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result of my second trial run of 1974 Segasa triple action.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pinball newby.
  • Start date Start date
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Pinball newby.

Hi Folks
Having worked through Clay Harrells pinball repair guide although there is till lots to do I decided it was time for another trial run of my machine.
This has highlighted 2 main problems/faults.
1.at the end of a game during reset process the ball count stepper is supposed to return to its start position and then advance five notches .

The trouble is mine returns to start but doesn't do the five steps back.

2.I have cleaned and checked the score reels as Clay recommends but.
reading from right to left and ignoring the dummy one.For some reason the first one always resets to 1 instead of 0.The next two work fine and reset to 0.The fourth one does not reset and stays where it was at the end of the previous game.

NB when I did a test run of the relays in the back box .
reading left to right looking into the box from the back.
1.The first one advances the first reel.
2.The second one advances the second reel
3.The third one advances the third reel
4.The fourth one sticks in the on position and nothing appears to happen
5.The fifth one sometimes advances the first three reels.sometimes the middle two and some times just the third.

Q.Is the fourth one supposed to work the fourth reel and perhaps reset it ?
If so how do I fix it?
NB. During play the fourth reel advances when it should.

Grateful for any answers or even inklings that may help :)
Many Thanks
Alick
 
Don't know if I'm going to be of much help but here goes...
Great idea to follow Clay's guide. It worked for me with a non working Trail Drive EM
Have you a cleaned all the relevant stepper units as he suggests? He also puts a thin smear of Teflon lube on them although I didn't do that myself. I found with one sticky score reel I just stood there and activated it again and again and it slowly freed up and moved smoothly....and are you happy all the relevant switches are working as they should? Best of luck.
 
Hi Jb3d
I have cleaned and lubricated all the steppers as suggested in clays guide and it works fine manually both ways.The coil that should move it up five notches also works as it does move that way during play sometimes just doesn't seem to activate during the restart sequence.
I think the problem is probably with the switches on the relay that activates the coil that is supposed to do the five steps but which switch or relay this is I am unsure??
Thanks for answering.
Cheers
Alick
 
I wish I could help better than I'm about to but this is the best I can do:

1. Just keep working at it - I got an seriously neglected EM working 100% but it took me 2-3 months, not days. You'll feel great when it all finally works. You'll also have no trouble keeping it working from then on.

2. Find someone to work with you if you can. That can be difficult because even your best mate probably doesn't want to spend hours and hours helping you with your pinball. But if you can find someone they don't have to know what they're doing, it just really helps to have a second pair of eyes.

3. Start with those score reels, they have to zero properly and connect the right "I'm ready" circuit before anything else will work. Each score reel has several contacts, they must all be perfect for the machine to even start. Use a multi-meter to check that when each contact is closed it does actually make a connection.

4. One thing that tripped me up was I had two relays sticking on sometimes - they can get permanently magnetised. Check for that. You can see if a relay is stuck closed. The only way I know to fix it is take the relay apart and bash the centre piece and end plate with a hammer a few times. Seemed weird but it worked!

5. Try to stay clear of the score motor - I've been lucky with my two EMs in that the score motor is/was fine. I read they're a nightmare to work on.

6. Er... I've run out of stuff now.
 
Last edited:
One more thought. The US discussion list Pinside has a big EM following. I've found answers to EM problems there by searching their archive.
 
JWG9999 said:
I wish I could help better than I'm about to but this is the best I can do:

1. Just keep working at it - I got an seriously neglected EM working 100% but it took me 2-3 months, not days. You'll feel great when it all finally works. You'll also have no trouble keeping it working from then on.

2. Find someone to work with you if you can. That can be difficult because even your best mate probably doesn't want to spend hours and hours helping you with your pinball. But if you can find someone they don't have to know what they're doing, it just really helps to have a second pair of eyes.

3. Start with those score reels, they have to zero properly and connect the right "I'm ready" circuit before anything else will work. Each score reel has several contacts, they must all be perfect for the machine to even start. Use a multi-meter to check that when each contact is closed it does actually make a connection.

4. One thing that tripped me up was I had two relays sticking on sometimes - they can get permanently magnetised. Check for that. You can see if a relay is stuck closed. The only way I know to fix it is take the relay apart and bash the centre piece and end plate with a hammer a few times. Seemed weird but it worked!

5. Try to stay clear of the score motor - I've been lucky with my two EMs in that the score motor is/was fine. I read they're a nightmare to work on.

6. Er... I've run out of stuff now.
Click to expand...

Hi JWG9999
Thank you for your words of wisdom.You have given me some more things to try.I have heard of hitting magnets to de magnetise them I can remember it from physics lessons at school (I'm 51!) but your mentioning it is the only time I have heard of it since, nice to finally have a practical application for that knowledge :-)
 
Jb3d said:
One more thought. The US discussion list Pinside has a big EM following. I've found answers to EM problems there by searching their archive.
Click to expand...
Thank you Jb3d
I will have a look at that too.:clap:
 
Yee Hah!
Progress at last! All Score reels now read zero at the end /start of the game.I checked the end of stroke switch contacts on the ball count unit with a multi meter THANKS JWG:clap:.I had been checking them visually and thought they were ok but although they were touching they needed a clean.
Strangely although ball count unit is now ok the next ball has not come up I have pressed the start button which zero'd the reels.
The reel that was returning to one instead of zero turned out to be my own blunder when reassembling during cleaning.I had put the reel back on out of position.Doh!
Onward and upward.
Many Thanks
Alick:)
 
and another eureka moment.I discovered the cables connecting the playfield to the rest were resting on two relays at the back.I moved it and bingo the ball is now presented at the start of a new game.
Thanks for all the help just all the minor stuff and cosmetics to sort.:-)
Cheers
Alick
 
Great stuff.

Kudos on the perseverance. That's how you learn.
I love those small steps when bringing a pinball back to life. In fact, I believe I get a little disappointed when it's all working.
 
Mmm yes I have to admit the thought has crossed my mind...
 
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