Did you have the lower mech panel out to work on it? There is a plunger that sticks through the bottom for the kick-off switch. I have had this happen where you set the mech panel on something and pushes the kick-off plunger up and jams the switch closed. Sometimes the kick-off switch is in a spot hidden from sight below the motor area and easy to miss. Not sure if this is what's causing your issue but it would create a similar problem.

When you say free game stepper do you mean the credit unit. Modding it for free play shouldn't cause a start-up issue.

If I understand your post correctly, the replay unit shud step down one time for each press of the start button. and shud step up one time for each coin switch closure. It sounds like you have stuff not finishing during startup, and "game over" is result of it.
Did you go through all the step units and score reels? those are 90% of the startup.
The start relay, tilt relay, and game over relays also. And if it has a reset bank, all that too.
Do you have the schematics? you can follow lines to trouble areas.
Or, if no schematics, go through everything, and verify what is working. then you can deal with what is not.

Yeah. look at any of the relays... press on the plate "the moving part" and watch the switches. they either move open, or closed. 99% of them are the same. most problems are either dirty contacts, or bent damaged contacts. if it looks like it is not moving open and closed correctly, it prob needs adjusting. the same goes for the eos switches on the step units. they move when the plunger pulls on the arm. These are all simple switch close/open functions. if a switch does not open, it will not release anything," buzzes etc". if it does not close, it will not pass the signal to the next switch.

Hi focusmediagroup +
please pull the Line Cord. Put the balls back onto the playfield, between the flipper-fingers (we try to give the pin the idea: "The last game ended normally, the player went to bed").

And now (a new day and) a new game. Manually set the replay-counter to 7. Push in the line cord - Do the lights go on ? (Please report). If not: Push the left flipper-button - Do the lights go on ? (Please report). Push the "start button" - What exactly happens, one thing after the other ? The replay-counter is stepped down to 6 ? The score reels reset ? The balls roll down into the tray ?
Do you get "Game Over" ? OR DO YOU SEE "ALL THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF ? (Please report).

I did look up in ipdb - the best I have found is "Soccer, March 1964": http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2232 -> down to "Documentation 349 KB PDF Schematic Diagram". To have a look at the schema I MUST make a copy onto my computer (Right-Mouse-Click -> Save Target ... ) -> then I can look into the schema.

I am not familiar with "Williams-Early-Sixties 1 Player Pins with REAL 5 Balls to lift" - my tip "Look up in schema of "Soccer" is about all I can contribute".
(((Maybe You want to put a heavy weight onto the anchor-plate of the Hold-Relay - to have it permanently closed ?)))
Greetings Rolf

Once you hit the left flipper the lock relay should pull-in and stay in. If it releases after releasing the left flipper I'd start with that lock relay. They commonly burn up from heavy use, or it may need some switch adjustment/cleaning.

Could be switch adjustment, misaligned armature plate, dirty armature plate, spring tension issue, switch blades in the wrong slots. Can we see a pic?

Well, it doesn't look out of the ordinary. The switches looked like they may be gapped a bit tight but that may be to your benefit in this case. I'd clean them again and play around with the adjustment.

I could be barking up the wrong tree as well. It just seemed like an obvious place to start. You may want to follow the Wiliams start-up sequence on Clay's guide. He doesn't really specify which era this is for but it still should give you some insight.
http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index3.htm#start

Hi focusmediagroup +
AlexF (post-13) is right: You push the left flipper button -> the Hold-Relay gets current -> gets active -> closes its "Self-Hold-Switch" (for to have current forever) and stays active (pulled) permanently the whole day long - until in the evening you pull the line cord to save energy / to save lifetime of the bulbs. If the Hold-Relay is not active (not pulling): YOU CAN NOT PLAY.

You have "Direction-A" to go to solve your problems - or you can go "Direction-B" to solve your problems (I would like You to go "Direction-B").

Direction-A: We find out why is the Hold-Relay getting inactive when You let go the left flipper button / start a game ?
Direction-B: We manipulate the Hold-Relay to be "active forever" / "stay pulled forever" and look if You can play a nice game (after that manipulation).

The reason / the "use for" the Hold-Relay is 1): To turn on / off the pin for playing - and 2) If a player is rude to the machine: He shall be punished with a SEVERE TILT.
You do not want to be rude to Your pin - so You do not need the "Severe-Tilt-Function".

To manipulate the Hold-Relay to be "active forever" / "until You pull the line cord":
The left flipper switch is made of two switches: http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=1094&picno=54117&zoom=1
Danger, current !!! Pull the line cord -> NOW put a stripe of (insulating) paper into one switch (between the contacts). Also put a stripe of paper into the other switch (between the contacts). Push in the main cord -> push the left flipper button -> pull out one stripe of insulating paper -> do the lights go on ? -> THIS IS OUR SWITCH. Do the lights do NOT go on ? -> THE OTHER one IS OUR SWITCH. Pull the line cord.
Now bend a blade of "OUR-SWITCH" so these two blades of "OUR-SWITCH" ARE PERMANENTLY CONNECTED (even when You do not push the left flipper button). Do NOT fumble around with the other switch - You do not want the left flipper to have current "all the time" !
Push in the line cord -> push the left flipper button -> the lights stay on forever ? -> start a game -> what is happening ? Please report in detail. Greetings Rolf

The next thing I'd check is the trough switches. Clean and adjust...

Hi focusmediagroup
in this post I ONLY write about "How to write a post in the forum" - about "River Boat" see my next post.

I am anxious about "the forum will "Log-Off" me after 10 minutes - I write and write and all of a sudden I am "logged-off" (by the system) and "all I have written so far": IS LOST.
I do not want this to happen to me, therefore:

A new post I write in a MS-Word-Document. When finished (and saved): I "Log-In" in the forum -> to the subject -> I mark my text (MS-Word-Document) -> make "Copy" -> switch to the forum -> make "Paste" -> click on "Preview post" -> read my text one more time -> click on "Send post" -> I LOG-OFF MYSELF (and smile (well done)).

When I want to copy a ipdb-link into my MS-Word-Text: I have my MS-Word-Document open and I am also in ipdb.org (for example: "Soccer": http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2232 ). I click on a picture (for example: http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2232&picno=28521 ) -> I make a "Left-Mouse-Click" into / onto that "line-of-text" -> the "line-of-text" is marked in color "Blue" -> on my keybord I press down the button "Ctrl" -> keep on pressing "Ctrl" and press the letter "C" -> I let go both -> I switch to my MS-Word-Document -> "Left-Mouse-Click" (where I want to have it) -> Press "Ctrl" -> keep on pressing "Ctrl" and press the letter "V" -> Now I have the link to the "picture-in-ipdb" in my text ...

"Ctrl" and "C" is useful to COPY (a marked text) - "Ctrl" and "V" is useful to PASTE (the copied text). Greetings Rolf

I think it drops down after the first point is scored.

Is there a first ball relay in this game?

Well, usually when I get a game like this I go through and check everything. Check the contact gaps, clean them all, rebuild the steppers and score reels. That irons out about 95% of any issues. Sometimes just taking the time to inspect everything is how you discover those quirky issues. Colder solder joints, missing switch contacts, broken switch blades, loose wires, burnt coils, missing or wrong springs, dirty gummed up assemblies etc.

If you want to fast track it you'll need a schematic.

Hi focusmediagroup, AlexF +
I studied the schema "Soccer" and I found a little fault in the schema (see at the bottom of this post).

In later games ( ONLY ONE BALL, but a Ball-Count-Up-Unit) there is a relay named "Ball-Index-Relay" - to tell the machine "the player REALLY is playing a given ball". The Ball-Index-Relay starts pulling with the first Point the player makes. The Ball-Index-Relay is pulling (keeps on pulling) until the player looses the ball. The machine changes to the next Ball and cuts the "Self-Hold-Circuitry of the Ball-Index-Relay -> The player launches the new ball -> make a point -> Ball-Index-Relay starts pulling and so on.

In the early days - with REAL 5 BALLS the manufacturer made an relay with the same functionality and named this Relay: "GAME-RELAY". Please do not mix "Game-Relay" and "Game-Over-Relay" - the "Game-Over-Relay" is to tell the machine "The game has ended".

In words: You start a game. The Game-Relay is not pulling. A "Make and Break Switch" on the Game-Relay is in the state "Make connection for / to let current flow to the "Ball-Release-Coil"". Therefore (at start of the game) the Ball-Release-Coil starts pulling and keeps on pulling and by this the 5 Balls can roll down into the tray. The player launches his first ball -> the Ball makes a point (on the counter-Unit) -> The Game-Relay starts pulling (and keeps on pulling until the end of the game). When the Game-Relay is pulling the "Make and Break Switch on the Game-Relay" opens the Holding-Part (of this switch) -> the Ball-Release-Coil looses its current and gets inactive (no more pulling) -> played balls will be stopped. As the Game-Relay is pulling it closes the other part of the switch -> when the player has lost ALL his 5 balls -> through some switches: Current can flow to get the "Game-OVER-Relay" active.

In short: Line cord is pulled, so all the relays are inactive -> line cord pushed in and Left-Flipper-Button is pushed -> the Hold-Relay starts pulling. You start a game -> The Ball-Release-Coil starts pulling and stays pulling until the player makes his first point -> the Game-Relay starts pulling (and stays pulling until the game ends) and the "Game-Relay-pulling" cuts the current for the Ball-Release-Coil, this coil stops pulling -> played balls will be stopped.

focusmediagroup: Do the relays in your pin have tags with text-written-on ? Find the "Game-Relay" -> does it pull (AND STAY PULLED) when You make the first point ? Can you find a M&B-Switch on the "Game-Relay" (3 blades, the middle blade either has contact with the upper blade - OR: has contact with the lower blade). Check this M&B-Switch (clean, working, wires solderd on ?) and look if the Game-Relay STAYS PULLING after You have made the first point (on the counter).

The "Little fault" in the schema ? -> The text "Game Re." on F-9 is wrong to me. I believe there should be written: "Game OVER Re.". With "Game-Over-Relay" I understand the schema. Greetings Rolf

Rolf - if it helps... Soccer's "Game Relay" is on a trip bank along with Tilt, Game Over, and some others.

^^^ That. ^^^ It looks like this here River Boat has been beached for a long dry spell. It might need more than just a few switches cleaned to get chugging again.

Step 1. Call Pinball Resource and get the schematic.

Step 2. Print yourself out a copy of the "Clay Page" - http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index.htm

Study it while you're waiting for the schematic to show up. (makes great reading for in the can) Do the stuff in the "Before Turning the Game On" section. If it still doesn't work, then try to figure out which switch isn't right.

Hi focusmediagroup +
When writing Your "post-34" You did not "mark this topic as solved" - I allow myself to write again.
Use extreme caution when working on the pin - ALWAYS pull the line cord, push in the line cord for testing / playing: The schematic "Soccer" shows: Some coils operate on "Line Voltage" - solder points are open an can be touched by You (Do not !): "Relay-Bank Reset-Coil", "25 Cent Relaiy-Coil", "Coin-Relay-Coil", Danger !. ALSO some switches as example: The "Replay-Button-Switch (to start a new game)", the "Anti-Cheat-Switch inside the Coin-Door", Switches on the Score-Motor, Game-Relay, Coin Relay. And Your "Riverboat" ??? Beware of line current !

balzofsteel, thank You for writing "rolf_martin_062 (me) was wrong" - the text (schema "Soccer": F-9) "Game Re." is RIGHT, the Game-Relay is in the Relay-Bank !
You also mentioned "(Game Relay and) Tilt-Relay and Game-Over-Relay and more Relays are in the Relay-Bank" -> YES, the Game-Over-Relay (after having played 5 Balls) will NOT have current until "Start of the next game": By "falling" the Game-Over-Relay opens a switch in the "wire back to the transformer" (Schema C-8). The same with the Tilt-Relay.
Well, I have "Shangri-La" and pins from the 70ies - These machines have an "Interlock-Type" Game-Over-Relay and a "Self-Hold-Circuitry-Type" Ball-Index-Relay. With this topic (Riverboat) I learned several things.

I have a long time project - put together another Shangri-La. About the "Kick-Off-Switch / Knock-Off-Switch" to turn off the pin (Shangri-La, Soccer, Riverboat (?) and other Williams "not having a Main-Switch underneath the Cabinet (near the Player)": These pins you can turn off with a "kick onto the plywood upwards with the foot from underneath the cabinet (at the place the kick-off-switch is mounted inside)".
In my picture You see the bolt (jumping upwards because of the kick) - the bolt will open an Normally-Closed-Switch and by this the "Lock-Relay" looses current, the relay gets inactive and the pin is turned off. Some Pre-Owner has taken away the original switch - I laid down another (too short) N.C.-Switch to get an idea. Here: http://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2110&picno=64764&zoom=1 the switch-blade lays over the "Upper-End-of-the-Bolt" (near the Nylon-Wheels of the Score-Motor).

focusmediagroup - Want to start a new topic ? Specific questions ? Kick-Off-Switch ? Left Flipper Button ? Hold-Relay ? Tilt-Relay ? Thanks and Greetings, Rolf

Shangri-La-Kick-Off-Switch-Bolt.JPG

Focusmediagroup I found this presentation by Chris Hibbler about schematics a terrific help:

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fcur9jvq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFplbCEy4MtBkzMUYLd_cOWQnfACw

Sounds good. Enjoy it, River Boat is a pretty neat game.