Joust not getting past bookeeping screen - Help!

Wiz

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Have a question about Joust. When I turn the machine on it comes stating:

High Score Table Reset
Bookeeping Totals Cleared
Adjustment Failure
Restore Factory settings
by opening front door or table top
and turning game on and off

This seems to come up whenever the coin door is closed and the coin door kill switch is depressed.

If you turn the game on with the coin door open it states:
Initial tests indicate all systems go

and then goes to a new screen and states:
High score table reset
Bookeeping Total Cleared
Factory Settings Restored

and then the game freezes and you can't get it out of that screen. If you hit the reset on the board it basically shows the initial tests indicate all systems go and then it goes to the high score table and you can coin it up and play just fine. If you turn it off and on again the same things happen as above.

Please let me know what you think. I replaced the batteries, but still no difference.
 
The batteries are dead. Change the batteries. Open the coin door. When the 3 reset lines come up, press the advance button. It is one of the buttons on the inside of the coin door on the left.

Then you can close the coin door and you should be able to play normally from now on.

ken
 
The batteries are dead. Change the batteries. Open the coin door. When the 3 reset lines come up, press the advance button. It is one of the buttons on the inside of the coin door on the left.

Then you can close the coin door and you should be able to play normally from now on.

ken

Hello Ken, prior to posting, I did change the batteries to some new ones, but it did the same thing after I changed them. The advance button basically will not advance it out of the screens I mentioned. I had a similar problem with my Robotron recently, but fixed it by hitting the advance button. For some reason this one does not respond. I am wondering if perhaps my "advance" button is faulty
 
o.k, I have an update. I am now able to hit the advance button and take it to the main high score table and then coin it up. I think the wiring was a little loose on the actual "advance" button. But I do still get the following when I turn the machine on with the coin door closed. I have had this happen before and I just unscrewed the kill switch so it would not ever depress. Can someone tell me what the cause of the following text is:

High Score Table Reset
Bookeeping Totals Cleared
Adjustment Failure
Restore Factory settings
by opening front door or table top
and turning game on and off
 
My Bubbles just started doing the exact same thing. I think it is just a dead battery, since mine does start up normally when the advance is pressed.

I put bobs lithium kit in it about 2 or 3 years ago, so not bad on the battery life.
 
The battery holders very often go bad due to corrossion or having the contacts break. With the AC power off, check the voltage at the diodes near the battery holder (d9 & d10). If it is below 2V and it is new batteries, you may have a bad holder or bad diodes.

ken
 
Last edited:
o.k, I have an update. I am now able to hit the advance button and take it to the main high score table and then coin it up. I think the wiring was a little loose on the actual "advance" button. But I do still get the following when I turn the machine on with the coin door closed. I have had this happen before and I just unscrewed the kill switch so it would not ever depress. Can someone tell me what the cause of the following text is:

High Score Table Reset
Bookeeping Totals Cleared
Adjustment Failure
Restore Factory settings
by opening front door or table top
and turning game on and off

I think that means it's trying to write new default settings to the CMOS, but it can't since the coin door is pushing the memory protect interlock switch closed. It should go away once you fix your battery/CMOS problem.
 
o.k, I have an update. I am now able to hit the advance button and take it to the main high score table and then coin it up. I think the wiring was a little loose on the actual "advance" button. But I do still get the following when I turn the machine on with the coin door closed. I have had this happen before and I just unscrewed the kill switch so it would not ever depress. Can someone tell me what the cause of the following text is:

High Score Table Reset
Bookeeping Totals Cleared
Adjustment Failure
Restore Factory settings
by opening front door or table top
and turning game on and off

The message is caused by two seperate events:
(1) when the CMOS needs to be reinitialized, you will get the High Score Reset, Bookkeeping Reset and Factory settings messages,
(2) if the MPU board senses (or thinks it senses) the coin door is closed, you will get the Adjustment Failure message.

Number 1 is usually caused by one of several failures:
(1) dead batteries (not getting power to CMOS)
(2) corroded or damaged battery holder (not getting power to CMOS)
(3) bad CMOS (if power > 2V is getting to chip when AC is off)
(4) bad D10 diode (not getting power to CMOS)

Number 2 is usually caused by one of several thngs:
(1) coin door is closed
(2) damaged memory protect switch (diagnose by unplugging mem protect from MPU board)
(3) damage to the memory protect circuit (diagnose with logic probe)

The advance button being intermittent could be caused by a faulty ground connection to the coin door.

ken
 
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