Rich
more detail

Yes, when I take possession of an old bally/stern SS like this i put in new pins and connectors for the whole rectifier board, whole driver board and at the very least the large pins on the MPU board.

 

Remember these pins are 40 years old and badly corroded. Even if ken fixes yr boards you’ll need to replace the connectors (ie crimp new connectors, the plastic housing is usually fine).

 

Remember these pins are 40 years old and badly corroded. Even if ken fixes yr boards you’ll need to replace the connectors (ie crimp new connectors, the plastic housing is usually fine).

 

Above is critically important. Sending boards away may achieve nothing if you have crusty old connectors on your wiring harness that are the problem.

 

I aslo replace these in most machines of this era as they can be the source of a heap of problems.

 

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