Connections. Check the backbox power supply connectors.

John

Check J1 on the rectifier board in the backbox

Probably "fix the wires" but your description sounds a lot like a hack job with jumper wire(s). We will need a clear picture of this "pigtail" to advise as it does not sound like part of the original game wiring.

You will likely need to remove three screws on the heatsinks, and gently press the tabs to detach the PCB from the rectifier board, and then repair the problem pins/wires.

Also check/replace the fuse holder and the fuse for the GI while you are in there! Could just need a new fuse+holder pins.

Ok, that's a normal connector. "Pigtail" is typically used to describe an additional wire or jumper so that threw me off...

It's not "loose". It's 40+ years old and worn out!

You will likely need to replace or clean the pins on the PCB that this connector plugs into as well as the pins inside that connector. A temporary fix could be to sand the header pins with sandpaper and remove the pins inside the plug connector to check for broken or tarnished ones. If you don't have a tool to remove the pins, sometimes you can use the sharp point of something to press in the tabs like an icepick or super small screwdriver. That will at least get you on the right path if you have to wait on parts/tools to repair it the right way. Remove and check the pins ONE AT A TIME so you remember where they go! It is easy to break them so be warned you will probably be replacing some...

Worst case you need to detach the board like I described above as well in order to replace or reflow solder on the header pins on the plug in question. You have a soldering iron?

Those makeshift tools may work for now... yes you can remove them. Use small flat screwdriver to push on small tab and gently pull... It will help identify the problem. They are probably tarnished and/or broke/bent. They are fragile too becasue they are over 40 years old and have heated up and cooled off thousands of times.

Don't forget to sand the header pins on the board too. If you address both sides and still have issues, you will need to add solder or replace the header pins on the board where it connects.

Once you discover the issue, order some header pins:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/CM15610

Order a connector and some pins:
ebay.com link: itm

Or, order all of them in bulk at Mouser.com

These parts are more expensive than most people think...

There are other shortcuts you can take to just get it working but identifying the issue and replacing the connectors is the right way.

on the slots towards the middle you can see part of the pin sticking up, this is the locking tab, push it down and the wire will pull out.

you can push ever so slightly and pull at the same time and it will come out allowing you to bend the locking tab back up so when you reinsert the pin it locks in place again, or you can push so hard it pushes the locking tab 'into' the pin making it difficult to get back out again.

Chech this out on YouTube

You will need to replace the female connectors that are located inside the plastic moles connector with trifurcon pins. You will never have a reliable game until you do that.

Great Plains Electronics will have what you need. He's G-P-E on Pinside.
Extraction tools: https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=140
Pretty sure he has new pins and connectors too, I'm just not sure which ones Evel Knievel needs.

As others have said, you should consider replacing most of those connectors at this age. Get the good Trifucon pins (3 connection surfaces vs 1) and new plastic housings. You should also consider replacing all of the pin headers on the boards, as those can be worn and/or have cracked solder joints.

One tip - if you're replacing all of the connector pins, just cut the wire off where it goes into the connector. You want to start with freshly stripped wire anyway and you're losing maybe 1mm of length by doing that, but not having to bother with getting the pins out of the housing. Also, replace one pin at a time with a new one and put them into the new housing, that way there's no possibility of putting them in the wrong places. The colors can be faded with age and it's easier to not have to rely on that.

If you put in the time and effort to replace all of the pin headers and connectors, you'll have a much more reliable game.

you didn't mention you had a pin extraction tool, or if you were replacing the pins with new ones and having a crimper?
you can see he pulls quite hard even with an extraction tool, to remove the pin & wire, it shouldn't be that way.

the way I explained it is spot on, trying to save you replacing the pin, except when removing the pin & wire don't pull on the wire until you have pushed down the locking tab or the locking tab can catch on the connector housing.

and yes as in the following threads, looking at your pic you can see the tin plating has discoloured/oxidation and the most reliable thing to do is replace the pins and if not the connectors also.

these are the pins https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/search.asp

the lower the number the gauge of the wire, the thicker the wire.

Take a picture of the connectors before you cut anything.....

This is typical condition for bottom left mpu connector. Obvious Corrosion from battery acid. Plan on replacing pins. In many cases they fall apart when removed.

BAEF4F52-78A5-4AA1-945A-1136C96F3BB7 (resized).jpeg

84E11A10-EA53-41A2-8DA7-765F3CA53EAD (resized).jpeg

A tip for crimping those connector pins - get a tool that does both the wire and insulation part of the crimp with a single two-part die. Many of the tools have separate slots for doing each and it takes twice as long. Some tools even say to crimp the wire once and the insulation twice.
This tool has worked well for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CSC4W2
It's still tedious to do so many pins, but this makes it pretty easy once you get dialed in on how much housing to strip and how deep to insert the wire.

Hey guys and gals. Newbie to pinside here! Wondering if there’s a video or procedure on fixing a drop target on my EK SS machine. One of the targets stays down when the others reset. Thanks!

You might want to make a new thread for this, since your problem has nothing to do with lighting.

A drop target not resetting with the other drop targets is a mechanical issue.

Can post a picture of the drop target mech that is under the playfield?