Diner - U41 error, display issues then both displays dead.

[David_Vi]

Remember the tales of Diner? The mpu that seemed cursed for weeks if not months which has now been reliable for nearly two years?

Well here we go again..

Diner is living with Jez @StandUpAndFight at the moment but since it moved it seems to have got upset.

Jez reported on one boot he got a U41 PIA Error on the display, which didn't reappear after a power cycle.
Apparently the top display or top line of the top display was garbled or not correct as well.

Later the top display totally died with only the bottom display working, creating such amusing attract sequences as "USE DRUGS".
View attachment VID-20240710-WA0002.mp4


Then after a power cycle both displays are dead.

Diner is about an hour away from me so I've suggested reseating ribbon cables but other than that I haven't a clue.
I don't have the luxury of poking around myself unless I go visit and if I do I'd like to be well prepared with most possibilities accounted for so it's not a wasted trip and Jez isn't left with a giant paperweight in his living room.


So I'll appreciate any pointers on this issue, things to check, has it happened to you? Potential dodgy components etc.
If it's as simple as swapping a new 6821 in I can always give one to Jez to try but in my experience often those error messages are a red herring (not the actual pia itself)

 

[Fantazia2]

Machine has been moved so has he done all the usual after moving, reseating all cables and pushing down on any socketed chips?

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Similar issue .Might be some help.

Cyclone-U41 PIA failure, now the display is scrambled | Tech: Alpha-numeric | Pinside.com

| Forum Topic by phoenixcdllc

pinside.com

 

[David_Vi]

Machine has been moved so has he done all the usual after moving, reseating all cables and pushing down on any socketed chips?

Done this when I set it up as I had to take the driver board out to replace a transistor.
Didn't touch the PSU tho. So worth a shot.

Similar issue .Might be some help.

Cyclone-U41 PIA failure, now the display is scrambled | Tech: Alpha-numeric | Pinside.com

| Forum Topic by phoenixcdllc

pinside.com

Interesting, I suppose I could steal the PSU from Bk2k and swap them

 

[StandUpAndFight]

It is very intermittent. Works for a while, then gets fits of weirdness on the top display, then is fine again. Fiddling about with the display ribbon cable doesn't make the display glitch when it is working fine.

 

[Ashbo]

It is very intermittent. Works for a while, then gets fits of weirdness on the top display, then is fine again. Fiddling about with the display ribbon cable doesn't make the display glitch when it is working fine.

Remember this happened to my BK2K a couple of years ago at Swavesey. I transported with the head off and when everything was reconnected this happened. I was most concerned but Mark Squires @Pinballsurgery sorted straight away by re-seating the ribbon cable both ends between board and display. He did mention these ribbon connectors were rated only for a about 10 connections after that could get glitchy. I was lucky, mine was tight still but it could be a ribbon cable connector on yours?

Not sure this helps, but sharing in case it's useful

 

[StandUpAndFight]

Remember this happened to my BK2K a couple of years ago at Swavesey. I transported with the head off and when everything was reconnected this happened. I was most concerned but Mark Squires @Pinballsurgery sorted straight away by re-seating the ribbon cable both ends between board and display. He did mention these ribbon connectors were rated only for a about 10 connections after that could get glitchy. I was lucky, mine was tight still but it could be a ribbon cable connector on yours?

Not sure this helps, but sharing in case it's useful

When the display went completely dead, I did reseat the cable and this appeared to solve the issue (it didn't feel particularly well seated at the display end), but the display corruption has come back since then, albeit very intermittently.

 

[Ashbo]

When the display went completely dead, I did reseat the cable and this appeared to solve the issue (it didn't feel particularly well seated at the display end), but the display corruption has come back since then, albeit very intermittently.

Cables, connectors or the pins on the board. The simple things but most frustrating. The manual on ipdb should help with the part number for a replacement cable and it may well be a cheap, quick fix.

 

[Ashbo]

5795-10938-27 27" 26 pin ribbon cable. So two rows of 13 pins.

 

[Ashbo]

https://www.pinball.co.uk/spares-ac...-cables/ribbon-cable-30-26-way-5795-10938-30/ possibly as 3 inches longer?

 

[David_Vi]

I might be seeing Jez/@StandUpAndFight tomorrow at the pinball office so I'm planning to remove the ribbon cable and power board from our Bk2k and give them to Jez to try.

Hopefully it is the ribbon cable, even if @StandUpAndFight has tried wiggling it to see if anything changes the fact once it was reseated the first time the display worked fine for a while is a glimmer of hope. I know ribbon cables can create all sorts of issues.

I remember feeling like an idiot after I sent diners mpu/driver to @myPinballs after he'd previously fixed it as I was getting all sorts of sound /music issues, I'd tried a ribbon cable from another game and still got the issues.
Sent the board to Jim and it turned out it was the ribbon cable, he returned the board with the new cable and all was good.
I still think it's odd the cable from another game misbehaved as well. Ribbon cables can create chaos

 

[David_Vi]

https://www.pinball.co.uk/spares-ac...-cables/ribbon-cable-30-26-way-5795-10938-30/ possibly as 3 inches longer?

The ribbon jeremy reseated was the display one which is much smaller but also much longer. I'm not sure if sys11s have a ribbon like that as the mpu and driver board are all one board unlike wpc89+.
I know they have a few different ones though.

 

[Ashbo]

The ribbon jeremy reseated was the display one which is much smaller but also much longer. I'm not sure if sys11s have a ribbon like that as the mpu and driver board are all one board unlike wpc89+.
I know they have a few different ones though.

No probs, just reading the manual

Looks like J3 on the display board connects to J22 on the CPU which is a 26pin connection.

Sounds like you have it in hand