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Bad cats back box

Hughesy

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Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
8
Location
Goole
Hi all, I'm new to this site so hope I'm in the right area for my question, sorry if not. I have a 1978 williams "Bad cats" pinball, I need to get in the back box but have no key , can anyone help
 
unscrew the 2 security screws on the plate holding the lock and you can wriggle the entire plate free, backbox is then open. You may need a security or torx screwdriver.
 
Try the coin door key (if you have it), you never know your luck:)
 
The back box key is traditionally hung on the inside of the coin door to the side of one of the coin mechs. Check it’s not there first before destroying locks
 
The back box key is traditionally hung on the inside of the coin door to the side of one of the coin mechs. Check it’s not there first before destroying locks
I have never seen the key there and been in there many times, the only keys given to me over 10 years ago are a castle key that opens the front and a flat brass key that I thought was for the back but it's no good
 
unscrew the 2 security screws on the plate holding the lock and you can wriggle the entire plate free, backbox is then open. You may need a security or torx screwdriver.
The lock is on the side with no security screws or plate, do you think that if someone has a key for same machine then it could fit mine?
 
I have never seen the key there and been in there many times, the only keys given to me over 10 years ago are a castle key that opens the front and a flat brass key that I thought was for the back but it's no good

What do you mean no good? Does it fit in the lock? These locks can be tricky sometimes. They only turn about an eighth of a turn. If the glass is in there tight for some reason it can be hard to get the mechanism to shift. If the key goes in, try turning it back and forth whilst gently lifting the locked glass up and down to help get the mech to move.

If it refuses to move then your only option is to drill the lock out.
 
What do you mean no good? Does it fit in the lock? These locks can be tricky sometimes. They only turn about an eighth of a turn. If the glass is in there tight for some reason it can be hard to get the mechanism to shift. If the key goes in, try turning it back and forth whilst gently lifting the locked glass up and down to help get the mech to move.

If it refuses to move then your only option is to drill the lock out.
The key won't go in , looks like drill option
 
A trick with the older Williams is to use a very long screw driver and with the backbox on its front undo the locking bar through the bottom . Ray foster taught me that jiggery-pokery . A common sense ttip is to search the cabinet nooks and crannies for a lost key. So annoying to drill a lock then find a key wedged behind a speaker etc
 
Could you reach through the wiring port on the bottom of the back box and detach the cam plate from the lock itself? I'd get someone else to hold the backglass and display panel in place while doing so, though

A tip I heard at a Williams introduction to the Wpc system was to separate the two keys originally supplied for the back box, hanging one on the coin door and fixing the other to the rear of the cashbox cross-member in the cabinet. Most people wouldn't notice it, or be able to appropriate it, but it would be there if needed. I usually put on works' own lock anyway, but on a Whirlwind I couldn't remove the lock mounting plate (due to the concealed T-nut slipping), so followed this advice
 
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A trick with the older Williams is to use a very long screw driver and with the backbox on its front undo the locking bar through the bottom . Ray foster taught me that jiggery-pokery . A common sense ttip is to search the cabinet nooks and crannies for a lost key. So annoying to drill a lock then find a key wedged behind a speaker etc
True I'll have a good serch
 
So you haven't needed to access the backbox in 10 years, my best run is about 10 minutes :hmm:
Sounds like iv been lucky , I have problems now with it now, think the batteries have leaked on to one of the boards
 
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