Need Help : DOF on Bally “Beat The Clock” / DOF Config Tool

[bele2009]

Hello all,

 

I am trying to improve the DOF configuration for the Bally "Beat The Clock" table.

 

For one, I would like to have the CREDIT lighted button (DOF Pinscape 1, Port 1) on my cab to be ON only when the table has credit.

 

Easy, right? Just add the Lxx ON for that table where the xx represents the Lamp number from the ROM...

 

Two problems:

 

1.    My START light is always ON. For an extreme test, I cleared all the DOF effect on the table, my "directoutputconfig51.ini" file as all the fields to 0.

Credit button is always ON, even the other light effect in game (speakers, PF side, flasher and all) are still active ! How can this be ??? It looks like the DOF config for that specific table is not getting used from my "directoutputconfig51.ini". This is a ROM-Based table, DOF events are NOT coded in the table script either. I taught I understood how the ROM-DOF-INI file thing was working... guess something else I am missing for sure!

I tried deleting the ROM .ZIP file to see it the table was using another ROM, but VPx complained the ROM is missing to it is really using beatclck.zip

2.    I cannot figure out how the DOF mapping work on this table. According to the data I found on the solenoid and lamp number, nothing matches with the Table Configuration from the DOF Config Tool.

 

According to the lamp chart here:
http://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/Tech_Charts/Bally_Beat_the_Clock_Tech_Chart.pdf

Credit Light should be LAMP 45. The table design in VPX call the credit light Lamp2 ... I tried L2 and L45 in DOF Config but this has no effect. Credit button always ON. “Bonus 5K” lamp is #58 in the chart above but is called Lamp65 in VPx.

 

Any idea what is going on here ? Why do I still getting MX LEDs effect and lighted controlled buttons even with all effects disabled?

 

Thanks !

[bele2009]

SOLVED

 

I had a second copy of my DOF ini files in my Tables folder on top of the one I was thinking was used in DirectOutput/config 

DOF is way too smart and finding files where I was not even suspecting they were.

 

Moral of the story, make sure to keep a single copy of your DOF .ini files 😝

 

I changed the START button to be controlled by the credit lamp (which is in fact #2 as per the VPX table). I submitted the change for public consideration.

 

Feeling a lot relieved. Looking forward improving some of the DOF already in the database before jumping ahead with custom LED effects.