I did the overlay. Only miracles would have saved what I started with so this was the best option. Plays great.

Waiting for my new to me used System 7 CPU to be repaired by Allan @ Ardvark. So I took the time to do some upgrades with some LED strip lighting. I used Comet's matrix system to add lighting on the right side upper playfield plastics. I will also do some LED strip lighting in the front of the upper playfield area that houses the 3 bayonet bulbs.

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Black Knight VS UFO!

So, I'm coming to the end of a BK playfield swap, and have done all the things you're supposed to do but have no power to the right flippers. I can't figure it out and it's making me nuts!

There's current going to the switches, there's equal voltage to all 4 coils, I've got good continuity from the cabinet switches to the coils. The right flippers *initially worked*, but quickly died completely. I don't have the wiring reversed (Upper right - BLUE to banded side of diode, BLK/YEL to non-banded. Lower right - BLUE to banded side, BLU/VIO to non-banded), and the flipper fuse in the backbox is fine, as are the fuses under the playfield (checked continuity through the fuse holder to be sure the old holders were getting good contact. They are.)

The boards are new. I have also done a continuity check from the power lug back to the driver board, and from the ground lug at the cabinet switch back to the board, just to be sure there wasn't a problem with the connectors themselves. Also have continuity in those places.

I am completely stumped. It's probably something dead simple staring me in the face, but I've checked through all the things I can think to. Very strange problem. Help?

Neither of the right flippers work?

Mash the cabinet flipper switch together or short the leafs with a wire to rule out the flipper switches.

When you measure continuity with a meter, it is virtually zero current. The flippers are much more current. If there is a weak connection somewhere (cold solder joint, dirty/corroded/worn connector, etc) it can measure OK with the meter but not actually work. Try reseating the all connectors one at a time, testing in between reseating each one.

Neither. They seemed fine for a few flips (I just plugged in the playfield to the cabinet for the first time since the swap last night, but the playfield is still on the rotisserie). Then *poof*, they just completely died.
The switches are brand new and I've checked the soldering on them (solid), and the wires are on the correct lugs. I got continuity when checking connections to the board as well, but I suppose in theory if the connectors at the boards aren't making good contact I could try replacing them. It feels like I'm chasing my tail at this point, though.

That is a lead! The power side of the BK flippers use separate power wires back to the power supply board and common ground from the cabinet flipper switch back to the driver board. You can focus on making sure the solder joints on your cabinet switch, connector between the cabinet and backbox, and header pins and connector on the driver board is good.

I powered upnthe game today, and all of a sudden both sides are flipping just fine.
Weird. I assume it won't last.

I need to test resistance along the wiring, but this makes me think there's a damaged wire. When I first took the game in, the RH flippers weren't working, but the game was such a wreck I figured it just needed new boards and rebuilt flippers. Interesting to note, only one flipper had been rebuilt (badly) - the lower right hand one. Which makes me think somebody tried a rebuild and then that didn't work and then they lost interest in the game.

My hypothesis is that the connectors between the upper and lower playfield put stress on the wire which may have broken internally, leading to flakey behavior. Either that or it's a cold solder joint at the coil lugs. If it's the former, I guess I'll be cutting through the zip ties and running a new wire to the coil.

OK, so, RH flippers still seem to be working, cool, and I've got the whole game re-assembled. But...now the stupid game will not start.

3 balls in trough. No stuck switches. Coin door closed. All switches working in switch test. Setting #18 set to 0. Game goes into test mode just fine. Boards are brand new. There shouldn't be a problem here.

WTF??

Batteries installed? Or battery/chip back up failing? You can try going into the settings, then back out, then turn the game off and on really quick. You can usually start a game that doesn't have batteries in it that way. Also you could try adding credits manually. If I remember correctly, you have to have batteries in to start the game (or cheat with the quick on/off method).

What was the cause?

batteries in to boot. once you're in attract mode it should work either way

Have you verified that the credit button (aka start button) is working in switch test? It's switch 3 on the switch matrix chart:

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Brand new Shwimmer board. Unless it's defective, this should not be a problem.

Yep. Shouldn't me a matrix issue, as I have gone through and adjusted all the switches and verified that they are all registering in switch test mode. I always run the tests before putting the playfield into the cabinet.

It's driving me bonkers, as it's got to be something dead simple and stupid that is staring me in the face.

I *still don't know*, and am expecting the flippers to stop working again at any moment.
Just shooting the ball around, the flippers don't have enough power to get the ball all the way up the spinner ramp. I ordered replacement flipper assemblies from Pinball Life; the coils in there now are SFL 19-400/30-750. They're all dialed in nicely as far as EOS adjustment and the solder joints are good - should there be a more powerful coil in there?

Rebuilt flippers with those coils will work just fine. I upgraded my assemblies per Vid's recommendations.

I'm a little confused on your core problem. How are the flippers working if the game doesn't start. Are you doing this in test mode only?

Start button - if you are able to change settings with the button, then you have proven it works.

If the balls are in the trough, switches 17,18, 19 should show closed on the switch test. You said you tested all the switches, but make sure the balls activate these three switches if you haven't already. Alternatively you can use switches 33, 34 & 17 to simulate balls in the upper trough.

I'm assuming you tested the solenoids to make sure the kicker is working. And there is no change to the displays or sound when you press the button, right?

If you've done all that, then my only advice would be to turn off free play (#18) then add credits and see if that works. I'm not familiar with that board, so not sure if there is a bug or anything.

Yep, I did the same. But for some reason, they are underpowered. Can barely make it up the right hand ramp, and can't make it around the spinner ramp at all. Somehow they aren't getting full power.

Yes, just trying them out while in switch test, since the flippers have power during the test.

All the switches are working, nothing stuck, tested them all with a ball. Have 3 balls in the trough.

Yes - all solenoids work. But press "start" and nothing happens.

It is showing 60 credits on the game, for some reason. I can manually hit the switch and add more - just did, now it's 61.
But when I go into the settings and go to #18, which shows zero in the player one display, I can't change it because...the start button isn't working. Same if you try to change setting anywhere else, like 3 ball vs. 5 ball. Nothing from the start button.
I reiterate, the button functions when I'm in switch test mode, I get the sound same as the rest of the switches.

This is making me crazy.

If those are new assemblies then you still have a power problem to your flippers.

Sounds like you have a logic problem on the start button/board. I’m stumped too.

Is this a multi game board or BK only? If it’s multi you could set it to another system 7 game and see if it starts.

Could this be a power board problem or something?

But the start button registers in switch test?

There aren't any stronger 25V coils available. They should have no trouble with that ramp though. Even before rebuilding mine, with the game at 7 degrees, I could make it up the ramps most of the time.

The power board is Rottendog and lists off all the games it is compatible with, so that's not really relevant. The CPU/Drivers are Schwimmer and unless I'm missing something it simply depends on what ROMS you have installed.

Yep. How's that for maddening?

Initially I had *no power at all* to the RH flippers. Was puzzled by this, then, magically, they started working again. I've checked all solder points and they're good, nothing loose. They have continued to work, but they are clearly not getting full power.

Started working on my BK again!!! oh can't wait to have this baby up. Inkochnito's Bridge Board is installed, need to repin a connector that failed and then clean the pf...and test!

I was referring to the mpu/driver board here. Not familiar with shwimmer, but rotten dog combo board had issues with BK, but that was in their rom. I always have sys 7 boards laying around so i swap them out if i see something funky like this.

As far as your flippers - If you have a new rottendog power board, then it's more likely a wiring issue than the board.

You should post this outside this thread and see if anyone else has ever seen this on a sys7 machine or with Shwimmer boards.

Off topic question: In my turnaround, if the ball goes the wrong direction, it is a sure center drain. Is this the way it was designed? Does this happen with everyone else's machine?

mine does that but can be saved with a slap save. I consider it good practice. I lose more balls going around the other way and then down the outlane

Happens with mine too. Once in a while i can save it, but most of the time it's going sdtm.

This isn’t off topic. It’s BK!

Learn to nudge to the right as the ball is coming out. It can be quick, so takes practice.

I'll give that a try.

I can occasionally save it with a slap, but not very often.

It would be interesting to hear from Steve Ritchie on this one. I'm assuming that some things are designed in and some are happy or unhappy coincidences.

If I go the other way through the loop, the ball almost always heads out the left outline and have to use magnasave to catch it.

That way is designed to go to the inlane not the outlane. It's loop, inlane, ramp, for the combo. Lights the lock, ramp hurry up points, and if set up right (and really lucky) you can lock a ball. Best combo in pinball.

Lock a ball from the center ramp?

Yes. It is possible, but I have only seen it happen a couple of times.

I think I managed that once ever I think. I'd love to know if it was aimed that way...

Now if only there was a good way to feed the right inlane for the spinner lock combo

Check connector 2J12 1 & 2 for overheating & pins 1 & 2 on driver board. Flipper current passes through here. My BK had problems here.

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I've surmised that the problems I'm having are most likely the connections to the board.
If you're observant, your game will tell you its history...the righthand flippers had been "rebuilt" (meaning they messily swapped in new parts, but the flippers weren't set up or adjusted very well), which leads me to believe a previous owner with a little knowledge but not much technical finesse was trying to address their flipper power issue by rebuilding. (A defensible first course of action - though every old game needs the flippers rebuilt no matter what, so...) Anyhow, now that the boards have been replaced and the flipper assemblies are also brand new including cabinet switches, the only remaining original parts in that circuit are the wiring and the board connectors.
So far in my pinball maintenance/restoration, I've just been lucky or inherited nice board work from a previous owner. But those IDC connectors are an obvious failure point, especially on a 38 year old game which was stored in a wet environment. I've ordered new connectors and pins from GPE, and am planning to pin all the wires and change out all connections. I'll report back on the result next week!

Double, triple check that the balls in the trough are fully pressing on all 3 switches.

is there a coil lug or a switch leg touching something in the cab on a sidewall when the playfield is down in the cab?

5 mos (took me 3 mos to send the boards in) and $370 lighter in my pocket, my BK is purring like a kitten. Sent my boards into Clive at Coin-Op, and he sent them back with a laundry list of repairs. Thans to Black_Knight, Schwaggs, and others for the trouble shooting tips. I highly recommend Coin-Op for board repairs! My kids and I are loving playing our BK.

Ha! Clive just worked on my BK boards too I also got a set of cliffys to install....

I've got to work into my schedule today, going down to pick up my BK board from Allan at Ardvark Pinball in Massachusetts. He called yesterday to say it was done. Also with a laundry list of repairs as well as what he thinks was a factory defect. I'm hoping this is a new beginning, and an end to my current troubleshooting.

I've got a rottendog mpu in one of my Black Knights and it seems to play fine - what kind of issues are these boards supposed to have?

Mine works fine also but several people have had weird issues to the point RD says they won't support in system 7.

I do know that some sounds/laugh are missing in attract mode in all of them.

Clive RULES. So often I see people struggling over board issues, and god love 'em, if they get something out of that process. But I have sent boards to Clive on several occasions and his thoroughness is without peer. Old boards need rebuilding by somebody who is solid on it. I send people his way all the time!

Allan is also great! (Says another Pinsider from MA). And he is very generous with his knowledge. Allan has walked me through problems over the phone more than once. And he diagnoses board issues for free all weekend at Pintastic New England!

Following up on my previous posts:

OK, this BK is now fully operational!
Flippers: everything works now that I have replaced the IDC connector with pinned connectors. Vid's right; everybody should plan to do this on games of this vintage.

Weird switch issue: this is bizarre. Somebody tinkered with some wiring somewhere along the line, and I had wiring going to the wrong place. Swapped out the wires and voila, everything is fine now.

Will post some photos soon. If anybody reading this is able to visit western MA, the game will soon be available to play at Mystic Pinball in Turners Falls, MA. (Currently available to play at my shop, 7 minutes away in Greenfield MA). It's pretty sweet; freshly clear coated CPR playfield, everything cleaned and adjusted nicely. I haven't played a functional BK since I was 10 years old, so this is really satisfying.

Thanks to all those who chimed in to help me out. I definitely learned some new stuff working on this machine!

After taking a hiatus from doing too much on the BK, I got my board back from Allan at Ardvark. It looks almost as nice as the day it was new. In the meantime I replaced all the header pins on the driver board. I will replace all my connectors when I have time, since I placed a large Mouser order for connectors and trifurcon pins. I installed the boards yesterday morning. The game started up fine and did not stick the left slingshot. But it would not start a game. In switch test there were no stuck switches. I continued to play with the trough switches which seemed troublesome before. I had a couple of the ball trough switches that were intermittent. I chased continuity through the circuit and realized that the connector from the playfield to the head is wonky. I "tweaked" the connector and spayed with DeOxit and now it is working for the most part. I have been able to play several games without any major issues. I have several switches that are still not registering, and my pop bumper and right slingshot, which were firing in coil test do not currently work during the game. I will replace at least that one connector and will probably replace a fair amount of them, before I beat my head against a wall trying to troubleshoot too deeply. I do have a question concerning what connector to order from Mouser or Great Plains. It is a 15 pin plug/receptacle connector, but I am not sure if it is the .093" size Molex?

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Congrats on getting it going! The connector in your picture is a 0.062 Molex. You need crimp on pins for one side and crimp on sockets for the other.

If you want to repair a single pin or a few pins or re-use the housings, you should pick up an extraction tool. They allow you to remove the pins and sockets from the housing. https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=140

Awesome. Thank you Schwaggs

Long time BK SE club member and long time lurker (first post!)

I've been doing some bullet proofing thanks to Vid's guide, but I think I did a bad thing... I've had some intermittent switch issues where I'll have an entire row stop responding during a game. This was usually fixed by powering down the game, unplugging the switch row plug and plugging it back in. Based on that fix I went ahead and replaced the female ends of both the row and column matrix with the trifurcon pins and reflowed the solder on the driver board header pins on the switch matrix.

Well... now whenever a switch is activated in two specific columns, all of the switches in the row will read closed. I went ahead and pulled off both connectors for the switch matrix and sure enough when I jumper from either of the two specific troublesome columns to any of the row pins and put the game in switch test, all of the switches in that row read closed.

I've tracked these two columns to IC18. On the connector itself these two pins are separated by a key. Doing a DMM continuity test doesn't show those pins accidentally being flowed together. It looks like I need a N7406 IC chip or something compatible. Before I pull the trigger on socketing and replacing IC18, anything else I should troubleshoot?

It's such an amazing and addictive game when she's running in tip top shape and I hope to have her back up 100% soon!

Placed and order from Great Plains today for some pins and sockets and some plugs and receptacles, and an extraction tool. I will rebuild the connector once the parts arrive. I the meantime I installed nvram.weebly's Special Solenoid Saver. A super easy 10 minute install with the directions.

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Ooh, didn't know about that...saves the transistors, does it?

Did you replace the IDC connectors at the switch row and column connectors to the board? I had issues with some switches not registering after I had tested them all and found them working, then realized those connections to the board weren't making consistent contact. I had been reluctant to do those over because the IDC's have a number of "pass-through" contacts, but Allan advised me to go ahead and crimp 2 wires into one Trifurcon, just do both crimps on the wire and don't worry about crimping the insulation. Works just great.