-Installing the remote volume controller-
Does your speaker have connections like this? Pinball manufacturers were professional corner cutters and when you build them by the thousands, every penny counts. The speaker wire should be connected by two .250 inch spade style connectors. Most machines came out of the factory with them direct soldered such as this one.
So on with the tutorial for installing your new remote volume control device!
1) Safety first!! Turn off and unplug the machine you will be working on. When energized, the lights on the door carry 5-7 volts A/C and the door lockout coil can draw as much as 43 volts DC. Ouch!
2) Now locate the self-test button already installed in your door. It will be near the top and left of center. It should be held in place by a single screw which you can undo to release it. Take care not to let it hang by the wires connected to the push button switch.
1) Safety first!! Turn off and unplug the machine you will be working on. When energized, the lights on the door carry 5-7 volts A/C and the door lockout coil can draw as much as 43 volts DC. Ouch!
2) Now locate the self-test button already installed in your door. It will be near the top and left of center. It should be held in place by a single screw which you can undo to release it. Take care not to let it hang by the wires connected to the push button switch.
3) Use a pair of pliers to loosen and then remove the top securing nut from the push button. You can then remove the button from the old bracket. Take care not to let it hang by its wires.
4) Now insert the push button switch into the second hole of the new bracket and screw the washer and nut on. Ensure the nuts for the volume control pot and push button are snug. Attach the new bracket to the coin door in the same place the old one was using the same screw. Tighten until snug. Take care not to over tighten it as you might strip the screw hole.
5) The next step will be to feed through the first half of the wires behind the coin chutes(if installed) so that it follows the path of the existing wire harness. Make sure to get it behind everything. The easiest part to get through is where the coin return plate pushes down on the coin mechs. Use one of the zip ties where the wires leave the door and go into the cabinet.
6) Follow along the wire harness until it turns out to the speaker. Zip tie the wires to the harness and ensure the plugs are in the same place. Now connect the remote volume controller to the speaker according to what you already have. If your existing wires are connected to the speaker with spade style contacts, simply pull one and connect the rvc male connector to the female connector and the female connector to the empty tab of the speaker. If you chose to go with the alligator clips, just cut off one side of the speaker and strip about a 1/4" of insulation off. Connect one clip to the empty speaker lug and the other to the bare portion of wire. If you chose to unsolder one wire from the speaker, crimp on the included connector and proceed as above. The end result should look something like this.
7) Use the remaining zip ties to mate the new wires to the existing harness to keep the out of the way. Now you will need to turn the volume on your sound card all the way up. Carefully remove the back glass from the game and open the hinged door to access the game cards. The sound card should be located below the solenoid control board.
8) Find the volume control pot on the card and turn it fully clockwise.
9) Once this is done, close and latch the back box door and carefully replace the back glass. Now adjust the pot on the remote volume control until it is about halfway turned. Plug in the game and start it up. Play a game and adjust the volume the easy way. In the DOOR! Now play another game. Maybe one more game? Great!