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Terminator 2 Cannon Autofiring

Dinsdale

Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2022
Messages
381
Location
UK
Hi all

Had an issue that was annoying me slightly - sorry if this is common knowledge but I wanted to put it out there. When I had T2 game running L-6, my cannon would sweep back and forth indefinitely and only fire when the gun switch was pressed. Great.

However, since upgrading to L-8.4 (which I recommend by the way) it will automatically fire after it's rotated down, and (almost) rotated back to the top again. This presented two issues.

1. If the multiball/jackpot target is the top light, it's impossible to hit because the cannon will fire before it reaches it.
2. If the multiball/jackpot target is the second from top light, there is no skill involved as the cannon will automatically fire perfectly at this point - hitting the target every time.

There are theories as to why this was changed.

- This stops the motor from being continuously used, extending its life.
- The operator wants the person to hurry up and complete their game quicker, so more quarters are spent.
- It can potentially stop firing and missing completely and firing into other parts of the playfield, causing damage.

The easy explanation is that this is just a software change - but I've spoke to people with L-6 and L-8 who have said that their cannon autofires too.

Investigating on the PinSide T2 owners thread, some people said their cannon autofired, and some said it didn't and they all had different software versions - meaning the software version could be a red herring (or it may be partially responsible).

The issue is indeed switch related and the "Gun Mark" switch is the offender. When it is depressed, it fires the cannon after the first sweep. My switch was positioned that it would hit the groove in the wheel ever so slightly early.

I've had a look, and if you loosen the two screws (circled in red), you can move the switch left and right AND (slightly) up and down) to adjust the autofire. I moved it right slightly and it started hitting the top target, I moved it even further and the switch never gets depressed at all.

I may get a credit dot after a few games as the switch is locked on, got to wait and see - but if I don't, this tells me that this is by design, and you can adjust it based on preference - although this isn't mentioned anywhere in the manual.

In an arcade environment, where it's key to get the next player putting money in, and key to not burn any key components out, I can see why the autofire is the default functionality - but in my home environment, I would like to take time lining up that Super Jackpot shot.

Thanks to @Ant-H for testing his machine too.

Switch2.jpg
 
Is that picture the correct configuration? I’m struggling with this issue with the canon. Seems to have a mind of its own.
 
Is that picture the correct configuration? I’m struggling with this issue with the canon. Seems to have a mind of its own.
That's how I've done mine and it's been fine. It's hard to tell on the pics but the top switch you can adjust in up, down, left, and right.

Simply have the gun test running after you adjust (you can even keep the playfield up).

Try it and let me know.
 
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