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Complete Bally Fathom

Todays tasks included:
Installing the Tilt board, Flipper switches, the cabinet wiring loom and speaker. etc:
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Then onto the boards, Decided on a new MPU - weebly and a fully tested and working lamp driver board. Not sure yet on the state of the SDB, the aux lamp driver and the S&T Sound card:
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Dug the score display brackets out of the Evaporust, then have come up nice, but need a polish
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Polished the locking tabs and the Score display trays/brackets:
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I will upgrade to Led score displays in blue , green and white - but I haven't made them yet, so put the old ones back in for the time being.
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Did all the voltage tests from the Rectifier board - all good, one blown fuse. SDB testes out ok for HV and 5V is looking good. So time to put in the playfield and switch on:
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It booted once I'd added 3 balls and nothing blew up.

Next jobs will be to upgrade to LedBar lighting, new score displays and then work on the top and bottom of the playfield and the apron. Will move the machine into the pinroom as the garage work is finished.
 
S&T Boards are not easy to fix, but this one was - Two flashes, no third flash which points to U11 PIA faulty. They are socketed so popped a new one in and hey presto it booted.

Still no sound, not even a crackle out of the speakers. No hum no nothing. Started to trace continuity from the S&T speaker output into the cab to coin door, via volume control and back to the cab to the speaker. All tests out and volume pot is working fine.

Might be the speaker itself, or a problem with the audio amp on the S&T board. Need to find and hook up another speaker to test.........
 
Managed to sort the s&t found board and it now works when connected to a test speaker, direct to the board speaker output.

The speaker in the cab isnt working. Took it out and saw that it has a broken fly lead from the movement coil to terminal lug. It’s too short to resolder to the lug. and it’s a thin braided copper wire. I’ve tried soldering to it but the solder won’t take at all. maybe it’s got a coating. anyhow managed a bush repair with some tin foil and a bare piece of wire, got a good connection back to the terminal connector lug.

Tested it out and we now have sound and voice 👍

Played a game and it all seems to be working. flippers are weak but yo be expected. rebuilding them is on the “to do” list
 
Sounds like you been busy but rewarding all the same mate, I love these kind of threads as I’m learning as I go thanks to people like you and everyone else sharing there skills.
Awesome man 🙌🏻
 
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Pick Holder said:
@AlanJ
You should really just use these. I did a couple of games with these in the backbox.
Of course they have doubled in price as well.....
I used these on the first Full Throttle (Heighway) playfield......



Cheaper versons,..

Click to expand...
I have those style. the problem with them is they are too big to use on the front of the backbox, i wanted more lights than were in there originally. - those would have worked if i wanted to poke them through the old lamp
holder holes. they also work well in the playfield gi when you need a lamp up
above the pf surface. (i’ll be using them for that soon)
 
Don’t know how I missed this thread . Alan you have done a cracking job and as for the clear coat I can feel your pain . I bought a spay gun just for the clear coat but it wasn’t putting enough on so I had to switch guns . Once the hole cab had dryed properly I had to the sand it all down with 1500 grit which definitely was Squeaky bum time for me 😂
 
Got out the new playfields. These have been waiting patiently for almost 3 years. Both are identical - I can’t see any differences. I bought two because I expected to come across a second fathom project (not turned up yet, so may sell this on).

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This morning has been a painstaking job of removing all the lamp connections and recording what wire goes where. playfield now stripped, bar some t-nuts and a few lamp sockets.
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Old versus new:
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The wood side rails were about to get off due to the long staples used. Got them all off, sanded and primed, and a coat of new paint
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Next job is to t-nut the new playfield.
 
Ledbars tested and pre-tinned with solder. (I find this easier than adding the solder when trying to attach the wire (that needs three hands!!!).

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The black LedBars are for the controlled lamps. DC. The green ones are AC for the GI lamps.

On the pf:
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