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In Progress Hook, line and sinkered...

astyy

astyy

Play Flipper Games for Fun and Recreation
5Years
Joined
Jan 19, 2015
Messages
3,120
Location
Basingstoke
As I plan to get this machine 100% working and looking tidy, I will log my progress here. If only to keep my dumb questions in one place.

March 2015 - What have we here then...

Let me out you scurvy dog, I hate Peter Pan and you
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the reveal - the playfield is complete and really nice as promised by bigian. Metalwork not too clever, could powder coat it another colour but black just suits I think (how many missing bulbs?)

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Here's the cabinet. There's been water damage around the back and top, it's going to need some woodwork but luckily mostly out of site for starters
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do coin doors ever come with locks?
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dear Santa, an orbital sander please
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Some close ups of the playfield
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found the balls all over the shop!
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inside the backbox, the power supply board. Why are the DE cards printed upside down?
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note Rottendog MPU004
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I dont know what this small pcb is
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sound card
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ppb note fuse F5 (flippers) missing - this blew when replaced
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cripes! what's that big blue thingy
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there is copper wiring on the right hand side
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one of the speaker wires is detached
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Going inside the cabinet, this reminds me of Hanks youtube videos expect to find a bowling ball
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Eeek! I spy electrical tape on the mains lead join - it's Gold Ball all over! Oh look another pinball hiding from Captain Hook
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There's bigians magic screwdriver (dont tell him I've got it). What the heck is that chain for?
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Note two leads not going anywhere. I dont know what the black box is connected to the brace and there's that Hook again on the chain.

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Why the heck is this cardboard box bolted to the floor!!!
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Ok it looks safe(ish), I'm going to hide behind my fishpaper and switch it on. After buying and fitting a plug.
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You've read this far so I hope that wasn't too boring.
 
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What I've found wrong so far

Fuses some wrong, missing or failed. I was amazed it had appx 25 fuses (or should have). Order in to Andy.

Flppers not working
PPB fuse F5 for flippers blowing
Flipper PCB wrong fuses, one blown
Flipper wire detached
BigIan tells me he had the flipper board off so will need to check this over carefully.

Speaker Wire detached

Lighting wire in backbox detached

Backbox glass required. Larger size confirmed due to smaller DMD.

Lots of bulbs missing and probably some not working which I cant test yet.

Most worryingly last night it did this and all went blank kind of crashed even after power cycle. Was working again today.
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At a guess the cardboard box is to catch pinballs when they drop through the playfield... I'm guessing in a three ball multiball if they all end up in the same place above the cardboard box then one of the balls is able to sneak under the playfield somehow and that box is to catch it. :eek:
 
Moonraker said:
At a guess the cardboard box is to catch pinballs when they drop through the playfield... I'm guessing in a three ball multiball if they all end up in the same place above the cardboard box then one of the balls is able to sneak under the playfield somehow and that box is to catch it. :eek:
Click to expand...

It's more securely attached to the cabinet than most of the PCBs and the panel holding the PCBs. If this is the case perhaps I should patent this mod and re-sell it to other Hook owners.
 
Disconnect both connectors for the flipper PCB, then replace the fuse F5 (or use a circuit breaker to save on fuses). Power up the game and see if the fuse blows. If it does then the problem is on the MPU or PPB. If it doesn't then reconnect the connector furthest away on the flipper PCB and power up again. If the fuse blows then it's a problem with the flipper PCB. If not then it's a problem with the flipper coil or wiring to it.
 
Moonraker said:
Disconnect both connectors for the flipper PCB, then replace the fuse F5 (or use a circuit breaker to save on fuses). Power up the game and see if the fuse blows. If it does then the problem is on the MPU or PPB. If it doesn't then reconnect the connector furthest away on the flipper PCB and power up again. If the fuse blows then it's a problem with the flipper PCB. If not then it's a problem with the flipper coil or wiring to it.
Click to expand...

Have run this test with the flipper PCB disconnected and F5 blows when the machine turns on. Am currently studying this thread that implies several soleniods are controlled through this same fuse
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/quick-tech-help-please-hook-pin
 
Thanks @Moonraker a combination of your advice and that thread has lead me in the right direction.

I tracked through on the PPB schematic Fuse F5 through BR1, C1, C2 and R20 ultimately providing +50VDC on J7-1 J7-2 and J7-3

J7-1 -----> Flipper board CN2-8
J7-2 appears unused on the plug
J7-3 ------> Violet/Yellow +50VAC Solenoid 'Big Kick'

So now I unplug PPB J7 and Fuse F5 doesn't blow!

So I'm off to investigate 'Big Kick' (the prime suspect) and the other +50VDC Solenoids - 'Knocker' 'Power Scoop' 'Laser Kick' 'Big Kick' 'Left VUK'
 
J7 feeds J8. With the power switched off just put a meter across each of the coil lugs and see what the resistances are.
 
Have owned this machine now all of a few days. Am I missing something or is it normal to scrape up the inside cab when lifting/lowering the playfield?
 
Big blue thing is a can style electrolytic capacitor. Be part of the power supply smoothing somewhere. I think the little black box is a mechanical play counter, normally visible when looking through the coin door.

Looks like you got yourself a great project there @astyy!!!
 
Thanks @Nedreud am really enjoying it and the Gold Ball experience is invaluable - illegible manual on ipdb, last column of switch matrix not used etc.

The diagnostics in the DMD takes a bit of getting used to reporting cable colours etc. when I am so familiar with the simplicity of the Gold Ball diagnostics.

I guess Gold Ball was nearing the end of one era and Hook seeing in the next.
 
What year is Hook? GB was '84. Definitely the last of that era of single level, single ball games before ramps, wire forms, toys, multiball, etc.

Looking forward to this log. Keep it up!
 
astyy said:
Am I missing something or is it normal to scrape up the inside cab when lifting/lowering the playfield?
Click to expand...

You're missing something, it's not normal to scrape the cabinet. Bent/missing bracket(s), wires caught or warped playfield are the usual suspects.
 
Moonraker said:
J7 feeds J8. With the power switched off just put a meter across each of the coil lugs and see what the resistances are.
Click to expand...

Re. PPB Fuse F5 blowing. I measured the coil resistance of everything I could find under the playfield - and the big Kick - all reading similar 4.5-5 Ohms.

If I unplug PPB J7 or J8 it doesn't blow on power-up.

I'm not sure how to t/shoot this further - does the above prove it's not a PPB/MPU shorted Transistor or similar, am I looking for shorts or similar in the wiring between J7 and J8. Could a bad coil diode cause this (I haven't checked them yet).

Having isolated the flipper PCB and the blow still occurs my rudimentary reading of the PPB schematics indicates the Big Kick solenoid is the only other thing on F5.
 
You can disconnect any coil/diode from the circuit by heating up the solder tab connection with a soldering iron and disconnect it from the circuit. Just remember to keep two wires joined together when you remove them from the tab of the coil/diode.
 
Ref the playfield, it was working fine the last time I opened it. Its maybe come off a rail in transit. Have you had it right up and lent against the backbox ?
 
BigIan said:
Ref the playfield, it was working fine the last time I opened it. Its maybe come off a rail in transit. Have you had it right up and lent against the backbox ?
Click to expand...

Yes I can get it fully open, I think some of it is technique getting used to it, and secondly the plastics at the back edges are slightly overhanging which makes things tighter. I'll see how I get on and perhaps post some photos - I'm sure this going to be up and down lots over the coming weeks & months.
 
Nedreud said:
Big blue thing is a can style electrolytic capacitor. Be part of the power supply smoothing somewhere. I think the little black box is a mechanical play counter, normally visible when looking through the coin door.
Click to expand...

The large capacitor is used to smooth the 18v power supplied to the lamp matrix. It looks like the coin handling side of the machine's been altered at some point - that pcb near the pendulum tilt (with a chip labelled 'Zenitone Limited) is probably a 'credit board', which would take over the pricing arrangements. The installation looks distinctly post-factory.
 
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Wow! This is my favourite kind of shop log - take something junky and make it nice.

Apart from the water damaged cabinet, this thing is gonna clean up real nice. This era of Data East games are so easy to work on too, much better than the B/W equivalent. Will you be re-decaling it?
 
My rough plan is to get everything working and play a few games in on it. Then dismantle and clean up the play field so it looks and plays nice. Not really put much thought yet into the cabinet whether it can be patched up (if only temporarily) or repaired and re-decalled. I haven't found cabinet decals available anywhere of the original screen printing.
 
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