Video Screen Issues sorry nothing catchy this time

[KimbaWLion]

Hello again to you all!

Now that the Eva 5 is fixed lets work on this one!

The Video Screen on this machine just goes blank sometimes! IF I start playing and a ball goes into the tulip the screen starts working again with the spinning characters.

Sometimes it plays the screen saver mode OTHER times is just flickers off then on. Even while playing it can flicker on and off.. It PLAYS fine!

It has NEVER done this before either! maybe because it was off for a week or 2? IT comes with a 5amp transformer from Slot-pachinko so I just do not know.

Its a Random occurring thing. I can have a great piccie then it will flicker off then go back on. Other times it stays off for a little...OTHER times is fine!

Thanks in advance for the help I know I going to get!

[luckydog]

have you reseating any connections??

is the transformer getting real hot??

maybe you could try swapping out transformers with another machine.

[Ripweade]

Since the machine keeps playing and it's the monitor going out intermittently, I'm suspecting either a loose connection or a cold solder joint at a video connector.

I've had video games where the picture would come and go, so I reflowed the solder at the video connectors and all was solved. I'm not sure if it's the same on a Pachi or not... I honestly never looked that close at mine! Lol!

Bill

[rubberratt]

Try jiggling all of the wires/connectors that you can access, while it is on. If you can cause the problem to kinda happen by doing that... you may have an easy fix

If not, then you will probably need to dis-assemble the frame & cell to get to the video circuit board. If you are not comfortable with that, then you should explore your options with the person who sold it to you ^_^

But start with cables, as an intermittent signal sounds like the culprit.

RR
______________________________________________________

Since the machine keeps playing and it's the monitor going out intermittently, I'm suspecting either a loose connection or a cold solder joint at a video connector.

I've had video games where the picture would come and go, so I reflowed the solder at the video connectors and all was solved. I'm not sure if it's the same on a Pachi or not... I honestly never looked that close at mine! Lol!

Bill

Hi Bill,

Not a lot of solder work to be done on a Pachi (as opposed to a Pin or an Arcade), but rather Micro-Miniature connectors, ribbon cables, and FRC. You need good eyesight, patience, and small fingers LOL


OH and small screws SO MANY SMALL SCREWS

Help me Gibi-San Kenobi, I have extra screws

[KimbaWLion]

Well I contacted Slot-pachinko and they took it away with a recall ticket So we will see what happens!

[KimbaWLion]

Well the Verdict is in. This is the reply from Slot Pachinko AFTER it got back to them...

"Your Pachinko machine obviously took a fairly major power spike. Minor to major problems with the MCB, Master Control Board, VCB, Video Control Board, and the PCB, Power Control Board renders this machine beyond repair."

LUCKY me... What bothers me is I have all 3 of my machines plugged into the same HQ spike board and how can ONLY one go bad and the spike board work fine. I am not going to fight with Curt too much I just have to pay for the recall ticket and shipping of a new machine! He has no more Yamato CRs which is okay I have the CR2 coming in October!

He is sending a me a list of Machines he has in stock and coming in the next container.
When he sends me the list he said I can have any machine on it for the $136.95, cost of the recall ticket and shipping of the new machine! NOT a bad deal IF you ask me! I just have trouble believing that ALL my other machines work fine and ONLY that one could go bad from a power spike!!! Some of the machine choices will be a Star Wars Darth Vader or an Original Star Wars, Julie Pinall, Speed Racer, Woodpecker 2 Either of the 2 Godzillas etc.

I will post the list as It's time for Kimba to pick a replacement HELP me choose!!!
Curt said he needed 3-5 days to see what he has AND what he has coming in...
Stayed tuned...

Oh and thanks for the help with this from everyone! If something goes wrong with the Eva 5 or my Galaxy railways I will know the reason why...

[rubberratt]

Bummer

But at least Curt is making a good gesture. I would stay on top of him though.

Keep us posted

[Ikaria]

That's pants about your CR1...

Definitely interested to see what machines you're going to be able to choose from.

[StuTalon]

Just a suggestion... IF the machine did get a spike while on your strip (who knows...could have been an problem in the parlor only made worse with shipping, converting, etc) I would run out and get a new strip just to be on the safe side.

[luckydog]

its easy to blame the other guys!!!

[KimbaWLion]

It has been a little while since I have posted what is going on...
Well ALL the sudden Curt sends me an email with a tracking number turns out he "had" another Yamato CR after telling me he none left.

The machine arrived, it as no where NEAR as clean. I cleaned it. I loaded some balls in they kept coming out and into the basket. I asked Stu Talon for pictures to show me the correct setting for the hopper. All that was fixed up. ( thanks again Stu! )

I started to play. The shooter works MOSTLY... Its MUCH slower with the balls coming out then the last one and I have to use my hands to move the balls around to get it to work some of the time. I get a lot of pings with NO balls coming out... I let a buddy of mine, a systems control engineer, look at as he played with the first one and Even he said this one is JUST not quite right...

I sent Curt over at S-P a SUPER polite email telling him my concerns and the fact that this machine was no where near as nice as my other and by polite I mean I was practically blaming myself for saying anything...

I called a few days later as I had bought a machine for a friend of mine and he was holding his last Ultraman for me. When I called, Curt said immediately said he got my "17 page email" there is NO pleasing me and that he was not going to hold any more machines for me or sell to me anymore... I said Curt did you READ the email CLOSELY? It thanks you a tons of times for helping me and how you have been really good to me! I mean I have bought 5 machines NO biggie but still... After he calmed down a little he told me to call back and I have not had a chance of late to it.

I have sent out the spike board to cyberpower systems for a claim of $500. This includes shipping and for a different pachi. I am taking bets that there is NOTHING wrong with the spike board btw... We'll see I am still awaiting results on that one.

What bothers me is how adversarial it became in a hurry. Curt has ALWAYS been REALLY good to me and I STRESSED that in my email and I have ALWAYS been SUPER polite when talking to him and its always been really nice... My Ultraman shipped and we'll just have to see how it looks. It its a really nice machine I had give or take on this one...

Is it me? Given the nature of the used machines was I right in being a little bummed the replacement was NO WHERE near as nice? It was in decent shape just a bit more scratched up ( a rather LARGE scratch on the shooter knob ). Curt told me he PERSONALLY worked on the machine then how could he NOT notice the shooter. I mean it WORKS, its JUST not as responsive.

I have no intention of bad mouthing anyone. S-P has some of the best pricing around if NOT the best on things they carry and they do honor their 6 month warrentee as I did get a new machine and all I had to do was pay shipping 2 and fro to the tune of $136, pretty good for 2 way shipping BUT if the machine was bad from the get go should I have had to pay? I mean if there is NOTHING wrong with that spike board that means it came from them a little off and it progressed while I had it. I want to get more machines when I see what is coming in from Japan on his next container IF he has anything I want and can afford at the time.

Thanks for listening/reading and things progress I will post more. I DO hope they find something with the spike board btw that would mean it was NOT me, let alone S-P. I have no interest in whining and complaining, let alone bad mouthing S-P. I have enough issues at home to deal with ( a VERY ill wife), and we all have issues too!

[luckydog]

it might just be a dirty track or part going to the shooter that is slowing things down,

Curt is lacking in people skills, but, he does write enticing ads

in his defense, these are used pachinkos and some have seen more use and abuse than others, a pachinko can see up to 2 year use before it is shipped here for resale.

I have some that look like new and some came with scuffs or scratches, I still love them all

[KimbaWLion]

I know they can be well used that is why I did not go off on a wild tangent, I was just a little bummed since the one I had before was in amazing shape. Plus the deal with the spike board, but the jury is still out, but at this point it's all water under the bridge and I even bought another Pachi from him. I was just a little taken about when I called him. I am ALWAYS polite and professional and I was even more so this time and I will always be. I have NO desire to burn a bridge when I DO buy pachis from him! This why I phrased my posting the way I did. It shows the good, the bad, and the possible wrong. I just have to wait for the spike board company and hope that works out!

[TailTrauma]

I'm sorry to hear that this has been rough going, and I appreciate you sharing your experience. It will figure into my decisions about where to do business, should I ever be in the market.

[StuTalon]

I think you need to assume with most vendors you will be getting a machine with some wear and tear on it, scratches, perhaps chipped plastic, the usual stuff... they are selling a $4k machine for $100 to distributors for a reason and if you got lucky with a very clean machine that ended up being busted then chalk it up as an anomaly. My 3 Lumina frames were covered in the usual film of cigarette tar, but they have all been operationally flawless and after a soak in some cleaning solution look good as new.

As for your shooter issue, I had a small piece of tape gumming up the ball path on my Yamato CR1 - looks like the sticky side just dried out, got jammed up in the path between the upper tray and the little wishbone that brings the balls down to the shooter position.

[KimbaWLion]

Well time for an update! I have things patched up with Curt by apologizing for any misunderstanding. As I said above if he misunderstood I would take care of it and I did. Some people can be touchy and if I was not careful enough its fine by me to apologize and I did! Once that was all settled I got back to the shooter and hopper issues.

First the shooter issue. I told Curt that I cleaned the track with alcohol and blew it with canned air to blow it through it and it did not work. He told me how to access the other side of the shooter tray! It was kind of tricky and me being me would NEVER have found it! When I opened it, while he was on the phone with me, we discovered there is a SMALL metal lip that was preventing the balls from going into the shooter with no obstruction and smoothly. He said this happens RARELY, but he was familiar with problem and HAS seen it before. He told me I was going to have a get a dremel tool and grind it down. I may have to remove the plastic covering and or remove the door of the tray to do this it will depend on me. If I do not think I can do I'll have to remove the door and send it back to S-P an they'll do it. I am tempted to JUST pay the shipping back and forth so they can not blame me IF I do something wrong... The only point I'll make here is they checked the machine out and some how it was missed. In the long run it NOT a super biggie but as long as I can get to work with only a little shipping or no cost I can live with that.

Onto my hopper issue. After Stu sent me pictures I was able to set up my hopper what I believed to be properly. BUT after the hopper went empty and I refilled and balls went into the tulip no extra balls would fall into my ball tray! The only way I could get it to work was to hand turn a few balls through and then all the sudden extra balls would start to flow through! I told Curt all this and he told me this just happens sometimes and there is nothing I can really do. Moral of the story? do not let the hopper run empty. There is not much can do after this.

I will leave this open until the last of the issues are fixed either by me or by S-P. Either way I am just happy that any issues left are minor and Curt knows I am good guy again. It really bothered me that I was misunderstood despite my best efforts. Until this incident S-P has done right by me and I am about to be able to put this in my past... The Ultraman I got is in VERY VERY Good shape and I will most likely take a pic or 2 depends its pretty well known entity around here. Though the volume controls S-P put in for me are VERY well done! Thanks again for everyone's support!

[luckydog]

can you get to that rough spot with a small hand file without tearing it all apart???

usually when you run out of balls while playing, when you dump a new batch in, the pachinko will catch up on all the balls owned by dumping them into the front tray

[KimbaWLion]

Welp I just got a letter I opened from Cyber power Systems. It says the Following:

We have tested your unit thoroughly and it did not fail to operate and suppress surges as designed. Additionally there was NO evidence of ANY electrical damage to the unit or indication that a surge entered the device. Unfortunately the failure of your connected equipment was not a result of failure of the CyberPower Unit to operate as designed. You may wish to pursue any... You get the idea...

At least I know it as not me and ANYTHING I did. The letter pretty much says the defect had to come from the S-P and that cost me the $136.97 to ship it back and get the other unit I JUST have to grind the metal lip down on the shooter to make it work. A call to S-P showed how to access the shooter and its amazing that the lip stops the balls cold. It was the weight of the balls causing them to to come through that and any movement my hands caused when I stirred the tray. It has to be done so that the balls run through smoothly.
He tells me there is nothing I can do about the hopper issue not much else to be said there I guess.

On side note The Ultraman I got received was in amazing condition, its just that the volume controls I paid for to have installed, and are installed just do not do anything about the volume... and BOY is it loud, at least the volume switch on the back can make lower just not good about the level its either to loud or 2 soft.. oh well :-) The machine STILL rocks. I just have to ask Rubbermatt or Frekkenteken about the warning it blares EVERY time its switched on for about a minute! I will leave the ticket open for comments for a few days and then I will close it. Things are what they are and I will go on having learned a few things!
Thanks everyone!

[FREKKEN TEKKEN]

Welp I just got a letter I opened from Cyber power Systems. It says the Following:

We have tested your unit thoroughly and it did not fail to operate and suppress surges as designed. Additionally there was NO evidence of ANY electrical damage to the unit or indication that a surge entered the device. Unfortunately the failure of your connected equipment was not a result of failure of the CyberPower Unit to operate as designed. You may wish to pursue any... You get the idea...

At least I know it as not me and ANYTHING I did. The letter pretty much says the defect had to come from the S-P and that cost me the $136.97 to ship it back and get the other unit I JUST have to grind the metal lip down on the shooter to make it work. A call to S-P showed how to access the shooter and its amazing that the lip stops the balls cold. It was the weight of the balls causing them to to come through that and any movement my hands caused when I stirred the tray. It has to be done so that the balls run through smoothly.
He tells me there is nothing I can do about the hopper issue not much else to be said there I guess.

On side note The Ultraman I got received was in amazing condition, its just that the volume controls I paid for to have installed, and are installed just do not do anything about the volume... and BOY is it loud, at least the volume switch on the back can make lower just not good about the level its either to loud or 2 soft.. oh well :-) The machine STILL rocks. I just have to ask Rubbermatt or Frekkenteken about the warning it blares EVERY time its switched on for about a minute! I will leave the ticket open for comments for a few days and then I will close it. Things are what they are and I will go on having learned a few things!
Thanks everyone!

The warning that blares so loud isn't that bad if the volume overall is under control. My volume controls were the same, either screaming loud or to soft to hardly hear.
I have a number of different machines that I have tried different things to achieve the sound I can live with. Beings that the Ultraman is in the Big Bang frame the speakers are on the front top, right hand side. The screen cover can be popped off carefully. I tried a number of different things and ended up making a rubber cut out cover for the speaker front. The openings on the speaker fronts are an unusual shape. They are like a narrow rectangular shape with rounded ends. I had a piece of black plyable rubber that I was able to cut to that shape and then put the screen cover back on. Initially It blocked too much sound so I drilled some small holes and then reinserted everything back in place. It works really well and isn't annoying at all when I throw the switch (I even have a Jaws machine sounding at the same time). I forgot to mention the rubber is about 1/4 inch thickness and fits nicely in the recess in front of the speaker.