Tapper high score bug...

SHaMROCK73

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I posted this problem before and didn't really get any where with it. Someone must have an idea what could be causing this.

If I play a game of Tapper and get on the high score list. For example if I score 84250 and enter my initials. After I leave and the game is in attract mode, as part of the attract mode cycle it displays the high score list. usually it is just displayed but seemingly at randlom when the high score list is on screen it is "active". By active I mean it's as if a game has just ended and you can actually enter your initials. But since no one really just played the initials entered are A__ and the score will be whatever the last real game that was played was, 84250 in my example. So my "JDG 84250" will be moved down the list untill the entire list is filled with "A__ 84250".

I really need to solve this, it's driving me crazy!
 
i'd guess bit rot in one or several of the program roms.
 
is it repairable- yes. You would use an eprom burner to verify whether or not the code on the eproms is correct. Eproms are all socketed on Tapper. You'd be looking for the ones labled pg0-pg3 or pga-d depending on how midway felt like labeling the roms that week. If you don't have an eprom burner the simplest thing to do is to have Steph at www.hobbyroms.com burn you those 4 roms and replace them. They're located on the middle board in the 3 board stack. Make sure you label the stack as you disassemble it.

If the game functions normally besides the high score table being active when it shouldn't be, i'd say there's a 95% chance thats the issue.
 
ok, so i'm thinking about this a bit, and is your pcb saving high scores? Does this happen even after 10 games have been played and the high score table filled with real entries? I ask because i know when its first booted the high score table is blank.... It may just be filling itself in until "real" score replace them.
If your pcb isn't saving scores, hat might explain why it happens repeatedly, otherwise, i'm betting its the bit rot.
 
It happens before the table is filled and after IF the most recent game played had a score that is worth of the table.

I'm getting Steph to burn me a FREEPLAY rom. It should arrive next week. Maybe replacing that ROM will kill two bird with one stone.
 
Well I sent those 4 ROMS to Steph at hobbyroms.com and he said he found nothing wrong with them. I finally got my FREEPLAY ROM from Steph working so my original C1 ROM is now been replaced by the freeplay version. I was hoping that maybe the high score issue would somehow be fixed with the replacement of this ROM. I monitored it all day and it didn't repeat the high scores. I was hopefull, but I woke up this morning and my sacore of JDG 8050 was preceeded by A__ 8050, A__ 8050, and A__ 8050. So the high score was falsely repeat 3 times through out the night!!!

This is what Steph said...

You roms were all good.

They all checked-out with the correct MAME rom images.

Your high score issues must be something else.

Likely the battery back-up ram which stores the info.

Cheers,
Steph

Where is the battery back-up RAM? ARRRGH!!!!
 
should be a 6116lp on the cpu pcb - the one closest to the z80.
 
you can try replacing it and see if that helps. If nothing else, remove it and clean the inside of the legs and make sure the legs aren't bent outward any at all.
 
Another did you manage to fix it post. Mine started doing the same thing. Any ideas?
 
Here's a photo for everyone's reference.

I just entered the top score. Next time it displays that, the top will be A
 

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