I have a Maverick but have not had a problem with the paddlewheel speed. My first question would be, was this a problem before the belt was replaced, or did this happen after the belt was replaced? If after, I would suspect the wrong belt putting too much tension on the mechanisms. If this was happening before, I would start by checking power and then checking the gearing mechanism for binding, proper lube etc. failing everything else I would suppose a failed motor. That's just how I would proceed with troubleshooting this problem.

I had a maverick but not this issue
I would recommend because it cant hurt cleaning all the optos around the paddle wheel.

I wonder if your motor is on its last leg...you may need to replace...I picked a new one up from Mad Amusements for $75...works perfect now...mine worked before but was extremely noisy.

The only other thing I can think of is if the belt is slipping...if not, I think it's your motor...the other option is to pull the motor apart, clean/degrease it & then apply new white lithium grease & see if that fixes it...might just be gunked up...you can always try that first...if it doesn't work, order the new motor.

One more thing...did you check the opto before it enters the paddle wheel...I believe that let's the software know that it has entered the paddle wheel & then it waits until the wheel picks it up & drops it under the boat before it triggers the next opto...just another thought.

I clean that opto on mine and it works great for a few games, but then goes back to being bat shit crazy, there has to be some sort of quick fix for that opto....

FYI my opto for this completely failed - and it will cause a whole heck of a lot of problems if it does. It was the transmit LED side, which from what I gleaned on the net is not as common as a receive opto problem. The transmit LEDs on the Maverick are regular visible light LEDs, so I cannibalized a camper headlamp with extra bright LEDs and it works extremely well. I wasn't even sure if it would.

Just make sure your ball search during paddlewheel transfer is related to the time it takes for the ball to be delivered and not because the lane entry opto is failing. You can put the game into switch test mode and send a ball up there a few times to determine this before you go messing again with the motor drive chain.

On mine the transmit LED broke a leg up INSIDE it's housing, which is not even the normal failure for this part. Usually it would be the leg where it solders into the board or the wires breaking off the board. Not only that, but the alignment of the LED light beam path can also get screwed up on the paddlewheel entrance optos. On top of that, there are the two optos in the Lauren Bell that can have problems, but those not as common as the entrance opto. So you are talking about 3 transmit optos and 3 receive optos that can fail.

There is a "fix" to just replace the entrance opto with a reed switch or other mechanical switch, but there is nothing quick and easy about it. The transmit opto is under a large bracket, and a bear to get to. I recommend identifying the trouble using information presented in Stern's service bulletin #67.
http://www.sternpinball.com/downloads/sb67.pdf

Probably, I would just remove the belt and see if the paddlewheel spins freely. If it does then look into the belt - if too large and slipping, or too tight and binding that would be a problem.

Hey Wayout
Do you have any more info on that switch replacement for the entrance opto? I have fought with the one on mine for a long time now and it still doesn't work properly.

http://www.pinballrebel.com/game/pins/mav/fix/fix.htm

Thanks for the great link! My part is on order from Marco...

First off, the reed switch is not a fix. I tried this, and the vibration in this area causes it to be more inconsistent than a bad opto. I tried with foam, and all kinds of padding to reduce the vibration, I had the reed switch even just sitting touching the bracket overtop of the entry, and it would go off with the slightest vibration. Maybe these are different, more sensitive ones than what pinballrebel used, but a friend of mine that had the same issue, and restores machines noted the same issue with the reed option.

Second, I can’t tell if you confirmed the entrance switch is working and going off every time. This should be obvious with the Lauren Belle air horn and visual on the DMD, which becomes quite annoying when you are dealing with a problem there, as I’m sure some people here can attest to

The only option is to take out both sides of the opto (you might as well fully shop and re-rubber, as everything’s coming off to get at these), and replace both sides opto LED’s. Most problems are due to the optos being misaligned from vibration, and/or from vibration cracking the solder connections for the optos (common on all optos on machines). This machine sees a crap load of vibration because of the VUK right there. I read these had to be pulled from tournament play right out of the box because of issues with the VUK messing this opto up.

Make sure there is fish paper behind them so they don’t ground out on any of the metal parts in close proximity. After you put them back in, align the optos. I find this to be best done for stern optos with a piece of regular white paper. You can then see where the red light is shining to over the other side of the opto when placed in between, and precisely position the emitter to hit the receiver dead on.

As for the slow movement, with a new motor, this is concerning. I would see how fast the gear for the belt moves now, and mark a spot on the gear with a marker, and time how long it takes for 20 cycles. Then remove the belt, and do this again. If there is a significant difference, the problem lies in the shaft for the paddlewheel. As I mentioned in the fan thread, when I shopped mine, I removed this, cleaned it all, and re-lubed with 3m synthetic grease. I noticed a slight speed up I thought, but again, mine moved fine before, and I had no issues with this.

If there is no change in the timing with the belt off, then look to the mech with the motor. I would have to look this over again to see how it works, as this is a different set up from the standard motor/gearbox that b/w used. Maybe something was tightened in strangely and is affecting how the shaft moves. I would try losening it all up, and re-tightening. I would also look at the molex connector for the motor, measure the voltage to this, and reseat this connector. After this, I believe there is a motor board with a relay that can go bad and be intermittent from vibration as it’s under the PF. I’m guessing this is not your problem, I can’t see how this would slow it down, it would cause it to just not work, or be intermittent.

Failing the above, maybe look to a rom update. It’s possible an early rom did this behavior, and a later revision accounted for a delay in this routine. Maybe post a vid of this so everyone else here could view the speed and let you know if this looks slow to them, or if the ball search is starting prematurely to what they would expect.

One other thing, is the ball still in the wheel when the ball search occurs, or has it rolled into the boat? The optos in the boat for the locks need to be aligned just the same, and suffer from the same issues with vibration, and may need to be reflowed/replaced.

Again, maybe post a vid of the whole process, and we can eliminate a few options likely.

erg, double post, remvoe

I did the reed switch fix and have had zero problems with it. It was tricky to get it mounted properly the first time. The switch seems to be more sensitive on one side vs the other. The first way we had it mounted, it was close enough to the VUK that every time a ball was shot up it would trigger the switch. Once we flipped it around, problem solved!

So you flipped it upside-down? I tried moving that thing all around, everything set it off. If Mel Gibson so much as glanced at it, it would go off...

lol - see to the haters for the 5 second delay, it's all in perspective

I couldn't tell if the Lauren Belle horn was going off just before it enters the pre-wheel area waiting, in other words if that entrance switch is working. I watched it on my cell, so maybe I missed this. Does it activate that fine? Have you tested the entrance switch?

It seems slow, but not so much that I think that time elapsed should activate the ball search. Again, let me know if the enter switch before the paddlewheel is going off and triggering the horn sound and visual on the DMD.

hmm, I'll take a look at mine, and time when the ball search starts. You might want to find a revision history for the roms, if you have an older one, maybe they upped the time for a ball search in lieu of this a couple seconds, I'm not sure.

Maybe I'll take a vid of mine and post it for reference. I would again try marking the main gear the belt is on though, timing the cycles with the belt off and on to see if the paddlewheel itself is the issue.

If you don't hear back from me by Sat, pm me, I'm really busy, but I can fiddle around and take a look sat morning for you.

Sure looks to me like the belt or gears slipping the way it stutters and changes speed. Should be a consistent pace around.

I timed my Maverick with a stopwatch and averaged around 5 to 5.5 seconds for the ball to go through the paddlewheel. Timing yours using the video provided, roughly 8 seconds. There is no doubt that one is considerably slower, and mine doesn't stutter or change speed when the ball is picked up at all, it just keeps on chugging right along.

Believe me, I am no expert on this - only going by my observations. I wish I could pinpoint something for you. I was thinking about ways to possibly speed up this toy, but it's pretty complex mechanically. If there was a way to put a slightly larger belt wheel on the paddlewheel it would turn a little faster, I just have no idea how one would do that. I consider mine to be acceptable and compare it to Cyclone that resided in my basement for a few years...we always used the wait time to take a chug of a drink.

If you need me to check anything else post or PM. Don't give up on it, there must be a way to make it work better.

FYI - I have 29 VAC across the motor terminals.

I'll explain the best I can:
The motor runs on alternating current (AC) - not direct current (DC). You need to set your DMM to the AC function and put it across the motor terminals where the power wires attach - if you measure something a bit less than 29 volts that is your problem. If you measure close to 29 volts your problem is motor/motor transmission gears/belt or wheel.

The light bulb "thingy" acts as a sort of "electrical shock absorber" to protect your components from the spikes cause by the bouncing reversal of AC voltage.

Could it have been that you made a nice shot?

Do a switch test on the entrance to paddle wheel opto and both ball locks optos. You do this via machine menu. Do all three trigger?
Usually it is the paddle wheel entrance opto that's buggered and this is a prick of a thing to work on.
I replaced all three on the machine I had and have since had no drama. The machine is still going strong and gets played ALOT.
The paddle wheel is slow and you can't speed it up as it wll not pick up the ball if too quick.
Guaranteed switch issue by what I have read.
This is a great game with one bad toy that puts people off. Good luck dude.

I made mention to thoroughly test the paddlewheel lane entry switch early in the thread, I assumed that no problem was found with that switch - hopefully this was already ruled out.

Yes you did, but, you did not get an answer. therefore I am confirming what it will probably be and ask the question again. I hope he can do the switch test and figure this out alright.???

Motor speed is fine, curious as to wether you have the table set at the correct angle/slope ?
7 degrees would be about right, this will help the ball load in the paddle wheel better, faster.
If all switches, motors etc. are fine this will be the SIMPLE logical answer.
Do you have an inclinometer dude?

Take another vid showing ball entering through top opto into paddle wheel into ball locks with lb taken off and doing the ball search. So we can see full scenario occurring please, we will not be beaten on this one!

No, it is definitely too slow. And you can see in the video it struggles, stutters at points.

The4horse, did you check the motor voltage compared to my readings for 29VAC?

I mentioned this previously, but I wonder if it's now the issue. This is subject to cracked solder joints, and if it's pulsing enough in and out, it might appear to be a fluid slower action, where it is actually turning on and off several times.

I would pull this board, and reflow any subject solder joints. Other than that, as mentioned, the voltage applied is what makes it turn faster or slower, so it may be it is not getting the required voltage.

Er...you can't measure volts with an ohms setting.

You need to set the meter to "AC" or "AC Volts"...and if it does not have auto ranging, this needs to be a range greater than 29 VAC, usually something like 100 or 200 VAC.

If you have actually measured around 19.6 VAC though, there's your problem right there.