Bally Alpha 1 Elite V32 with Low Sound

[Ash100]

I have a nice V32 that I'm refurbishing and everything is going well except for the Game Sound.

It's extremely low in volume, and if there's anything going on around that machine, you would barely be able to hear it.

The Volume Controls are set to MAX and the CPU is good (I've tried 2 others) and I assume the Sound Amp is also good because the other ones I tried all have the same results.

Is there anything else in that circuit that I could be overlooking?

It appears that the 1/8" Audio Plug from the MPU runs straight up and into the Sound Amp, but has a different type of termination, so it's not feasible to find a 1/8th to 1/8th Stereo Plug to see if that's the culprit.

I suppose that it could also be the Speakers themselves, but the Audio is clear and doesn't sound distorted.

Anyone have any additional information to share, or suggestions?

Thanks,

Curtis ash100

[hsjerry]

I have a nice V32 that I'm refurbishing and everything is going well except for the Game Sound.

It's extremely low in volume, and if there's anything going on around that machine, you would barely be able to hear it.

The Volume Controls are set to MAX and the CPU is good (I've tried 2 others) and I assume the Sound Amp is also good because the other ones I tried all have the same results.

Is there anything else in that circuit that I could be overlooking?

It appears that the 1/8" Audio Plug from the MPU runs straight up and into the Sound Amp, but has a different type of termination, so it's not feasible to find a 1/8th to 1/8th Stereo Plug to see if that's the culprit.

I suppose that it could also be the Speakers themselves, but the Audio is clear and doesn't sound distorted.

Anyone have any additional information to share, or suggestions?

Thanks,

Curtis ash100

With volume controls, did you set them to max in the setup menu or in the game itself?

[coolwavepic]

What game software is in the cabinet? I know Quick Hit Platinum has some volume glitches in the software and the game doesnt get that loud.

[Ash100]

Thanks for the replies.

I have set all Volume Controls to Max in the Set Up Menu and on the Player Volume Control.

The game is Reel Money V32.

Not sure if I need a new Amp or Speakers, but I'm going to try a few things using external devices soon. I'll report my findings once I am able to.

Curtis ash100

[coolwavepic]

Reel Money gets loud so it has to be the amp or the speakers. I'm sure you did this, but while its making sound, did you try to wiggle the headphone jack to see if the sound gets louder at certain contact points (hope that made sense). I had a bad cable do that once and had to change the cable. Those Alpha 1 speakers werent the greatest either compared to Alpha 2. I am leaning towards the AMP tho.

[Ash100]

Still haven't figured this one out.

I tried all 4 of my spare Amps, same volume for all.

I noticed a small potentiometer on the Amp, but I think it has to do with changing the impedance of the RCA Jacks, so I left it alone.

I did notice that there is no output from the Belly Door Speaker, so I disconnected it, no change. I tried another one, still no output.

Not sure where else to look at this point. I've swapped out the easy stuff, so my next task will be tracing wires and maybe installing a different Harness. Wiggle check also makes no difference in sound, not even static when moving the Phone Jack or pulling on the Harness.

I still don't think it's the CPU, but I could be wrong. I did try 3 different ones while building/testing the game and all 3 had the same low sound output.

The reason for not using either of the other 2 is problems with the Button Lights not illuminating, which is a weird thing to be broken for. I wish there were a way to figure that one out. Otherwise, they're both good CPUs.

Thanks again for the replies.

Curtis ash100

[Ash100]

Back to this topic .

Still stumped.

I pulled all of my spare Speakers out of storage and tested each one individually using an iPod and old Guitar Amp for the sound source. Every Speaker I had checked good, even the 2 Subs. I tried 4 different Amps inside the Cabinet and still only getting sound to the top 2 Speakers.

I have another V32 that I'm working on with the Black and White Sevens Platinum Quick Hits Software,  and it has no sound. Nothing with any combination of Speakers or Amps. So, I'm guessing at this point it's in the wiring somewhere.

I don't know if it's power to the Amp, or signal from the MPU via the 1/8" Phono Cable,  but I'm guessing it's the Signal, as the iPod doesn't play either, which eliminates the MPU.

I did notice that there are 2 additional Molex Plugs available to patch in Player Tracking,  neither of which are connected in any of my Cabinets. But I would not think they would make any difference.

Replacing the Phono Cable would be a pretty big chore, but I guess it's next in line. I doubt that anyone has a pre-made Harness laying around to try.

I guess it could be the Backplane, somehow.  But that probably just provides power to the system.

Any ideas?

Curtis ash100

[hsjerry]

Sometimes that audio amp plug that v32’s use just don’t want to work or the audio amplifiers themselves have a tendency to go bad after so many years. I’ve had Alphas that all the cables are in tact yet swapping the audio amplifier itself solved low/no volume issues. I’d check for pinched wires and such just incase since that can cause problems too.

[Ash100]

Solved the problem on machine #2 with the No Sound issue.

Was missing the 24vdc to the Sound Amp from the Backplane Connector.

Replaced Backplane, it works as it should. Nice and loud!

Still chasing the Low Sound on the 1st Machine. Determined that the Belly Door Speaker is not receiving signal, therefore not producing Sound, as only the top 2 Speakers are working.

Need to figure out why there's no output to the lower Speaker. Will look into cut/pinched wires.

Curtis ash100

[rickhunter]

I usually plug the audio plug from the mpu and plug it into a tablet and play music out of it to make sure the sound system works.  If it works, it is typically a dirty jack on the mpu that's just not making good contact or adding resistance at the point of contact that the volume levels are reduced.  Use DeOxit or a similar product to clean the jack.