ColorDMD issues with other mods

[DRANO]

So, I've purchased 3 of the color DMD kits to date. It seemed a no brainer as I needed to replace a couple of DMDs anyway, so now I have 3 spares.
MM got installed right away. TAF got set aside while my game was folded and WH2O was purchased but I also never got around to installing it. Knowing that I would soon be setting up my new gameroom, I waited until last night to finally drop these units into the two remaining pins.

I've had zero issues with my MM colour unit, but I've heard some stories... especially regarding STTNG.
I proceeded to install the White Water unit first. The quality and detail were superb as usual, but after a couple of games, the pin started re-setting.

These screens get their power directly off the power driver board at J116. This is also a popular area of the board for many of these aftermarket LED lighting mods to feed power from. Many of them using Connectors J116 to J118 via pass-through connectors that you can still plug the game's regular connectors through; piggyback style.
My White Water had two of these mods; a blue strip split between the dark back corner of the game under the insanity falls ramp, and to the right of the upper playfield. A second orange LED strip is placed right under the glass retainer at the back of the game and lights up the mountains. Also, my WH2O has an uncharacteristically high number of LED bulbs as compared to most of my other pins... so I imagined the load on this board would be pretty light.

I unplugged the screen and played blind for a while. Several games and no issues.
Then I had to decide which of the two LED strip mods I could live without. The mountains are really nice, so the blue strip was unplugged from J117 and the screen plugged back in. No issues after that.

So this is just a long winded PSA.
My boards are perfect. In fact, the guy who sold me this WH2O removed the original fried board and installed a new Rottendog.
These games should be able to support this type of load, especially with a modern board, all the LED bulbs and the fact that this is not a power-sucking plasma DMD.... and yet, these issues are cropping up from time to time as far as I can see on some of the forums.
YMMV

Adriano

 

[mwong168]

so far the only game that has given a lot of trouble after you add a ColorDMD is STTNG. I know this because it sort of happened to me when I installed mine but it might have just been a coincidence as this game is notorious for just breaking down for even looking at it the wrong way. Anyways, I initially installed my ColorDMD piggy backing off J116 which also supply power to the flipper coils too. I noticed right away my cannons were swinging a bit slower and flippers did not have the same sort of snap to it. I know Steve Ritchie really pushed STTNG to the limits and the power driver board is stressed enough as is so I opted to run the ColorDMD display off a dedicated power supply and plugged into the service outlet. I turn all my games on/off via remote so when I shut the game off it cuts the power off to the service outlet otherwise I think there is a mod you can do so that the power is cut off when you flip the switch on the bottom of the cab.

You can read up on my STTNG ColorDMD step by step installation here
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=921

 

[REVOLUTION]

The problem with STTNG is that the power board is already being pushed to the max thanks to all the diverters and extra Fliptronic board. So adding even more power draw just doesn't cut it

 

[Menace]

These displays do not use the HV section for power, they tap into the 5v and WMS notoriously run the games close to or at the limit of the 5V circuit as it is so it's not surprising that people are having issues once installing these. I have always questioned why the designers of the ColorDMD didn't choose to power them from another source within the game, like the 63V section on the DMD controller pcb? This 63V is more than robust enough, and it wouldn't have taken much to design in a step down section on their PCB, and would have avoided these issues all together. (especially when we as collectors know the 5V section of any game is critical and already over taxed)

D

 

[WARLOCK]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Grauwulf]

Sounds like a business opportunity there Doug. Add-on boards for the colour DMD.

 

[DRANO]

Well,
A quick update. My fix wasn't much of a fix as the game started re-setting again.

The colorDMD has been pulled from WH2O indefinitely unless I can sort out a alternate power source as Mike suggested.

 

[Grauwulf]

Maybe it's also possible that your 5v section needs some attention? New filter cap perhaps?

 

[DRANO]

Same thing has started happening to TAF now.
Luckily Doug was over and had a look.
Both games have something in common. They are the only two pins I own that have both a colorDMD and a rottendog board.
Doug noticed the 5v regulator on these rottendog boards doesn't appear to have any grease between it and the heat sink. It's just a guess right now, but there's a chance these parts are overheating as a result and weakening the games ability to maintain 5v power.