Flipper has erectile disfunction!

[rabthompson]

My left flipper won't stay up as I hold button. Only goes up and drops immediately. Right flipper perfect. I am sure the flipper mechanism is the same for all machines, so I haven't given make/model numbers. Is there a separate hold coil? What should keep flipper up?

 

[cooldan]

The low power hold is incorporated in the same coil, it's the hair-thin red wires attached to the lugs. See if you can spot them both?

 

[BigIan]

If you haven't got a spare coil and everything looks like it's connected ok you can swap the two coils for the flippers over and see if the problem moves.

If it moves when you move swap the coils then it's the coil. If the problem stays with the flipper then it's possibly the flipper board or circuitry.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

Cheers
Ian

 

[Nedreud]

What game @rabthompson? Different eras have different designs, e.g., old solid-state Bally's use two-in-one double coil for flippers and a mechanical switch arrangement to activate low power hold coil. Later games and manufacturers use electronic flippers where two separate power transistors are used to control the high and low powers (hit and hold) using a single coil.

If you have the older style then I'd suspect a broken low power coil. As suggested check the thin red wires that connect to the coil lugs. They are very thin and sometimes just snap due to repeated hammering. If it's a modern electronic flipper suspect defective transistor in the flipper power board.

 

[JT.]

The low power hold is incorporated in the same coil, it's the hair-thin red wires attached to the lugs. See if you can spot them both?

Check you out with the techy advice @cooldan !

 

[astyy]

I had a similar problem on my Bally Gold Ball and the flipper was 'machine gunning' (how the heck do you know to Google that when you're a Pinball newbie)

In my case some previous Pinball mechanic had attached the flipper with overlong bolts that pierced the coil paper wrapping and in time broke the outer coil wire inside through vibration hence opening the low power hold circuit. The fault was pretty obvious but testable measuring the resistance between the lugs.

So new coil and shorter bolts was my fix.

 

[astyy]

I should have said if it is 'machine gunning' you'd know it!

 

[rabthompson]

Thanks for all your prompt replies. Will let you know result after I go in to guts with tools and torch!

 

[cooldan]

Check you out with the techy advice @cooldan !

Yeah I know, weird eh!
I expect it will turn out to be wrong and he will make it worse, permanently disable himself, and sue me.

 

[Jay Walker]

My left flipper won't stay up as I hold button. Only goes up and drops immediately.

Hi, Rab,

The description of a single stroke of the flipper paddle, without holding or 'chattering/fluttering' suggests to me that the button switch (whatever type) isn't making reliable contact - it's as if you're only tapping the button briefly.