Today has been another set of challenges. I woke up from a dream about how to fix various things on the machine. Anyhow, the first challenge is how to get the hole in the score motor to line up with the slot in score reel cam shaft end?
Here is a pic of it when it is snugly fitted into the unit, motor is in the correct position, and I've even packed out the cam shaft from the other end with a washer. However I cannot go too far otherwise the cam wheels wont line up with their respective switch banks.
A bit closer:
I just cannot figure out why there is a mismatch, I have checked the frame to ensure it is not bent or out of alignment, I've taken the motor assembly off and checked that - it's a non serviceable unit as is rivitted together, but looks ok, a small amount of play in the drive shaft, but not enough to solve this issue. I've taken the whole score cam shaft out and examined it and it cannot be adjusted. It is almost like the incorrect motor unit has been fitted.........Hmm, maybe that's it.
So, lets try find the right one. I cannot locate an exact match, but something similar in USA, but it's $110, add on shipping and import tax, gonna bee well over £100 for something that may or may not work.
I have a chat to my Cousin who lives in Israel - we chat a lot, he's a motorbike engineer etc. has his own lathe, can do all this metalwork stuff easily. After a few ideas, we decide on the 'bent nail' trick.
This is the result:
Not very pretty but it might just work, I have to tease it into place through this opening:
it fits and I mange to then gently hammer it down into the cam end slot:
This is no elegant fix, and I'm not happy with it as a permanent solution, but for now.........Yep it works! The cam reels turn now when the power is applied to the motor.....
A get the clicks and whirs that I got last night but it doesn't sound too healthy. No point in messing around, I need to get back to checking for other errors. I can see that some of the switches on the cam score reels are bent and probably not making contact.
I am also aware of those 3 cut wires in the bottom of the cabinet, so decide to figure those out. One is blue and orange and the other two are very thing and both black. They are not far from the total play meter which has had it's wires ripped out by the looks of it - as no wires visible. I check the schematic and sure enough these are supposed to go to that unit. it's not needed so that's ok, but what's not ok is the two back wires are now not connected, they should be. So I fix that, temporarily as a test:
Another power on and a bit more noise, so that black wire being reconnected has had what I feel is a positive improvement. but the sounds and action do not sound like a machine resetting, the score motor does a half turn and that's it. I would expect several turns at least to get everything reset.
I decide I need to check the switch and relay and score motor contacts and also test all the relay coils out in the cabinet. I decide to test the relays first as there are less of them and easy to do. Theey all test out apart from one:
This is the 'Reset' Relay, and it looks quite burnt. As I look closer I can see one of the winding wires is broken:
The right hand side one is broken. Its hard to get to and takes me ages to get this item off. One off, I unpick the windings and find the missing broken end. I managee to resolder this back onto the lug, but it's testing out at around 0 ohms, meaning the coil winding is shorted and burnt out.
That worries me as the reset relay should only be engaged for a short time whilst the system resets, I think at start or end of a game or when cash is deposited, etc. So, this relay should not be on for long. This one has burnt out so suggests it's been on for longer than it should.
Anyhow, I try to find a spare - no one has them, so I go for the next best option and pinch a similar sized relay off this machine - I've taken one that has something to do with the one coin or two coins per play 5c setting. I dont think it will be used, but if it is I'll have to sort that out later on. The one that is dead is a Williams M-29-900, then 'spare' I have created is a M29-1100. Same size, bigger winding, so designed to be on for longer. Should work. I manage to fit it easily enough.
I power on and something strage is happening. the start game button no longer works. However if I trigger a coin mechanism, thn the machine spurts into life, the repaired reset relay triggers on and the score motor turns round and round, and, well it never stops......... until I pull the plug.
I can't understand why the credit play button no longer works and I spend ages trying to figure this out. Is it because I've stolen a relay coil of another part of the machine, is it because I've fixed the reset relay? In the end I try to retrace my steps and realise that in replacing the reset relay I did move that relay unit about a lot and sure enough, I find a broken off wire to one of the relay switches.
I plug in my trusty 40-odd year old Antex soldering iron ready to re-attach it - after 10 mins no heat, check the plug, the fuse, the wire. Oh **** it's gone - the element has finally failed after all these years. I was 16 when I got that - Shall I bury it in the garden, with a little RIP sign? Oh well, now I can get a soldering station! In the meantime, don't want to use a pesky 12w or my giant 100w irons, so croc clips again as a temp test fix.
Another power on and I'm pleased to see that the start game button works, but as expected the score reel turns and turns. I manually disengage the repaired reset replay and all goes quiet. I try a flipper - it flips - or at least tries to..... Yey! loks like I'm in a game. I press a couple of switches, and sure enough we get some scores going up. The ball drain works and onto the next ball I assume.
All 4 flippers trigger but only 1 returns the others are well in need of refurb or replacement.
I test the 3 pop jets - nothing. These are on DC, so is it the bridge rectifier? I test the 2 slingshots, they both work and they are also on DC, so bridge is ok. I fiddle with the trigger switches on the pop jets and eventually one fires - made me bloody jump too. Looking at the switches, they are really dirty - I'll probably be able to sort these out with a gentle contact clean. A job for later.
I also test the ball eject, that doesn't seem to be working, so maybe a dud coil, or maybe a switch or relay not triggering properly - another job for later.
My main job now is to figure out why the reset relay is staying on. I look at the circuit diagram. There are 4 circuits that cause this relay to fire.
the first one is when the game over relay AND the coin relay (whatever that is) both trigger. I don't think this is what's causing it to stay one - but maybe I'll have to come back to this if I can't find any other cause.
The other three are all in series with a switch on the reset relay itself, so what that means is that once the relay switches on, it will keep itself powered on until all three of these other circults have become open by some other means. This is what I can see happening, so it's likely to be one of these, the connections are:
1. to switch on the core motor cam shaft - on the 'index' cam - this is the one that triggers every 1/2 revolution, so should probably go open circuit at the end of eveery 1/2 cycle. That makes sense.
2. to the 16 (yes 16) different player score reel switches that go open when the score is at the Zero position. ( 4 players X 4 score reels each = 16). Again this makes sense - the reset cycle is going to continue until all 16 score reels have turned around to zero - Blimey This is gonna be a a big test!
3. to a switch on the 'bonus' relay - whatever that is?
Ok I have a lot of switch circuits to test now. That should keep be out of mischief for a while. It is key for me to resolve this issue, otherwise I will never get a game to start properly.