I replaced the Genie upper drop targets. I took the box all apart, put it back together and now the right coil blows the 2a slow blow fuse. I was trying with some help from everyone here to make sure the wiring is correct then all of a sudden the game will not boot.

The only light on the PF is the extra ball light the rest is dark. The backglass is lit and Tilt, Game Over, and Shoot Again is flashing??? I checked all the fuses and they are fine. This happened when I was messing with the drop target coil. What happened??? I am going out of my mind with this thing as I was happy having replaced all the targets then all this happens.

I would pay someone to hep me figure this out. Besides here is there anyone out there I could turn to? I need this game back up. Thanks

I lifted the PF straight up to work on the upper drop targets. The TILT light is all that is lit. Could having the board up that high have something to do with it? Tilt relay??

Thanks Mike for responding!! Means a lot as I am trying desperately to get this playing by Christmas!! Crunch time! This whole thing started when I replaced all the upper drop targets and then the coils would not energize to reset the targets. I did a Ni-Wumpf coil test and they would not fire.

I raised the PF all the way to the backglass and bungied to it so I could get to the coils and target box easier. I powered on the PF when it was all the way up. Would that cause a problem?? Tilt maybe and kill it like whats happening?? I was doing troubleshooting on the coils etc. then POOF the PF goes dark. The back glass is illuminated and the Tilt light is on. Its strange but at that time the only PF light that's lit is the Extra Ball light down by the flippers. The rest is dead. When that is on constant the Shoot Again will flash on the BG as well. At other times plugging the game in the only light is on is Tilt without the Extra Ball.

So I went from feeling good having successfully replaced all the drop targets, putting the box back together, to find no coils energizing. Then I raise the PF to the BG, power it on to troubleshoot the coils then it goes dead to Tilt.

Before the Tilt failure, the right coil was blowing the 2a slo-lo fuse. That was my biggest issue before everything else. Now I can't troubleshoot the bad coil etc. until I get the PF back.

Attached are a couple photos of the drop target box, the L coil and R respectively. I am trying to figure out why its blowing a fuse, wired wrong? The drop targets worked great and the coil tested before I installed the targets. What the heck happened? Everything went back together fine though a tough job with springs etc.

So I 2 issues and have to take care of the first to get back to figuring out the second and I have only a couple days. I sure hope you can help me get it right.

Thanks, Joe

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I checked all the fuses and they are ok. I cannot do anything until I figure out why the game is dead and the Tilt light is on. The Tilt and Game over relays have multiple contacts. Maybe when I raised the PF all the way up something happened there. Most times it is something simple. No I do not know how to check the transistors. Can you help me? I have a good VM. I would be happy just to have the game boot up so I can then deal with the drop target coils.

I will pay $$ to someones PP account if they take the time to help me get this fixed. I know there are members who have the answer like yourself but I need someone to actually take the time to go through what I wrote. I tried to be as detailed as possible. I am desperate to get this fixed. Thanks

The Ni-Wumpf CPU takes the slam switches out of the equation. The coin door and ball cage ones are supposed to be closed and I soldered the coin door one shut. The game was playing fine with the switches the way they were. There is on under the PF that has to be wide open right? Are there any other switches besides the relay?

I have taken each fuse out and read continuity with a volt meter. Which fuse controls the PF? The Playboard makes sense. I have replaced that and read it. I also have checked the 2a slo-blo under the PF and the 2 others Primary fuses. Is there another I might be missing?

I took the Game Over and Tilt switch relay down to inspect them. I was wondering if it could be something there but how do you know how all those switches are supposed to be, closed, opened?

I am going to try the connectors, great suggestion Mike. I really appreciate your help!

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I have a Ni-Wumpf CPU and Rottendog Driver and PS. The game was playing fine until I replaced the drop target. I don't think there is any fuses on the back board with those replacement boards.

I think I am on to something!!! This all started when I was troubleshooting the drop target coils not working after replacing the targets and board. The R drop target coil was shorting out and blowing the 2a slo-blo fuse under the PF. It is when the 2 Orange/Brown wires are touching the left coil lug. The PF went dark after the coil shorted. Everyone has said this is correct wiring. Is it?? Here is a photo of the coil and the 2 orange/brown wires. If the wiring is right something is causing the short and it might have killed the PF.

Even with the PF dead the coils still shorts! All I did was replace the drop targets. There is a switch for each target on top and I have checked these numerous times to make sure there was no short etc. Here is a photo of the switches. There is a braided type wire running from switch to switch. That wires seems insulated. Those are the only electrical components associated with this besides the coils. So what is causing the short when those wires touch the coil??

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Yes all the grounds mods were done with the new boards. I think the short caused the board crash. No where is it???

I did replace a pop bumper coil at the same time. Could another coil be causing it?? I am going to unsoloder it.

Thanks Mike! You have been awesome helping me. I going to get to work and will give an update to what I find out. What a mess. Love working on the Genie but love when she plays well even more.

Mike, before any of the shorted coil and PF going dead problems ever started the game was quitting at anytime mid game whether it hit energized a coil or not. I had been going back and forth with the fine folks at Ni-Wumpf about the issue as this board was 12 years old. They sent me a test board and it came late today. I did not expect it to do anything for the coil and PF problems but it WAS THE CPU that was causing the PF Tilt issues!! I was shocked. Great news as the game is ALIVE! But I had the 2 drop target coils disconnected.

So now I am back to what is causing the coil to short? Could it be the CPU that was the culprit of everything?? I believe the drop target coils are CPU controlled and not Driver controlled. I am reluctant to wire the drop target coils back up but unless I do how will I know if it is a bad coil, transistor, or driver board? If it still shorts the 2a fuse should protect the CPU right? The clock is running for me to figure this out but I do not want to do any damage to their CPU. Half of my Genie Christmas miracle has been answered but still need to get the coil and drop targets working.

What do you think?? You are a very knowledgeable person for sure and without people like you we would not have a chance. Thanks Mike!

Ni-Wumpf thinks the Driver Board is what shorted and caused the CPU to shut down and thinks I should test the Driver Board before trying to connect the R drop target coil. Man, its the 4th quarter and I have 2 days to get this right and feel so close! How do I test a Driver board??? Thanks Mike I will never forget your help here.

I am so thankful and impressed with Mike's knowledge and his willingness to help someone like myself. He is giving me a chance to hopefully get it fixed.I have been on a crash course for the last month since I bought Genie and have learned so much. Following his direction here is going to teach me a lot more about detailed pinball troubleshooting and repair. Thanks Mike! I am getting to work and will let you know what I find!

Morning Mike! I took the coil off and tested the resistance putting each lead on each lug. The VM is set to 200 and I get a reading of 0.8 If I set the VM to 2000 it reads 00.0 which seems shorted?? That is with the diode attached. I did not cut the diode yet as it seems that might completely damage this coil as there is no room to resolder on the front. I guess I could cut in the back but would have to be careful not to cut or damage the small red coil wire. What do you think? THANKS!

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After letting Ni-Wumpf know that their board fixed the PF going dead they pretty much said convinced me that the Driver Board is shorted and said that I need to replace it. It is 12 years old. With the drop target coils out I cranked up the game and it will play then go to Tilt and go dead. I power it up and it does it again after a ball or 2. I read that the driver controls the Tilt relay so it makes sense that this board is the culpit. Mike what do you think?

I am not going to play with it anymore until I get a new board and coil unless you have any other recommendations. Marco is close to where I live. I could actually drive to get it but will see how fast they can ship it to me. From what a gather there is not much you can do to troubleshoot a bad Rottendog Driver board? That true?

I would love your feedback on this before I do anything. You have been awesome! Thanks.

I would like to know what I did if anything to cause all of this. We suspected the old Ni-Wumpf CPU was causing the game to quit to begin with. Maybe it just had seen better days but how did replacing the target box and coils cause this all to happen? Here are the chain of events that took place to get to this point.

1. Took Drop Target Box off and replaced the targets and replaced the box. All looked good.
2. Game plays but targets wont reset. Ran a coil test, not energizing.
3. Found the R coil sparked and blew 2a fuse. Checked wiring and all looks good according to everyone.
4. Touching the R coil left lug with 2 Orange/Brown wires again sparked and toasted the fuse and then the PF goes Dead. Tilt light on
5. Receive new Ni-Wumpf board sent to see if it fixes the initial problem of game randomly quitting.
6. To our huge surprise the new CPU fixed the PF out problem-Genie is alive!
7. Ni-Wumpf says the Driver caused a CPU short and caused their board to fail. Recommend replacing the Driver board.
8. Removed the upper coils started 2 games, each one played a bit then went straight to Tilt. Start new game its fine then Tilt and dead.

How could replacing the drop target box cause all this?? Did I somehow short the coil that fried the Driver then CPU?? I know its probably anything could have happened.

I am going to drive 100 miles to Marco to pick up the new Driver and 2 coils. I pray this will take care of it and the Genie will be ready for Christmas. Wow what a chain of event.

Mike I could not have had a chance to fix her without you!! Awesome. Any ideas on all this??

The board in the game is 12 years old so that might be a reason. The new CPU seems to be much better than the 12 year old original. Things of course get improved over time. Ni-Wumpf says I should replace the Rottendog and put in the new Gottlieb System 1 Driver. Think that's a good choice?

There is a Tilt and Game Over cluster of switches but I do not see any coils associated with them?? Where are they? How do I test the transistors? it sounds like I can do it with the board attached.

Just the slam switch in the coin door. The slam switches do not seem to effect the Ni-Wumpf board. I am going to check them again though. The old board played with the ball switch disconnected. Possible that that switch might be causing a problem on the newer board??? Wouldn't that be some S$$T! Here is a photo of the Tilt relay. it looks newer and like it had been replaced. I do not think there are coils associated with it.

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I checked the slam switches. The one on the ball cage might possibly have of been opening but its not now. I do not think that was causing it. I played 6 games until it went to Tilt. PF goes dark and Tilt light is on. With the old CPU the game just quit not like a tilt. It did not do that so far playing which is why I got the new board to test so that is a great thing as we thought the CPU was causing it. Looks like it was at least so far. Wow those switch screws are close to the plate on both the Game Over and Tilt relays but not touching. There are 2 red/purple wires to the leads on both of the relays. There are numerous switches on both relays so I am not about to play with them.

Plan is to drive to Marco to pick up the driver and coils tomorrow. I will give you an update. I am hoping for a Pinball Christmas Miracle to have this working 100% by then. Without your help I would not have had a chance! Thanks Mike!

Man, what a good pick up! The crazy thing is that both coils are like that! Some lugs are touching, others are so close. I looked at the other smaller drop target coil and the lugs are a good 1/4 inch above the casing. How can that not short? Those coils and drop targets worked perfectly until I put the new targets in and put the box back on. That would certainly explain the spark and blown fuse when I touched those wires.

I am taking a drive to Marco tomorrow to pick up the coils and driver. I hope you can just go there and pick up things. I am going bring that coil and assembly with me and ask them about it. I hope the replacement coil has some room between the lug and case. Thanks for bringing that to my attention and I will follow up here to what I find out.

Hello all, Just an update. We are having monsoonal rains in SC and after speaking with them I decided not to drive to Marco. Called them and they were extremely helpful with coil diagnostics and helped me a lot in general. We determined that the R coil is bad and I was fortunate that he was able to find one to send me as they were out of stock. I was able to move both coils away from the casing to prevent sorting. That was definitely happening and probably caused this whole problem. Thanks so much Quench for picking that up!! Here is a pic of the adjusted coil.

Supposedly when we read across the lugs without the coil soldered it is supposed to read 9+. With the coil connected it is reading 5.6. The Left coil is fine.
The R coil was reading 0.5 so we determined the coil must be shorted so a new one is on the way along with a driver board.

This is what is perplexing! I removed and replaced the old diode on the bad coil think why not a new one coming. Now it is reading the same as the good one?? So I am thinking is is possible the diode was bad and I fixed the coil?

Back it goes on and POOF blown fuse. Curses.

Granted the coil might be bad but I was able to get it reading correctly with a new diode. My question is:

Could the Right coil be wired incorrectly?? So far everyone has said its correct but would you all take another good look here? Wouldn't that be something if it was wired wrong all the time and that is why it is shorting. Here is a close up of the R coil. The two 18G Orange/Brown wires are going to the left lug and the smaller 20G Brown/Gray are going to the R lug. Is that correct?

Here is also a pic of the L coil that seems to be fine. One Orange/Brown to the left lug and two smaller brown/gray to the right lug. This look ok?? I wish I could find a photo of a Genie showing these coils. You all have been incredible. Thanks for continuing to help me out and hope to get some feedback on this.

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Hi Mike, Here are the pics of the 2 coils before anything was any of them was unsoldered. Doesn't it show the 2 thicker wires on the opposite side of the Band? On both coils the band is on the right and the thicker wires to the left. On the L coil the thicker wire is on the left side of the coil and band on the right? On the R coil both thicker wires are again on the left lug and the diode band on the right? The wires do not even seem long enough to go the other way. Whatcha think? Thanks

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It is the R coil that is bad which is the second picture. I would have bought 2 but was lucky to get one as they were out of stock but I called and they found one to send which was fantastic of them to do. Lucky. I never had a problem with the first pic or L coil. I really hope this plus the new driver takes care of it. I won't get anything delivered until the day after Christmas but not bad. Fed Ex 2 day. I will certainly let you know who it works out. Thanks for all!

The Christmas Miracle has happened!!! At least so far. I called Fed Ex and they made sure it got on the truck for today! So I just have to pray that it is the coil and not some other quirky problem that's causing the short. I now have a new CPU and Driver as of today so as long as the coils is good so should the Genie be. I will know later while I am drinking my spiked eggnog! This has been quite the journey and story. What an ending to have it working on Christmas Eve!

I cannot believe it! I installed the new board and coil but the upper drop target coils will not energize!! New board new coil. The fuse is not blowing now so the coil is not shorted. Is there another fuse or something else to check. Help guys. I was so lucky to get the coil before Christmas and it still wont work.

I run a coil test and everything energizes except those 2 coils. Man this has been grueling.

I have tested all the lower fuses, the 2 Main 2a fuses and the one 2a under the playing field. All good. The one under the playing field was blowing with the old coil but not now. Why aren't these coils getting power??? I run the test watching them all pop. These nothing!

There are 7 switches, one for each drop target. It is not until all the targets are down that the coils energizes. Those switches came off when I replaced the drop targets. That would make sense that if one of those switches are not showing closed then the coil will not energize. correct?? I am checking those. I bet one of the wires is not soldered and the switch is OPEN. That has it be it!!!

Thanks Mike going to check those as well but the switches were moved all around when taking the box on and off a couple times. Mike you are awesome!! I cannot thank you enough.

The only thing with that is the coil will not fire during the test. I would not think those switches would keep the coil test from working?? Agree??

Mike I am afraid you have to draw me a map on that one. I don't know what those are.

Thanks Mike! Looks like I have some troubleshooting to do. I would be nowhere without your help.

Thanks Frunch and certainly Mike who had helped me so much. I will go through all these things in hopes of figuring it out. Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Merry Christmas Mike and to all. I am still hoping for a Christmas miracle before the company comes. So if there is anyone who can help this morning that would be fantastic.

I powered up the game, pressed a game to start. I do not get any readings on any of the coils even the lower drop target ones that do work so I must not be reading this right.

So its power on, game selected, red VM lead to the 22g wires on the left lug?? I assume they are the power wires. Do I touch the negative VM lead to the other side of the coil or to some ground on the table? I have not been able to get a reading anywhere.

The countdown is on and am reading and trying everything. Thanks for reaching out! I cannot tell you how much that means to me.

Just some more info. The game plays perfectly except for those coils and drop targets.

Where does the power come from to energize those coils? During a coil test the smaller drop target coils reads 12v when it fires. I guess that means I cannot read voltage on the ones not working as they do not fire.

Where is the voltage coming from to make those coils pop? They are CPU controlled coils. The smaller drop target ones work so the CPU/Driver is sending voltage to that coil but not the others. If I can trace where power comes from back towards the Driver/CPU maybe I can find the problem. The CPU and Driver are new. I have checked the pins and they look fine. Man I am worn out by this. Merry Christmas to all.

Here it is. Thanks frunch!!

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Man I am very happy and at the same time embarrassed I did not pick up on this earlier. There was a set screw in the drop target box that was impeding the coil from moving resetting the targets. I took the box apart and saw it. THE COILS WORK and targets reset!! I now have a game that plays BUT!!

The original post and problem I had with this was the game quitting at anytime regardless of where the ball was or where it hit. All the light remained the scores etc. it was just GAME OVER. I was sent a demo board from Ni-Wumpto see it if that fixed it. In the mean time the drop target problem arose.

Well now the game is playing, I am pumped the targets are working etc but it goes to TILT at anytime. This time instead of all the lights, PF etc staying lit, it goes dark with the TILT light lit. It seems to do it more when multiple players are selected. Again, mid game at anytime no matter what the ball hits. So it is quitting just like in the beginning but now it is a TILT. Now the game has a new Driver and CPU.

Slam switches are taken care of. I don't think the slam switches cause a tilt do they? Hey I am beyond thrilled the game is working so we can all play but it goes to Tilt often which is a PIA. Any ideas?? You all have been fantastic and hope your Christmas is awesome. Thanks so much!

Merry Christmas Mike!! I just posted an update. I feel like an idiot for not seeing this screw binding things but that problem is fixed, Now the Genie TILTS no matter what, no shake of the table, no coils energized just everything goes dark and the Tilt light is on. I am very excited at least PF is all good until it goes to TILT. Man it is always something!! Drives a man to day drink! Honey wheres that egg nog!!

This new Ni-Wumpf board has excellent testing and when I run it it says Slams 9!! Tilts 0 and oddly I do not know what this means R Coin door 5?? L Coin Door 0? I only use the coin door to add games and start games.

I soldered the coin door switch wires closed and the cage ball one I taped closed. Those are the only 2 that are supposed to be closed and the one under the PF is wide open Correct? If it is slamming what is causing it?? Make it a double baby!!

Gotcha will do. Unfortunately Christmas duties call at the moment so it might be a half hour or so before I can do it. In the meantime here is a pic of the one inside the cabinet taped shut and the wiring. Look right?? Thanks Mike!

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Mike!! You are a Pinball Genius!! I disconnected all the Slam switches and knock on my head as in wood (for not seeing that screw in the target box) the game has played fine no matter what I have thrown at it in 8 games. Single, 2 player, and 4 it has NOT TILTED!! This has been a Christmas Miracle for me! This morning nothing was going right. I had been dealing with this issue for weeks! Then with the help of you here, Ace at Ni-Wumpf, Marco, Fed Ex, It all came together and now it seems to be ok!!

So why with all the Slam switches open would it play?? Two are supposed to be closed right?? These machines are so perplexing and this goes against the logic of what I have read and heard. Can you explain why with the 3 switches open it does not Tilt??

I could not have made this happen without your help Mike and all the others here who chimed in. I cannot believe that it all worked out on Christmas Day (at least so far, fingers crossed with prayers)

I could not be happier and more relieved!! Company's coming and the GENIE is awesome!! Merry Christmas and thanks to ALL!!

Ho Ho Ho it still is going to Tilt. I played 10 games without an issue once opening all the slam switches. I thought it was going to be ok but it tilted the last 2 out of 3 games. Disappointed is an understatement but will have to keep plugging away to figure it out. I am back to Mike's recommendation to wire each one to see it that cures things. They are supposed to be closed so was scratching my head as to why it was playing with the switches out of the machine. Ant ideas besides the slam switches?? Thanks again to all.

It is driving me crazy! We play 2 or 3 games and life is grand then TILT!! No coil firing or pop bumpers hit. At anytime its Tlltsville. If it did this when one thing happened you could pinpoint it but it plays perfect for awhile then Poof. I know these games are old but I have this thing playing like it was in the beginning but then it just Tilts. Man I love the Genie and always wanted to own one. Now that I have one I think I need a real Genie to fix this thing for good. What is making it Tilt?? Will try to reconnect each slam switch tomorrow to see. Thanks to all.

Good Morning Mike! I hope you had an awesome Christmas! Well the company came and we played the Genie. It would play a few games then would TILT but at least the drop targets were working. It was not a total washout as we could play a few and of course just start new games but it sure is not fun when you have a good game going and she goes dark.

I am in the process of wiring back the switches one by one to see how that effects things and reached out to Ni-Wumpf to see how the slam switches affect their board. When I run a test it shows 15 Slams and 0 Tilts so you would think it is Slam related. Just weird that the game played with all the switches open.

So in a nutshell the coin door switch should be closed along with the cage ball switch. The pendulum should not touch the sides so is open. I put tape around the ball to keep it from making contact.

Where are the coin door coin switches lockout wires? I want to make sure I am looking for the right thing. That certainly would make sense as it tilts so intermittently, maybe something is touching.

Sorry this is driving you crazy too. I am ready for the psycho ward with all this. When this gets figured out then shes just about perfect. I will go to therapy and be able to return to a normal life Thanks again Mike I truly appreciate it.

Well well well. I found a broken pin on the edge connector from the CPU to the Driver. I looked at all the connectors before but did not see the pin dislodged inside. I ordered the extraction tool and a bunch of pins. I was trying to get the pin out with one of those eyeglass screw drivers without much luck. What is the trick to getting these pins out? I see a special crimping too for those connectors. Is that something you can buy locally? Thanks.

Awesome Mike!! I think the problem has been found.

Holy S&%t that Molex crimp tool is expensive. What are people using here for this repair? I can't imagine everyone purchasing that. Am I missing something??

I stand corrected, see one at Marco and am ordering it.

Mike, Is it possible to remove those pins using a small eyeglass screwdriver? Those pins are in tight and am wondering how the tool I bought works to get them out? Any trick to this? There is an extra pin in the connector for some reason with the wire cut. If I can remove that and the bad pin I can fix it now. This will be over one day!! I hope!!

Thanks everyone for all this. I ordered a tool from M

I will Mike, thanks for linking me to the Owners club. I ordered this from Marco: "Extractor Tool .156" crimp terminals" Are these connectors locked in with a locking tab on each side? If so how does this flat tool unlock it and why won't a tiny screwdriver do the same thing?

Got the pin out and now waiting on Fed Ex today to bring pins and tools. I was able to get it out with a tiny eyeglass screwdriver once I figured out how to unlock it. I really hope this will solve the tilt issues once and for all. It sure makes sense that it would be causing it. It was on the J6 edge connector going to the Driver.

As always thanks Mike for your help. What a great helping friend I have made here. What game or games do you own?

Thanks! That is fantastic info. I will pull that in a heartbeat to stop this. I will try that but am hoping this bad pin on J6 is causing it but wont know until tomorrow when Fed Ex comes a knockin! I see no reason why I should leave pin 12 in as I am not worried about tilts.

Mike what a great person you are, someone who goes all out to help someone like myself who needs it. You are a wealth of knowledge and have helped me so much with this. I hope the Good Lord answers your prayers and you get back to what you want.

Thanks! I will be checking that out shortly!

Unfortunately there is no pin 12 on that connector.

What a great helpful video! Thanks for taking the time to make that and to share it. I have been searching an searching ever since I bought the Genie for informative, "Draw me A Map" videos and that is the most thorough I have come across. In fact, I am still watching it but have to ask if this is the proper tool as there are a bunch. I bought 50 .156 connectors. Is this the proper tool? I want to do it right. Thanks again.

Hmmmmmmm?? My A1-J7 looks totally different and no pin 12. Different game? I thought all the System 1 wiring was the same.

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Man that's great! Just love hearing things like that. I wish I was around other pinball enthusiasts but hey I am here right??

Marco sort of let me down this time where they came through before Christmas. I was supposed to get the pins and extractor yesterday and it looks like it still has not been picked up even though I called yesterday and they insisted it would get out. Oh well. What I was able to do with the very smallest of screwdrivers is extract the bad pin. There was one in a slot with a cut wire ( I think the person put it in by mistake ) so I was able to get that pin out and solder it on. It is in there and snug and unfortunately the game tilts still. It is tilting like the game was quitting with the old board. Anywhere on the board it goes dark. The ball was draining down the middle last game not hitting anything and TILT!! Voltage spike maybe? I have read about that causing issues. What about the Tilt Relay?? And what's up with the A1-J7 connector wiring being different on mine? What the %$#@ is it???? Its enough to make a grown man cry, go gray, and day drink.

Maybe a pin issue somewhere even though they all look pretty good. I plan on replacing them all. In the video swampshroom posted he shows a crimping tool that you can get on Amazon for 22 bucks. There are a bunch of choices and want to get the right one. I think this one is correct as I the terminals are .156. Look like the right one?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4L8QMW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1

I pulled the the wire in pin 12 from L-R and it tilted first ball. It will play 3 or 4 games then tilt for no reason. So far neither wire on J6 or J7 seem to be causing it. Could a voltage spike cause it? These flippers are popping strong and I seem to notice that the lower ones are depressed many times when this happens but again I am grasping at straws. Of course I am depressing the flippers often as we all do when playing but do notice that they are depressed when it Tilts. The diagnostics calls it a Slam.

I have been working with Ni-Wumpf and he might even think he sent me a bad Demo board of all things. I keep hearing about these coin switch wires. Where are they? I have been all over the coin door looking at wiring. Is it perhaps out of sight?

The game is showing Slam Tilts but no Tilts when tested. They are both are Tilts so what is the difference? If a Slam switch is not causing it because the switches are bypassed then what could be causing the Slam to cause the Tilt? Why is it indicating Slams when the Slam switches are bypassed?

Ni-Wumpf said they fear that it is possible they sent a defective Demo board. Here is the strange thing Mike. The game was tilting every couple games. I opened up the coin door slam switch, wires disconnected and it has only tilted twice in 25 games!! This goes against logic right?? The ball cage switch is closed but the other wide open! It was tilting every few games with that switch closed. Since the CPU controls tilting I am thinking the Demo board might just be the culprit. Mike what do you make of this??

Yes!! I am back from the Psycho Ward due to Pinball Obsession/Disappointment Syndrome!! So much has happened since Christmas. Lets see....

Right before my company arrived for a couple days over New Years you were helping me figure out why the Genie was Slamming/Tilting etc. They came and we started playing for hours. I have never played the Genie consistently for that long. The drop targets were fixed, coils working and we just reset slams but played into the wee hours then this happened and you won't believe it. Man I have had bad luck.

After hours of play Bham the upper drop targets stopped working. We found the 2a fuse blew and found that the L coil got so hot it melted the solder and shorted out the coil to the casing. Twice the SAME L coil shorted to the casing!! I could not believe my eyes.

We started troubleshooting and found that the power to the coils now was continuous and the coils would lock up and quickly blow the fuse. I contacted Ni-Wumpf and they were convinced that the shorted coil damaged the NEW DRIVER I had just bought. Can you believe the luck.

My guests and I played the game for days with the drop target coils out so no upper targets but the game played perfectly and the Tilts became almost non existent!! Maybe 3 in 60+ games. During this time I took the coin door slam switch out so it was OPEN and it played without any real problems. This is the first time since I bought it that it did not Quit or Tilt constantly. Hmmmmm it played almost perfectly with the upper coils out completely?? Makes you wonder if something there or in the CPU/Driver controlling those coils was causing all my Quit?Tilt issues.

Again after the short there was continuous voltage to the coils and they would lock up. Besides a shorted driver (what he says happened) is there anything else that could all of a sudden cause the voltage to not let up on those coils? They are supposed to get power, energize, reset the targets, then the voltage drops off and the coil is at rest correct??

So I am in the process as I write this trying to figure out the best way to go. He is recommending I send in the 12 year old CPU to repair vs buying a new one. My question is: Is there an over all life expectancy of these boards? If so even though less expensive to repair vs buy new, I do not want to spend $$ to repair a old board that might fail again sometime soon. He is going to send me a Loaner Driver while he fixes that as I just bought it A WEEK AGO!! I also bought 2 new coils. Cha Ching Cha Ching. Visa, Its Everywhere You Want to Be!! I have spent a bundle on this game trying to get it right and will not give up until it is.

This madness is why I have not been here. All this has happened while I had company for a few days over New Years. So what do you think about all this? Can't wait to get your response!

The 2 big questions. Is there anything else besides the CPU/Driver that can cause constant voltage to those coils? And do I buy and new CPU vs a 12 year old repaired one?

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I hope life is good and as always, Thanks for your help!

Thanks Mike but the ball had already started rolling and I decided to get the new CPU as it has improvements over the old and figure it is an investment in the machine. I just hope this fixes it once and for all. Yeah interesting that Ni-Wumpf thinks the coil shorted the Driver when those are CPU controlled coils. Who am I to question them.

I had suspected all along that the 12 year old CPU had issues so I do not mind investing in a new one. What a crazy way to get started with pinball. The silver lining is that I have learned so much about the Gottlieb System 1 from dealing with all this. You have been a tremendous resource and help to me.

Great suggestion! It also evidently did not save the Boards from shorting out. That is what is surprising to me that the design would not save something as critical as that. Thanks!

I know huh?? 177 posts and this ain't over yet. First of all, thanks for the response, secondly you have to draw me a map on what you stated. On the lower drop coils I would read a voltage spike when the last target was dropped, the coil energized, targets up, then it would drop off. After the upper coil short the voltage was always there and the coils would lock up energized.

Ni-Wumpf totally believes the short caused the Driver to fail not the CPU/MPU. Can you explain further about the path to ground? This is the chain of events to the best of my knowledge of what happended:

Game played for hours fine. L upper drop target coil heats up to the point where solder melts onto the metal casing of course causing a big time short and blowing the 2a fuse. From there the coils would lock and fuse blows quickly once the short was eliminated. I mean red hot blow.

So AFTER the short was eliminated, was it the CPU, Driver, or coils causing the fuse to blow fast. Ni-Wumpf says the short killed the Driver as stated.

The game plays flawlessly with the CPU/Driver without the coils, I took them out. 2a fuse is in and lower drop targets play perfectly. So again, blown fuse comes from what? Coils, CPU, or Driver.

Hi Mike, hope life is good. You would think there would be some sort of better protection against a spike that can damage these expensive boards. How on earth do these machines survive in an arcade where kids abuse them when I can't keep one machine in my home from having catastrophic failures? I like the 1a vs 2a fuse idea to have some protection but is that even enough if you have a dead short.

The silver lining to all this craziness is that I have learned so much. I cannot wait to see what the boards show, which one shorted etc. That will tell us a lot about things.

Man my Genie definitely has gremlins and I cannot wait to put the new boards in. I played a couple games without the upper drop targets and now all of a sudden the 3rd player has a 1 in the display?? I tried playing 4 players to see what would happen when it got to player 3 and it played just fine but players 4's numbers were missing digits and was a mess.

What do you think would cause that? Just another example that the boards are bad or could it be a bad pin. Thanks as always and hope life is good on this Sunday.

Thanks for the response and suggestions. I always power off everything when I do any kind of work or connect/disconnect the boards. I have 2 new boards coming this week and hope it fixes all the gremlins. Crazy that something else seems to crop up almost daily.

I bought 50 pins and re-pinned one that I know was bad. I was asking about this tool to make sure I have the right crimp device for the .156 connectors. Here is the link. Is the the best one for the money?? Thanks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OMM4YUY/ref=emc_b_5_t

Hello all, well I am happy to report that my Genie seems to finally be playing like it should. No more shorted drop target coils, no more quitting or tilting. It has been a Looonnngggg road for sure and an agonizing one and could not have done it without you all especially Mike. Man very grateful to you buddy!

I cannot begin to describe the help I received from Ace at Ni-Wumpf. He has been with me every step of the way, answering all my emails, sending me Demo Boards to try, mailing everything 2 day Priority, you name it. The level of customer service from them is extraordinary not to mention their boards are fantastic! It can be tough as we all know to get good information at times especially when your new to this. Thanks to ALL who helped me.

In the end I replaced the CPU and Driver with a Ni-Wumpf boards, 2 new coils and replaced 3 pins on A1-J6. Pins 1 Ground, 2 Slam, and 3 Return. The game is fantastic now. Here is a photo of my Genie you all helped me get right. Besides a faded back glass which is in pretty good shape otherwise it is playing great. I hope life is good for all.

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I played the Genie back in the early 80's and loved it and always said I would buy one when the time is right. Love it even more now that its playing right. Chris, any idea why the lower Extra Ball might not register? It lights up and the switch definitely makes contact but it stays lit with no Extra Ball. It was fine awhile ago but when I put the new boards in it stopped working. Thanks.

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