creature from black lagoon easiest question ever

woodrailsrus

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hello
here comes another dumb question, BUT........this creature machine is only my second dot matrix game, and when i power it on everytime the display says "bookeeping cleared", "high score cleared" and a couple more things cleared. then i physically have to open the coin door and press the black button on the inside of the coin door so that the game will start up like normal and is ready to play. i did not get a manual with the game but is there any way to change those settings so i dont have to open the coin door every time and so it saves my high scores? im guessing theres a setting in the diagnostics and i went thru everything but i dont understand all the abbrieviations so i probably missed it. thanks for the help guys
 
ok im going to go and read that website, i tried replacing the batteries and it still doesnt boot up like normal. the one OLD battery had like 1/4 inch of corrosion on one end of it.
 
Tom's all over this one...the board isn't getting power from the battery. Did you clean out the corrosion in the holder when you replaced the batteries? Try using a strong baking soda/water solution and a toothbrush, it cleans corrosion right up. Then put in fresh, new batteries and test for voltage at the board with the game powered off.
 
Tom's all over this one...the board isn't getting power from the battery. Did you clean out the corrosion in the holder when you replaced the batteries? Try using a strong baking soda/water solution and a toothbrush, it cleans corrosion right up. Then put in fresh, new batteries and test for voltage at the board with the game powered off.

i tried to brush away the loose particles. but do you guys usually take the boards out of the machine to clean them? where would i attach the wire leads to test for voltage?
thanks
 
i tried to brush away the loose particles. but do you guys usually take the boards out of the machine to clean them? where would i attach the wire leads to test for voltage?
thanks

For me, I'd replace the battery holder without a second thought. Corrosion is a vicious enemy that must be obliterated upon any appearance.

-Hans
 
Merely brushing away the corrosion is not unlike what an op would do. In other words, you're doing it wrong. ;) Like everyone else said, replace the battery holder!
 
Its Easy if you have soldered before - The solder points are good size with plenty of space around them.
 
ok guys i just read that site and im gonna try for the remote battery holder. but i was wondering
1. is it necessary to put a "blocking diode" on the battery holder?
2. will i have to order this battery holder from a pinball supplier or can i stop by the radio shack near me and get one? and when they are new do they come with those fuse holder/connector on it?

thanks for this help guys. im going to check the pinrepair site before i post these questions from now on. i know some of these things you guys have repaired or have SAW THEM REPAIRED (experience) before. but like most other things this is another first time repair for me. as i fix these games im slowly getting more experience. my dad repaired machines for 10+ years but he only worked on EM's and doesnt know anything about anything with boards in it
 
You don't need the diode on WPC games, which Creech is. The only reason it is installed on the picture at pinrepair.com is because he is using a four battery holder and you need to bridge the fourth spot. He uses a diode to drop the voltage a little bit. You can just use a wire if you get a four battery holder. The main point is if you use a four battery holder, you need to only install three batteries and jumper the fourth spot with either a wire or diode.

Radio Shack does not sell three battery AA holders, just four battery AA. They do sell three battery AAA holders though. So if you go to Radio Shack your choices are:
-Four AA holder and solder a wire or diode in the fourth spot
-Three AAA holder and use it as is
There's nothing wrong with using AAA instead of AA. Theoretically the batteries may not last as long, but you should be changing the batteries long before they go dead so that you don't get corrosion.

You can get three AA holders from various online pinball parts sites.
 
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