Hello,
Still new to working on pinball machines (guess I better get used to it.) The ramp to the island on my machine will not go down. Only if I assist it. To me the solenoid seems weak. Comes up just fine and you can really feel the difference in solenoid strength.

My guess is the solenoid is bad/dying. Although I wanted to check opinions before I start ordering parts. When you move the ramp arm manually going down, there is a small hang up. But feels fairly smooth going up. I can't see anything in the moving parts that appears to be hanging. Guess it's inside the solenoid.

Thoughts?

#2 3 years ago

LTG

Pinside member

Hopkins, MN

12y 191K 56,966 24 7

Weak connection from driver board to coil lugs. Check all connectors and solder joints along the way.

LTG : )

#3 3 years ago

CSW

Liqwde

Inactive member

Huntsville, AL

7y 19,900 16 3

I'll be sure to check that tonight. I guess I can get a reading off the other solenoid and compare the 2.
I'll let you know.

#4 3 years ago

?Z?

phishrace

Pinside member

Unknown

12y 46,900 4,913

Coils (AKA solenoids) rarely go bad. Just a long piece of insulated wire wrapped around a plastic bobbin. If the ramp is binding as it goes down, it's likely not a coil. If you don't have a manual, you can download one at the link below. Look at the diagram in the manual, then inspect your ramp and see if you can see where it's binding.

https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1004

The ramp actually has two coils. An up coil and a down coil. Page two of the manual shows part numbers for both coils. Google pinball coil resistance chart to see what resistance each coil should be. Then test each coil (with game powered off) across the two lugs to see if you get the correct readings (within .2 or .3 ohms of specs).

#5 3 years ago

FIZ

King-Agricola

Pinside+ Frequent

O'fallon, MO

5y 47,400 36 6

I am having the same problem. HOWEVER, my issue is the ramp doesn’t go or down. Even in test mode, the ramp will not activate. I have check the wires and they all are connected properly. This issue just happened, today, during game play, where the ramp just stopped working. I’m not sure what to check as it was perfect the previous games played prior. Any ideas?

#6 3 years ago

CSW

Liqwde

Inactive member

Huntsville, AL

7y 19,900 16 3

From what I've learned. It sound like electrical. Loose connection. Wires or board

#7 3 years ago

CSW

Liqwde

Inactive member

Huntsville, AL

7y 19,900 16 3

Quoted from LTG:
Weak connection from driver board to coil lugs. Check all connectors and solder joints along the way.
LTG : )

Quoted from phishrace:
Coils (AKA solenoids) rarely go bad. Just a long piece of insulated wire wrapped around a plastic bobbin. If the ramp is binding as it goes down, it's likely not a coil. If you don't have a manual, you can download one at the link below. Look at the diagram in the manual, then inspect your ramp and see if you can see where it's binding.
https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1004
The ramp actually has two coils. An up coil and a down coil. Page two of the manual shows part numbers for both coils. Google pinball coil resistance chart to see what resistance each coil should be. Then test each coil (with game powered off) across the two lugs to see if you get the correct readings (within .2 or .3 ohms of specs).

Thanks for the assist. I had my brain turned backwards I guess. The front pushing the ramp up. The back is actually a stop to prevent the ramp from dropping on its own. The mechanical connect was dirty preventing the ramp from dropping. Little IPA and a few minutes has everything clinking and clanking to the sound of smooth operation. Thanks again for trying to help!

1 month later

#8 3 years ago

FIZ

King-Agricola

Pinside+ Frequent

O'fallon, MO

5y 47,400 36 6

I finally got it fixed. It was a fuse problem. Fuse #103

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