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Gottlieb countdown problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mick
  • Start date Start date
M

Mick

Hoping someone can offer any help to fix this.Bought it 9 months ago and used it for a week and it worked great.Its been stored since then waiting to go in a room I've been kitting out.Come to switch on today and theres no response from the flippers and drop targets.I have no knowledge of pinballs although I work on my jukeboxes.All fuses check out good,loosened and reseated all connectors etc.There were a couple of corroded solder joints on a tag strip but resoldering didnt fix it.All lamps are lit and it will load a ball and score as it should.Any suggestions would be very welcome.
Thanks
Mick
 
That sounds like a fuse issue, did you remove them from the clips and test them out of the game? Also with the game switched off, replace the fuse and check resistance across the fuse holders with the fuse present. Any high reading may indicate a fuse holder problem.
 
You will need to carefully extract them with the game switched off and then test them, that is the only proper way to test a fuse.
 
No joy,there are 8 fuses that I can find and all test good.Also tested both transformer outputs.The "game over" lamp is flashing all the time.Whether its relevant or not its been fitted previously with the PI 1X4 replacement board before I bought it.
 
maybe the signal to switch off the game over relay Mick. I will look at that manual tonight for you but if someone on here can suggest something as i am not familiar with these Gottlieb games that would be best.
 
Have your batteries died during storage and you are no longer set for free play?
 
I have the manual for the machine and the PI,there are no batteries,its not on freeplay but the coin switches work on 10 and 50p and there is credit(would the other functions work without credit?I am new to pins).Found the reset relay and moved it manually and the flippers work.For some reason its not pulling in,game over light stops flashing when relay is held in.Just spent an hour pulling all the connectors and cleaning contacts but still no joy.
Mick
 
put the game in switch test and see if it detects the start button being pressed. Check the back of the start button to see if there are any wires off it.
 
Hi, Mick,

Most pinballs have two separate tilt systems - the pendulum device which simply penalises the player of the current ball ('regular' tilt) and the 'Slam' switch (usually more than one) which cut the game out completely and return to Game Over. I think that the early solid-state Gottlieb games like this one may have the slam switches normally closed, i.e. the slam operates when the contacts are opened, breaking the circuit.

With the machine turned Off, have a look at the slam switches; there's one on the inside of the coin door (with a lead weight attached to one of the contact blades), and I think the ball-roll device inside the cabinet may be part of it too (if the ball rolls up the track to open the contacts). You'll be able to tell whether the switch should be Normally Open or Normally Closed by visualising how the effort involved in slamming, such as kicking the door or lifting the front end of the cabinet, would affect the contacts.
 
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Thankyou I'll check those.I think the larger one(horizontally placed long springy thing with a weight on the end)is under the playfield at the door end.I did try switching on with its contacts closed but no joy.Will have a look at the ball firing assembly.My hobby is restoring fifties jukeboxes and I know my way around them but this has me beat so far.
Mick
 
The tilt switches test ok.Ran through the test sequence and got no result on coil 7 and 8(6 worked),and got game r and tilt r but of course it doesnt give their origin.
 
Beginning to suspect the PI board.According to the manual it shouldnt allow the game to start if theres a communication problem with those coils yet the game does start?
Mick
 
Mick said:
Beginning to suspect the PI board.According to the manual it shouldnt allow the game to start if theres a communication problem with those coils yet the game does start?
Mick
Click to expand...

Email their customer support, they are very good.
 
Emailed them,no reply so far :-(.Dunno if its relevant but with the red led(slam)lit on the PI if I hold down the switch on the outhole its led comes on but the slam one goes out?
 
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