I have a "reset board" for WPC games that is many years old at this point. It piggybacks on the power connector from the power board to the system board and steps down the unregulated 12v supply to power the 5v rail, bypassing the power board's 5v which can become unreliable as voltage regulators age and fail, triggering a watchdog on the system board that causes a reset. It is a plug-in mod that is reversible (I actually do not currently use it).
Also you can buy new boardsets for System 11 machines in both kit and complete form. They are electrically identical to the Williams parts but use modern components. They even come on red PCBs like the Williams development boards.
Yep, friends with the guy from Pinball Basement who makes the System 11 boards. It was actually done by licensing the designs from Williams, so that's cool. They're still quite expensive, but it's great from a preservation perspective.
Not that I know of. https://pinballbasement.com/ Looks like the 11 stuff is not finished or sold out atm. I believe he was running into supply chain issues last year.
No benefit to replacing working Williams boards. The benefit is if you have a bad board and can't find replacements. The DumbAss boards are electronically identical to Williams boards so you can install them in any combination in a System 11 pin without any other modification. They're simply modern replacement parts.
The software is whatever you flash on to the ROM and could be modified on a Williams or DumbAss board equally.
Also what System 11 machines do you have? I have a High Speed (with Williams boards).
I have a Terminator 2 - a lot of similarities to High Speed because both were designed by Steve Richie and i think T2 came right after High Speed for him (could be wrong about that last bit). Also have a Cyclone. Both have lots of mods and addons. I used to be really into the hobby but not so much anymore.
The t2 back glass is signed by Steve Richie when I met him at Texas Pinball Fest in 2019.
There’s a podcast interview with Richie somewhere that he talks about designing HighSpeed. As I recall, he had a Porsche in the 80s. He was speeding home one night - very fast like 120 mph or something crazy. He was pulled over by a cop. Or maybe he dodged the cop. I don’t remember the rest of the story but it was interesting, and it became the inspiration for your pin.
Yes I have heard that story. I think he actually got a ticket for 146mph. That’s the speed on the radar on my backglass. I have a T3 as well, the first pin Ritchie made for Stern. T2 is a classic but I think T3 is underrated, many similarities. Much like High Speed vs Getaway.
I got into ownership during the pandemic, was the only way to get my fix. I’m up to five now!
Would love to meet Steve and his brother Mark who designed Fish Tales, which I also own. TPF seems to be the place for that.
Another bit of Steve Ritchie trivia is that he shared a cube with another Steve at Atari. This one was named Steve Jobs!
Also you can buy new boardsets for System 11 machines in both kit and complete form. They are electrically identical to the Williams parts but use modern components. They even come on red PCBs like the Williams development boards.