(Topic ID: 56396)

Funhouse repair

By gms1975

10 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 22 posts
  • 6 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by dsuperbee
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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#1 10 years ago

Hi,
I just bought a Funhouse, the first pinball for my gameroom. I got a good deal on it in a trade and but is not in full working condition. Most of the G.I. is out, a burnt connector at J115 was pointed out to me by the guy I got it from, I will mess with that later. The main concern is I just want to start out by being able to play it.

The game turns on, flashers, display and sounds work fine. Takes credits, but when you hit start, you get a ball missing message. I went into the test menu and it goes through the tests, but when testing solenoids...nothing moves as it cycles through except Rudy's mouth opens and closes. Flippers and everything else stay still.

Any advice on what to check first? I have a general understanding of the parts of a pinball machine (from watching Topcast videos), but this is my first experience actually working on one.

Thanks

#2 10 years ago

Never mind, I found the problem after looking through all the other tech related Funhouse posts. The 250V fuse F112 was blown. Put a new one in and Rudy is alive again! Played a couple of games before I had to go to work. I will have to check and see what else might not work and see if that fuse blows again.

#3 10 years ago

Found another issue. The tunnel kickout was only getting the ball out onto the playfield one out of every 20 tries. When I am in test mode, that solenoid fires once, then sticks on. It will turn off as I go down the list and test other solenoids. What should I check first for this?

#4 10 years ago

Go into test mode and test again. As soon as it sticks on, turn off the game. If it drops right away, test the associated transistor. If it stays up, probably needs a quick clean and rebuild. Since you mentioned it would only pop every 20 tries, test the associated switch too. It could be misadjusted and need to be adjusted/replaced.

#5 10 years ago

Tested the solenoid again and it fired once and the plunger stuck inside the coil. I turned the game off and it stayed inside the coil. I lightly touched it with my finger and it popped back up. Switch seems to work fine.

Also, I noticed that the center "dummy flasher" bulb in the clock will not light. I replaced the bulb and still nothing. I checked and the connection to the board seems fine. Any suggestions with that?

#6 10 years ago

Sounds like the coil and plunger need to be cleaned and possibly the coil sleeve replaced. I would disassemble the coil and clean. Take some pics before so you make sure it goes back together the way it came apart

#7 10 years ago

I took it apart, it didn't seem too dirty. It moves in and out of the coil freely. I can't make it stick by just pushing it down at all.

#8 10 years ago

Replace the spring, that should help.

As for the bulb, untwist the socket, and make sure the little 'ears' on each side are making contact on the board. Easy way to see if it is the socket or connector is pull a working socket, swap bulbs, and place the suspect socket in the known working socket spot. If it works, connector issue. If it doesn't, socket issue.

#9 10 years ago

As for the coil, sometimes someone has screwed in the screws on an angle or something, and simply taking it apart and putting it back together straight is enough to rectify the issue.

As for the fuse, make sure you used the correct amperage. You noted voltage, so I wasn't sure, but if it was blown before, there may be a reason.

#10 10 years ago

I replaced the coil with a brand new one and get the same issue, so the coil itself does not appear to be the problem. I noticed that when in attract mode, if I activate the microswitch for that kicker under the playfield by hand it activates it and locks down. I can pull it up by hand pretty easy. None of the other solenoids will activate when in attract mode like that. Is this going to be a bad transistor?

#11 10 years ago

I had also reported earlier that the dummy flasher was not working. Then I noticed that none of the flashers are working: This includes the two in the hot dog, the 12 o'clock arrow, the middle circle below the 12 o'clock arrow and the red white and blue ones behind Rudy's head.

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#12 10 years ago

You will need to get a DMM and test the associated transistor for that coil. If it is locking on as you said (but drops when the game turns off) it usually means the transistor (and possibly pre-drive transistor) is bad.

Flashers: Check the fuse to start. Test for continuity with the fuse out of the fuse holder with your DMM (Visual test doesn't always work!) Could be as simple as that!

#13 10 years ago

I noticed when I replaced the coil that the old one did not have a sleeve inside (the new one I had did). I also noticed that when I installed it (just like the old one had been installed) that the lugs stuck out close to the clock light mounting board. I looked at a photo online of another playfield underside and noticed that the coil I had was mounted upside down and turned so the lugs pointed down from the playfield not towards the light board. I changed this and now the coil doesn't stick and has enough power to eject the ball out. I don't quite know why it works that way, but for now it seems to be functional.

I am currently trying to find some documentation telling me which fuse controls the flashers circuit.

#14 10 years ago

Do you have a manual yet? If not make it a priority to get one. VERY helpful to keep your game running.

#15 10 years ago

I downloaded a manual. Fuse F111, fixed all flashers...makes a big difference in the game. Now I just need to fix that burnt G.I. connector to get some more lights.

#16 10 years ago
Quoted from gms1975:

I downloaded a manual. Fuse F111, fixed all flashers...makes a big difference in the game. Now I just need to fix that burnt G.I. connector to get some more lights.

That's no big, you got all of the major problems done. Congrats!

#17 10 years ago
Quoted from gms1975:

I downloaded a manual. Fuse F111, fixed all flashers...makes a big difference in the game. Now I just need to fix that burnt G.I. connector to get some more lights.

That isn't too difficult.

Just a FYI, if you do go to LEDs in the GI, you will lose the bulb flicker effect when it hits midnight on the clock.

For mods, get Cliffy's ramp and scoop protectors. The main ramp takes a beating, and even the new thicker style ramps break with a few good smacks.

#18 10 years ago

I replaced the connector and pins at J115 and that did nothing. While I had the board out, I noticed that the related resisters are toasty. I suppose I have to replace those too... Also, I put the board back in and connected everything, but now Rudy stopped opening and closing his mouth when talking....frustrating.

#19 10 years ago

Check for continuity on the pins at J115. You may have pulled a trace out and will have to run a jumper or two. Pretty common thing to happen. (If the heat got REALLY bad, it may have melted it)

#20 10 years ago

I checked all the continuity, I did some sodder stiches on the ones that were really bad. I'm not confident I redid the wiring correctly on the connector. It confused me that some of the wires connect to the harness twice. When I had started redoing it, I thought that one wire went in one hole one time. I was wrong. I think I may not have reproduced it perfectly. I'm trying to find a good photo of how it originally went to double check. Now those resisters are really burnt, could that be the issue if I did rewire the connector correctly?

Also, with the Rudy jaw not opening, does anyone know what connector that runs to? I think maybe I didn't get the connector back on correctly since he stopped moving his mouth after I put the board back in..

#21 10 years ago
Quoted from dsuperbee:

That isn't too difficult.
Just a FYI, if you do go to LEDs in the GI, you will lose the bulb flicker effect when it hits midnight on the clock.

You mean how the GI gets dim at midnight?

#22 10 years ago
Quoted from Pugsley:

You mean how the GI gets dim at midnight?

Yup. Love that effect!

There is a small board under the pf that controls Rudy if I remember correctly. Check to make sure the plugs are in.

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