I'm restoring an Alien Poker and have run into a real puzzle. When I start a game, the same sound keeps playing over and over. All lights work, and all solenoids fire during game play, but there is no scoring until the ball drains, then the accumulated bonus is added to the display.

Alien Poker has a five bank drop target that has to have its targets dropped in order from right to left to score and stay down, otherwise they pop back up. The middle target (the Queen) is the key to my problem. If the Queen target is not knocked down in the proper order, it pops backup and the problem continues. But when the Queen target is knocked down in the correct order, the machine suddenly starts scoring and the sounds start working correctly. The game will continue to function properly until the next target is knocked down, then the game reverts to its previous habits of a single repetitious sound and no scoring.

So how can the circuit of one drop target affect the entire game, including the sound board???? Am I having problem with some logic chip? I don't have a schematic for Alien Poker, but I do for Gorgar. Any help with this conundrum would be much appreciated. I feel I am almost on the edge of getting my first project actually functioning!!!

I should mention that the King target (to the left of the Queen) is permanently down because of a burnt out coil, and I haven't traced that problem out yet. But the game considers it correctly knocked down and gives credit for a Royal Flush when all the other targets are down.

Thanks.

PSK I would sure appreciate you taking a look at the schematic.

GList, I think you're brilliant. I didn't think it through that way. I will try pushing the target up before I start a game and see if that corrects the problem. Thanks.

GList, when the weather gets better we need to get together so I can buy you a beer. You were absolutely correct. When I pulled up the King target at the beginning of a game, the machine worked correctly until the King target got knocked down out of order or the bank tried to reset..

Unfortunately the target does not reset. It stays down. It doesn't pop up and then drop down when the others reset, it just stays down once it is knocked down. but once I've got that problem licked I think the machine will finally work correctly. If you have any ideas on this problem, would love to hear them. Right now I'm just taking the target bank apart to clean it....

Thanks again.