NBA Fastbreak DMD issue

mcelroy2799

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I have an NBA Fastbreak with a dead DMD. The sound works so I know the audio section of the audio visual pcb works. There is some burn marks and ugly stuff up in the right corner which I assume is the DMD section. My question is what are my options to remedy this? I know I can send board out for repair but are there any after market boards that can replace the DMD section? I sew a dmd drive pcb on pin sound but not sure if it will work with NBA Fastbreak. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
 
First thing you need to do a voltage check.
This is a copy and paste from Google.
I don't think there is a piggy back board for the Wpc95. Marcos has a rebuild kit for this section.

  1. Locate the DMD or J604 Connector:
    Find either the Dot Matrix Display itself or the J604 connector on the Dot Matrix Controller board (or Audio/Visual board for WPC-95).
  2. 2. Check Voltages:
    Use a multimeter to check the following voltages at the specified pins on the DMD or J604:
    • Pin 1: -125 volts
    • Pin 2: -113 volts
    • Pin 3: Key
    • Pin 4: Ground
    • Pin 5: Ground
    • Pin 6: +5 volts
    • Pin 7: +12 volts
    • Pin 8: +62 volts
  3. 3. Verify Voltages:
    • All voltages should be within 10% of the specified values.
    • The -113V and -125V voltages must be 12 volts apart (e.g., if -125V is -118V, then -113V should be -106V).
    • If the -125V is missing, the -113V will likely be missing as well.
 
Thanks! So I checked voltages at the DMD and I'm just missing the -113 volts on pin 2. One question I have is.......I was thinking of putting a color DMD in anyway.......would this solve my issue since the Color DMD uses low voltage?
 
would this solve my issue since the Color DMD uses low voltage?
Yes.
The only real downside of them is that they're too expensive considering that the 2- 32x64 LED panels used on them are $12/ea, but the color adds a lot to any game and the display itself will hold it's value. I basically hate any non-original pin mod but I put ColorDMDs in everything, including linked Fastbreaks, and it would be hard to ever go back to plasma.

I pull the fuses off the AV board for the DMD power rails since there is no need to leave that section powered up any longer. Considering the WPC95 AV board is probably the most expensive board to replace in any pin, anything you can do to make it run cooler is better in the long run.

If you want to stay on the inexpensive side there are also low-voltage mono LED panels out there in various colors, mostly orange. They work fine but the ones I've gotten in games were too bright (and not dimmable) and weirdly glitchy.
 
Thanks for all the info. I was looking at the pin sound solution for this board too but the way I look at it, id rather spend that kind of money and get an upgrade to a color DMD than to spend it and still have the orange DMD. I really think this board is beyond repair by the looks of it. There is a lot of missing pads and globs of solder and burn marks. If I tried to get this board looked at.....does anyone have any recommendations for people that do good work?
 
Chris Hibler is excellent at board repair, but you could have a wait.
I've resorted to fixing my own pinball boards, i'm no expert, but it's better than waiting weeks or months.
If the retrocity pin2dmd doesn't need the high voltage, i'd consider that. I've seen them first hand and i think they look pretty good for less than half the price.
I had a couple NBA fastbreaks (i made the mistake of trading one of them rollercoaster tycoon). NBA is a great pin, but it isn't all that high valued so it may help if you only have to drop $250 on it.
 
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