Zoo Keeper Help Needed

shirkle

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I've finished building my Zoo Keeper (check the restoration thread), and now it's time to tackle the last couple of repairs. Here's what it's doing now:

Turn it on and....

a) if the coin door is closed, it says "Name Location"

b) if coin door is open, it says "Memory Failure,Open Coin Door, Power On/Off"

I can also open the coin door, hold the service interlock switch, and power on and I can then cycle through all of the settings and actually start a game.

My first impression is that I have the service interlock switch wired incorrectly.

If I switch the wiring, I assume I'll get the same messages, just in reverse. So, the real question is how do I get rid of the "Memory Failure" screen. I have already replaced the battery with a phone battery if that matters.


Finally, when I do get through to a game, there is sound only in the initial "ZOO KEEPER" screen, but not in attract mode and not during game play. Where's my sound! I've tried two sound boards with the same result.
 
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I've finished building my Zoo Keeper (check the restoration thread), and now it's time to tackle the last couple of repairs. Here's what it's doing now:

Turn it on and....

a) if the coin door is closed, it says "Name Location"

b) if coin door is open, it says "Memory Failure,Open Coin Door, Power On/Off"

I can also open the coin door, hold the service interlock switch, and power on and I can then cycle through all of the settings and actually start a game.

My first impression is that I have the service interlock switch wired incorrectly.

If I switch the wiring, I assume I'll get the same messages, just in reverse. So, the real question is how do I get rid of the "Memory Failure" screen. I have already replaced the battery with a phone battery if that matters.


Finally, when I do get through to a game, there is sound only in the initial "ZOO KEEPER" screen, but not in attract mode and not during game play. Where's my sound! I've tried two sound boards with the same result.

You need to put the game in Self Test and look at the LED's on the PCBs. They will indicate what the problem is, if it can detect it.

If you don't have the manual, you can download it from here:

http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Arcade_Manuals_and_Schematics/Zoo Keeper.pdf

Look on pages 7 and 8 for how to set Attract mode sounds.
 
the game is working.. just click thru the menus with the self test switches. it will take probably 8 times clicking the enter switch before the game boots.

Actually, took a quick vid of my own machine at the same spot if that helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCxSFjsDNqo

EDIT: Rats, missed the part at the end where you said you had already cycled into the game but hey, watch the video anyway :) That and change out the 2114's and the 4116's
 
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I appreciate the video. That's just what mines doing. The sound you hear in your video is the only sound I get. The other part of attract mode (where they show point values) has no sound, and games have no sound. This is consistent on two sound boards. I'm wondering if it's a ROM issue?

I'm going to go run through the self tests. I forgot that I can narrow down the 4116 that way. It's been so long (years!!!) since this has shown any signs of life that I think I'm too excited to think things through like that!

I was hoping it would boot right up tonight....it's never that easy with this game for me! I wish mspeath still made those high score kits (hint hint), which I think would eliminate the issue. Seriously, there's still a market for those!

If all else fails, I'll order some 4116 and 2114 like Brian suggested. By the way, the art looks great! When this thing finally works, it will be the pride and joy of my little collection.
 
Well, I rewired that black service interlock switch and it acts the way it should now (options when the door is open, memory failure when the door is shut).
So, I can definitely start and play a game, but with no sound, and only when the door is open because I have to scroll through all of those options.

I tried the test button on the main PCB and had a really weird result: nothing. The LEDs blinked and the screen went completely blank (like it's off). Nothing else. I tried multiple times with this same result. So, now I am officially stuck.

Still, today is a step in the right direction. Let's get this thing working....finally.
 
Just realized that the two jumper pins next to the battery are completely missing. I'll try adding some to the board and messing with that jumper to see if it makes a difference. It's mentioned in the manual.
 
I don't know if it will fix your sound, but I think the jumper enables the battery to keep the settings. If it can't keep settings it will keep going back to the initial setting menu. Do you have a battery on your board or better yet mounted off board? - Barry

I also think the coin door has to be open to run the self test on the pcb (if you hadn't tried that already)
 
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I'll try both of those today.

There is a nicad battery mounted on the board. There was no battery damage from the original, but I replaced it anyway. Maybe that jumper will make a difference.
 
Progress?...kind of.

With the coin door open I still get the "Location Name" screen. I can push the test button on the PCB and it appears to pass all tests (goes through all of them on the screen, and the LEDs are 000101).

So that's good.

The bad: I connected the little jumper next to the battery. That's when all hell breaks loose. With it connected, sometimes it powers on like before, sometimes with garbage on the screen. It WILL NOT let me test anything with that jumper installed. The self test LEDs don't even light up at all. Nothing. So, that's an odd one.

I'm stuck again and I appreciate any help I can get.
 
Swapped the main PCB (video processor) w/ the one I had in Qix(working). Didn't do anything different at first. I put it through the service menus and then coined it up. At that point, I noticed that the coin counter wasn't working. Odd. I unplugged the coin door, shut the coin door, turned it off and back on, and it booted straight into a game. OK, so it's either the wiring on the coin door, the PCB, or both.
So, I tried the original PCB and had no luck. Same old result.

I took the ZK PCB over to Qix and got the memory failure there too. So that makes it definitely a problem on that board, and I assume a problem in the coin door wiring somewhere for it to have made the Qix board work in there.

Looks like a bit of troubleshooting ahead, but I'm guessing I'm looking at replacing some chips.

For as much as I love Zoo Keeper, I hate it too.

Once I get it working, then we'll tackle the sound dilemma.
 
Memory failure is usually a dead battery. When that jumper is gone, it won't allow the board to see the battery and save settings resulting in memory failure. What voltage is the battery at?

I would pull that battery off the board, go and get yourself a nicad cordless phone battery 3.6 volt and solder it to the pads where the old battery was. Reinstall the jumper and see what you get. Perhaps that battery is causing a problem when the jumper is on there. - Barry
 
Update:
Found an old unopened battery in my parts bin. It said it was from 1995, so I was a bit hesitant to put it on the board. I put it on and had garbage on the screen on the first power up. Turned it off and back on and it suddenly worked. Booted right up.

Since then, if I leave it off for a while and turn it on, I get the garbage screen when powering up, but if I immediately power down and back on, it comes up perfect and seems to save memory because the credits are still there.

So, it's not 100%, but definitely a step in the right direction. I wonder if the batter is simply not fully charged or if it's maybe on its way out. I'll test it with a new battery if I can get to the store tomorrow.

Soooo....what's making the sound not work during game play. It works during attract, but not gameplay. That's consistent with two different sound boards I've tested, so I'm wondering if a ROM controls it, but I don't know which one.
 
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Yesterday, I got home from work and turned on ZK and it fired right up. I decided to leave it on for a while and when I came back in about an hour it was frozen on the high score screen. I turned it off and back on and now I just get a blank screen.
The self test button goes through the color test and then stops, with the LEDs stuck on 000101

This game is frustrating. Repairing my Black Hole pinball was easier than this.
 
Mine acted similiar when the original power supply took a dump. Frozen screen and wouldn't come back. Do you still have the original in there or is it changed to a switcher? - Barry
 
Fixed it.
I do have a switcher in there.

I'm not sure what caused the problem. The 5v was only at 4.9, so I cranked that back up. I also put on a new battery (new, not an old new one like before), and reseated all of the connectors.

Fired right up.

Back to sound problem. Anyone know if it sounds like a ROM issue? I only get the initial song when I turn it on....no other sounds work. If it's a ROM issue...which one???
I don't even know how to test this. I swapped out ribbon cables from ROM board to data/sound board with some extras I had and I got the same result, so I've eliminated it being a bad ribbon cable. I tried a second data/sound board and got the same result. So that narrows it down to the ROM board or the Video Processor board. I assume the ROM board is the culprit.
 
Fixed it.
I do have a switcher in there.

I'm not sure what caused the problem. The 5v was only at 4.9, so I cranked that back up. I also put on a new battery (new, not an old new one like before), and reseated all of the connectors.

Fired right up.

Back to sound problem. Anyone know if it sounds like a ROM issue? I only get the initial song when I turn it on....no other sounds work. If it's a ROM issue...which one???
I don't even know how to test this. I swapped out ribbon cables from ROM board to data/sound board with some extras I had and I got the same result, so I've eliminated it being a bad ribbon cable. I tried a second data/sound board and got the same result. So that narrows it down to the ROM board or the Video Processor board. I assume the ROM board is the culprit.

Mine is doing the same thing now. No sound at all. I tried two other data/sound boards and got the same result. I bet it is the rom board. I will let you know what I come up with today.
 
Anybody out there know if this sounds like a ROM issue, and if so which one? ZK with no sound sucks now.
 
Tonight I pulled out the schematic and traced the interconnectors from the sound board through the ROM board and found that the traces go through U25,U26, and U27. I already replaced U26, so I figured it wasn't the culprit. I pulled U27 and reseated it. No change. Finally, I pulled U25 and there it was, staring back at me.....a bent leg. One of the legs was completely bent underneath it.
I tried to straighten it and it broke off. I soldered it back on, reseated it, and BOOM...SOUND!

So, it's almost 100% working now. I just played a few quick games. It still comes up with "Memory Error" when I first turn it on, but after I go through the options it's good to go.

I'm so relieved to have the sound working. What a great game.
 
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