Quick update.
Pulled the MPU board out tonight to fix the language jumper. The board is in pretty good condition (both back and front).
I plan to remove the AA battery holder and replace it with either a remote holder or a lithium battery holder on the board. Probably the next thing I’ll do.
The language on this board is toggled between english and german via a jumper at w7. When the jumper is set, the game will use English. If it’s cut, it will use German. I assume they are manufactured by default with this jumper set and it’s cut when needed. I can see this jumper did once exist as there are small wires protruding from the points at W7.
I went to Jaycar and picked up a Zero ohm resistor last week and finally got around to installing it tonight. I had considered some wire or even a staple to use as the jumper, but I felt the resistor was probably the best (most reliable) option.
While I had the board out I reflowed solder on each of the connector pins for good measure.
With the jumper connected back up again, I installed the board back into the machine, connected all the plugs up and fired it up…
… and we’re back in English.
The error shown is due to the fact there was no battery in the machine and therefor no settings saved. I put 3 AA batteries into the machine and fired it up again. I ran through the debug menu applying the basic settings.
Finally – it was in attract mode 🙂
I let it run for a few minutes. Watched the displays, listened to a few audio things like “I SEE YOU!”, etc.
So this is a great start. It powers up. I can actually read the debug menu now and it goes to the attract mode without encountering any errors.
Still a long way to go. Lots to do. But damn it’s good to see the machine actually working.
One thing I noticed was a hum (or buzz) which seemed to strobe with the lamps. I’m not sure what the cause of this is but I’ll need to investigate it. I’ve heard of similiar issues with other Williams machines around this era. From what I’ve read it’s a grounding issue and often due to poor contact at the grounding points on the MPU and sound boards. More on that shortly.