Welcome to the Eight Ball club!

F2 on the solenoid driver board is a 3/4 amp slow blow fuse that powers the high voltage displays. The problem is that it's 3/4 amp and may be difficult to find locally.

Good luck!

The information from tktlwyr is only partially correct. The 3/4 Amp fuse he is referring to is actually on the rectifier board (not the solenoid driver board). Eight Ball was shipped with an AS-2518-16 solenoid driver board, which did not have a fuse on it. However, if your Eight Ball has had any problems with its solenoid driver board, it was likely replaced with the newer and more easily available AS-2518-22 solenoid driver board. The AS-2518-22 has one fuse....a shorter than normal, and hard to find 3/16 Amp fuse. In addition to checking the 3/4 Amp fuse on the rectifier board, you will also need to check for the existence of the 3/16 Amp fuse on the solenoid driver board.

You can get more information here: http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bally/Stern

Thanks for the clarification. I've had my head in an EBD for two weeks and had to rob a high voltage fuse from my Paragon. Lack of sleep last night and the EBD have me dizzy today. LOL

The 3/4 Amp fuse (marked F2) on the rectifier board is easy to find. The 3/16 Amp fuse on the AS-2518-22 solenoid driver board is hard to find. This is not a factor for you, however, because your solenoid driver board is the AS-2518-16, which does not have a fuse. Do you have a multimeter?

Without a multimeter, there isn't much more testing you can do. Fuses can not be checked visually with 100% accuracy. If the fuse is good, you will definitely need a multimeter and knowledge of how to use it in order to proceed further. I think at this point, it might be best to request assistance from a pin head that lives near you. Maybe you can bribe them with a case of beer to come over and do a quick in-home evaluation.

I assume you know that the game CPU is booting correctly...you should get 7 flashes on the top left board. If you do then start looking for the HV power.

A cheap multimeter (under $10 at Harbor Freight) will suffice for testing fuses and checking for power at test points etc.

There's lots of helpful folks here that will likely help you through the testing procedures if you want to troubleshoot further.

Good luck!

People often overlook the most common issue before diving into electronics, or voltages regarding all early SS games.
There is too much jumping ahead.
Detectives should be methodical and be specific in their step order.

The game is already obviously booting, and at least some of the proper voltages exist, or at least the game "thinks" they are there.
Fuse testing is conducted even before a game is powered up, mostly to avoid the classic overfusing that sometimes occurs, and can create more problems down the road.

Step 1 based on the problem:
Did the owner check the connectors and their associated 0.100" and 0.156" pins for either corrosion or loose fitting from the MPU, solenoid driver, power supply, and lamp board?
Lamp driver connectors would seem to be more likely either from the lamp board itself, or MPU, with an auxiliary reason being the +5vdc.

This includes continuity testing as well which requires a multimeter.
If this was not done, a person may be chasing their tail.
If connectors have not been replaced recently, the game will continue to remain unreliable.
Visual inspection and tension testing will many times give the problem away.
It is unlikely the previous owner did work prior to auction, and at worst case there are hacks.

Start simple, work forward.
I have never seen an unrestored Bally EB that did not need connectors replaced including the three I have purchased.

Every owner still needs a multimeter in the long run, as that is a requirement for owning pinball machines, unless they outsource all work.

The next step is test voltages points which includes rechecking the fuses and their holders. An owner should NEVER do "swaptronics" if voltages are out of spec, or if a game has short circuits.

The third step is checking for cold solder joints, bad traces, and hidden corrosion.

The fourth step is circuit logic and electronics.

This does not include any potential for bad lamp sockets, which in this case is most likely not the cause at all.

Best of fortune, PM of you continue to have problems, and I can crosscheck my own game.

It does no good to check a fuse if voltage is not present at the fuse holder. A good fuse ready to pass voltage is nice, but it's like a bridge with nobody crossing it. Get a DMM and learn the basics of electronics, or get a pro to service it.

You really should pause. You don't have the necessary knowledge or tools to work on electronics. Start with some electronics background info. You can find books or resources online, better still would be a basic course at your local vocational school or college.

Then you need to read the repair docs pertaining to this series of games online. Pinwiki and Clay's guides for Bally repair.

You've basically misdiagnosed your problem. The first thing usually done is to measure all the power rails at the power supply before even plugging in. Also, never solder the cable wire harnesses to the boards, because you WILL need to remove connectors often to troubleshoot. You must buy the proper tools and learn how to use them, including repinning connectors.

I took the OP's previous post to mean that he purchased a new rectifier board. If that is correct, he would have needed to solder the wires coming from the transformer directly to the back of the rectifier board. He mentions that he soldered the wires into the places they were on the old board. I agree that he has misdiagnosed his problem and probably purchased a board that he doesn't need, but I think you are assuming that he soldered wires to the male connector pins.

OP, can you locate the MPU board in the backbox? It is the square board in the upper left hand corner. On the board will be a green LED light (in the center, towards the bottom of the board). When you turn the machine on, that green LED should light up and flash. How many times does it flash before it either goes out and does not come back on or until it stays solidly lit?

Bally MPU (resized).png

You are correct. I assumed it was the CPU board, I guess from the comment "it looked pretty hacked". I really haven't seen much in the way of hacking to Bally rectifier boards - except for soldering the harnesses directly to the header pins instead of replacing the connectors properly.

I am not sure what people have been stating or providing as guidance via email, as I have not beeing following, but here is some direct assistance.

If you really get stuck contact Pinball Universe and the owner Denis Warobiew.
www.pinballuniverse.com
His current tech crew just finished another Eight Ball recently including a playfield swap, and might do consignment work.
He is in Grand Junction, CO and has been a dealer for well over 20+ years.

Mention my name, if needed, just look at my profile.
If I was closer, I would help you personally.
Sometimes I do head to the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

This is by far one of the easier title games from the early SS era based on the boards, playfield design, and game coding.

I don't like people to waste money, time, or damaged new PCBs.
As the Fonz would say, "Eyyyyy, stay cool".