Addams Family DMD showing garbled lines and random dots
I powered up my 1992 Addams Family and the dot matrix display is showing scrambled garbage. There are random dots flickering, horizontal lines scrolling across, and occasionally I can make out fragments of text but it's mostly unreadable. The game seems to play fine otherwise — sounds work, flippers work, all the mechs seem to function.
I tried reseating the ribbon cables at both the display and the controller board. Sometimes when I push on the connector at the DMD panel, the display briefly shows correctly before going back to garbage. The problem has gotten progressively worse over the last month.
The DMD panel looks original — I don't think it's ever been replaced. Is this likely the panel itself dying or a board issue?
yemons·3/21/2026★ 1 Answer
The intermittent behavior when you press on the ribbon connector is a strong clue — you almost certainly have a failing connection at the DMD panel itself. The original plasma DMD panels in these early-90s Bally/Williams games are notorious for developing cracked solder joints on the header pins where the ribbon cable connects. After 30+ years, the thermal cycling takes its toll.
You have two good options here. First, you can try reflowing the solder joints on the DMD panel's header pins — carefully reheat each pin with a soldering iron and add a tiny bit of fresh solder. This can buy you some time but often the fix is temporary. The better long-term solution is to replace the original plasma DMD with an LED replacement panel like the ColorDMD from Marco Specialties, which gives you a beautiful color display and eliminates the aging plasma panel entirely. If you want to stay with a standard orange monochrome replacement, Pinball Life carries replacement DMD panels as well.
Before ordering, also inspect the ribbon cables themselves for any cracks or kinks — replacement ribbon cables are inexpensive and worth swapping while you're in there. Check the connector on the DMD controller board (the board mounted in the backbox that drives the display) for any burnt or corroded pins. If the connector housing is melted or discolored, that board may need header pin replacement too.
yemons·3/21/2026