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Baywatch random slam tilt

Spandangler

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10 Years
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Jul 21, 2011
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Hey peeps

Picked up a BW on Saturday from @ronsplooter who had it off @robotgreg who in turn had a little playfield faux par :eek::D I was told it had a random slam tilt problem, not sure if this was as result of the drop or if it was there previously, however it had not manifested itself for a long time.
I've probably put 30 plays on it since then, all good.

Then tonight of all the times!! When I get to earthquake mode for the first time, it slam tilts me!! Aaggghhhh. Frustrating.

Now obviously at this time, there are 5 balls in play and and many switches were activating. Although I'm 99.9% sure in all the melee, I hadn't hit the tower yet.

Just checked the plumb bob and it doesn't even have one. (The bracket and pendulum are there, just not the weight on the end) so i doubt it was that actually activating. Plus I wasn't shoving it around at all.


And while we're on the theme of phantom switches, my mates Baywatch activates the trough opto whenever you press the left flipper button. Which in turn fires the coil to put the ball in the shooter lane!


So!! Any advice greatly appreciated. I have seen those videos where it try's to explain the theory of tracing a phantom switch with a bad diode, however my head turned to pink mist trying to comprehend it!!

Many thanks in advance

Gaz
 
Are you getting slam tilt or tilt? I ask because you mention the plumb bob but slam tilt is different.

Edit....I haven't owned a DE game, I assume they are the same as others in this respect.
 
just look at all the switches and make sure they are all wired up correctly and diode on the correct way the put in switch test and start pressing switches and see what happens
i had my mm for seven years and it used to do this once every 2 years after jim from my pinball was playing it and it happend to him when on a mega score i got a mega do in so had to sort it
it would only do it in with trolls up a ball in shooter lane and then press ball launch turned out to be a diode on the shooter lane switch wrong way round
 
Very good point Kevlar!! Thanks for pointing that out, had a blonde moment there!! It definitely said slam tilt. So Mr plumb bob tilt pants has naff all to do with it. Thanks bud.

And Chris, I will take time tomorrow eve to check all the switch diode orientations and put it in switch test and play around.

Like you say, the moon and the stars have to align sometimes to trigger it!! Ronsplooter thinks the slingshot switches may be culprits but I'm sure they weren't activating when it went!! Arghh who knows.

Thanks all
 
Not sure why I'm such a muppet sometimes but because I had the plumb bob tilt in my head, I ignored the slam tilt switch.!!!

Looking at it, the diodes off and I have a spare wire (white/purple)

Can anyone post a pic of how it should look!!

image.jpg image.jpg
 
My guess is that the wire was snipped because the exact same symptoms have happened in the past. A previous owner has attempted a cure by snipping the tilt off. Time will tell...... Yours pesimistically Andy.
 
My guess is that the wire was snipped because the exact same symptoms have happened in the past. A previous owner has attempted a cure by snipping the tilt off. Time will tell...... Yours pesimistically Andy.

Spookilly i was thinking the same.... first rule of making an issue go away.... cut the offending bit out :D :tut::suspect:
 
Way to go and dampen my spirits guys :p. I'm guessing it wouldn't make any difference if both wires were cut then? If it would eradicate it then I'll rip the thing out. Who needs a slam tilt anyway

I've put a new diode on and reinstated it anyway. Just survived earthquake mode without a slam tilt and that triggered it yesterday. Here's hoping
 
I have a similar problem on my HOOK at the moment - random tilts during multi-ball. If this is a phantom switch activation, caused by a shorted diode elsewhere on the matrix then it'll be interesting to see if this solves it as I don't think from the theory it would.
 
Same astyy. Gaz logic (fwiw) would dictate that if the wire off was off the switch then the switch wouldn't register anywhere. The fact it was still giving slam tilts points to a bad diode still somewhere in the matrix!!! Aggghhhhhh.

If it drives me completely nuts I'll change all 60 odd of em!!!! Great
 
If it was the phantom switch wouldn't it register anyway even if disconnected?

I'm looking at the matrix now - Hook and Baywatch are very similar. What's interesting is that at least one more switch in Column 1 must be closed to phantom activate Slam (or Plum) Tilt and they are mainly coin, tilts and credit. Do you have any of those stuck closed?
 
Ah ok. Thanks for that mate. That could certainly narrow my search. I'll check tonight when I get home and report back
 
Interesting just took a shufty on Hook Diagnostics and Coin 4 in the same Column as Tilt (and Slam) is reporting closed when I guess it should be NO. This can't be helping and if I'm very lucky may have the shorted diode. Good luck with your investigation - I don't trust this stuff on the door too short'y.
 
Had 5 mins before dinner to have a quick look. Slam tilt doesn't even seem to register in test!!
Will investigate further later
 
Just slam tilted again :mad:. During multi ball. I could just tell it was gonna happen so was trying to keep half an eye on the state of playo_O

I'm pretty sure there were 4 balls in play, so 1 in the trough, I'm sure I wasn't flipping at the time as all 4 balls came rolling down and drained.

And the slam tilt switch doesn't register in test

So that's where we're at:hmm:
 
Dude, I'm sure it's got something to do with the slingshot switches. The last time it did it to me was in single ball play, the ball hit the left sling, right sling and then slam tilted :thumbs:
 
Check the wiring of the ball trough switches. Look for any other switch that has been reworked. As Ron says. Check the slingshot switches. Especially the repeater that doesn't have the diode. Check that it is connected in parallel to the other switch blades and isn't connected so that it shorts the diode.
 
Thanks guys. I've just found a wire off the right sling parallel switch!! Reckon that's it??

image.jpg
 
The slingshots are on different returns to the slam tilt switch. Did any normally open switches show as closed in diagnostics? Particulary any in strobe 1 of the matrix (coins, credit, extra ball buy etc)
 
No Astyy they didn't. I tried a few combos of switches to try and replicate it but to no avail. The only one I can't test is the plumb bob as it's missing. The Column which slam tilt is on only has tilt switches coin slots and tournament button from memory so nothing used during gameplay
 
Ron says above he thinks its to do with the slingshots, looking at the matrix one of these in combination with left flipper (and a closed coin slot which you say is not) would fake the Slam Tilt if one of the 3 had a shorted diode. I'm running out of ideas but I'd be testing the left flipper in combo with the slingshots next and giving their diodes a good looking over. I'm sure you're doing all of this - think of this as moral support!


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Astyy I very much appreciate your moral support. I shall continue to tinker this evening concentrating on those switches. Thanks again mate
 
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