BAtteries. Playing with fire?

Frax

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My kid is a coin door slammer. If he finds one unlocked he will slam it. Also gets a kick out of tryin to reach into live pinballs.

Pinbot has no lock. Yet. Its in the first parts order. I dont know when that will be. Our interim solution is to use the lockbar hole and ziptie through the lock hole. Works great except one thing.

I removed the 10+ year old batts when i got into the backbox. I have to get in there every time to reset it. I got tired of it and put brand new batts in it. Im getting a remote holder witht the first order too.

What is my best interim option to keep the thing on free play and my kid from electrocuting himself before i can get the 200$ to place this parts order?? Lithium batteries?
 
You can buy locks locally at most hardware stores.

If you put new batteries in, go into diagnostics and turn on free play.

If your machine boots into the diagnostics, even with new batteries, then you have a bad battery holder, bad solder joints for the holder, or acid damage from previously leaked batteries.
 
That's not what I meant, lol.

It works fine electrically, no damage at all. The holder is really solid and new alkaline batteries worked fine. I'm just asking if I'm okay to leave them in there, or if it would be safer to buy a set of lithiums and put them in there just in case something goes wrong.

If I wait and get the locks from PBL with my other parts, they'll be identically keyed, which is great. I'm not looking to keep thieves out, just children. :p
 
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That's not what I meant, lol.

It works fine electrically, no damage at all. The holder is really solid and new alkaline batteries worked fine. I'm just asking if I'm okay to leave them in there, or if it would be safer to buy a set of lithiums and put them in there just in case something goes wrong.

If I wait and get the locks from PBL with my other parts, they'll be identically keyed, which is great. I'm not looking to keep thieves out, just children. :p

The issue with batteries really only applies to batteries that have been left in for a very long time (Years). Over the years they will eventually leak and could destroy a PCB. As long as you go through and replace the batteries when they die (Your game will reset to defaults or present an error) or every couple years, you should be fine.

Environment might also play a factor, in how often you replace them as well.

Unless your order is going to be 12 months out or more, you shouldn't have anything to worry about in the short term. If you're paranoid, replace them in 6 months.
 
The issue with batteries really only applies to batteries that have been left in for a very long time (Years). Over the years they will eventually leak and could destroy a PCB...

Except for them steenkin Energizers which seem to have a lifespan measured in minutes before they start leaking!
 
Right now I've got some brand I don't even know what it is in there. Feels cheaper than rayovac. It's more like the 69 cent for 4 aa's you'd buy at Micro Center.

Sunbeam?
 
Lithiums are much more leak resistant than alkalines, and don't self-discharge either the way alkalines do. No need to change them as often, just wait till they die.

Either that, or install a remote battery holder, which also adds a lot of security to the power layout.

If you're real handy, you can put in a capacitor and never change anything ever again.

-Hans
 
I think the batteries would be fine for the short term.

The real issue is slamming the coin doors. Let him slam it on his other hand once; that will probably stop it.
 
If you have any evidence of acid leakage around the battery holder, remove the board, clean and neutralize the acid because it will continue to travel around the copper traces. We replace the battery holder and solder in a lithium battery. But to neutralize the acid damage is most important.
 
I should mention, we leave an instruction sheet for when the lithium starts to die. The reason for the new battery holder is for the customer to be able to cut out the dead lithium and install 3 new AA alkalines. We then instruct them to change the batteries when you change your smoke detector batteries. Same time as daylight savings time. Clock forward, clock backwards.
 
If you have any evidence of acid leakage around the battery holder, remove the board, clean and neutralize the acid because it will continue to travel around the copper traces. We replace the battery holder and solder in a lithium battery. But to neutralize the acid damage is most important.

Except that it's not acid. They are called 'alkaline cells' for a reason...
 
Yes, you are correct. My bad. But it is still corrosive to the board. Neutralize with vinegar and water.
 
Think I've decided to go the capacitor route with both machines. Gonna have to do some research...Shuttle is sys 9 and Pinbot's system 11. Can't imagine the procedure is that different..

But yeah, after seeing the 17$ tag for a single "solderless remote holder" which is two dowels with wires screwed into the ends and a wire screwed through them attached to a battery holder with what looks like an attached 9-volt terminal??? LOL. I'm sorry, but no way I'm paying 35$ for two of those. I'll make my own or go the cap route.

I doublechecked the batts in Shuttle last night just to be sure they weren't archaic as well, guess I put new ones in there back in June.
 
I've got NVRAM adapters available. No more batteries ever. $28 for the first one and $25 for each one after.

I've got 5101, 6116, and 2064 adapters. Send me a PM if you want some.
 
I've got NVRAM adapters available. No more batteries ever. $28 for the first one and $25 for each one after.

I've got 5101, 6116, and 2064 adapters. Send me a PM if you want some.

Not a bad price at all, considering the cost of just the NVRAM chips on their own, without the adapters.

-Hans
 
Not a bad price at all, considering the cost of just the NVRAM chips on their own, without the adapters.

-Hans

The Ramtron parts are pretty hard to find these days too. Soon they will be impossible to find. It's getting that way already. Especially DIP parts (I use SOIC). I call them NVRAM adapters but I'm actually using Ramtron F-RAM. The point is they eliminate the batteries.

Eventually I will run out too and they won't be available any more.
 
Well, at least that's a more elegant solution than the four minutes of work someone spent cutting and drilling a dowel and making two solder joints for 17$, lol.

F-RAM = Flash?

*edit* Nevermind. Looked it up. That's crazy. I assume it's completely reversible barring some stupid accident like breaking an IC leg or something?
 
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Well, at least that's a more elegant solution than the four minutes of work someone spent cutting and drilling a dowel and making two solder joints for 17$, lol.

F-RAM = Flash?

*edit* Nevermind. Looked it up. That's crazy. I assume it's completely reversible barring some stupid accident like breaking an IC leg or something?

It's Ferroelectric RAM:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferroelectric_RAM

Here's an example of my adapters:
http://warpzonearcade.com/?p=532

One of these years I'll be officially selling stuff at PinForge.com.

Yeah, it's reversible. You remove the original RAM and install my adapter, replacing your original SRAM with Ramtron Ferroelectric RAM. Most RAM will be socketed on pinball MPUs but there are cases where it's not (Williams) so in those cases you'll need to remove the RAM and install a socket.

I have a solution that replaces all the RAM and ROM allowing you to leave the originals in place but I'm not selling those just yet. I did order like $1K in parts today though so there is some cool stuff hopefully coming up :)
 
How are you soldering down the SMD chips for those? Paste solder or wire solder with a regular iron? Or hot air? I assume you're NOT doing the 'ole "Toaster Oven".

-Hans
 
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