Baby pacman issue on pinball side

[jeffg]

Guys
My friend gave me his baby pacman. Video game works great.
When it kicks to pinball the ball doesn't kick into play when you hit the flipper. Also the things that you hit to light up are not in the up position.

Do I start with checking and replacing fuses or is this more solenoid issue?

Is there a good place to get a rebuild kit with fuses etc.


This is my first pinball so definately a newb on this.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[z0ner]

Absolutely check fuses when you get a new game that is in an unknown working state. I think the solenoids are controlled by the topmost fuse on the playfield, but the other two are there so check them both.

Also, there is a fantastic detailed guide here: http://www.pinrepair.com/bally/babypac.htm

 

[LyonsArcade]

If you're up and running on the video the pinball must be working for the most part, I'd check that fuse on the playfield like zoner said....

 

[webdoc90]

Mine did this recently and it was one of the fuses under the playfield.

 

[gutz]

When it says press flipper to launch ball or whatever it says, it doesn't actually do that the ball launches automatically. Not sure why it does that but it's not that big of a deal....

It does launch with the right flipper button, but only if that switch is working

The 'launch' switch (cpu controlled) is stacked on the right flipper EOS. The flipper moves the switch to launch the ball. I have seen several different cases of people not hooking this switch up properly, or not all, or forgetting the diode, after flipper rebuilds. Make sure the insulator is in place so you don't send solenoid voltage through the switch matrix.

If the game doesn't see that switch, the ball will automatically launch after a few seconds.

This system is far too old to report a bad switch!

 

[LyonsArcade]

I've never seen or even heard of one that actually launches the ball when you hit the button, it just does it after a couple seconds automatically.

 

[z0ner]

Then you've never been around one working 100%. Mine does this.

 

[behrmr]

I believe it is a ROM option. The original software waited for the launch. The later release did not. My Alltek MPU has the later version where it auto launches. I read somewhere that it was changed because in a commercial setting people would just walk away from a game in progress.

 

[jeffg]

Actually it is all the solenoids don't work for the bottom, the upper right/left and for the 5 knockdowns.

So i doubt the solenoids are all bad. I did a test switch test and you didn't hear the clear thing on the solenoid driver engage except once for switch 10.

So does that sound like issues with transistors or ca3081 went bad so nothing energizes the solenoids?

I think maybe do a test on all the transistors and the Ca3081?

 

[brainmegaphone]

Actually it is all the solenoids don't work for the bottom, the upper right/left and for the 5 knockdowns.

So i doubt the solenoids are all bad. I did a test switch test and you didn't hear the clear thing on the solenoid driver engage except once for switch 10.

So does that sound like issues with transistors or ca3081 went bad so nothing energizes the solenoids?

I think maybe do a test on all the transistors and the Ca3081?

You need to verify continuity on ALL fuses first. Including the ones on the bottom of the playfield (not just the ones on the cabinet floor).

 

[gutz]

Fresh video for the non believers https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wMEUd4uZyMs

 

[z0ner]

I heard about these roms too, and with a quick google search I found a romset: http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=407

Basically two separate roms that do two different things. Use one or both at the same time:

From the info.txt:

1) remove automatic start of the pinball after the video mode, you have to press the right flipper to put the ball in play, burn the pacmanN.U2 on 2732 or a 2532 eprom for the -133 mpu board

2) remove automatic start of the video after a player starts. You have to move the joystick when the message "use joystick to play maze" appears, version is displayed during attract mode, burn the babyvidN.U9 on 2764 eprom for the vidot board

 

[behrmr]

Yeah I knew I had seen this. Thanks for verifying. Unfortunately for Alltek MPU owners you can't replace the ROM on the MPU.

 

[LyonsArcade]

Then you've never been around one working 100%. Mine does this.

Apparently.... you've never been around one updated to the latest roms.

TOUCHE

 

[z0ner]

Apparently.... you've never been around one updated to the latest roms.

TOUCHE

Ok?

I'm not convinced there were multiple romsets. The set I posted to is a hack that pauses either the start of the video or the start of the pinball, and this auto launch that doesn't respect either of the right flipper buttons seems to be a broken switch.

 

[Reality_Studio]

I've never seen or even heard of one that actually launches the ball when you hit the button, it just does it after a couple seconds automatically.

Yeah mine launches the ball with the right flipper as well. Oddly mine is a later model, like the playfield has the newer light board but I guess it has the older rom.

To the op, mine had a similar issue and it was related to the fuses under the playfield but not because the fuse was bad. There's a 43v fuse under there and mine was fine, but the fuse holder itself was just so dirty that it made poor contact. So when I would test the fuse it tested fine, but testing at the two wires leading to the fuse would not show continuity. So in my case I had to just removed the fuse, clean the fuse block with isopropyl alcohol then put the fuse back. All my solenoids then started working.

 

[LyonsArcade]

Fresh video for the non believers

I'm working on yet another Baby Pac-Man, and the right switch is removed from the right coil that launches the ball. The ball automatically launches on this one, and it was already like that when I got it... I think there are two rom revisions like we've been supposing, and the Alltek board probably uses the later rom revision. The reason it still tells you to press the right button to launch the ball, is because that would be a rom on the Vidiot board, and they just made it simpler by replacing one rom on the pinball MPU.

That's what I think is going on, at least. There's no dipswitch to control that behavior...

 

[mecha]

I'm working on yet another Baby Pac-Man, and the right switch is removed from the right coil that launches the ball. The ball automatically launches on this one, and it was already like that when I got it... I think there are two rom revisions like we've been supposing, and the Alltek board probably uses the later rom revision. The reason it still tells you to press the right button to launch the ball, is because that would be a rom on the Vidiot board, and they just made it simpler by replacing one rom on the pinball MPU.

That's what I think is going on, at least. There's no dipswitch to control that behavior...

Baby Pac at work is running an Alltek MPU, I wondered why the ball automatically kicks out when it says to press the right flipper to kick out. this is highly useful in a free play environment cause the game will just play itself out. lol

 

[LyonsArcade]

I figured it out. there are definitely two rom revisions; I have two board sets here that both autolaunch the ball, and U6 is labeled "e-891-15 "... however, one of them was originally labeled "e-891-14" and the 14 has been changed to a 15. Must have been a factory update at some point....

 

[brokentoken]

Very interesting. I've owned 3 Baby Pacs over the years and none of them did this.

Pretty cool.