Pharaoh (Williams, 1981): common faults and System 7 replacement boards
Does your Williams Pharaoh have no sound or speech, see its flippers drop out when both are pressed together, fail to boot or reset? These symptoms are typical of Williams System 7 pinball machines, whose original boards (MPU, Driver, power supply) are now over 40 years old. The good news: the WillFA7 replacement board, Plug & Play and battery-free, brings your machine back to life.
Pharaoh (Williams, 1981): overview
Released in 1981, Pharaoh is a Williams System 7 pinball machine with a multi-level playfield, featuring multiball, Magna-Save and speech, on an ancient Egypt theme. It completes the famous System 7 multi-level series alongside Black Knight and Jungle Lord.
- Manufacturer: Williams
- Year: 1981
- Electronic system: Williams System 7
- Type: solid-state pinball, multiball, Magna-Save, multi-level playfield
- Theme: ancient Egypt / pharaoh
Common faults (System 7)
On Williams System 3 to 7, the recurring faults come from ageing: leaking NiCad battery on the MPU (corrosion, the No. 1 cause of dead boards), worn 40-pin MPU↔Driver connector (the best-known weak point), resets/reboots on a 5 V drop (power headers and connectors to be resoldered), tired power-supply capacitors, displays with missing segments, and a solenoid fuse that blows (slingshot or stuck bumper).
Issues specific to Pharaoh (forum feedback)
- No sound or speech: loss of communication between the MPU and the sound-select stage; probe the Sound Select signals at the MPU (connector 1J8) and at the sound board (10J3).
- Speech crackling then gone after a reboot: an intermittent sound/speech fault, to be diagnosed.
- Missing feature lamps: a lamp board sometimes badly repaired (sockets bridged with bare wire, Yellow-Orange and Yellow-Black wires wrongly connected).
- Overheating general illumination (GI): discoloured System 7 GI connectors to replace, sockets to clean and minor shorts to track down.
- Flippers dying when both are pressed at once: the machine goes into standby; the large C10 capacitor on the MPU, if original, is due for replacement.
- Fuse holders under the playfield (near the flippers): to be replaced with new ones; also remember to place both balls in the trough to boot.
Replacement boards compatible with Pharaoh
- WillFA7 — 2-in-1 board (MPU + Driver) compatible with System 3 to 7, System 7 included.
The WillFA7 replaces the original MPU and Driver board (boot-up, logic resets, coil and multiball driving, battery-free memory) and removes the fragile 40-pin ribbon. As the C10 capacitor and the Sound Select signals are on the MPU side, a new board sorts these out; the sound/speech board, the feature lamps and the GI, however, must be addressed separately. Our support team will guide you.
Plug & Play installation, battery-free, free tutorials and support. Contact us.
FAQ — Pharaoh Williams
My Pharaoh has no sound or speech.
Often a loss of the Sound Select signals between the MPU and the sound board. The WillFA7 replaces the MPU and makes these signals reliable; the sound/speech board is repaired separately.
My flippers die when I press both at once.
The large C10 capacitor on the MPU is often to blame. The WillFA7, which replaces the MPU, eliminates this weak point.
Is the WillFA7 compatible with System 7?
Yes. It covers System 3 to 7, System 7 included, and drives the logic, multiball and coils.
Should I keep the original battery?
No. The WillFA7 works without a battery and removes the No. 1 cause of corrosion on System 7.
