Opto Flipper switches to Physical switch?

[Vengeance]

Does anyone know how or if it would be possible to change a flipper opto switch to a physical leaf or micro switch?

The reason I'm asking this is I've acquired from PAPA their "Soccer Ball Flipper" rig for a charity mini game at the CPC.

Basically the premise is you have to kick soccer balls to use the flippers. The soccer ball pushes against a large button micro switch which is supposed to activate the flippers.

PAPA back in papa9 had this setup with a WCS, but it's my understanding that WCS use optos for flipper switches and not physical switches.

Should be simple enough to change the physical switch, as a switch is a switch, but optos I'm not so sure about.

yesterday I created a wiring rig that would connect to the opto connector for the ground and switch wire but it didn't work at actually closing the switch or triggering the flippers.

so I'm not sure if it's even possible or how I would go about making the switch.

I'm not looking for something that will require a permanent modification as the game will only be on loan for the tournament, so it either has to be simple or not at all.

thoughts?

 

[Vengeance]

nothing from nobody?

 

[Menace]

Off the top of my head I've got nothing as I've never even thought about using a micro in place of an opto, but I'm sure it can be done.

D

 

[Vengeance]

beyond my skills.

Perhaps if I cut the switch off at the pass per say.

You can test a switch right on the CPU with aligator clips and shorting to ground, perhaps if I go right to the CPU for the switch rather then the connector at the opto I might be fine since then I cut out the middle man that would be handing the opto signal.

But are flipper switches still controlled on the CPU, I thought the edge switches were on a different board?

 

[Menace]

All switches are direct to MPU, some just fall outside of the switch matrix (like the coin door buttons etc). I doubt that it matters if they fall in or outside the matrix, the only thing I would think that is important is the type of switch closure the CPU wants to see (N/O or N/C) and I'm thinking the switch will also require a diode to be safe.

D

 

[Vengeance]

yea I know to but a diode on it, I haven't yet as I ifgured the opto might have it in sequence, but it didn't work.

we will see how it goes.

Worse comes anyone know if a micro switch will work with an EM?

 

[Menace]

Worse comes anyone know if a micro switch will work with an EM?

Sure it will... once. (and if you do try it, make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy)

D

 

[Vengeance]

Worse comes anyone know if a micro switch will work with an EM?

Sure it will... once. (and if you do try it, make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy)

D

D'oh, back to square one

 

[Pharoah007]

Working pins here in Ottawa puts leaf switches in his JM in place of Optos....

Hope that helps.

 

[Vengeance]

it would if you told me how he did it, :lol:

 

[Pinhead]

Hey Adam,

I would have posted sooner but I just signed up here a couple of days ago.

I use leaf switches because I find the optos to make your flippers weak when the optos start to fail. On the flipper opto board on J1 pins 1 and 2 are your flipper switches, 3 and 4 are ground, 6 and 7 are + 12.
You can just leave the +12 in the connector or cut and heat shrink them. Now depending on your game, if you only have two flippers, take the ground wires and connect them to one side of the switch and take the Switch wire and connect it to the other side of the switch, adjust and your done. If you have more than two flippers, you will have to add a second switch and just connect the other switch wire to the second switch along with the ground. No diodes are required. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, just ask.

I use old school fire button leaf switches and they work great.

Good luck!
Geoff

 

[Pharoah007]

Hey Adam,

I would have posted sooner but I just signed up here a couple of days ago.

I use leaf switches because I find the optos top make your flippers weak when the optos start to fail. On the flipper opto board on J1 pins 1 and 2 are your flipper switches, 3 and 4 are ground, 6 and 7 are + 12.
You can just leave the +12 in the connector or cut and heat shrink them. Now depending on your game, if you only have two flippers, take the ground wires and connect them to one side of the switch and take the Switch wire and connect it to the other side of the switch, adjust and your done. If you have more than two flippers, you will have to add a second switch and just connect the other switch wire to the second switch along with the ground. No diodes are required. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, just ask.

I use old school fire button leaf switches and they work great.

Good luck!
Geoff

There ya go

 

[Vengeance]

See I thought that was all it would take, ignore the the 12V as that just powers the opto, and as long as wire gets to ground, it should work fine.

but it wasn't working when I tried on Congo, which also uses optos.

Now I'm using a micro switch in the form of a push button, so I'm not sure if that is what is making the difference or not. It's a lighted push button similar to that of something on say monster bash or I500 to launch the ball.

Thoughts?

Hey Adam,

I would have posted sooner but I just signed up here a couple of days ago.

I use leaf switches because I find the optos to make your flippers weak when the optos start to fail. On the flipper opto board on J1 pins 1 and 2 are your flipper switches, 3 and 4 are ground, 6 and 7 are + 12.
You can just leave the +12 in the connector or cut and heat shrink them. Now depending on your game, if you only have two flippers, take the ground wires and connect them to one side of the switch and take the Switch wire and connect it to the other side of the switch, adjust and your done. If you have more than two flippers, you will have to add a second switch and just connect the other switch wire to the second switch along with the ground. No diodes are required. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, just ask.

I use old school fire button leaf switches and they work great.

Good luck!
Geoff

 

[Pinhead]

Make sure you tie the grounds together, a micro switch should work with ground connected to common and and the switch wire connected to NO. One note, if your connectors are not plugged in on both sides, it will not work until you tie the ground wires together. The ground wires tie together when the opto board is plugged in.

I have done this on many machines, TZ, JM, Corvette, NoFear, Dr. Who, Dirty Harry etc.

 

[Vengeance]

Yea that is the one thing I'm not doing, I'm not tieing the grounds together, I will give that a try and let you know.

Thanks Geoff

 

[Pinhead]

Your welcome Adam.

It sounds like you will have it working now.

 

[Vengeance]

Thanks again Geoff, that worked.

The CPC2013 will now have a cool charity event for Sick Kids on a WCS