(Topic ID: 147096)

First pinball machine, a dead Paragon...

By vizzinni

8 years ago



Topic Stats

  • 9 posts
  • 3 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 8 years ago by vizzinni
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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Q11.jpg
c29_r50.jpg
schematic1.jpg
transformer.jpg
board_bottom.jpg
board_top.jpg
Paragon_connectors.jpg

#1 8 years ago

I just made the leap from puttering around on classic arcade cabinets to puttering around on pinball machines. I can (mostly) read a schematic and can (mostly) use a DMM, I've done a couple cap kits and flyback replacements on arcade monitors, but I'm not really an electronics smart guy.

I picked up my first pin, a Paragon, a couple weeks ago from a guy whose business is arcade/pinball machines. He'd picked it up with another machine but realized he wouldn't have time to work on it. He said he'd plugged it in, got some GI, heard a cap blow (C29 on the solenoid board), then unplugged it.

I've done my due diligence for research and at this stage am following the "Repairing Bally Electronic Pinball Games from 1977 to 1985" guide. I also have the original manual that came with the machine. I spent a few minutes with the MPU, noticed some corrosion but I don't think it's very bad at all, and removed the battery. Then I set the MPU aside to focus on the power supply.

#2 8 years ago

The J1 and J2 connectors are severely burned, so I've ordered the rectifier board rebuild/upgrade kit from Big Daddy, including the replacement connectors and my first molex crimper. In the meantime, since it looks like a previous owner worked on the board (replaced a couple of the headers, and the diodes), I thought I'd verify that all the transformer to board wiring got soldered back to the right spot. It looks like everything except the 120vac stuff is right, but I'm not sure if the 120vac is right or not.

Paragon_connectors.jpgParagon_connectors.jpg

board_top.jpgboard_top.jpg

board_bottom.jpgboard_bottom.jpg

#3 8 years ago

For one thing, some of the connections are jumpered, and I don't think that's what the schematics call for; is this a problem? Also, it looks like the E1 and E2 connections are reversed, but that's AC power and return so I'm not sure that matters? It looks like there used to be something connected to #5 but there isn't now. I've tested the voltages at the test points on the bench and they were pretty close to spec. Something caused the connectors to fry, so I'm hoping that rebuilding the rectifier board and new connectors will solve whatever that problem was.

More to follow once the rebuild kit arrives...

transformer.jpgtransformer.jpg

schematic1.jpgschematic1.jpg

#4 8 years ago

Your xformer primary wiring is fine thay all have that wire on lug5, and 1-3, and7-9 are supposed to be tied. Those connectors are another story.

#5 8 years ago

that poor power board has been toasted and reworked to shit and back.

rottendog make a replacement, BPS018 if you want to replace it with a new board.

#6 8 years ago

Thanks for the replies!

Validpowerdetect, but there is no wire on lug 5, so is that still fine? I'm having a hard time translating the schematic to what I see in the picture. But like I said, I'm not an electronics smart guy.

BloodyCactus, you're right, that board is probably roached, but half the fun comes from fixing stuff so I've got to try that before I get a replacement. It may come to that though.

#7 8 years ago

So while I'm waiting for the power supply kit to arrive, I thought I'd take a look at the Solenoid board. The C23 capacitor looks good but original so I've ordered that replacement, as well as the C29 that popped. I noticed there's a couple resistors that look like they got hotter than normal, so I'll replace those as well, but I'm wondering if there's another component that's bad that caused the capacitor to pop or the resistors to fry?

Another concern is that I see that a couple transistors (Q10, Q11) have either been replaced or resoldered. Plus, there's a couple of those transistors that look just like the rest but have different numbers on them (one of these is the one with the sloppy soldering work). Most of them are 93124, but a couple are 585-34; the schematics have them all the same. Does anyone know if these are compatible? Would the need to replace them possibly be an indicator of another issue somewhere else?

c29_r50.jpgc29_r50.jpg

Q11.jpgQ11.jpg

#8 8 years ago

If you look closely at lug 5, you'll see a bare wire wrapped around it.
I think it was for the one that went to Europe, 220v power, and they hust clipped
It off, but I may be wrong.

#9 8 years ago

I finally got around to RTFM on the transformer lug thing. Mine is currently set up for 115v. If I want it for 120v I tie lugs 5 and 7 together and put the yellow lead on lug 5.

My power at the wall is about 121v. Given how touchy these things are with power, should I bother with changing the transformer over to 120v? What sorts of things might be problematic if I'm giving it 120v while wired for 115v?

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