williams repair guide 1-3-1 ram error, adjustment mode failure, power supply conversion
Ron
After talking to Bob Roberts today I revised my williams troubleshooting
page
to show some things he informed me off.
http://www.ronwatts.com/williamslog.html
I dont mind adding anything to it or revising any errors so email me if you
see anything im missing at email me at ronw...@netdoor.com
Here it is cut and pasted for dejanews.
These are some tips for repairing old Williams like stargate, defender,
robotron, joust, etc...
Ok let me do my disclaimer...This is not necessarily whats wrong with your
game so dont blame me if you mess things up, these are just things that
fixed some common problems with my games and I urge you to read the whole
thing. This is for people with some electronics skills, if you dont know how
to solder and read a voltmeter then send your board for repairs.... Ok that
being said here we go
1-3-1 Ram Errors
1st- Check your 4116 ram chips, not just one of em, all of them. Ive had bad
ram in different locations all causing the same 1-3-1 error. Try swapping
them around if you dont have extras and see if the error code changes.
2nd- Check your power. Every williams game made needs the solder on the
power supply board reflowed. You should check your power at different points
on the cpu board. You must have +5, -5, +12 for the cpu board to work
properly. Sometimes the +5 volts will dip below whats needed for board to
function properly and give you a reset(this can be random). There is also
the possibility of bad ic sockets that hold your ram chips. I would look for
all 3 voltages at your 4116 ram chips. For example, I have a joust board
that the 8th bank on row 3 was only getting 3.5 volts. I replaced the socket
and it booted right up. Its a good idea in general to check your voltages
around the game to go ahead and head off problems before you go jerking
chips off the board and burning eproms. I learned that the hard way. I am
told that new switching power supplies give fewer 1-3-1 errors. See the
power supply section below for more info.
3rd- Check the ribbon cable. I have seen ribbon cables cause all kinds of
problems. If you are having crazy numbers on your led check your ribbon.
4rd- This is not as common of a problem but one I have faced. Sometimes the
74153 located at position 3d will go out.(I actually couldnt see any fault
with this chip using the logic probe at first but after letting the game sit
a few minutes I started to see errors). This causes 1-3-1. Replace the chip.
Random Resets
1st- Check your ram and your power-see the 1st and 2nd steps in the 1-3-1
ram error section above.
2nd-I was having very random resets during play and it would happen mostly
in the heat of battle. I popped in a new 6809 cpu and the problem
disapeared.
Adjustment Mode Failure(at boot screen)
1st- Check your batteries. You should investigate where your batteries go. A
lot of Williams games were stored with batteries in them causing massive
corrosion
Its really a good idea to convert it to the lithium battery modification.
Its a better solution that AA batteries and will get rid of the adjustment
mode failure problem associated with new switching power supplies.(For more
info see the power supply section below).
2nd-This problem seems to be fairly common and is related to the ability of
the machine to keep settings while powered down. I know what your
thinking..."I just put new batteries in it".... LOL-We wish it was that
simple dont we. I tracked this down to a bad cmos ram chip at location 1c.
Replaced the chip and the problem vanished. We really cant blame old
operators, they just didnt see the video game future as collecting and
resale.
Rom Board Errors
1st-Verify your eproms with a know good set.(You must have an eprom
programmer to do this) You can download the mame rom sets and use them.
2nd- IC sockets. Find these by checking your voltages on the board. Must be
+5 volts and ground coming in to the board. 3rd- Check the traces.
Especially the ones running from rom to rom.
New Switching Power Supply vs. Original Williams Power Supply
A lot of people want to put new switching power supply in their Williams
game. You see conflicting reports everywhere about which is better. I am no
expert on this matter but according to Bob Roberts either will work fine
with a little work. If you rebuild your original it will be a good working
supply. Order a rebuild kit here
http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/b/o/bob147/
If you decide to install a new switching power supply you need to install
the lithium battery modification to replace the three aa battery holder on
the board(this is a good idea anyway). A switching power supply is a good
replacement solution for the old supplies.
Bob Roberts also sells a new switching power supply and quick connect kit
for Williams games.(see link above) I personally like keeping the game
original so I try to rebuild ones that are failing. Really what I am saying
is that both can work for you its your choice. :)
Thats about it. I hoped this has helped anybody who needs it. That was the
goal. If something is wrong or Im missing something then Im sorry and you
can Email me at ronw...@netdoor.com and i will revise it.