I resurected this Flash from pieces. Had the game booting, but then it blew a 5101, and had it's interconnect replaced. The game seems to be solid now, 90% of the switches and lights work, the rest seem like they'll be adjustment issues.

The Right flipper has been hacked. About a foot from the right Flipper switch, they've grafted too-short 14ga yellow wires in place of Orange-Purple / Blue-Purple wire, and then back to the regular OP/BP colors about an inch from the Molex plug.. I don't know what happened, but these were the "More electrical Tape is better" type of mechanics. It's EVERYWHERE in this game. Is there EVER a good application for electrical tape?? In the end I'll end up replacing that 69 Pin molex plug anyway, so I suppose to jump this mess with a butt crimp connector is CERTAINLY preferable to twisting the wires together and putting some electrical tape over them.

This doesn't explain why the left flipper doesn't work though. I see the schematics have "Flipper Control" - wired through this relay mounted to the driver board. This seems very similar to the relay on my Spy Hunter that had flipper problems because of. Is this common for these games? I thought I saw the relay move when I hit the start button but it's pretty small, and I'm reaching a little ways back to hit the button, so I don't know. Might there be a way to jump it to see? I saw a little hole in the mother board underneath that relay last time I had it out. I remember when i swapped the relay out on the Spy Hunter, Thinking that why couldn't I just break off that plastic housing, and put a tie wrap around the thing to hold the contacts on, (or remove it and jump the contacts outright). You'd have flippers all the time, but I'm not an arcade, and it's just until the other one arives from Marco, Mouser, or wherever..

I have no clue that it's that relay though, so I've checked the fuse, apparenlty it's a card under the table? My book says that J4 on the power board isn't used, but I still have a fuse in there. So at the fuse under the table, I find 33 volts there.. 33V at the coil.. and at the left switch.. The Right side, Like I said needs to be re-wired, so currently I get nothing there.

Thanks in advance!!

-Brian

I love the term "Flipper Control" it sounds like some holdover from the cold war..
"MPU Headquarters!! The Huge steel ball is on the move! Flipper Control out!"

while running the length of wire from the OTHER flipper wires to make sure THOSE didn't have any issues, I found a blob of electrical tape, and at the bottom of it I found the insulation had a nick in it. The wire was exposed. How do you go about putting a piece of shrink wrap over something like that? Cut the wire solder it, or but it back together? I guess one never knows the integrity once the insulation is compromised.

any other ideas on how to fix a nick in the insulation?

-brian

I'll do this test, but I'm pretty sure they'll flip. I tested the left lug at the coil and found 33 volts... I need a good schematic- or at least a good explanation of what power goes where.

Does the power for the flippers go through the flipper switches and through the coil? are they disassociated with a transistor or something? That seems like a lot of power to be running through the circuit board, and those switches seem kinda small for the current. But I guess sling shot switches aren't that big either.

Okie Dokie. Yes, I've heard about the filing of the flipper contacts. I've never had to file one - or any contacts on a SS pin.. seems like I may have had to do it with an EM game, but it's been a while since I even HAD one of those. For the most part I find problems with switches are adjustment, adjustment, adjustment. heh.

Both flippers flipped. I'll track down the connection from the Flipper Solenoids to the Driver board. --
'I've never had to file a flipper contact until now. COPIOUS amounts of stuff was built up, and the only way it was going to work was to file it. I filed, it worked. If problems develop, I'll replace the switch. the other side is a matter of replacing their bad hack job, put my pinball back together, and get to Flippin'!!

Thanks for your advice and support guys!!!

-B

-Brian

I guess it's like anything else in the repair world. It's a little like Spock's Brain- the ST episode where Bones takes one look at Spock's brain and says "No way! Waaaay too complicated!!" But, after you learn how it works, and the "theory of operation" it's not so hard. Patience, solder sucking/solder braiding, and ability to solder and crimp while leaning over for long periods of time! You could do it too!

And I MUSSAY that molex plugs and unplug is so much easier with now headers and plugs!