Welcome to the club! Yes, most of the the Gorgar solenoids are on one fuse and most likely your problem. While you are at it, you should pull each fuse and check the correct type (fast blow versus slow blow) and value is installed in each location. You can verify the values that are supposed to be in each spot by looking at the cards in the backbox or by downloading the manual on IPDB http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1062

While you are checking fuses, check the main fuse that is along the left side of the inside cabinet. Make sure the machine is unplugged when checking this one as some power cords are wired up incorrectly and can result in live 120V being present at this fuse, even if the machine is turned off.

It is possible the the slow blow fuse for the solenoids was weak and blew, it is also possible that a problem caused one of the solenoids to lock on. Once you replace the fuse, pay careful attention to the machine when you first turn it on.

Fuses can be found at your local Radio Shack if you still have them. Also some auto parts stores should have them. There are several online retailers that we can point you to if you can't find something.

The reason your machine is starting with 1496 is that the battery backup for the memory is not working. This can be caused by missing batteries, defective/corroded battery holder or less likely a bad memory chip or associated circuitry. In any event, you should install a remote battery holder to protect your boards from battery acid damage in the future. If the existing battery socket is ok, you can get plug in remote battery holders. If your existing battery holder is missing or in rough shape, you can solder one in if you are comfortable soldering.

Anyone know where to get replacement flipper bats for the stock mechanism? None of the usual vendors have them.

Alternatively, anyone know how to retrofit the flipper mech (without replacing the whole thing with a modern flipper mech) to use standard flipper bats? I wonder if you can replace the crank with one of the modern cranks that clamps down on the flipper bat shaft instead of the stock one with the set screws.

Does anyone have scans of the Gorgar drop target decals they can send me? If so, please PM me.

I know I can buy them but I have access to high quality decal printer and would rather make my own.

Mayfair has original or repro backglass? I believe the ones PPS sells are repros but would like an original for mine if they are available.

I use 91% Isopropal alcohol with magic eraser, works great and hasn't stained anything on the several playfields I have done. Cleaning is key, make sure you are constantly cleaning away the residue and do not let it dry or you will have to hit it again with the magic eraser to loosen the residue. Agree with the others that you need to be careful or you will "erase" through the paint. It is likely you will not be able to get all the ball swirls out of those legs and yellow areas before cutting too deep into the paint.

After ME, I polish with Novus 2 then wax.

I would be concerned the water in glass cleaner could contribute to planking. This is why 91% isopropal is suggested by people.

Are you talking about the 2 lights behind the pit magnet area or the green playfield inserts leading up to the pit?

If its the lights behind the pit that flash when you hit the pit, those are 89 flashers. They are triggered by a solenoid transistor. If someone installed LED flashers, they will stay lit all the time unless you remove or disconnect the warming resistor (what nocreditdot pointed out). If there are standard bulbs in the sockets, you may have a wiring problem or a shorted driver transistor or pre-driver.

Certainly - The pit lights are Solenoid 6 which is driven by transistor Q25.

You can download the manuals from IPDB - http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1062

Some great docs on this site of the System 6 board set that will make it easy to find Q25. These docs were made for Firepower but the boards are the same (except ROM and jumper information): http://www.firepowerpinball.com/

Firepowerpinball.com has some great documents for System 6 games, one of which is a rendering of the boards with all their component locations. Not much changed on the driver board over the years so these docs can be used for most Williams games of that era. Here is a link to the driver board doc http://www.firepowerpinball.com/downloads/DriverBoard.pdf

Q17 is the second from the edge below the flipper relay.

dupe

You can use a 1N4004. If you need to buy some, I would get the 1N4007 since it handles much higher voltage and usually costs the same as the 1N4004.

This can happen with stock boards too. Fix for me was to clean the contact points and gap the start button switch fairly close (like 1/16").

Best way to isolate something like this is with a logic probe. Do you have one?

Since IC15 and IC16 are socketed, try swapping them to see if the problem row moves. If Row 4 (I believe) is now not working, replace the bad 14049. If Row 8 is still out, suspect the socket (carefully inspect pins 9 and 10 on IC 16). If that looks good, suspect the PIA IC11.

Set your logic probe to CMOS, connect it to the 5V supply (can use test points on the CPU and driver board) and probe Row 8 components. Start with IC16 pin 9 and 10. These are the input and output of the Row 8 buffer/inverter. Probe them with a row 8 switch closed. Compare to the signal you see when a switch is not closed. You should see a signal on the input (pin 9) and the opposite signal on the output (pin 10). If you have nothing on the input, you have a wiring problem. If you see nothing on the output, IC16 is bad. If you have signal on the output (pin 10), IC11 is bad.

Sound reasonable to me! Can you replace IC11 yourself? Don't forget to install a socket to make replacing IC11 easier for the next guy.

Well, if you are coming to the northern Atlanta area anytime soon, you are welcome to stop by and I can replace it for you!

+1 Agreed - Normal

Mine was very easy to get to register with solid hits or barely glancing blows.

I don't remember there being a capacitor on the pit switch on mine. I thought it was simply a switch in the switch matrix.

Thorough cleaning of the switch contacts, adjusting it really tight and cleaning/polishing the plunger mechanism is all it should take. The plunger needs to move effortlessly without binding.

Those are resistors in that picture. They are the warming resistors for the flash lamps. FYI, if you ever want to install a LED flasher in the pit, you need to remove the "light blue", larger resistor or else the LED will stay lit all the time.

You will have to let Travish or someone else point it out to you. Mine didn't have a capacitor on the pit switch.

Remove the plastic above the pit area and look at the switch that is behind the pit switch above the playfield.

Cool! The warming resistor is there to warm up the incandescent filament to make the bulb flash brighter and last longer. It will still flash without it. As you said, no need to replace it if you are installing LED flashers!

Well, since you have it apart, clean the contacts on the switch, clean the plunger and mounting bracket to ensure it operates smoothly and adjust the contact points so the leaf closest to the plunger is just touching the plunger and the other contact is gaped really tight (1/16 of an inch or so).

I think it is just a natural part of the game and the technology used in that era. My game did the same, fast hits sometimes escaped the magnet. Since they used the switch matrix for the Pit switch, the CPU has to recognize the hit, then turn on the solenoid. It seems this takes too long for fast hits in this situation.

It is also why the slings and pops don't work the same way. The switches directly (not in the switch matrix) turn on the solenoid transistor on those eliminating the relatively long switch matrix/CPU processing time. This also nessecitates dual switches on those items, one to activate them (not in the switch matrix) and one to score the hit (this one is in the switch matrix).

Couple things:

Reflow solder on the sound board header pins (all of them).

Check the balance pot on the voice card. Move it from limit to limit several times and settle it somewhere in the middle.

If you can solder a new volume pot in, you can reflow solder on the header pins. All you do is heat up each pin and add a little fresh solder. I usually try and make sure the header pin is hot enough to melt solder by putting the new solder on the header pin.

Awesome! Congrats on the fix!

Jam a toothpick with some wood glue into the PF hole and break it off flush with the PF, reinstall the screw. This should tighten it up.

Sound board CPU or ROM sockets.

Cold solder joint on sound card or driver board.

Bad wiring connector on sound card or driver board.

The 330 ohm is whats called the warming resistor - it keeps the bulb element warm so it flashes sharper and the element lasts longer.

The smaller resistor is in series with the lamp to limit the current through the bulb.

Both lamp sockets are in series too. Meaning you need to populate both sockets and they both need to make good connection with the lamps or nothing will work.

With the warming resistor in place, the LED should be lit all the time (assuming the sockets are wired up properly). Since they don't light all the time with the warming resistor in place, look at your sockets and wiring.

Once you get that resolved, cut the larger resistor out to get the LEDs to turn off and light only when the solenoid fires.

Hard to say what the real issue is but I can tell you the reason the sound kept playing is the sound board has it's own power supply.

With LEDs, polarization is important. Some sockets on these older games have been know to be wired backwards. Doesn't matter for incandescent bulbs but does for LEDs.

Positive side of the circuit needs to be wired to the tip of the socket, negative side wired to the outer part of the socket. For the wire between the sockets, one end will be wired to the tip and the other end to the outer part.

The RAM chips you removed are for the CPU to run the program, NOT where the settings are stored. Those RAMs are 6810 RAM and not the cause of the 1496 message which is not really an error message, it is the game number (tells you what ROMS are running on the CPU) and indicate that the settings and audits have been lost. This usually happens when the batteries die or in rare instances, when the CMOS RAM chip has gone bad.

The RAM that stores the settings and audits is the 5101 chip directly to the right of the RAM chips your removed and socketed. Since you replaced the battery holder, make sure that is all working by measuring the battery voltage at pin 22 on the 5101 with the game off. You should see around 4 volts there. If you don't, check your battery holder connections. Make sure the wires go through the board at the pads where you soldered the remote battery holder wires to the board. If there isn't connectivity through the board at those places, you can run into problems like you are seeing.