STTNG. Where’s this in service menu?

[Alan Syson]

STTNG cannon not finding home so I want to switch test. Apparently this isn’t done in the normal switch test but in cannon test. Can’t locate this anywhere in the test menu. Found a pic on Pinside of what I’m looking for but still non the wiser. Anyone?
Alan.

 

[paul h]

Test menu. T14 LT LAUNCHER. T15 RT LAUNCHER.

Then use red service buttons to move selected cannon.

 

[Alan Syson]

Test menu. T14 LT LAUNCHER. T15 RT LAUNCHER.

Then use red service buttons to move selected cannon.

Thanks.

 

[Jay Walker]

Alan,

The launchers on Star Trek Next Gen are prone to failing wires in the harnesses for the coil/optic/lamp on each unit. Unlike T2, they have an optic to show if a ball is loaded into the rotating platform. If this falsely shows a ball present (or a ball gets in under false conditions), the launcher rotates to clear it by firing it away.

I saw cases of the optic 'made', i.e. the beam broken (or not lit at all) with the launcher at the Home position, but showing Clear again during the traverse - the program then didn't kick the coil, but went to park the launcher. Whereupon the optic went out again, repeating the cycle until the program called a halt, left the launcher at the Mark position and posted the error message. A wire or wires in that harness was/were breaking down as it flexed. The optic switch in each launcher is a normal switch, so they're covered by the usual switch tests; the Home and Mark switches are configured as an extra switch column, No. 9, hence the additional tests for them.

The 'Can't Find Home' message seems to be something of a catch-all description - after a few encounters with it, I thought it ought to be 'Can't Find Home, & Clear' i.e. without a ball loaded.

 

[Alan Syson]

Alan,

The launchers on Star Trek Next Gen are prone to failing wires in the harnesses for the coil/optic/lamp on each unit. Unlike T2, they have an optic to show if a ball is loaded into the rotating platform. If this falsely shows a ball present (or a ball gets in under false conditions), the launcher rotates to clear it by firing it away.

I saw cases of the optic 'made', i.e. the beam broken (or not lit at all) with the launcher at the Home position, but showing Clear again during the traverse - the program then didn't kick the coil, but went to park the launcher. Whereupon the optic went out again, repeating the cycle until the program called a halt, left the launcher at the Mark position and posted the error message. A wire or wires in that harness was/were breaking down as it flexed. The optic switch in each launcher is a normal switch, so they're covered by the usual switch tests; the Home and Mark switches are configured as an extra switch column, No. 9, hence the additional tests for them.

The 'Can't Find Home' message seems to be something of a catch-all description - after a few encounters with it, I thought it ought to be 'Can't Find Home, & Clear' i.e. without a ball loaded.

Thanks for the useful info. It’s not my machine, I’m tarting it up as a favour for someone. It came with a multitude of errors so I sent it down to Netherwood to sort out, I’d give it a clean, rerubber etc.
Did that, switched on and the balls wouldn’t stage. See https://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/sttng-transistor.61732/#post-597405.
That’s sorted, now cannons won’t find home. None of the four switches register.
I hate this machine with a passion.

 

[Jay Walker]

I see, this time it really is the microswitches below the playfield, then. The ones with an extra switch column established for them, using a circuit on the '8-driver' board in the backbox. This is an adaptable board, two of the drive circuits can be set (using jumper connections) to provide switch columns rather than solenoid drives. If the board has come from a different machine, it may not be set for a mixed usage. According to the manual, 'Column 9' is wired using Violet-white, from J5, Pin 1 of the 8 driver board. As a Switch circuit, it should have jumpers 'SW 4' and 'SW 6', instead of 'PW 3' and 'PW 5'. The other adaptable circuit, which shares an earth connection with this, uses 'PW 1' or 'SW 2', but isn't used in this game (about the only thing that isn't).