Will New Stern Pinballs Be Repairable?


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1 Introduction
2 Games
3 Technical Info
- 3.ane The S.A.M. Board Set
  - 3.1.i SAM CPU / Sound Lath
  - 3.1.two SAM I/O Ability Commuter Lath
  - iii.ane.3 Brandish Power Supply
  - 3.1.4 128 x 32 Dot Matrix Brandish
- three.two Recommended Documentation
- 3.3 USB Code Update
- three.4 Accessing Bookkeeping, Settings, and Diagnostic Modes
- 3.5 The New Stern LED Lamp Arrangement
- iii.6 Optional Accessories
  - iii.6.ane Knocker
  - iii.half-dozen.2 Slam Switch
  - 3.6.three Tournament push
  - 3.6.4 Shaker Motor Kit
  - 3.6.5 Playfield Slide Brackets Kit
4 Problems and Solutions
- four.1 Game is Completely Expressionless
- 4.two S.A.M. Fuse Table
- 4.three 5VDC Power Consequence
- 4.four MPU kicking issues
  - 4.4.ane Game with CPU Rev F resets during game play
  - 4.4.2 Game with CPU Rev F or One thousand does not boot
  - 4.4.3 12V Not Detected, Cheque Fuses F12, F13
  - iv.4.4 Relocating the battery from the MPU board
  - 4.iv.5 Connecting a logic probe to the MPU
  - 4.four.6 Using a PC Ability Supply For Demote Testing
- 4.v Game resets
- 4.vi Solenoid problems
- 4.7 Lamp problems
- 4.8 Switch problems
- four.9 Brandish problems
  - 4.ix.1 DMD LED to Plasma conversion
  - iv.nine.2 LED DMD Lights Cavalcade Constantly
- 4.10 Audio bug
  - 4.ten.1 No Sound
  - four.10.2 Volume Control Bug
- 4.eleven Flipper problems
- 4.12 Pop bumper problems
- 4.13 Opto issues
  - 4.xiii.1 Opto board 520-5292-00
- 4.fourteen Trough bug
5 References
half dozen Game Specific Problems and Fixes
- 6.1 Pirates of the Caribbean
- vi.ii Earth Poker Tour
- half-dozen.3 Tron Pro
7 Repair Logs
- seven.1 characteristic lamps non working
- vii.2 bad opto board
- 7.3 Battery draining quickly

i Introduction

The first full production game to use the Southward.A.M. Board Set was Globe Poker Tour in 2006. The last production game was The Walking Dead (Limited Edition) in 2014. One of the features of the South.A.M. lath fix is that the software tin be updated with a USB stick.

Southward.A.M., as an abbreviation, has never been officially explained—just Sam Stern was Gary Stern's father, and formerly ran Williams and Stern Electronics.

2 Games

Earth Poker Tour
The Simpsons Kooky Carnival (Redemption Game)
Pirates of the Caribbean area
Family unit Guy
Spider Man (Stern)
Wheel of Fortune
Shrek
Indiana Jones 4
Batman (Stern)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
24
NBA
Big Cadet Hunter Pro
Fe Man
Avatar
The Rolling Stones (Stern)
Tron
Transformers
AC/DC
X-Men
Avengers
Metallica
Star Trek (Stern)
Mustang (Stern)
The Walking Dead

three Technical Info

3.1 The S.A.M. Board Fix

Stern SAM Boardset (from Tron LE)

The South.A.K. System board ready consists of three boards in the back box. The CPU / Sound board, I/O Power Driver board, and the Display Ability supply. Later SAM games, which use LED dot matrix displays (versus high voltage plasma displays) do not apply the display power supply. Later SAM games which utilize LEDs in place of incandescent bulbs for all playfield lighting, add together an additional lath to power the LEDs, and on LE games, a board to control these LEDs.

The basic S.A.M. lath set is a miniaturized version of the Whitestar board architecture. The board prepare is dimensionally reduced and manufactured with some surface mount components. The logic functionality is easily traceable back to the Whitestar board gear up.

3.i.i SAM CPU / Sound Board

The diverse generations of the Stern SAM CPU lath
Stern first generation CPU/Sound Board 520-5246-00 Revision G. Annotation Jumpers which were incorporated into the PCB with Revision H
Stern first generation CPU/Sound Board 520-5246-00 Revision G, back side. Note the jumper
Stern first generation CPU/Sound Board 520-5246-00 Revision H (up to Tron).
The adaptor is not part of the CPU. It's used in the White Star test fixture.
Stern beginning generation CPU/Audio Board 520-5303-03 Revision H. This board is identical to 520-5246-00 but mill programmed differently to run the Limited Edition Lawmaking (hither Tron LE).
Stern 2d generation SAM CPU/Audio Board 520-5246-02 (Transformers and forward). The USB controller chip on this board changed to an FTDI VNC2-48L1B - Vinculum-Ii Programmable USB two.0 Host. This is the AC/DC version of the board with 2 64 MBit wink roms 520-5337-01 (Pro) 520-5337-00 (Premium/LE).
Another Stern second generation SAM CPU/Sound Lath 520-5352-00 (Star Trek Pro) 520-5352-01 (Star Trek Premium). To brand life for operators, repairmen and collectors easier Stern released another version of this CPU with Star Trek Pro/LE. It is identical to 520-5337-00/-01 but just has i 64 MB flashrom. If yous demand to buy a replacement brand sure you go the right version. They are not interchangable. Same goes for the bootrom.

Up until now there are five versions of the SAM CPU/Sound board. The start version had several minor revisions over its lifetime, but they can all exist used in all games up to Tron. The first revision of this lath used in Globe Poker Bout has some problems with USB 2.0 sticks. If you own this game, see that you can find an old 32MB stick. They usually work fine. Second ane has some hardware modifications in the circuit for the Atmel AT43USB380 chip. Starting with Transformers the USB controller became unavailable and was replaced with a dissimilar scrap on the CPU. Number changed to 520-5246-02 and that makes three. All these boards utilise a 32 MB wink rom. With AC/DC space was running out and two 64 MB flash roms are used. To save a few bucks, Star Trek Pro and LE are fitted with only one 64 MB wink rom calculation another variant to the pot.

The LE and Premium models use a variation of the Pro lath. The programmed fries on them are different and so they are not interchangeable. Trying to utilise Premium software on the Pro or vice versa is non possible. A hardware mismatch mistake message will be shown. For a consummate listing of games upwardly to 10-MEN with their board numbers encounter Service Message #178.

Games after X-MEN use the post-obit boards:

Game Proper noun	CPU Bd. No.	I/O PWR DRV Bd. No.	6-Trans. DRV Bd. No.	LED Bd. No.	U9 Pinball Kick ROM	Remark
Avengers Pro	520-5246-02	520-5249-00			V2.0
Avengers Premium and LE	520-5303-04	520-5317-00			V2.0
Metallica Pro	520-5337-01	520-5249-00			128MB V1.0	same as AC/DC just has an updated bootrom
Metallica Premium and LE	520-5337-00	520-5317-00			128MB V1.0	same as AC/DC but has an updated bootrom
Star Expedition Pro	520-5352-00	520-5249-00 (Rev. D)	520-5326-01	none	64MB V1.0
Star Expedition Premium and LE	520-5352-01	520-5317-00	t.b.d.		64MB V1.0
Mustang Pro	520-5352-00	520-5249-00 (Rev. D)	none	520-6822-00	64MB V1.0
Mustang Premium and LE	520-5352-01	520-5249-00 (Rev. D)	t.b.d.	t.b.d.	64MB V1.0
The Walking Dead Pro	520-5337-01	520-5249-00 (Rev. D)	t.b.d.	t.b.d.	128MB V1.0
The Walking Dead Premium and LE	520-5337-00	520-5249-00 (Rev. D)	t.b.d.	t.b.d.	128MB V1.0

Message displayed when The states/European boards are mismatched.

To brand things worse, the boards for 50 Hz countries are programmed differently to prevent cheaper direct imports from the U.s.a.. This doubles all of the board variants. Cheers Stern. Non!

An attempt to use mismatched 50/60Hz boards will yield the message shown at left.

S.A.M. is now at the finish of its life. A completely new system named SPIKE™ has been developed based on an earlier revision of information technology being used in the Stern home model pinball machines referred to as "The Pin". This new platform is outset used in the Stern WWE Wrestlemania pinball machine.

3.1.2 SAM I/O Power Driver Board

Stern SAM Powerdriver 520-5249-00 Revision A

520-5249-00 Revision A
Power, fuses, bridge rectifiers. GI relay, coil and flasher drivers.

The adapter in the movie on the left is non part of the board and only used on the Stern White Star test fixture.

Stern SAM Driver Lath 520-5249-00 Revision D

520-5249-00 Revision D
This version uses the surface mount VND5160J driver in identify of the VN02N solid land relay. The VND5160J are located at U10, 12, 14, and sixteen nigh J13 on the left side of the driver board. This board was used in Iron Man Vault Edition and other SAM games with LED controlled insert lamps (see to a higher place table in the CPU/Sound board section).

Stern SAM 520-5317-00 Commuter Lath

The Revised Lamp Matrix Section of the Stern SAM 520-5317-00 Commuter Lath

Starting with the LE and Premium edition games Stern at present uses a new driver board. The lamp department in the lower left corner of the board has been replaced with a programmable Xilinx CPLD decision-making the LED lamp boards (see image at correct). As Stern (and Sega before Stern) has done for previous PALs and CPLDs, a color coded paint dot on the device indicates the software revision level that it has been programmed with.

Since these games used LEDs exclusively, 18VDC is no longer needed and as such, that power circuit has been removed from the board.

The 5V department has been completely overhauled, replacing the previously used LM317 and it's large heat sink with a small-scale, integrated DC-to-DC converter, function number APXW005A0X3-SRZ. About 13VAC is rectified by BRDG4 and smoothed with two xv,000uf/25V filter caps connected in parallel. The resulting 21VDC is presented to the DC-to-DC converter which regulates it downward to 5VDC.

The 3.3V device, a DS1832, shown in-situ. Note that this SOP-8 course factor chip does non have the traditional "pin 1" mark.

A DS1832 3.3V Voltage Watchdog and Reset Generator is used on this lath, as shown at left.

iii.1.3 Brandish Power Supply

Stern 520-5138-00 Display Power Supply

SAM games equipped with high voltage gas plasma dot matrix displays use the same 520-5138-00 Brandish Power Supply every bit the Sega/Stern White Star games. These loftier voltage power supplies are pretty beefy but often go quite toasty, making the traces very frail to repair.

iii.1.4 128 x 32 Dot Matrix Display

Because of the RoHS police, European models from POTC to Family Guy use a modified PinLED DMD. Afterward games use a 520-5052-05 Ruddy LED DMD. Starting with Transformers, Stern games apply a depression voltage LED 128 ten 32 dot matrix display (part # 520-5052-15). It'due south different from the -05 variant. It uses brighter Orange/Reddish LED segments and different TTL fries. The LED dot matrix displays are comprised of 64 detached viii 10 8 LED matrix displays.

All United states of america Stern games before Ac/DC employ a 128 x 32 "standard" plasma dot matrix display (part # 520-5052-00). With Air conditioning/DC, Stern also started to use LED DMDs in US models, completing the stage-out of plasma displays in their games.

Stern Ruby-red 520-5052-05 LED DMD
Front
Back
Close up view of the LED matrices used on the LED DMD

iii.2 Recommended Documentation

As always, information technology is highly recommended to possess a game manual. Every game manual is full of detailed information regarding game specific switch, lamp, and coil assignments. Equally, details for maneuvering through examination, audit, and bookkeeping screen menus, schematics for all boards used, and game specific mechanical assemblies are included. Hard copy game manuals can exist purchased through several of the recommended pinball parts suppliers.

Since Avatar Pro Stern no longer includes printed manuals with it'south Pro models. Yous unremarkably get a few sheets of junk they telephone call documentation but it's insufficient if yous demand to repair your game. The yellow section is generally absent and schematics for newer boards are not included or useless photocopies (see AC/DC LE pdf files). Good luck if you have a problem here. You can simply hope this changes again because the Pro modells are targeted to operators.

Every bit of April 2014, The Stern website no longer archives PDF Southward.A.Chiliad. schematics. However, individual game manuals are available on their respective game pages. A game index can be found in the correct margin on the "buy" page hither.

Stern Pinball makes Technical Service Bulletins available on their website hither.

3.3 USB Code Update

Note: this information tin be found on the front within cover of S.A.M. System Game Manuals.

Footstep one) Open up the Dorsum Box
Footstep 2) On the CPU/Sound board ready Dip Switch #8 to "ON".
Step three) Printing the white Reset Button (S1 RESET) or power wheel the game.
Footstep 4) The DMD should bear witness the electric current software version installed. Printing the "SELECT" button on the inside of the coin door to continue.
Footstep 5) Highlight the "UPDT" icon on the brandish and press "SELECT".
Step 6) The game will prompt you to insert the USB Memory Stick.
Pace seven) Pick the correct file on the USB bulldoze and printing the "SELECT" Push button.
Stride 8) Follow the directions on the display.

Alarm: If you live in a country with a power line frequency of 50Hz, similar whatsoever land in Europe, practice not update your game code when turning the game on for the first time ever. As of 06/29/2012, at that place is a bug in either the system code or the update code. Doing then will ordinarily wipe out the country lock code from the game. The CPU will demand to be exchanged. See Stern Service bulletin 170. Let the game remain in attract mode a few minutes or play a few games with the old software kickoff. This has been observed with a Batman Dark Knight and ACDC/LE.

three.4 Accessing Bookkeeping, Settings, and Diagnostic Modes

20v / 50v Interlock Kill Switch

With the switch to the SAM system, Stern added a 4th switch to the money door diagnostics switch bank. For people who are accustomed to inbound diagnostics on Williams WPC games, this 4 button set upwards will feel much more natural.

Located just inside the coin door on the hinge side is an interlock manner "kill" switch. This kill switch is used to impale all power to the solenoids, when the coin door is opened. Since it is an interlock style switch, it tin either be depressed (when the coin door is closed), or it can be extended outward to plough the switch on. To extend the switch to the on position when the coin door is open, grasp the switch, and gently pull it out to the lock position.

This impale switch is a double pole switch. Wiring to ane pole of the kill switch is BLK-YEL and BLK-YEL, while the other is Ruddy-WHT to WHT-RED—aye, the colors practise not match!

3.5 The New Stern LED Lamp System

Stern developed a new series lamp control organization for the release of Tron Limited Edition. This system uses a serial protocol to control playfield LEDs.

There are 3 components to the organization

the serial autobus, which carries clock, information, power and strobe signals
lamp boards, typically strips, which bear a series LED controller for on-lath LEDs and satellite LEDs
LED satellite boards, which solder to the lamp boards.

The lamp boards daisy chain. Therefore, the controller can feed, say, 8 bytes of serial information to the lamp boards and strobe the information in, turning on or off 64 LEDs. This system is potentially expandable to hundreds of controlled lamps, breaking the constraints of the traditional lamp matrix. The lamp boards and LED boards can be assembled outside the game,simplifying the production and assembly of the wiring harness.

The controller used is an STP16DPS05. This device controls 16 LEDs, and uses a constant current output. Therefore, it needs no current limiting series resistors, although Stern has implemented series resistors on the satellite boards. [whatever ideas here?] The driver is besides capable of reporting curt and open up LEDs, just it is unknown if Stern has implemented this feature.

In terms of diagnosis, one failed board could disable the unabridged system. The STP16DPS05 is a likely candidate for failure if an LED satellite lath tangles with GI or other voltages. Replacing the fleck is tricky as information technology has a total-contact heat transfer pad on the underside, which is difficult to heat properly without hot air or IR equipment.

It may also exist useful to have a z-connector on hand to jump effectually a failed board. This volition result in wrong light patterns, just volition at least demonstrate that the system is driving the daisy chain.

three.6 Optional Accessories

3.half-dozen.i Knocker

The "token dispenser" option transistor tin can still be used to drive a knocker, and the body of the game still has a connector for the betoken. A step-upwardly circuit is required because Q24 is a low-voltage output. 520-5254-00 does a good chore, but information technology means finding connections for solenoid footing, solenoid +50V, and solenoid +20V (if your board is the newer revision, which the new ones are).

On the new-style mostly-metal heads (Star Trek and afterward) there is no good place to add together the knocker in the head anymore.

See likewise Sega/Stern_White_Star_Repair#Adding_a_Real_Knocker_to_White_Star_Games; directions are similar, but non quite identical.

three.6.2 Slam Switch

Nearly SAM games support an optional slam tilt switch, a feature missing on about Stern/Sega games back into the Whitestar era. The slam switch guards against abuse, but it also provides a convenient way to reset the game on ball one when it's non going so well.

On early on SAM games, an optional switch can easily be installed to add the slam tilt characteristic. Part is 502-5032-00, available from parts suppliers including Marco. This installs neatly into the coin door with the center gusset surrounding the sticker with the game's name.

On subsequently coin doors (the center gusset is gone, and the dollar bill validator blank is larger) there is no place to mount the switch, but the harness still has the optional slam connector. If calculation a slam switch is yet desirable, Suzo-Happ part 95-4176-00 tin can be used. This mounts over the lock. A connector will yet need to be added to go into the existing harness, but no diode is required.

three.half-dozen.3 Tournament button

Early games (like WPT) have a tournament button on the lockdown bar. This may non be useful in home employ, only it can be annoying to connect and disconnect when opening the lockdown bar. The entire "guts" of the button can exist removed instead, keeping the button on the lockdown bar but making it nonfunctional, and making it easier to open the lockdown bar. Alternatively, Cliffy sells a kit for remounting the button in the dollar bill validator hole on the coin door.

Later on games take the tournament push button embedded into the cabinet below the start push.

Early games have a five-pin .062 Molex connector in the coin door wiring harness for adding the button. A kit is available from the usual suspects that wires up to the hole on the lockdown bar. Marco lists this kit as 500-6587-06-TK.

Later games have a bunch of QD wires in the wiring harness, but they don't become through a single connector anymore. In this instance, only the button is required. Pinball Life lists this part under a similar part number. The connectors are in the wiring harness leading to the coin door and can be pretty well subconscious.

The switch betwixt these two is (maybe? probably?) when the tournament button moved from the lockdown bar to the front of the cabinet. (Wheel of Fortune may be the game where this changed?)

three.6.4 Shaker Motor Kit

On many (only not all) S.A.M games, a shaker motor can be added past using either a 18-carat Stern shaker motor kit or a tertiary party shaker motor kit. Some games take a mill-installed harness for the shaker, saving the trouble of installing one included with the kit.

Genuine Stern shaker motor kit This includes the wiring harness.

Tertiary party Shaker Motor Kit This does not indicate that it includes the wiring harness.

If you accept a car with a damaged or worn out shaker motor, you lot can buy only the "motor merely" to repair your machine's shaker motor.

Replacement Shaker Motor Only

three.6.five Playfield Slide Brackets Kit

Some PRO models did not come with playfield slide brackets. Without them, information technology is hard to service things at the rear of the playfield. Pinball Life has reproduced these brackets as a fix. In one case installed, information technology'due south much easier to service things at the rear of the playfield.

SAM cabinet Playfield Slide Brackets Kit

iv Issues and Solutions

four.ane Game is Completely Dead

If the game does absolutely nothing when the power switch is turned on, showtime check the primary 8A slo-blo fuse (domestic games) located at the power box in the front right of the machine. If the fuse is mildly blown, replace the fuse, and see if the game turns on now. If the fuse is violently blown, remove the four screws which secure the power box to the cabinet, and flip it over. See if the varistor has blown. A tell tale sign of the varistor blown are black scorching on the within of the box in the vicinity of the varistor. Replace the varistor with a 130V version.

Stern SAM Power Box and Replacement of Varistor
Stern SAM Power Box
Tell tale sign that the varistor had diddled. This was due to a lightning strike.
Replacement 130V varistor installed
Blown primary fuse and varistor

4.ii S.A.G. Fuse Table

Fuse tabular array listing for South.A.M. games

All S.A.M. games use fuses every bit enumerated at left.

4.3 5VDC Power Effect

An event of low 5VDC from the ability/driver board that seems to happen somewhat frequently is caused past the lack of connexion betwixt the LM338K rut sink and ground. This is caused by the extra circular heat sink that is coated with black oxide and can isolate the screws and therefore the LM338K case from ground. The correction for this issue is simple. Remove the two screws. scratch the black oxide from the heat sink so that the screws tin now "make" with the regulator case. Or, only remove the extra heat sink.

four.iv MPU boot issues

4.4.i Game with CPU Rev F resets during game play

This is mostly a problem with CPU boards from Globe Poker Tour. The first boards had a problem with the Wink ROM which caused random reboots or lockups during gameplay encounter Service Message #163.

The service bulletin doesn't show which changes were made or which boards are afflicted. Unfortunately not all boards seem to have been modified at this signal in time. A used game which has the former CPU in it can even so exist bought, either because the operator was lazy or swapped boards. Stern doesn't seem to be interested in fixing the problem free at charge later on 8 years, and doesn't even respond to queries about it.

So if this problem is experienced, get-go check if the board is one of the afflicted boards. If the CPU is 520-5246-00 Rev. F, it's a likely candidate.

Side by side, check if information technology has already been modified. See if a thin green wire goes to the flake at location U44. This is the 29GL256N Flash ROM which holds the game code. At that place are ordinarily ii other dark-green wires near the power connector J11 from an earlier mill hot set which have aught to do with this problem. They deal with RAM bug and all Rev. F boards should have them.

If the modification has not been made, try get-go to resolve the upshot with the seller or Stern. If the issue cannot be resolved, continue below.

To modify the board, experience in SMT soldering of very fine pitch parts is needed. Too it's a $500 PCB, so if something goes awry don't blame PinWiki.

2 modifications are needed on the front and back of the board:

A revision K board with factory practical modifications - front

Modified Lath Front Side

A revision Yard lath with mill practical modifications - back

First, cut the trace at location i on the backside of the board. This is going to the OE# pin 34 of the 29GL256. It will need to exist rewired to the NRD/NOE pin 49 of the U42 Xilinx CPLD. To exercise this run a wire between location 2 and 3. Check the work by measuring continuity between pivot 41 of U13 and pivot 34 of the Wink ROM.

Next comes the tricky part. CE# pivot 32 needs to be rewired directly at the Flash ROM. Location 4 at the front end picture. First cut the trace at this pivot. It's the fourth counting from the correct and is effectually 5mm long. Information technology'southward connected to basis, so double check that it'south open up after cut, or harm of U42 volition likely occur. Then, run a wire from pin 32 to location 5 on the flick. This is the original trace previously running to pin 34. Information technology's the scrap select for the Wink ROM pin 71 GF0 coming from U42.

This modification properly connects the Flash ROM Output Enable and Scrap Select pins. Something which Stern should take washed in the first identify. Besides the schematics are incorrect and don't show this. Revision Thou CPUs withal had this and another modifications washed past the manufacturing plant. Only with Revision H the pcb was inverse and the schematics on Sterns website and in all manuals simply show the revision Thousand CPU. The barely readable Avengers LE schematics bear witness the right wiring for the Flash ROM despite being for the afterwards SAM CPU with different USB.

While information technology runs stable later on there is unfortunately a problem with this modification. The Flash ROM can no longer be written to. Updates will neglect. OE# needs to be held high during a write bicycle and this doesn't happen. To remedy this, it is likely that U42 will have to exist reprogrammed. The possessor of the modified lath here had the latest WPT update already flashed, and didn't want to risk bricking information technology and then this has non been washed yet.

iv.4.2 Game with CPU Rev F or 1000 does not boot

As stated in an earlier section the Rev. F and G 520-5246-00 CPUs had the scrap select inputs to the Flash ROM modified. If your game doesn't kick cheque if one of the two wires for the modification has come up loose. This tin happen because not enough solder and/or flux was used doing the connections. This tin exist verified by putting the game into update mode (setting dip switch 8 to ON). If the CPU boots hither check the connection first.

4.4.3 12V Not Detected, Bank check Fuses F12, F13

Message displayed with loose LM338K voltage regulator basics/screws.

The bulletin shown at left is sometimes the result of the two basics holding the LM338K voltage regulator on the commuter board becoming loose. Tightening those two nuts may correct the outcome.

iv.four.four Relocating the battery from the MPU lath

The Stern Due south.A.Thou. system uses a single 3v lithium CR2430 "button jail cell" for its memory fill-in. These cells have very long life and are not prone to electrolyte leakage and then you do not need to do this.

If you really, actually want to relocate the battery, use a 2 cell holder, with two AA batteries. No blocking diode is required.

four.4.5 Connecting a logic probe to the MPU

4.4.6 Using a PC Power Supply For Demote Testing

4.v Game resets

4.half-dozen Solenoid bug

4.7 Lamp problems

If you take a bulb not working, seat the wiring into the IDC type socket better. I've run into a lot of these where the wires aren't seated and making good electrical contact.

4.8 Switch problems

If a switch isn't working. The iii most mutual things I've seen is. 1- crappy switch, even if new. 2- if wires go into a IDC connector nearby, be sure they are seated good and making electrical contact. three- broken wire at switch, or inside casing or harness, easy to quick cheque continuity of wiring.

4.nine Brandish problems

4.9.1 DMD LED to Plasma conversion

Starting with Pirates of the Caribbean, Stern replaced the normal Plasma Dot Matrix Brandish on European models with an LED variant because of the RoHS law. They showtime used PinLED DMDs, and later, switched to a red DMD specifically fabricated for them (520-5052-05). The debate which looks better will be going on for your remaining lifetime and continue right into your adjacent few lives, simply here, we show how to replace the LED DMD with a standard Plasma Dot Matrix Display.

The following parts are needed:

1 x 520-5138-00 Stern Display Power Supply Board
1 x 036-5454-01 SAM DMD Brandish Cable
i x 535-9769-00 PCB Metal Mounting Plate (Brandish)
ane ten 830-6053-00 Plastic Encompass Danger High Voltage
2 x 254-5000-05 1-i/four" x 3/eight Plastic Spacer Greyness
2 x 237-5975-00 #8 x iii/8 SHWHSec (Zinc) Spiral
ii ten 02-4425-2 Motorcar Postal service/Stud standard metall threaded posts with #eight lesser and #8 superlative (for the grayness spacers).
2 x #8-32 Nylon Insert Lock Nut
4 10 #6 x i/two" Forest Spiral to mountain the unit in the backbox

You can become all these parts from your favorite pinball dealer. I got them from Pinball Life. If they are not on the web page, ask.

You need to get-go assemble the High Voltage unit. Assembled it looks like this ane here:

Stern SAM High Voltage Unit
View one
View 2
View 3

Just spiral it into the backbox of your Pinball over a ground strap:

The cable which goes into the left side is somewere subconscious in the wiring harness of your pinball:

The LED DMD plugs into your wiring harness with a 2 pin connector. Yous need to remove the connector and connect the 5V line to you DMD HV unit of measurement. You should find the corresponding two pin plug which matches the one on the moving-picture show nearby. Alarm: the wires should be crimson and black. At least in Family Guy and Shrek in that location is a similar connector with 2 brown or black wires with color stripes nearby. This one is for the optional knocker kit. Make sure you lot do not connect this i to your DMD 5V line. Doing then will take out the DMD and the SAM CPU beyond repair! If unsure measure the voltage on this connector kickoff.

If your game uses a PinLED LED DMD, a small PCB is connected to connector J5 on the SAM CPU. Take this one out and install the ribbon cable directly in J5 on the SAM CPU. Now you only need to replace the DMD with a standard plasma DMD and, voila!, information technology should piece of work.

4.9.2 LED DMD Lights Column Constantly

A Failed LED cake on Stern 5VDC LED Display.

Another example of a failed LED block. Image courtesy of PinSider Kawydud.

If a game is e'er showing a semi-bright cavalcade on the DMD, one of the LED blocks has failed. Fortunately, the failed cake is nevertheless adequately easy to obtain. As shown at left, one pixel in the cavalcade is nighttime. The 8x8, 1.9mm LED block that contains this "pixel" should be replaced. Stern tin supply replacement blocks. As of April, 2021, they could also exist obtained from Marco Specialties and perhaps other sellers.

When replacing a block, be advised that the vias are quite small-scale. The blocks are difficult to remove without the proper equipment and expertise.

4.10 Audio bug

4.10.1 No Audio

A trouble which has been seen in both first and 2d generation S.A.Yard. boards is a complete loss of audio in an otherwise completely working system. Reflashing the system will not right this and even though all voltage lights will be illuminated and the game plays normally, there will be no sound. This problem has been traced to a failure of the PCM1755 D/A converter at U16 on the S.A.M. board. If your system is showing these symptoms, the only solution is to replace U16 which is a 16-pin SSOP (shrink small outline parcel). This is a very modest surface mount component that measures approximately five x 6 mm (including the chip legs). As a consequence, its replacement should not exist attempted without the proper skills and equipment. Normally, replacement of this component will return the sound to the organisation.

iv.ten.2 Book Control Bug

In early SAM games, if the faux knocker is activated (the annoying loud "twip"), the audio level may increase to total volume after a replay is awarded. This is a issues in the basic operating arrangement lawmaking. The bug was stock-still in newer games but Stern didn't release updated ROMs for older games. This bug has been observed in WPT, Family Guy and Shrek. The workaround is to disable the faux knocker. If a knocker audio is still desired, a real knocker can be installed as the games back up it.

4.eleven Flipper issues

See Mutual Flipper Troubleshooting for general flipper data.

Like Stern's previous system, flipper coils in SAM games are solenoid coils that are duty-cycled. Unlike traditional flippers, the flipper curl is single-wound like other solenoids. The initial "boot" is done at total power, then the coil is software duty-cycled to keep it in the "hold" upward position. The EOS switch serves to tell the game when it needs to re-boot the flipper.

Unlike other systems (including WhiteStar), no diodes are required to exist on the flipper coils. These have been incorporated into the solenoid driver lath. A diode on the flipper coil indicates likely replacement. It won't injure, but it does provide an opportunity to wire the coil backwards.

Mechanically, the flippers are identical to the WhiteStar flippers and utilise the same parts. (The blueprint is very similar to the Williams WPC/Organisation 11 blueprint.)

Major vesture points are the coil stop, flipper link, and coil plunger. If these have deformed (and they will, because a flipper substantially pulverizes itself during game play), the flipper will lose power and won't play as well. Every few thousand games, a rebuild kit can be installed to restore the flippers to factory performance.

Coils hum. (They jiggle in their mount.) The way they are power cycled causes some of this. They become noisier with use. Filing the plunger terminate and coil stop smoothen can alleviate this, as would a rebuild kit.

4.12 Pop bumper problems

four.thirteen Opto problems

Stern's SAM era optos are a bright, visible ruddy. Unlike Williams', Stern (and Sega and Information East) chose to prove the switch every bit open when the opto receiver tin can run into the sender's light, like any other switch.

Optos are connected to a board in pairs. Both the sender and receiver are the aforementioned function, and so i fashion to verify if the receiver is working is to plug it into the sender'south pins. That is, simply reverse the 2 cables.

A mutual failure point for optos is that the wire breaks at the opto sender or transceiver itself. These volition have to be soldered back on. Typically, the wire seems to be plain old speaker wire. The copper-colored conductor goes to the cathode 'K'; the anode 'A' gets the silverish wire.

4.13.1 Opto board 520-5292-00

If there is trouble with the switch matrix, check this fiddling opto board. It's installed in at least Batman Night Knight, AC/DC, and several in The Rolling Stones (one is used for each position the moving Mick stops). In Air-conditioning/DC, a bad board tin give problems with at least the bell and the right pop bumper. If the pop bumper turns on when the ball is shot into the bong, the board is bad.

In that location is not much on the board. If there are general switch problems, the likeliest candidate is Q1 a BSS123 in a SOT-23 case (small) transistor. Check it with a DMM. Information technology's a Mosfet so tin not be completely checked with a DMM. On the defective board, the drain to gate pins were practically shorted.

If the opto interruptor just doesn't work, it can be replaced with a QVE11233 from Fairchild. It's the standard opto for WMS flipper boards, which is now discontinued. Stern also used a chinese substitute OS92B4. Not much tin exist found well-nigh information technology.

4.14 Trough problems

The trough pattern on Due south.A.Thou. games is identical to what was used on Whitestar games. See Sega/Stern_White_Star_Repair#Trough_Opto_Boards.

Stern opto boards at end of trough. And boards playfield optos plug onto. I've noticed when issues ascend, to reflow the solder on the optos, and pins the connectors plug onto. This eliminates a lot of problems that arise with the optos. LTG :)

5 References

Every bit of April 2014, SAM system schematics are no longer available on the Stern Pinball website.

Older manuals nonetheless have complete schematics and can be useful for troubleshooting newer games. The SAM boards did change, but connector designations generally didn't. Some manuals may be bachelor from public sources in high-quality PDFs originally distributed by Stern Pinball.

6 Game Specific Bug and Fixes

6.1 Pirates of the Caribbean

The spinning disc. Check your serial numbers with the service message on Stern's website. Some of the early games need to have the bearings lubricated.

And if your artwork is worn off. I've found when you put on a new decal. To put clear not-sideslip bath tub stuff on top of it. It works merely as good at flinging the balls. And doesn't vesture off as fast and get messy all over the game like the original. And hands replaced. LTG :)

6.2 Globe Poker Tour

I bought a World Poker Bout that had been routed. When I got information technology, the "jail" detected balls on power-on that weren't in that location. Cleaning the upper playfield made it happy, since the optos assume they can meet through the clear playfield. I replaced the whole upper playfield in tardily 2014. After a few hundred plays and 3 trips to California Extreme, the upper playfield was dirty plenty that this trouble happened again--or at least the switch became flaky. A little cleaning "fixed" it. Merely information technology's likely this will require additional cleaning every few hundred plays. ts4z (talk) 03:07, 25 November 2017 (CST)

WPT's drop target banks may need some washers inserted as shims. Stern published service bulletin 165 with the details. ts4z (talk) 15:35, four November 2014 (CST)

half-dozen.iii Tron Pro

Spinning disk motor dead, no ability going to information technology. Found someone had oiled the motor which had and so slung oil everywhere. Discovered oil had leeched within the spin disc relay (assembly # 511-6919-01), burned the contacts, and blew transistor Q5 (IRL540) on the ability driver board (fuse F6 was diddled too). I popped the encompass off the relay and cleaned out the oily mess with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Then I filed the burnt contacts and reassembled the relay. Adjacent I replaced the bad Q5 transistor and blown fuse. That fixed the trouble and the motor works over again.

7 Repair Logs

Did you lot do a repair? Log it here as a possible solution for others.

seven.1 feature lamps not working

If you lot have feature lamps not working. Bank check the wiring pushed into the lamp socket. I've seen more a few where the wire isn't making good contact where it is pushed in. Like shooting fish in a barrel to push button in better. LTG :)

7.2 bad opto lath

I got a make new Star Trek. Subsequently a couple days of being played at a show, the game'southward technician alerts reported the left ramp entrance as not registering. After I got the game home, I discovered that the nether-playfield indicator on opto board two registered fine (it'southward on until the opto is blocked, and so it shuts off), and grounding the two switch matrix switches registered the switch. And then there must be a failure on the board. Stern tech support sent a new lath under warranty and that fixed the result. ts4z (talk) 02:28, thirty July 2015 (CDT)

7.3 Battery draining apace

A SAM CPU lath was rapidly draining the bombardment when the game was powered off. Power was getting from the battery to the clock at U43 and the RAM at U11. In other words, the components on the way to the clock and RAM were skillful (R211, D24, R212) and the diode at D25 was also good. Nevertheless, when setting the time nether the Utilities menu, gibberish would be output when the terminal entry was accepted. This indicated a problem with the clock IC at U43. Note that U43 could prepare the clock correctly but withal be faulty and cause quick battery drain, so don't apply a successful clock update as proof that U43 is good.

The clock is a SOIC-viii 150 mil package. A replacement is DS1302Z+ found at mouser.com. After replacing the clock IC the game kept correct time when powered on and off, and the bombardment no longer drained quickly.

Source: https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stern_S.A.M._System_Repair

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