Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Repair: Pascal answers!

All the error messages are described in the ERROR MESSAGES section of the manual (page 22  of revision 1.13). It can be freely downloaded from the SUPPORT section.

Follow this procedure to find the culprit: https://www.flippp.fr/faq/F55

When a coil is dead, it rarely comes from the coil itself. Don't change it randomly!

Instead, you should check in this order and depending on the error message:

-          the dedicated fuse coil, if equipped (see game manual)

-          the general coil fuse (in the cabinet near the transformers)

-          the associated contacts (drop targets, holes ...)

-          the coil diode: https://www.flippp.fr/faq/F154

-          the transistor on the board itself : transistor list https://www.flippp.fr/faq/F155 and how to test them https://www.flippp.fr/faq/F107

joker poker uses a remote PNP transistor 2N5875 under the playfield, to reset the kings drop targets bank with lamp outpout 17 (A3J5 pin 1):

VERY often, this transistor becomes defective and either turns the coil on forever (blowing the fuse) or sends coil voltage upstream, blowing the driving transistor upstream (original GTB driver or my board).

note that the fuse must be a sloblo 2A, not a fast blow. this is mandatory for continuous protection.

turn your game off, disconnect A3J5, then check that transistor under the playfield following my instructions here:

https://www.flippp.com/faq/F107

it is most likely dead.

if dead, replace it by a similar transistor (acceptable ones are listed in my FAQ here: https://www.flippp.com/faq/F118)

then keep A3J5 disconnected and turn game off.

the coil should not be energized and the fuse won't blow.

turn game off, connect A3J5, turn game on, see if the coil is not energized. (which should be the case)

then go to TEST COIL menu and try all coils.

A pop bumper driver board (codenamed: PBDB by Gottlieb) needs 5 different signals to work, as per the picture below:

one of the pop bumpers is stuck in "down" position, so my board cuts the coils power supply to avoid further possible damages (coil overheating, melt-down, or even fire start)

the displays are powered by the 60V power supply which is protected by a little cylindric fuse (brown or black) on a socket, just right of the A2P3 (PI-1 X4 board) or A2J3 (PI-80 board) connector. if the fuse has blown, it's because one of the displays has become defective. the board itself is not at fault, but at least 1 of the displays draws more current than it should and makes the fuse blow. with time, there is a risk to damage the power supply section of the board. depending on the delivery time, a replacement fuse was delivered with each board (in a little zipped bag). but we need to find the culprit display before replacing it! start with the following procedure: turn the game OFF, disconnect connector A2P3 (PI-1 X4 board) or A2J3 (PI-80 board), A1J2 and A1J3 from the CPU, and disconnect the edge connector on ALL the displays. then, on each display (one at a time) with your multimeter on "2000 ohms" setting, measure the resistance across the 1uf 100V electrolytic capacitor (small orange or silver container), as shown on this picture :   - if the measured resistance is higher than 2000 ohms : the display is PROBABLY good, but it is not an exhaustive test - if it is lower, one of the UDN6118 chips is likely to be damaged.   write down the value measured on each display of the game, then cross-compare them: if one of the values is significatively lower than the others, this is probably the faulty display.   additional test: reconnect A2P3 (PI-1 X4 board) or A2J3 (PI-80 board), A1J2 and A1J3 from the CPU (with the game still OFF), replace the fuse (depending on the date of delivery, a spare one might be provided in a separate zip bag).   then only plug ONE DISPLAY AT A TIME, turn the game on, check whether the 60V is still good (60V/42VLED is lit) : - if yes, the display is probably good. turn the game off, disconnect the display that you just tested, connect the next display, and continue. - if no, the defective display is the one connected last.   on the suspected defective display, desolder one of the two UDN6118 chips and redo the 2000 ohms resistor measurement on the display: if the value is now closer to the other ones, this chip was at fault, otherwise it's the second one.   alas, none of these 2 tests is exhaustive, we may not be able to draw any conclusion.   if you got no electronics skills, it will be difficult to identify the faulty display because the current drawn thru the +60V to the displays must be measured.   in that case, I strongly advise to get in touch with a skilled repair person or company and send them the displays for test and repair.   IMPORTANT: ALWAYS turn the game OFF before plugging/unplugging any connector, otherwise it would cause further damage to the game!

it comes generally from a bad contact on the display connector.
try to shake gently the cables coming to the connector.
if the very bright digits disappear, the problem is confirmed, so inspect the edge connector
else either the connector is badly damaged, or the display itself has a problem.

IMPORTANT: turn off the pinball before unplugging any display or more damages will occur.

if the problem shows only on one of the displays, you have to check the display itself (faulty display, dirty edge connector, cut wire ..)
swap it with a known working one to see if the problem "moves":
- if it moved, then the display itself is faulty
- if it didn't, then there is a connection problem (dirty edge connector, cut wire).

if TWO displays show the same problem it may come from the main board or a bad A1J2/A1J3 connector:
on PI-1 and PI-1 X4 boards:
- SEGMENTS a..h of displays 1 and 2 and credit display are driven together
- SEGMENTS a..h of displays 3 and 4 are driven together
- DIGITS of displays 1 and 3 and credit display are driven together
- DIGITS of displays 2 and 4 are driven together
on PI-80 board (most of the games):
- SEGMENTS a..h of displays 1 and 2 are driven together
- SEGMENTS a..h of the credit display are driven separately
- SEGMENTS a..h of the displays 3 and 4 are driven together
- DIGITS of displays 1 and 3 and credit display are driven together
- DIGITS of displays 2 and 4 are driven together

swap the faulty pair of displays which the pair of working ones to see if the problem "moves":
- if it moved, the problem is linked to the display itself
- if it didn't, then there is a connection problem (dirty edge connector, cut wire).

on PI-1 and PI-1 X4 boards, the little display is linked to displays 1 and 3.
Does it work properly?
if it does, the PI-1 X4 board is good, displays 1 and 3 are the culprits.
if it doesn't, either the PI-1 X4 board is damaged or it is disturbed by displays 1 and 3

IMPORTANT: always turn the game OFF before plugging/unplugging any connector, otherwise it would cause further damage to the game!

before suspecting the PI-80 board, the power supply or the displays, are connectors A1J2 and A1J3 correctly plugged in?
as marked on the board, they must be plugged in reverse position, A1J2 on the bottom, A1J3 on the top, name sticker toward the back of the front head

the original fuse fitted the good old analog regulation design of GTB's power supply, but no longer fits my boards which use a step-up converter (from 14V to 60V), whose power budget is strictly under control.

so please do NOT replace my original fuse by anything higher rated one!
that would blow U2 in case of trouble.

a fuse repeatedly blowning means that at least one display is draining too much current.
this display must be identified and fixed once for good.
the culprit is either (rarely both) UDN6118 chip on the display itself. follow my other FAQ to help find the faulty display.

Replace the 7432 component (Z1, 14 pins) on this small display by a 74LS32 or 74HCT32 + good quality socket (machine tool)

 

segments signals are shared between those 2 displays and the small credit display.
this one, if defective, may cause problems to the other two.

an easy test:
-          turn game off
-          disconnect the small display alone
-          turn game on
-          if the scores are good again, the culprit is the small display as guessed
 
in thase case, follow the procedure described in this FAQ: https://www.flippp.com/faq/F140

LAMP TROUBLES -- PI-1 X4

LAMP TROUBLES -- PI-80

otherwise (lamps still lit), replace the 2nd chip.

Lamps always off:

These are General Illumination lamps, they aren't controlled by the boards (only by the TILT relay) and have a dedicated fuse.

If none of them is lit, check the fuse near the transformer and the diode bridges.

If some are lit and some aren't, it means that the fuse is OK, but then :

- the sockets may be rusted or tarnished

- some lamps may be dead

- the metallic wires behind the sockets may be cut somewhere.

did you plug all the connectors? especially A1J6 (PI-1, PI-1/X4) and A1J5 (PI-80).
and any credits left? check the CREDIT display!

The error comes from one or several faulty coils or their diode in parallel or their associated fuse or the associated contacts.
The board detects the error, warns the user about it, and prevents from starting a play to avoid aggravating the problems.

A full description of all error messages and their possible causes & fixes can be found in the PI-1/X4 and PI-80 boards manuals.

In a first step, narrow the failure search by following the simple steps below:
IN CASE OF PERMANENTLY CLOSED SWITCH:
IN CASE OF A COIL WHICH CAN'T BE ACTIVATED:

you must select the proper game upon power-up.
the PI-1, PI-1/X4 and PI-80 boards work in many games, but they are unable to detect which game they are installed in (no board can, no matter the manufacturer).
so you must select the correct game in the available games list upon power-up.
this is explained in the installation leaflet.
otherwise, when the board enters the attract mode, it will turn on/off the playfield lamps or even coils disregard of the game = may cause real havoc.

check the voltages on the power supply connectors on the left hand side, strictly following the checklists below:

- PI-1 X4 : https://flippp.com/faq/F148

- PI-80 : https://flippp.com/faq/F149

The most common problem for menus and game/language selection is the connector A1J6 (on PI-1 or PI-1 X4 boards) or A1J5 (on PI-80 board) which is often corroded due to the former leaking battery and prevents TEST and CREDIT buttons to work as they should.

Did you inspect it carefully?

If a few pins need to be replaced, I usually replace them one by one, otherwise I replace the whole connector by a JAMMA connector which I trim to the desired length. They are extremely robust.

One thing you can try before replacing any connector is to disconnect A1J7 (on PI-1 or PI-1 X4 boards) or A1J6 (on PI-80 board) and see whether it works better. There may be problems on the switches matrix under the playfield that interact with the switches behind the coin door.

check that the ground lug, screwed into the metal rail under the driver board location, is not bent and does not make contact with the PI-1/X4 board above it.

-          is the RED LED flashing during the « BING » sound just after start-up? (even if you don't hear it!)

-          is the volume potentiometer ON THE BOARD properly adjusted?
-          is the volume potentiometer IN THE PINBALL BODY (near the transformers for example, depending on the model) properly adjusted?
for example set at mid-level

-          is the loudspeaker properly connected and working?

Example of this problem on a Torch pinball:

Explanation : the sound board microprocessor receives a bad clock signal. You'll have to send us the board back for test and repair. Contact us.

no, because there are many type of diodes with different voltage thresholds.

1N270 diodes have a threshold between 0.2 and 0.3V and my boards are made to drive only this type of diode.
Schottky diodes are a perfect replacement, eg. BAT42 BAT43 BAT85..

1N4148 1N4004 1N4007 diode have a threshold between 0.6 and 0.7V. This means that the switch matrix circuitry may not be functioning properly if they are used
it's a problem which is too often overlooked when the original diodes have to be changed.

this warning message says that the switch number "xx", pertaining to one of the pop bumpers on the playfield, remains closed permanently.
this message may be turned off by means of COMMON SETTING 28 "CHECK BUMPER" but I don't recommend it, because the rootcause for that closed switch must be found.
it may be an electrical or mechanical problem.
the cup switch of each pop bumper must be checked to find the stuck one.

all boards (PI-1, PI-1 X4, PI-80) work the same.

basically, the CPU board sends out strobe signals (=rows) and they intersect with return signals (=columns) that go back to the CPU.
at each intersection, you got a switch (=contact) and a diode in serial with it.

on the following drawing, when the switch #10 is closed, the active-low strobe signal (in RED, one active strobe at a time) is fed to the playfield switch thru the diode.
when the switch is closed, this signal goes back to the return input signal (in BLUE) of the CPU.
the CPU detects it and knows that this given contact number #10 has been closed.

checking the diodes is pretty easy. 
disconnect the connectors:

-          A1J6 and A1J7 for PI-1 and PI-1 X4 boards

-          A1J5 and A1J6 for PI-80 boards

then measure each diode on "diode" setting with red DMM plug on NON BANDED side and black DMM plug on BANDED side: it should read between 0.2 and 0.3V. 

if a faulty diode must be replaced, information about replacement diodes can be found here:

https://www.flippp.com/faq/F49

the 10 pts switches and the 10 pts sound coil are two not directly related things.

it is true that scoring either 10 pts switch on the playfield will energize the 10 pts sound coil.

but there is no “direct link” between them: it is the software that will add 10 pts to the player’s score then will energize the proper coil (if scoring sounds have been enabled).

as you noticed, 10 pts switches are often found in plenty on a playfield, and are ALL wired in PARALLEL: this means that if ONE switch is permanently stuck closed, the others will never register.

so you must carefully inspect the 10 pts switches on your playfield.

they are found behind the rubbers, slingshots, drop targets, along the lanes etc…

use your game’s playfield drawing in the original Gottlieb manual to find them all.

use TEST SWITCH mode too, to check whether each 10 pts switch is duly registered and not displayed as [M]aintained.

One or more switches under the playfield are permanently closed and give points.
Go to the TEST SWITCH menu and write down the switch numbers that are displayed "M" = maintained (permanently closed).
These are often the 10pt switches behind the rubbers. They are wired in parallel.
Also check those behind the drop targets or in the holes ...

All boards are guaranteed for SIX MONTHS (parts and labour) starting from the date of purchase against all failures of the components and the manufacturing. This guarantee is intended to protect you against the kind of failures that can show up soon after starting during normal use. However, it does not apply if the board has been re-sold to a 3^rd party during the guarantee period: in that case, it applies only to the original buyer whom I will make arrangements with.

Absolutely! I always do my utmost to attend as many French pinball expos as possible throughout the year: Sorgues, Le Tréport, Le Fontanil, Ste Ménéhould, Pouilly en Auxois, Chailly en Bière.. My plans to attend an expo or not are displayed on the "Next shows" page.

name: I use it sparingly in my manuals will full credit given to the rightsowner.

Yes it's possible, please contact me thru the contact page.
Only the boards still in their sealed, unopened antistatic bag will be accepted. The refund will be limited to the original board's price (and possible paypal fees, proportionally) and will be issued after reception and control of the returned board.
The initial shipping fees will be obviously not refunded.
You may then place another order on line for another board.
-> Note: no restocking fees will be charged.

after too many international wire transfer problems (high hidden fees invoiced by banks on both ends), this means of payment is no longer available.
contact us for more details.

I keep records of all purchases since 2001 but I never offered any log-in user account whatsoever. 
this makes your personal data a lot safer against hackers, as they are not stored on line.

Given the huge price increase on all parts, mainly electronic components, we no longer offer any discount on multiple orders.

Contact me and don't empty my fuse stock!

Do NOT send the same message several times in a row!!
It will be processed as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours except under some circumstances (such as holidays) clearly stated on top of the web site.
I have designed, manufactured and programmed these boards as part of my pinball hobby, and not as a business.
I make no profit from these endeavours.
I am more than happy to help people who buy my boards, and I appreciate the feedback from them, especially where it helps to improve the boards.
I do have a real job though, and a big family, and I am not able to provide continuous and/or immediate help on a 24/7 basis.
I hope that you can appreciate this..
If not and you are not satisfied with what I provide, then return the board to me in original condition and I will refund the cost of the board you have purchased from me (except shipping fees).
No restocking fee will be charged if the board is returned in new condition in its original, unopened antistatic bag.

yes : the sales tax (VAT) on the sales is refundable and is clearly stated (for French or UE customers only) on the invoice sent by email the day your order is shipped.

Register to be informed of its availability. It may already be under programming.

Yes, the board will eventually support all the System-80/80A series.

All games run with the exact same sounds as the original games. I drive each game's sound board in exactly the same way as the original Gottlieb CPU board.

It is an ambiguous question: a non-working game is one of the main reasons that people purchase my boards! In the manual as well as on top of the quick installation leaflet, I remind users of the most important points to check PRIOR to any installation. It is ALWAYS dangerous to install a new board without performing some basic checks on the game! All my boards embed advanced hardware and software protections against all kinds of failures which would damage the original Gottlieb boards, but it is always wise to check for shorted coils & lamps sockets, damaged displays, blown fuses, broken connector pins, dead diode bridges etc...

download the quick installation leaflet from the SUPPORT page before receiving the new board.
you'll find all the steps to check on the top of the first page. They don't require any extensive knowledge in electronics.

With each board, and in addition to the guarantee, I do my best to help people install and set up my boards by email. But I could not help the user restore his whole game from scratch from distance. I would need a 2nd life to do so! It also goes without saying that in the event that the board is damaged following its installation in a game in unknown condition without making basic checks, then the 6 month guarantee may be invalidated.

the pullup resistors are indeed recommended by GTB (as shown on the attached technical bulletins).
I also highly recommend them, and not only on black hole but on ALL games that have PNP transistors under the playfield, including system-1 games: joker poker, countdown, close encounters, pinball pool, hulk, buck rogers, torch, roller disco, asteroid annie.

the problem lies more on the PNP transistors they used under the playfield than the driving transistors upstream (GTB driver or my board).
due to their high current gain, they may remain slightly energized instead of being completely turned off, leading to overheating and possible coil meltdown after some time.

TIP: the original PNP transistors may not be available anymore, you can freely use one of these instead:
2N5875
2N5879
2N5884
BDX18
BDX64
BDX66
MJ2500
MJ2955

don’t worry, the PI-1 X4 will peacefull drive any kind of sound-making system, including chimes, without any modification.

it is also written on the PI-1 X4 description page.

For sure! The coin slots still behave as usual and are fully programmable by menu.

NPN
PNP

examples: 2N5875, 2N5879, 2N5884, TIP2955, MJE2955, BC327..
- red tip on E, black tip on B : readout 0.5 to 0.7V OK
- red tip on C, black tip on B : readout 0.5 to 0.7V OK

2N5879
2N5884
BDX18
BDX64
MJ2500
MJ2955

some are not readily available on line because they address the kind of repair that I don't normally let people make themselves.

I have seen too many boards damaged/ruined by self-appointed repair persons that don't know how to identify/solder/desolder components.

so when special demands show up, I prefer to treat them on a person-to-person basis.

absolutely:

1. Boston Pinball displays: https://www.bostonpinballcompany.com/displays.htm
   I have been personally using them for years in some of my games delivered ready to install, simple set-up, adjustable brightness (dimmer), 4 6 or 7 digits, various colors available, excellent rendering
2. Wolffpac displays: https://www.wolffpactech.com
   I never had a chance to try some myself yet, but two close friends did and were very satisfied
   warning: come as a kit = you must SOLDER them yourself, very simple set-up, 6-digit cyan only (as of April 2021), very good rendering

Sidenote: some earlier board revisions may require a minor modification, simply ask me directly for details.