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Bram Stokers Dracula sound cuts out intermittently


symonz

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Hi pinball tech heads,

 

The sound on my BSD occasionally cuts out intermittently, occurring when more sounds are being played as in during when all stacked multiballs are running or when shooting werewolves. I tried re-seating the sound ROMS, ribbon cables, and turning off the volume change setting but none resolved the issue. The sound tests all worked fine.

 

I'm asking Ken to burn me a new set of ROM's to eliminate this, but thought I'd ask if anyone might have an idea of what else could be causing this issue.

 

Cheers

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Start by re-seating connectors audio-CPU pcb's

careful unplug re-plug

Very cool game yes !

 

Edit

oh doh

you did that !

 

Thanks but already tried that as above [emoji16]

 

 

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See just how hot the heatsinks are getting mounted in the soundboard amps.

 

The heat in the heatsinks should be about the same as the amp chips themselves, ( just your finger to feel is fine).

 

What often happens is the heat sink compound, (the white paste that is between the amp metal surface and the heatsink designed to allow the heat to flow out of the amp chip to the heatsink so air can cool both parts), drys out stopping the thermal transfer and causes the amp chip to overheat.

 

The amp chip is designed to kill power to itself should the heat get to high and save itself.

 

That causes the sound to cut out like you are experiencing.

 

Solution....Unbolt the heatsink from the amp chip, clean both surfaces with metho till they are completely clean and reapply new heatsink paste, (thermal compound), and bolt the heatsink back on.

 

Give this a go. You may be surprised this is exactly what your issue is. You can buy paste, (thermal compound), from JayCar.

 

Not the best quality but quick to get.

 

"Arctic Silver" is commonly regarded as the best compound you can get but you'll need to find it but is really is so good, I highly recommend it plus it lasts forever unlike the cheap stuff you will be cleaning off...

 

http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

 

This problem is very common on electronic parts that need to get heat out of them and into metal bolted to them designed to dissipate the heat such as transistors, regulators..(Williams/ Bally 5 and 12volt especially), rectifiers and amps.

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I bought the jaycar stuff recently and it seemed really thin to do that job. Also, after drilling out the rivot that holds the old chip, I didn’t really know how hard to do it up. Now with explanation, it’s only there to hold it and I probably squeezed out all the white stuff. Would the better stuff be worthwhile buying, even though I might only use it once?

 

 

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@defender1980 the JayCar stuff isn't the best but it will do better than old stuff that has dried out.

 

As for how much, not very much at all. A drop about as big as a match head does a whole CPU chip in a PC and they are about 30 X 30mm in size.

 

I'd replace the rivet with a small nut and bolt mainly because putting the rivet in probably squeezed most out.

 

@symonz I think that will do just fine. It's been a number of years since I've needed to buy it and considering how little you use, you have it for over a decade unless your using it daily.

 

Being the quality product it is, it will last in perfect condition ready to use unless you loose it.

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Bram Stokers Dracula sound cuts out intermittently

 

Thanks @Autosteve. Maybe you should visit people’s houses with your knowledge and get paid to fix things? Got to be better then that rip off in Padstow who stole all the parts out a machine I bought off somebody a few years ago. Wazza. Just read back, nothing against you @Autosteve. 🤙

 

 

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Edited by Defender
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Bram Stokers Dracula sound cuts out intermittently

 

Has it got a colour dmd?

 

Had this problem in an Addams , where the tests were good and most gameplay was good. But loud multiball sound would clip the sound.

 

Game was fine before with the old dmd.

 

Took me a while.

 

Changing boards and roms and everything had same effect.

 

Turns out there was a slight short in the speaker wiring.

Disconnect the black / yellow ? speaker wires that run to the driver board from the speaker panel.

 

Check for any tiny bare wire or damage in the wire.

 

The TAF had been converted to colour lcd and was one I didn’t do. Had been rushed in before expo and wires slightly crushed.

Also found some other bare wire further up the harness.

 

Worth looking at before all the complicated shit. And most likely will fix it.

 

 

Thanks @Autosteve. Maybe you should visit people’s houses with your knowledge and get paid to fix things? Got to be better then that rip off in Padstow who stole all the parts out a machine I bought off somebody a few years ago. Wazza. Just read back, nothing against you @Autosteve. 🤙

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Or you should have waited the extra couple hrs til I got back [emoji3]

 

or

 

go out the shed to grab the bolt the 2 days I was there when I kept telling you to. [emoji23]

 

 

 

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Thanks @Dedrok that actually sounds (no pun intended) very feasible [emoji848] I’ll give them a look over and report back if it turns out it’s the issue. Cheers

 

 

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p.s No colorDMD in this one.....yet :)

Edited by symonz
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Thanks for all the responses thus far!

 

I spent some time conducting further analysis after re-seating EVERYTHING + checking all speaker cables continuity whilst wiggling them and in addition to the sound only cutting out when stacked multiballs are running or when shooting werewolves, it occurs only when the volume is turned up.

 

I turned it down to the lowest (8) during my testing as my ears were being pounded as it was set to (12). lo and behold, the sound stopped cutting out completely.

 

This must narrow down the problem.....sound board capacitors requiring replacement? :huh:

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I don't want to sound obvious but have you considered the speakers?

 

I currently have this issue on my Twilight Zone and I tried everything you said and I ended up swapping the speaker panel from another game I have and it stopped doing it! I am in the process of buying replacement speakers.

 

Worth a try if you have another Bally/Williams?

 

Also liked @Autosteve's tip!

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Thanks @Autosteve. Maybe you should visit people’s houses with your knowledge and get paid to fix things? Got to be better then that rip off in Padstow who stole all the parts out a machine I bought off somebody a few years ago. Wazza. Just read back, nothing against you @Autosteve.

 

To many headbreaks doing home calls. As with all repairs with electronics, there are often many things that can cause problems and you are totally reliant on the symptoms described by the owner.

 

This can take hours to find problems and the customer only wants to pay for what the problem is, not the time it takes you to actually find which of the possible causes it is.

 

I do do repairs but I insist on the machine being here so I can go right through the machine and make absolutely sure I have found and repaired the proper cause.

 

That way I do usually get it right and everyone is happy and the customer doesn't get the bill for the hours it can take to get it right.

 

This particular problem I can fault find in about 1 minute myself using the "finger test" as I described in the first post here.

 

It can also be to lower voltage or current getting to the sound board, ( bad power connector or something using to much power elsewhere).

 

There are also two caps directly in front of the amps that fail that pull the voltage down but these parts need to be changed to prove the fault.

 

You can also have faulty speakers causing this issue.

 

My advice usually goes the most obvious and the cheapest to diagnose first on this forum followed by the more intense less common and more expensive.

 

I also like to think I am teaching people why problems happen. Many of my posts are long winded but that has a lot to do with explaining what has actually gone wrong and also why.

 

That way the person can use that knowledge elsewhere or on other machines themselves.

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Thanks for all the responses thus far!

 

I spent some time conducting further analysis after re-seating EVERYTHING + checking all speaker cables continuity whilst wiggling them and in addition to the sound only cutting out when stacked multiballs are running or when shooting werewolves, it occurs only when the volume is turned up.

 

I turned it down to the lowest (8) during my testing as my ears were being pounded as it was set to (12). lo and behold, the sound stopped cutting out completely.

 

This must narrow down the problem.....sound board capacitors requiring replacement? :huh:

 

Don’t be fooled.

I did the same thing.

 

But keep looking [emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Bram Stokers Dracula sound cuts out intermittently

 

I don't want to sound obvious but have you considered the speakers?

 

I currently have this issue on my Twilight Zone and I tried everything you said and I ended up swapping the speaker panel from another game I have and it stopped doing it! I am in the process of buying replacement speakers.

 

Worth a try if you have another Bally/Williams?

 

Also liked @Autosteve's tip!

 

And also the wiring.

I also swapped T2 panel to Taf and isolated the problem.

As Steve said, isolate the easy stuff first.

 

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My bet is on the amplifiers, too. Especially since the problem happens at high volume only. You can use a logic probe to test the main amplifier at U1, if you've got one. The amps at U7 and U8 can also allegedly go bad.

 

Also worth checking everything is plugged in, including the subwoofer.

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Higher volume makes the amp chip work harder and get hotter.!!!

 

The two caps beside the amp chips fail. Sometimes blow up resulting in no sound from that amp but also partial fail and pull the voltage down.

 

Arse to change, you need to pull the amp chips to get to them and one of those jobs it is easier to replace them than to check them with a meter.

 

Ideal job to do when you pull the amps out for some reason because they are fully exposed.

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My thoughts are - MODS!!!

 

It doesn't matter if they are recent or fitted some time back.

 

Adding ANY mods puts stress on the already taxed power supplies in these machines.

 

Things like colour DMDs are a prime culprit because not only do they draw additional power that the original engineers certainly did not allow for BUT they also force wiring to be rerouted etc because they take up space that was originally allocated for "other stuff".

 

I was shouted down in another thread for condemning things like colour DMDs and I'm not trying to poo-poo them BUT you can't just keep stacking bricks on the truck indefinitely - at some point the chassis will snap!!!.

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Thanks all for the input. I’ll try the easy stuff first then progress. Alex, I checked the subwoofer and all ok there. Mike’s suggestion has a lot of merit, I did add 14 leds to light posts and trough although I did have this issue prior to this and haven’t put a ColorDMD in as yet. I’ll keep digging and report my findings as I go. Thanks all

 

 

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My thoughts are - MODS!!!

 

It doesn't matter if they are recent or fitted some time back.

 

Adding ANY mods puts stress on the already taxed power supplies in these machines.

 

Things like colour DMDs are a prime culprit because not only do they draw additional power that the original engineers certainly did not allow for BUT they also force wiring to be rerouted etc because they take up space that was originally allocated for "other stuff".

 

I was shouted down in another thread for condemning things like colour DMDs and I'm not trying to poo-poo them BUT you can't just keep stacking bricks on the truck indefinitely - at some point the chassis will snap!!!.

 

Totally agree but I'm more incline to make some more power so I have more 5vDC and 12vDC able to safely power mods rather than go the no mods route.

 

No shortage of power coming out of the transformer, just a shortage of rectified DC available for extra use.

 

I wanted 12vDC to run LED strips on my Bally SS but there is no such voltage so I put a regulator on the coil power line to drop it to 24vDC and then through another regulator down to 12vDC.

 

I used a 3amp 12v regulator and put a power fin heatsink on it and now I have about 2.5amps @ 12vDC.

 

I'm using far less than the 2.5amps I can safely put but better overkill that boarder line when you make things yourself.

 

I had the same problem on my Getaway. Wanted to run 12volt LED strips and even though Williams do use 12vDC, it is already board line especially on Fish Tales for some reason.

 

I tapped into the coil power 28vDC before the fuse, added another fuse for my circuit and put in a regulator to drop it to 18vDC and then another reg to drop it to 12vDC.

 

Now no shortage of 12vDC to use safely and it won't effect the machine's electronics.

 

I'm sort of wondering how the LED displays are going when they run solely on 5vDC and are pulling that power off the machine's stock 5vDC supply especially the new Bally SS LED units. The Bally reg 5vDC on those machines is only good for under 3 amps but that is already used to power the machine's original electronics.

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Totally agree but I'm more incline to make some more power so I have more 5vDC and 12vDC able to safely power mods rather than go the no mods route.

 

No shortage of power coming out of the transformer, just a shortage of rectified DC available for extra use.

 

I wanted 12vDC to run LED strips on my Bally SS but there is no such voltage so I put a regulator on the coil power line to drop it to 24vDC and then through another regulator down to 12vDC.

 

I used a 3amp 12v regulator and put a power fin heatsink on it and now I have about 2.5amps @ 12vDC.

 

I'm using far less than the 2.5amps I can safely put but better overkill that boarder line when you make things yourself.

 

I had the same problem on my Getaway. Wanted to run 12volt LED strips and even though Williams do use 12vDC, it is already board line especially on Fish Tales for some reason.

 

I tapped into the coil power 28vDC before the fuse, added another fuse for my circuit and put in a regulator to drop it to 18vDC and then another reg to drop it to 12vDC.

 

Now no shortage of 12vDC to use safely and it won't effect the machine's electronics.

 

I'm sort of wondering how the LED displays are going when they run solely on 5vDC and are pulling that power off the machine's stock 5vDC supply especially the new Bally SS LED units. The Bally reg 5vDC on those machines is only good for under 3 amps but that is already used to power the machine's original electronics.

 

Yes, you make my point. Most people won't know how to add an extra voltage safely to their machines and in almost every case I have seen they simply splice into the already overworked 5 or 12V.

 

Adding rectifiers, regulators and creating a fresh take off point is obviously the way to go.

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Yes, you make my point. Most people won't know how to add an extra voltage safely to their machines and in almost every case I have seen they simply splice into the already overworked 5 or 12V.

 

Adding rectifiers, regulators and creating a fresh take off point is obviously the way to go.

 

Maybe something HomePin could make for the masses?

 

Something like this that simply plugs into the service plug might be ideal...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-Dual-Voltage-Power-Supply-Module-Universal-Adaptor-AC-110V-220v-to-DC-12V-5V/290962892066?epid=1031157349&hash=item43bebd6522:g:YHcAAOxy9LxSEUKZ

 

 

Features : Input voltage: 110VAC-220VAC Output: DC 12V/5A, 5V/3A Pcb size: 13 x 5.4 cm

 

No real wiring or soldering required. Just plug into the never used service plug.

 

Fair bit of usable power in the 12 and 5 volts but bigger are available if needed.

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Maybe something HomePin could make for the masses?

 

Something like this that simply plugs into the service plug might be ideal...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-Dual-Voltage-Power-Supply-Module-Universal-Adaptor-AC-110V-220v-to-DC-12V-5V/290962892066?epid=1031157349&hash=item43bebd6522:g:YHcAAOxy9LxSEUKZ

 

 

Features : Input voltage: 110VAC-220VAC Output: DC 12V/5A, 5V/3A Pcb size: 13 x 5.4 cm

 

No real wiring or soldering required. Just plug into the never used service plug.

 

Fair bit of usable power in the 12 and 5 volts but bigger are available if needed.

 

Get someone from AliExpress to make them and sell yourself. Steve's pinmods :)

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Arcade power supply to run extra 12 v and 5 v.

 

But this would be good.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Would do perfectly, I was just looking at something a little smaller though.

 

If you were to go an arcade or even a PC power supply you could literally rip out the 5 and 12 volt regulators off the pinball boards and feed the 5 and 12volt cables from the new power supply straight into the holes on the board the regulators were using.

 

Many advantages, better regulation of the voltages, higher current, no heat being generated on the boards.

 

When you consider the price of a LM78H05 regulator is about $30 for a genuine one, not a Chinese copy, it is a cheaper way to go as well.

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