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Thread: Spectra IV by Valley

  1. #1
    Mr. Vintage wrkey's Avatar
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    Default Spectra IV by Valley

    OK gang, here's my newest project. I bought this Pinball at a thrift store and paid $160 for it. Hindsite being 20/20, I probably paid $75 to $100 to much for it. But it is what it is.

    What it is... is a very rare cocktail table pinball machine where the actual pinball component rotates under the top glass 360 degrees so that four can play and never have to stand up or trade seats. Really a cool design. What makes it rare is the fact that it was made by Valley which was a subsidiary of the Kidde company that makes fire extenquishers and such.

    What really makes it rare is also the nemisis of my machine. Being a Solid State pinball the CPU board has 3 NiCd batteries mounted on the board itself. These batteries leaked and has caused the board to become inundated with corrosion. This is a very common problem and many a machine has been trashed because of it.

    So.. I'll post a few photos here to show the condition as bought and my progress on getting it running. Currently I have the CPU board out and looking to determine how to clean. I've tested the most corroded PCB traces and found there is still good continuity through out. There is some corrosion that has creeped up into some of the chip sockets but doesn't appear to have infiltrated the chips.

    I have a call schedule this evening with a pinball repair guy up in Wisconsin that is currently working on the exact same problem and will be looking for advice from him on cleaning this crud off.

    If anyone has any helpful hints or ideas, I would love to hear them. This is my first Pinball and I certainly picked a challenge!
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    Rusty Key

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    MacGruber JACKSJE4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    That is a very cool pinball game and I would love to find one of those myself! I can't wait to follow your progress on repairing it.

    AWESOME find!!!
    Jeff Jackson, Denver CO

    There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

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    Mr. Vintage wrkey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Here's a photo of the CPU board and you can see the corrosion on the left side of the board.

    I set the board on the couch so I could get a good photo of it. Just about the time I snapped the shutter, Ninja decided he needed to inspect it.
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    Rusty Key

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    well i can see the bulk of your problem is the giant hair ball on the CPU board... then the crosion problem..

    its so great not having a button
    ______________________________________________________
    but it sux theres no Edit button..

    Great looking machine.. i have never seen one like that
    Last edited by Moparformances; 01-26-2011 at 06:14 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
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    Pachi Puro pinball wizard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    what i usually do with corroded cpu boards is this :first remove all parts which are corroded,then i usually scrub the corrosion off with some circuit board cleaner and a scotchbrite pad until everything is shiny.some people even go as far as glass beading the corrosion off,but you shouldn't have to go to that extreme.i never have.then check all of the traces for continuity.it sounds like you already did that part.last,replace the corroded components with new ones.i would also change the ic sockets too,just to be safe.here is a link for a place you might want to order parts from -http://www.greatplainselectronics.com/default.asp

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    Mr. Vintage wrkey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Made some 'progress' this weekend. I also created a page on my website for my projects. I am just now creating this page so no everything link works just right. However, on that page is full details of what is going on with the machine.

    In a nutshell, I've replaced the batteries and cleaned the board. Upon replacement is appeared to work 'better' but still not right. I found a bad capacitor that I hope to replace this evening. I'm also hoping all the new rubbers come in today so i can put them on and reassemble the play field.

    Here's a rew photos of the progress. One shows the play field all cleaned up but no rubbers installed. One shows the battery pack I added to replace the bad NiCd and the arrows point to the pack and the wire nuts that I used to facilitate the removal of the boards when necessary. The other photo shows the bad capacitor that I hope to replace tonight.

    To see the rest of the story: www.rustykey.com/projects
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    Rusty Key

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Quote Originally Posted by Moparformances View Post
    well i can see the bulk of your problem is the giant hair ball on the CPU board... then the crosion problem..

    its so great not having a button
    ______________________________________________________
    but it sux theres no Edit button..

    Great looking machine.. i have never seen one like that
    But there is a Button my FRIEND ! ! !
    72 Pachi's, 36 Pachinko's, 2 Pallots, 3 Pinn's & 2 Pachinko Bar Signs. Links to About Me: pachijunkie's Videos


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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Nice work indeed!
    What did you use to clean the corrosion? Did you neutralize it?

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    I used a mix of 50/50 Water and Vinegar to neutralize. Then washed the whole thing off with water and buffed down the bigger stuff with emory cloth. Probably should do more cleaning.. but I'm afraid I'll go to far and screw up the board!
    Rusty Key

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    im confuesed???

    you used an acid to clean battery acid???

    would one not used soap or baking soda??
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Different battery types require different solutions. NiCd leaks is a 'base' and the vinegar mix is used to offset. "Regular batteries" leak acid and a mix of baking soda would be used to clean that.

    Of course I didn't know this 2 weeks ago but several electronic guys confirmed it for me before I did it.

    Go figure.
    Rusty Key

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Quote Originally Posted by wrkey View Post
    Different battery types require different solutions. NiCd leaks is a 'base' and the vinegar mix is used to offset. "Regular batteries" leak acid and a mix of baking soda would be used to clean that.

    Of course I didn't know this 2 weeks ago but several electronic guys confirmed it for me before I did it.

    Go figure.
    ty for taking the time... Learn something new every day...
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Mr. Vintage wrkey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Well, things aren't going well. The machine just lights up and beeps alot. I'm pretty sure somethings amiss on the CPU board. I have a EPROM reader coming to see if I can pull of the code which will help determine if the CPU chip is damaged. If the CPU is good, then I think I can replace the other chips... but I would prefer to only replace those that are bad. But alas, I have no idea on how to tell that. This machine may end up costing me $$$ to get it running. Home page is update.
    Rusty Key

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    I really hope you can get this working. Very unique with the rotating playfield and overall a very cool looking hybrid.

    You see the standard 'cocktail pins' all the time here, as they were common on cruise ships. But honestly, those aren't worth the hassle. This on the other hand has a lot more going for it and would make a really nice piece once working.

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    I'm new to cocktail pinball machines, this is the first I've ever seen. Looks very, very nice. Awesome.

    I'm curious to know if you managed to get a dump from the CPU with the eprom reader now.

    Let's see, I see you're fairly handy. You made those little patches and checked them with your meter. In addition to the CPU test, here are the things I also wonder about..
    -Is it not possible to find *any* documentation about this machine or perhaps a similar one that could tell about any 'beep codes'?
    -Confirmed *all* voltage rails on cpu board are good? No shorts, all correct levels?
    -Confirmed all chips in the area of the NICAD leak and elsewhere are getting the correct voltage on their power pins? This may require googling pinouts. Just be deliberate and a little careful when probing pins not to short pins. Let's not make any new issues

    Beyond that, if you can get hands on an oscilloscope, even an older one, you can also start confirming that Mr. CPU is getting fed with some clock pulses. Not critical to confirm the rate at this point. Crystal(s) working or not.

    If you're not going to get any insight as to the circuit operation in detail, this is where you start.

    GOOD LUCK! This is worth the effort!

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Alright, spent a few more mins. Found the answer to my first querstion.

    Manual is available. Internet Pinball Machine Database: The Valley Company 'Spectra IV'

    I can only assume based on where we are at this point that you may not have seen it yet. It's chalk full of goodness including schematics, tests etc.

    Now maybe I'm getting my hopes up, but I've just had a quick read with the symptom you mentioned in mind. It looks to me like the test mode switch on the coin door must be engaged and that you're stuck in test mode and don't know it. Whatever the 'demand' switch is on the coin door, pushing it is supposed to advance to the next test.

    Maybe I'm crazy and you knew all of this but that isn't happening. If so, sorry for getting ahead of myself and oops.

    Have fun!

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    Mr. Vintage wrkey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Update! Had to resurrect the old thread!

    I got my Spectra IV working!!! I have a video of it working on YouTube. Just search out wrkey on YouTube or Spectra IV.

    Got a few more minor issues to resolve but hey... IT WORKS!!!
    Rusty Key

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Great video and very informative. Congrats on saving a very interesting pinball. I need to start tracking on how to repair/diagnose circuit boards. I've got 6 separate boards from different machines being analyzed right now and doing it myself would save lots of time and money.
    EM Pinballs & Arrangeballs

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    MacGruber JACKSJE4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    Congrats Rusty!!! I know you have been working on resurrecting that machine for some time now. I'm glad to see that you were successful, as it is a VERY interesting and cool machine!!
    Jeff Jackson, Denver CO

    There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

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    Default Re: Spectra IV by Valley

    neat game..

    hear is a link to the vid

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq8_qTNC7pA
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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