OK I am a first time poster and I just got my first pinball machine, which is a Bally EM Bon Voyage. I bought this machine to 1) have fun playing and 2) go through it and learn how one of these works and hopefully how to fix it.

I got to #2 pretty quickly.

When I took delivery, it looked like everything was working as normal. I started messing with it, and messed it up!

What was I doing when it stopped? Something fairly innocent, or so I thought. I was just changing around some of the settings plugs, to see how they worked so I could figure out exactly where I wanted everything. (I thought the machine was too easy the way it came set up). The last thing I did was to change it from a 5 ball setting to a 3 ball setting. After I did this, I found myself in my current condition.

The current state: 1) Turn on the power switch. Nothing at all appears to happen. I believe this is normal. 2) Hit the left flipper. The lights all come on, and the Lock relay activates. Nothing else at all happens. Putting in a coin or pressing the start button (with credits shown) does nothing. Game Over light is lit. I can make some things happen by manually activating some relays, but I would rather be methodical about it, hopefully with some help here. I also just got a schematic in my hands and I have been studying that, and I have read quite a few of the usual articles and also the postings here.

What have I done so far: 1) I replaced the power cord. The one that was on it was a horrorshow, with at least 3 electrical tape splices. At one point I accidentally stepped on it and sparks flew. I put a nice new power cord on it. 1b) Checked the voltages at the transformer. It registers 6.3 VAC for the lamps and 58.3 VAC for the solenoids (it is on hi tap). These are normal according to the sticker in the machine. 2) Checked all the fuses using a DVM. I check the fuse and also checked it at the fuse holder and at the solder joints. All good. 3) There are 2 quarter coin machines. They were both working before. One of them had a solenoid on it which was pretty fried and the wires to it were really burnt. I am pretty sure this was a Coin Lockout Relay and it is OK to remove it. So I unsoldered it, taped up the wires, and removed the relay. 4) I checked all the tilts. The bob tilt and the ball tilt work as expected, when closed it causes a tilt via the tilt interlock relay. The tilt light comes on, and I can reset that tilt by manually pushing back the tilt interlock relay. There are 3 slam tilts, these all work as expected. When one is closed, it makes the the delay relay activate, that has a flasher lamp on it, and when the lamp cycles, the delay relay opens back up.

After reading as much as I can, I presume its all a matter of a startup problem. Based on the symptoms, it seems like a very likely culprit would the the Game Over relay. Here's where I am now. The schematic does show a Game Over Trip relay on the list and on the schematic. But, I can't find that relay anywhere! It's driving me crazy. All the relays are nicely labeled, and there is no relay labeled Game Over (that I have found yet). What I do see is a label Game Over at the last position of the Index Reset Motor Cam, which is a long cam with a stacked switch position for each of the letters in BON VOYAGE. I cleaned those switches but as of now I don't know how I would adjust those, or if they are connected to the Game Over relay, which as of now I can't find......

I'm willing to try any and all tips (that I can figure out), and put up pics. I'm not sure if this is something simple (because it was all working) of if I somehow botched the whole thing up.

OK, I cleaned all of the adjustment plugs, made sure they all looked good, and returned all of the settings back to where they were originally. No change from that.

There is a latch/trip relay shown here that is labeled "Game Interlock Relay". If I manually activate that one, nothing happens.

game-interlock-relay-1-small.jpg

Somewhat confusingly (for me) the schematic shows a Game Relay (Latch) and Game Relay (Trip) which is presumably the one in this picture, and it also shows a Game Over Relay (Trip). I still can't figure out what that is or where it is, if it exists.

schematic-coil-locations-game-over-small.jpg

Just a short note, while this is the first time I ever touched a pinball machine, I do have a fair amount of experience working on similar machines in my past work life, so I am familiar with a lot of the basics, like working with voltages, using a meter, soldering and recognizing bad solder joints, handling things with care and being methodical, etc. Although in the end I still managed to make a perfectly working machine dead

Thanks everyone for all the help so far. Here are updates.

maybe You have messed it up - BUT, maybe a broken-off wire has moved to the side as You have pulled a plug nearby. I once had a problem (driving me nuts): On one solder lug of the Extraball-Relay-Coil the wire has broken off - wires are stiff, the wire happened to stay in place (XB working) -> me nudging -> the broken-off wire moved a bit to the side (XB not working) -> me nudging -> it moved back (XB working) -> ->
So whenever You look at a coil or a switch: grab one wire after the other and pull a bit on the wire(s) ...

I have done a lot of looking around at all of the wire connections and solder joints everywhere, so far, everything looks good. That's not to say I haven't missed something so I will keep working on this.

Please have a look at the places you have unplugged "Jones Plugs" -> is a "broken-off" wire nearby ? Have you plugged-in the males into the females "the correct way" ? Old plugs CAN be plugged in with a off-set -> males go in-between the females (what we do not want).

I double-checked all of those. I also took pictures of them all before I started, so I know I have returned them all to their original positions.

Whenever you work on the pin: UNPLUG the Line-Cord, DANGER: 120 VAC (and 50 VAC and 6 VAC) around, You do not want to touch ...
Look for the Credit-Relay and the Coin-Relay and the Reset-Relay. Take a wooden stick (INSULATION) and try "push onto the anchor-plate of these relays" - simulating "the coil gets current and activates the relay (anchor plate) - practice this movement.
Plug-in the Line-Cord and turn-on the pin. I want to go through the manual -> 1D: Front Door Credit Button Switch will energize the Credit-Relay -> -> Coin-Relay.
You are now the "Credit-Buton-Switch" -> with the wooden stick push onto the anchor-plate of the Credit-Relay -> ? What happens ? Please report. Greetings Rolf

Rolf, yes, I have been reading and studying the start-up procedure so many times I think I know it by heart . So just to confirm, after I turn on the power switch and then hit the left flipper switch, the lights come on and I can see that the only thing happening underneath is the Lock relay coming on and staying on. Putting in a coin or hitting the start button do nothing. If I manually activate either the Credit relay or the Coin relay, the trip motor takes off spinning, and won't stop until the power switch is shut off. The score motor never moves.

The score motor on this game is mounted almost dead center of the bottom board.

Exactly, you can see it in this picture, right in the middle. To the left of it is the trip bank.

front-cabinet-mounting-board-1-small.jpg

I might've just told you something that is not correct, but examine the labels on your trip bank and see if one matches the Game Over. I am guessing that the Game Over is another interlock and located elsewhere based on other Bally games of the time. But, I've been wrong before!

Yes, here is the trip bank. At the very top (or towards the back of the machine) that position is labeled Game Over. Would that be considered the Game Over relay? There isn't a solenoid or a relay there, just a stack of switches that is activated by the cam when it turns, so in my mind that would not be called a relay on the schematic, but it must be. Note as stated above when I manually activate the credit relay, the trip motor starts turning. There are blue sparks at the game over position every time it makes a rotation. I am not sure if this indiates something. I used a file to clean the switches in that position the best I could, hopefully without changing anything. So far I have been trying to avoid doing anything significant like bending switches so I don't introduce a problem onto a problem.

trip-bank-1-small.jpg

is it possible for you to post more of the schematic (including more of the coil list)?

Yes, I will work on this, I need some more time to get to the scanning etc.

Two quick answers:

I believe tilt is OK, see #4 in my original post. Tilt light is not lit, but if I activate a tilt it does come on. If I manually activate reset relay tilt light of goes off.

There are credits on the meter. I also tried setting credits to zero and doing a free play jumper mod, this was the same.

I will work on all of the rest and report back.

Hi Rolf, thanks for all the help so far. I have downloaded all of the PDFs you linked and they are filled with good information. I am still wrestling with the schematic which of course is a very wide piece of paper. I hope to build something nice like that PDF schematic you linked. I also understand all you are saying about jumper wires and such. In fact, I have to order some jumper wires with alligator clips because I don't have them right now. So I will need some more time to work on the schematic and get back to the machine, since I have to do this in my "fun spare time" outside work hours.

Concerning the "heavy tilt" or the "slam tilt", I am pretty sure it is working correctly. From my prior testing, I can confirm that when I close any of the 3 slam tilt switches, that Delay relay turns on. The 455 lamp comes on also, then, after a short period of time the lamp goes off (because it is a blinker), then the Delay relay shuts off. I think this is normal behavior. I can go back and check it again.

A few updates. I will check the coin switch again. JoeNewberry, the things you say make sense. But when you ask if the Game Interlock Relay is working OK, I am not sure how I can know that. The problem is, there is such a lack of action. Nothing does anything so I can't figure out what to do next or what to test. It would seem to me (but I might be wrong here) that if I manually trip the credit relay that would remove everything in the coin door (coin switch or start switch) and everything should start, but it doesn't. The trip motor starts, but the score motor never gets going at all. As I said, I can manually activate the Game Interlock Relay but it doesn't seem to do anything.

OK, since I am new to the whole pinball thing, can you explain the situation concerning electronic versions of schematics. I have seen uploaded schematics at ipdb for some machines. Presumably these are uploaded by hobbyists. Sometimes there are schematics uploaded in other areas. But there are no Bon Voyage schematics that I could find, so I ordered one (a copy) from PBR, which was fine with me. Now I have gone through the exercise of creating a good scan of that entire schematic (14"x53" full size). Now I can look at it on the computer, and I also have it as a PDF that I can print as multiple pages, which is great because now I can spew out printouts and take them out to the machine to look at and mark up. If I post that schematic here, that means it will be in the wild as an e-version. Is that considered OK? Anyway now that I am done with that schematic on the computer, I am going to really take a look at it in detail.

At any rate, here is a partial look at the schematic, the left side that contains the parts we have been talking about - coin relays, tilt, credit, etc.

Bon Voyage Schematic 1.jpg

Bon Voyage Schematic 2.jpg

Thanks everyone. o-din, I will get some local help this weekend if it works out. Everyone gave me a lot of things to consider and try. Unfortunately, I have to "work" first, then "play" with the pinball. And other things, such as the wife, wonder about me spending too much time inside the EM. So this might take a while, because you have given me a lot to digest. But as I am going through this, I am learning more and more about how one of these works. It is cool stuff.

Meanwhile, check out this PDF if you like. Its a large file, hopefully it will attach here.

Bon_Voyage_Schematic.pdf

Well here is a new update. I got some help from someone who has worked on EM before, and we spent 3 hours working on this. There are some interesting things we found and maybe some clues, but basically every thing is the same.

By getting it going into game mode manually, I can confirm that everything works as it should. The score motor runs, the trip relay motor runs, the scores reset, the ball count works, all of the scoring targets and rollovers work, they rack up the score correctly and ring the chimes. It all seems to work just as expected. There was just one small thing that is interesting - whenever the score motor would start, it would seem to stop just short of the proper index position. This would cause funny behavior when testing, due to some switches not being in the right position. Just a slight nudge to the score motor would cause it to fall into the correct position, and then everything would work.

Reviewing the problem. Upon powering up and activating the left flipper, the lights come on and the lock relay latches. Absolutely nothing else will happen whether coins are inserted of if the credit button is pressed with credits showing.

Here is the description of what should happen from the instructions:

Coin game:
If the coin should be rejected, move on-off master switch at the bottom right front corner of cabinet to "on" position, then coin game. The coin lock out device rejects all coins when power (master switch) is off.

1A. If the coin is inserted in the 1st (nickel) coin chute and the game is set for 1 play-5¢, it will energize the coin relay. If game is set for 1 play-10¢, the first coin-inserted will advance the 2 coin unit, then the second coin inserted will energize the coin relay thru the 2-coin unit switch.
(See 1st coin chute adjustment plug positions on game adjustment sheet).

1B. If the coin is inserted in the 2nd (dime) coin chute and the game is set for 1 play-10¢, it will energize the coin relay. If game is set for 2-plays-10¢, it will energize the 2nd coin chute relay and the 2nd coin chute relay will advance the credit unit (2 or more steps) thru the coin credit circuit. (See 2nd coin chute adjustment plug positions on game adjustments sheet. Also the 3rd coin chute adjustment plug for the number of credits.)

1C. If the coin is inserted in the 3rd (quarter) coin chute and the game is set for 2-3-4-5 or 6 plays-25¢, it will energize the 3rd coin chute relay and the 3rd coin chute relay will advance the credit unit 2-3-4-5-6 steps thru the coin credit circuit. (See 3rd coin chute adjustment plug positions on game adjustments sheet).

1D. When the credit unit has been advanced from the 2nd or 3rd coin chute, (as described in sections 1B and 1C) the front door credit button switch will energize the credit relay and then the credit relay
will energize coin relay.

2A. The coin relay, when energized by any of the ways described, (in sections 1A thru 1D) will stay energized thru its own hold in switch and normally closed #8 score motor switch.

2B. The coin relay will energize the lock relay which stays energized thru its own hold in switch and a normally closed switch on the delay relay.

2C. The coin relay will energize the reset relay which will stay energized thru its own switch until all drum unit zero switches are open and #8 score motor cam switch is open. The score reset relay will
pulse thru #2 score motor cam switch as long as the reset relay is energized. The score reset relay provides the pulses to advance the drum units until the individual drum unit reads zero. The reset
relay also operates the score motor.

2D. The coin relay thru a normally closed #I score motor cam switch will latch the game relay if the ball count unit is in index position or it will trip the game relay if the ball count unit is not in index position. If the game relay is tripped, it will lock in the coin relay and thru the combination of the two relays and the #2 score motor cam switch, they will reset the ball count unit to index position. With the ball count unit in zero position, the coin relay will latch the game relay when the score motor is back in index position. The coin relay is still locked in thru the #8 score motor cam switch. When the game relay is latched and the coin relay is energized, the ball count unit will advance twice for a 3-ball game thru #4 and #5 score motor cam switches or four steps for a 5-ball game thru #4 and # 9 score motor cam switches. (#5 score motor cam pulse is cancelled out by the #9 score motor cam switch).

Now I will attach 2 sections of the schematic that seem pertinent, # 1 and #2. I think #1 should provide some clues. If there are credits showing, then pressing the credit button should start a new game. The credit button has a red rectangle drawn around it. Pressing the credit button should energize the credit relay if the complete chain is proper. But it does nothing. Considering that, I have done the following:

- Confirmed that the credit button is working. It closes and shorts as expected.

- Confirmed the wiring from the credit button down to the plug. It is good.

- From the plug, one wire from the credit button goes over to the credit unit zero switch. This is labeled with a red 1. This checks out for continuity.

- We know the credit unit zero switch is open (as shown on the schematic) when it is in zero position. If there are any credits, it is closed. This operation checks out.

- Next I checked the wire from that switch to the game over trip relay, or red #2. When I looked closely at it at the game over trip relay, what did I see? The wire was just looped into the hole in the connector, WITH NO SOLDER! This was a moment of triumph! That HAD to be the problem! That is right smack in the middle of the circuit that needs to work to start the game! Well, first I pulled snugly on it so it was making good contact, and that did nothing. Then I went ahead and soldered it on there. Sadly, everything still was the same. This was a devastating blow, but not a knockout punch. I won't give up that easily!

- With that wire now soldered, I checked continuity all the way through wires 1 and 2, and that was good, which should verify the credit unit zero switch is working properly.

- Next I checked continuity from the game over trip relay to the credit relay, red #3. That was good.

- Next I checked red wire 4 from the credit button to the reset relay. That was good.

- That's as far as I got. I still need to figure out how the score motor switch 1F fits in, and also the coin chutes. The coin chutes appear to be functioning properly, but I haven't confirmed with the meter.

I have some jumper wires with alligator clips coming soon. Rolf I think I need to follow some of your ideas for using the jumpers when I get those, like cutting out those coin chute switches like you said. So that will be my next step unless anyone has some other ideas. It is just baffling as to why there is no action at all to get the game started.

Bon_Voyage_Schematic_startup_2.jpg

Bon_Voyage_Schematic_startup_1.jpg

Can someone explain the meaning of the digits that are inside small boxes connected to wires in the schematic? For example, I highlighted a bunch of them in yellow in this pic. Logically I would think they would correlate to the plug reference table on the upper right of the schematic, which shows a bunch of similar numbers that correspond to various plugs. But, the numbers in these yellow boxes don't equate to any of those in that table. There must be some sort of logical connection between these, but I can't figure out the system. I have looked at various tutorials about schematics but they focus on all of the other symbols and make no mention of these.

Bon-Voyage-Schematic-startup-1b.jpg

Thanks, well that makes sense, "sort of". It seems odd to to show a code for the wire colors and then list the wire colors right next to it. So the same information is shown twice. This seems redundant. OK, accepting that and moving along....

More updates are here. I have done a lot of work, but gotten nowhere as far as solving the problem. Hopefully when I get some alligator jumpers this week I can try some different angles on the troubleshooting.

I hit some relays to get it into game mode (don't remember exactly how I did that, should have written it down). Once there, I did a methodical test of the playfield. I had read that a bad switch could cause a similar problem. I tested every target. Everything worked except for one 10-point rebound switch. The blades of the switch were corroded, I cleaned those and that problem was solved. I tested all of the logic of the game, and every single thing worked as expected. I did turn up 5 burned out lamps on the playfield but presumably these don't affect anything. All of the "Bon Voyage" target and bonus actions work as expected, all the scoring works as expected, the ball counts works, etc. I even changed those option plugs around that I had been playing with. The 3-ball/5-ball option worked as expected (in the 5 ball option you have to light each letter in BON VOYAGE one at a time, in the 3 ball option you get double letters when you hit a target, like both A and G if you hit either A or G target; this is independent of whether the game is set for 5 balls or 3 balls, which is another plug). Then I let the game end as it normally would by dropping the ball into the outhole (simulated). and the scores tallied up, and the game ended as expected, with the Game Over light coming on. That puts me right back to the "dead zone", unable to start up a game.

The one problem still unsolved is the score motor homing. This one goes 180 degrees, so there are 2 spots for it to drop into on cam #1, and it is coming up just short. You can see this in these two pictures, in the first one you see where it is stopped short, and in the second one I have dropped it into position by giving it a nudge with my finger. If it stays up out of the proper index position, various funny things do happen for sure, for example some scoring switches don't work. Dropping it into position seems to make everything work.

score motor stopped short.jpg

score motor in index position.jpg

Turn the game on and put the score motor in the "home" position so you know all switch position are correct. Jump the start button closed with an alligator clip. Put a few credits on the credit reel. If you happen to fix the problem you will now hear and see the game fire up.

Yes, tried that, no luck there.

Your score motor index runout switch sounds misadjusted. This is usually the first stack closest to the motor, and the bottom switch on it. This would prevent proper indexing of the motor.

Having the motor think it is in the wrong state would cause coining problems as well.
Were it my game, I would begin by fixing that problem when you manually trick it into starting.

I agree with all that. I am at a loss as to how to get that scoring motor to home properly. Any hints based on the photos above would be appreciated. Also, here is the listing of the score motor switches from the manual, and it doesn't say anything about a motor index runout switch.

SCORE MOTOR SWITCHES

#1 Motor Cam Switches
#1 (break) opens circuit to credit button and runs motor.
#1 (break) opens circuit to coin lock out coil when motor runs.
#1 (break) slops scoring of 1000 point and B, O, N rollover when motor runs.
#1 (break) latches or trips game relay before motor runs.
#1 (break) opens outhole relay circuit while motor runs.
#1 (break) trips game over relay thru coin relay.
#2 Motor Cam Switches
#2 (make) pulses score reset relay.
#2 (make) supplies 5 counts for 500 point relay and spot relay.
#2 (make) when coin relay is energized, resets ball count unit.
#3 Motor Cam Switches
#3 (make) Scores 1000 bonus when "B" is tripped.
#3 (make) with #4 switch scores 2000 for hole relay-
#3 (make) energizes total play meter through coin relay switch.
#3 (break) bonus relay lock in.
#3 (make) steps credit unit on possible match at end of game.
#4 (Motor Can Switches
#4 (make) scores 1000 bonus when "O" and "Y" relays are tripped.
#4 (make) see motor switch #3.
#4 (make) with #9 motor switch scores 4000 points for hole relay.
#4 (make) thru the coin and game relays add the ball count unit.
#4 (make) trips game over relay at end of game.
#5 Motor Cam Switches
#5 (break) 2 count adjustment for coin chute relays-
#5 (make) scores 1000 bonus when "N" and "A" relays are tripped.
#5 (make) Resets ball count when outhole relay is energized.
#5 (make) Same as motor switch #4.
#6 Motor Cam Switches
#6 (break) 3 count adjustment for coin chute relays.
#6 (make) scores 1000 bonus when "V" and 'G" relays are tripped.
#7 Motor Cam Switches
#7 (break) 4 count adjustment for coin chute relays and credit relay lock in.
#7 (make) scores 1000 bonus when "O" and "E" are tripped.
#7 (make) energizes hold kickers.
#8 Motor Cam Switches
#8 (break) lock in for coin relay.
#8 (break) 5 count lock in adjustment for coin chute relays.
#8 (break) locks in reset relay until motor is near end of cycle.
#8 (break) locks in hole relay.
#8 (make) energizes outhole relay thru bonus relay.
#8 (make) depending on adjustment plug steps credit unit on special.
#8 (break) locks in ball index relay.
#9 Motor Cam Switches
#9 (make) scores 3000 points when 3000 point relay is energized.
#9 (make) scores 3000 points for hole relay.
#9 (make) see #4 score motor switch.
#9 (make) add ball count unit thru coin relay and balls per game.
#10 Motor Cam Switches
#10 (break) safety lock in for coin chute relays and 6 count adjustments.
#10 (break) 500 point and 3000 point relay lock in.
#10 (break) lock in for out hole relay.
#11 Motor Cam Switches
#11 (make) make available 6 counts through coin chute relays to credit unit.

Also:

If that doesn't work, check your coin switch wiring. Perhaps try unplugging the coin door Jones plug and see if the game still starts and scores appropriately. That would at least narrow it down to the coin door (which is a common problem). The wire bundle gets caught over time in the hinge and a wire breaks inside the bundle. Continuity testing says everything is fine, but when the rubber meets the road, you've got nothing.

Tried that also, no luck.

Looking at that list of what the score motor does, it does seem that there could be some issue in that area, as there are several places where connections to the coin chute relays, coin relay, etc, are listed. That score motor is pretty intimidating with all of those stacks of switches though. Not sure how to even approach it.

I have found the problem. I just can't believe it after all this, but here it is. It turns out my actions in "playing around with the machine" had nothing to do with it whatsoever. Just a coincidence that it broke while I was doing that.

I made the discovery today, as a confluence of 3 things happened all at once.

Number 1: After going to sleep at night studying the schematic and dreaming about it for nights on end, I was becoming mighty suspicious of the area in this picture circled in green, where the 2 coin switches are. Mighty suspicious. Despite having looked around in there a number of times! (Get ready to slap me).

Bon Voyage Schematic startup 1 coin chutes.jpg

Number 2. My package of alligator jumpers arrived from Amazon today. It was my intent to take those suckers and start some "jumper troubleshooting", and I intended to attack that green area first. Turns out, I didn't have to!

Number 3. I was actually poking around and doing some searches about how the score motor wouldn't quite index. I stumbled across this link:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.games.pinball/3UtROPFcwKg

First I read this:

I had this captain fantastic running 100% for over 100 plays and I managed to goof it up in a matter of minutes. The EX ball lane light
stopped alternating lanes, so I cleaned the associated relay under the playfield. I close the game back up, now it won't do anything when I
push the start button. I can't even begin to see how I did this, naturally I'm probably making things worse.

The lock relay engages but that's all. Manually triggering coin, and reset relays just cause them to stay engaged and the score motor does
not turn. Normally once I power on the game the score motor "Homes" itself, but now it does nothing. Score motor does turn and releases
game over relay, and resets scores if I manually activate the outhole relay.

Oh boy, that is exactly the same situation I had. Then, scrolling down, was this:

FIXED! I found a yellow wire on the coin door credit switch was snapped. It was still inside the housing but I pulled on it and it came right out. I soldered it back onto the microswitch and then it fired right up.

I could not believe what I was reading. Somewhat slowly, feeling a bit of shock and disbelief, but knowing what I was in for, I walked into the garage, opened up the coin door, and looked at the first switch, which has 3 sets of wires going to it, one being YELLOW. I had looked at that switch 100 times before. But this time, I really looked. And, I could see that in fact, it was not connected. Here is a photo of it, even with this close-up photo, you can't really tell. But when I shined a light into it, I could see it.

credit switch yellow wire loose 1.jpg

With just a bit of work, I was able to bring it out of there.

credit switch yellow wire loose 2.jpg

Next step was to get that switch out of there so I could figure out what to do next. It wasn't easy to get at the mounting screws, but I remembered I had seen a picture where someone had bent the bracket back to access the switch, so I did that, and got the switch out:

credit switch yellow wire loose 4.jpg

You can see that the tab is broken off the switch. But, I can hold it together and throw the switch (not enough left on the switch to jumper it). Lo and behold, credits racked up. And, when I hit the credit button, everything started up.

Everything starts up and all works normally, except for the score motor is still not indexing. But, I think this also may be fixed once I fix this wire (I can't keep it connected while I play). I think it goes right over to that score motor #1 cam. I might be able to solder a wire onto what's left of the broken tab on the switch and then jumper to that to get it going. But now, I would like a new piece of advice about this switch. Before I ask:

THANK YOU again to everyone who helped me so far. I learned a lot as I tried to figure this out, and that is great.

I am not sure how this switch works, because it has 3 tabs and wire connections, as you can see from the picture above. The bottom one is NC, the middle one is NO, and the top one (the broken one) has no label. I don't want to mess anything up until I figure this out. I suppose one day I can get a new switch and put it in, but what I would like to do is bypass it entirely and just put it in free play. Any hints on how to do that with those 3 sets of wires?

(EDIT) I have hacked together a wire so I can make that connection, and indeed now the score motor indexes properly and everything works as expected. Here is another pic of the switch showing what it is. I haven't been able to turn up an exact replacement on the internet, but I am guessing if I contact PBR they will get me something to replace it?

coin switch 268-0200-00.jpg

Nick, that yellow wire definitely has to be connected to that switch for everything to work right. I have to figure out how I could bypass that, or get a new switch. Right now I have it all hanging together with a soldered-on wire (where the tab is broken) and a jumper. It works, but I should make a good fix.

smailskid - thanks, got the credits set to zero and the zero switch jumpered - free play all the way now, just hit the credit button and play. I have the broken switch in a temporary fix until I can work on it as you said. Will post pics when I get to that.

Rolf, I will get to that post as you recommended with the schematic. I have some other good stuff for any Bon Voyage owners out there. Thanks for all your help, I read every document and link you posted and learned a lot. In another post you talked about the "condition" of the schematic, or "state". Now that I have made the entire machine work through a game, then end with the last ball and go into game over mode, I am going to take pictures of all those relays. Then, turn off the power and see what changes and take pictures of those. Eventually I should then be able to decipher what the state of the machine is as far as the schematic.

No, now that I went back and read it, yes, you did post the exact solution! AAAGGH. I read it, but it didn't sink in. I just didn't focus enough on what you said, otherwise I would have figured it out a lot sooner. I just can't believe that I did that. So you nailed it for sure, and I am to blame for not getting it. In post 37 you laid it right out for me. I think that I just didn't pick up on that post as I was distracted with all of the other poking around I was doing. Yes, I did go to that area several times, and I "looked" at it, but I should have done what you said and got in there and really checked it, and I would have found it. One thing - you really have to bend that bracket that covers it out of the way to truly get a good look in there, as those connections go up underneath there. One lesson learned.

Yes definitely, that was the very first thing I did. In general I try to be methodical when making changes, so I can go back if a problem occurs. This time it just turned out to be a coincidence that the wire broke off while I was changing those jones plugs around. Of course I didn't know that and I assumed it was something I did, which kind of steered me down some wrong paths.

I just started a thread in the restoration forum for the Bon Voyage and I put some pics of my repair job on the switch there, along with some other stuff I have done.

Sounds good, if you keep track of my restoration thread, I guarantee that you will see more about the Bon Voyage than you will ever want to see. My plan is to go through the entire thing until I figure out every bit. So there is a lot more to come there, which I will get to as I can find the time,

That is great! I am glad to see you got your problem solved, hopefully quickly. The way those wires run through the switches in the coin door is a little bit obtuse, and for sure everything in there needs to be connected or it simply will not start. It seems easy once you know it, but you can go crazy trying to figure out if not.