Looking to get to the bottom of an annoying hiccup on my Cirqus Voltaire. 95% of the time, hitting the sideshow ramp results in a delayed kickout. The kickout is always preceded by a Ringmaster's Hideout bonus. Usually the game raises and lowers the ringmaster, awards hideout, then spits out the ball. I'm thinking there's a trough-related issue - either on the switch or opto side, as the game searches for the ball and then "finds" it in the Ringmaster.

In switch test, the trough switches (46 and 47) function correctly. I'm thinking the issue is switch 36 (popper) though it reads "closed" in switch test and will show "open" when I drop a ball down. I have a multimeter on order and should be able to dive in a bit deeper once it arrives tomorrow.

Any advice on tracking down the source of this issue?

There are two switches back there! 15 (left loop upper for sideshow) and 23 (right loop upper) - both working fine.

I have a feeling it's the popper opto causing the trouble, as it seems to be working intermittently. Just dropped a ball in and it remained closed. Tried a second time and it showed open.

Any suggestions to repair/troubleshoot an opto prior to ordering a new one? They're cheap enough, but I prefer to fix rather than replace when I can. Never diagnosed an opto before, and the location of this one makes it a bit tricky to test with the ball while the playfield is up.

Quick update. I pulled out the opto, inspected the solder, cleaned the bulbs, and verified the switch functions in switch test. The opto appears to be working fine.

Played a game and still have the issue.

Any time I hit sideshow (left loop dropping in the trough) I can hear the ball pass under the table and land in the popper. Sideshow is triggered, award is given, and when the popper fires, the ball doesn’t eject. Instead, it awards a ringmaster hideout (switch in the ringmaster trough). The popper then ejects the ball as intended.

Could the popper be firing the ball into the ringmaster from beneath the table rather than back to the playfield? Seems unlikely as things eventually work themselves out.

Any suggestions here?

Resolved- popper plunger was too tall and preventing ball from sitting flush in VUK. Modified plunger and all works.