Hi guys,

I am trying to revive a Fish Tales. When I first got it I noticed that the thermistor was broken in half, so I replaced that. When turning it on it ran fine for some minutes and then the GI started flickering. I decided to try a game even so and when I pushed the start button the machine died with a dramatic pop. No fuses burned. When checking I suddenly realized that what I thought was a 5A fuse in the line assembly actually was a 15A. I need to get my eyesight checked I guess. I double checked the new thermistor visually and decided to try to boot it again. This time it took out the 16A breaker in my house.

I am currently at a stage where I am buzz-checking for shorts, but I am uncertain as to how I should proceed. Here is what I have so far:

- With the transformer unplugged at the 3x3 plug I get no continuity between hot and neutral. Does this mean that the line filter is fine?
- With the transformer plugged in with the 3x3 plug (but unplugged from the rest of the machine) I get continuity between hot and neutral when checking the prongs on the wall plug. Yikes!
- When lifting the transformer out of the cabinet and checking the same wall plug I get NO continuity.
- If the transformer touches the metal ground strap it is sitting on I get continuity between the prongs of the wall plug again.

Is this how it should be, or is something shorted inside the transformer?

As far as I can tell, the components that make up this circuit are the following:
- Thermistor
- Varistor
- Line filter
- Transformer
- Fuse
- Ground strap in the cabinet

How would you guys go about diagnosing this? Are there any checks I can perform?

Ok! I have some great news! And I feel really stupid at the same time! I have managed to wire the interlock switch wire to the start button! No wonder the game started protesting once I hit it. So I guess my chances are good at winning this year's Pinball Darwin Awards.

The good news is that my transformer seems fine. I tested it good according to wayout440 's recommendations before spotting the mistake.

The bad news is that the machine has resets and that it blows F104 which I guess means that a solenoid is out. Interestingly, the fuse holder sparks when I try to insert a new fuse and it shows a steady 5V even when the machine is unplugged. But I guess that is for another thread.