Have you tried to test the shooter lane switch in test mode? Do you have a DMM - can you test the coil for voltage?

MK

If the button lights up it's not the shooter lane switch...It sees the ball. My guess it is the switch on the ball launch button itself. If Baywatch is like my frankenstein, pressing both flippers simultaneously will launch the ball too. Have you tried that?

As for the problem, I would test the ball launch button. Go into switch test mode and see if the button registers.

Go into switch test.

Check the launcher button switch, check the arch opto switch, and check shooter lane switch.

If all looks good go into coil test and see if it fires the ball launcher.

My Baywatch acted quite differently. I had a bad shooter lane switch and the game still played fine (strange but fine).

Keep in mind the shooter lane switch was completely dead. The kicker would kick the ball up. Then it wouldn't see the ball in the shooter lane (since the switch was dead) so it would kick the kicker again (guessing that the ball was stuck and not kicked up the first time). After that the ball would sit as it normally would in the shooter lane until the launch button would be hit and then it would launch as normal.

During multi-ball start....it would do the same thing, kick the ball up, fire the kicker again and then actually launch the ball. It was really like the game didn't need the shooter lane switch at all. It just caused an extra kick and a delay in auto launching because of the extra un-needed kick.

So my guess is the launch button is not working or the actual coil to launch the ball.

If the F8 fuse is blown then you're game isn't playing as you described. That's the 50V supply for the ball launch, upper ball launch, Top VUK, Bottom super VUK and super scoop. That'd be why you're ball launch isn't working but you should have noticed none of those other coils are working either.

So, you've got a shorted diode on one of those coils, a short in the PF on one of the wires, or one of the transistors for those coils is shorted. When you turn the game on, do you hear any of those 5 coils come on and stay on before the fuse blows? If so, that's indicative of a shorted transistor.

Not sure how that's possible. F8 on the PPB board supplys the 50V out connector J7 pins 8 and 9. It's a Yel/Vio wire. That Yel/Vio wire goes to the 5 solenoids I mentioned above. If F8 blows there is no voltage on that Yel/Vio wire and so none of the coils could be working. If you are saying some are still working, then you've got some unknown hack to your game and troubleshooting is going to be difficult.

So, verify that with the game on and F8 removed/blown, that on each of those coils there is a Yel/Vio wire connected to the banded end of the diode/lug on each of those 5 coils. With your meter on VDC, measure from that banded diode end with the red lead of your meter, black lead on ground. You should have 0V or negligible. If you mysteriously have 50V on any one of those 5 coils, then something's been hacked.

In any case, find which coils DO have the Yel/Vio wire on them and have 0V. The problem will be with one of those coils/diodes. In order for F8 to immediately blow upon power up, there is an instant short. That instant short is mostly likely coming from a combination of two things. You have a shorted transistor on the PPB board for one of those 5 coils AND the diode for that coil on the shorted transistor is shorted as well. What probably happened at some point in time is that the diode on the coil was shorted and it took out the transistor.

So, what you need to do:

Identify the 5 transistors on the PPB board for those coils. They are Q1 through Q5. With power off the machine and your meter on OHMs/Continuity, put the red lead on the metal tab of the transistor and the black lead on ground (use the metal screws on the board or ground strap in backbox). If you have 0 ohms/continuity on any of these transistors that's the bad one. Then identify which coil goes with that transistor and check the diode on that coil. More than likely it is shorted, or the coil itself is shorted, or the wiring to that coil is shorted.

"pressing both flippers simultaneously will launch the ball too."

Awesome tip Robert.....i played a few games on my baywatch to see if this actually worked and it did. My start button works fine,as well as the launcher, but this is still pretty cool to know. I just need to remember to select one skill shoot prior to the one i actually want before hitting both flippers to get what i want. I know this is a little bit of a hijack post, but i love learning new things about my game that i nerver knew before.....thanks again!

dgoodspeed your in good hands with robertmee. Be descriptive and honest and he will have you up and running in no time.

Just make sure you solder the wires onto the correct lugs of the coils, since the coild have a diode on them. Do that first, plug the board in, and you should be good to go.

Baywatch is an awesome game. Doesn't get enough love, probably because it has the Hoff on it LOL.

-Mike

Hi, could someone start to help me with my baywatch similar problem ? When turned on it wants to put all the balls at once into the game & they get jammed up there at the lauch part. It usual comes up with a danger on the screen too. The middle kickout that says earth shake goes crazy too non stop too.

It sounds like your game is wants to start in the wizard "Earthquake" mode for some reason. Maybe the game roms are messed up. I dunno....

Here's a video I just made of it.

Did you go into switch test mode and see if it is registering in the shooter lane and trough?

You should really start a new topic of your own on this problem.

oh, ok I will start a new topic.