Sinistar questions

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Sinistar questions - Problem solved

I am enjoying my new Sinistar and have a couple questions.

(1) I am interested in converting to the lithium battery but when I looked on Bob Robert's site he mentions that for some games the charging system must be defeated. Is this the case on a Sinistar?

http://www.therealbobroberts.net/wmsbatt.html

(2) I also need to know why I am not seeing any high scores in the Sinimmortals section. I did a search and found out that a bad CMOS on the main PCB causes this. Can anyone confirm this? There was a thread about this with no conclusion.

Thanks for your help.
 
Last edited:
OK Sinistar is not saving any high scores after shutting down, and I have 3 new batteries in. Is that still the CMOS problem? Also where can I find how to adjust the vertical center on the monitor? It's just a little off center.
 
Some quick answers:
(a) Sinistar will support the lithium battery mod.
(b) Bad CMOS will cause this, but it is also more likely to be an issue with the battery holder.

If you have a voltmeter test the voltage on the board between the positive contact and ground. Frequently these battery holders will be corroded and you will not see the correct voltage on the board. The lithium battery fix will solve this.

Unlikely, but seen. All three batteries should face the same direction. This holder is not like a lot of other ones where the batteries alternate directions. The + side of the batteries face the terminals that are marked + on the board.

ken
 
Some quick answers:
(a) Sinistar will support the lithium battery mod.
(b) Bad CMOS will cause this, but it is also more likely to be an issue with the battery holder.

If you have a voltmeter test the voltage on the board between the positive contact and ground. Frequently these battery holders will be corroded and you will not see the correct voltage on the board. The lithium battery fix will solve this.

Unlikely, but seen. All three batteries should face the same direction. This holder is not like a lot of other ones where the batteries alternate directions. The + side of the batteries face the terminals that are marked + on the board.

ken

Thanks for the info Ken. I ordered the battery mod from Bob Roberts as well as the new CMOS and a socket. I figure if I'm going to replace it I might as well put a socket in there in case it happens again. For informational purposes I figured out that Sinistar's CMOS is a 5114 RAM at location 1C on the main PCB.
 
Thanks for the info Ken. I ordered the battery mod from Bob Roberts as well as the new CMOS and a socket. I figure if I'm going to replace it I might as well put a socket in there in case it happens again. For informational purposes I figured out that Sinistar's CMOS is a 5114 RAM at location 1C on the main PCB.


Good plan! I always socket chips as I go. It lets me know where I've been in debugging a board. :scratchchin:

ken
 
There's also the NOVRAM mod you can put in that doesn't require batteries at all. I think Spaeth was selling those.

You could always spend the money for a JROK board, set it to Sinistar and never have to worry about the game again.
 
CMOS and socket arrived today. I ordered these Monday afternoon from Bob Roberts. That's f***ing impressive. New Orleans, LA to Cleveland, OH in two days. That just impresses the sh** out of me.
 
Problem solved.

Installed a socket at 1-C and replaced the CMOS (5114 RAM). Also converted from AAA to lithium battery via Bob Roberts kit. High scores saving, Sinimmortals populated and saving, and also discovered the custom attract mode message which is pretty cool.
 
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