I spent a fair amount of time working on my new Bally Skill Roll game.
jeffc came over and helped me more than once, thanks man!
I thought I'd write down some things I learned to help anyone else who might get one of these. I posted this up on KLOV, thought I'd post it here also.
Feel free to add on...these are just the issues I've had that I think almost anyone else might have.
#1 Problem: Sticky coin levers/actuators
A few of my coin levers were very sticky. So sticky that a coin would get stuck on them and not trip them. Or, if the coin went through, the lever would not come all the way back up and would be a closed switch. In some cases, it is possible to bend the leaf switch leafs to help some, and in some cases it is not.
#1 Solution: Sticky coin levers/actuators
After trial and error, I found a simple way to get these working perfectly: First, remove the 2 screws holding the leaf switch to the lever/actuator assembly. Next, remove the 2 screws holding the lever/actuator assembly to the playfield. Now, pull the whole lever/actuator assembly out. Soak it in naphtha. Gently work the motion, soak 1 min, gently work the motion, soak another minute, etc. After 5-10 minutes it's working perfectly. No need to remove the tiny push-on washer. Be careful and don't try to bend the aluminum lever assembly or force it in any way. I believe it could break/snap. Let the naphtha do its work.
#2 Problem: Fuse holder
The original fuse holder on this thing is a serious POS. My fuses were so loose, they were literally rattling around. It was not possible to bend the holder back to hold them properly. Some times my game would not start because the loose fuse wasn't making contact.
#2 Solution: Fuse holder
Obviously just replace fuse holder. It's a 4 position fuse holder and the screw holes from the original one even line up with the new ones.
#3 Problem: Game starts with score not 0
#3 Solution: Game starts with score not 0
This is because the scoring stepper has not reset all the way back as it should when you start a new game. Disassemble the stepper and clean all of its parts. I used simple green but might use naphtha in the future. jeffc helped me a lot with this because it scared me, but after watching him do most of it, it doesn't seem that hard anymore. I haven't had a single issue since.
#4 Problem: Handles not flipping with enough power
I had 1 handle that couldn't get a coin all the way across the row, and another that barely could. You should be able to easily launch the coin all the way across.
#4 Solution: Handles not flipping with enough power
I thought the springs might be bad, but they are fine.
The problem was gunk build up inside the shaft connected to the handle.
Remove the single nut on the back of the handle (inside the back door). Now you can pull the handle and shaft out the front of the game (you don't need to remove the gulmite screw holding the handle to the shaft to do this).
Now clean the shaft that you have removed (naphtha) and the hole it came out of (naphtha on a q-tip). I used about 10 q-tips per hole, kept doing it until they came out relatively clean.
#5 Problem: Dirty playfield
Man that thing was dirty!
#5 Solution: Dirty playfield
jeffc loaned my his Mill Wax, and it worked like a charm. It cleaned all the dirt off, and leaves a waxed surface. It took patience, but it worked well. I didn't want to use novus 2 because of the abrasives in it, even though I know others have used it successfully. I originally tried novus 1, it did nothing, which isn't too surprising. Don't forget to clean the tops of the metal rails where the nickel actually makes contact.
#6 Problem: Bell/Chime not loud enough
I could tell from playing @jeffc's game that my chime was not loud enough.
#6 Solution: Bell/Chime not loud enough
I found that someone had intentionally muffled the chime by wrapping electrical tape around the ends of the metal that gets struck. I removed the tape and it's much better.
So far, that's all I have. It's up and seems to be working perfectly.
Hope this helps someone!
PS Something else I did was tumbled my nickels with a little bit of Flitz paste (blue). After only 12 hours they were GLEAMING.
Alexandria, VA
