Take a look at this video. You should be able to identify the FS relay from it. Good luck!

The FS relay is the most despicable device known to man.

It is the little mini stepper that goes round and round when you hit the spinner. There is a cam on top of it and a switch that rides on this cam. Per your schematic, that needs to go up/down and open one side of the make/break switch and close the other with each run up and down the cam.

It could be boogered up mechanically or no contacting. I'm voting on mechanically boogered.

Here is a picture of the misereable switch that is likely giving you a fit. It isn't in the video.

volleyteardown 011.jpg

volleyteardown 012.jpg

OK. I take that back. After reading the schematic, the FS is the one for your match lights. It should be in the back box. The other FS "type" relay is for the spinner. I have a Ship Ahoy, and there is no match so only one spinning relay.

It is still the most miserable device known to man though. And your game has two. I'm just sayin'

Also, on some games, these can be unplugged. Lets hope yours is still there. The only thing worse than having an FS relay is not having one if you need it.

that. maybe.

Look in the back box for a set of two jones plug receptacles that are empty. Here they are plugged in, but this is what you are looking for. If those are empty, you need to go get an FS relay. Not sure where. PGR is a guess.

SkyJump (4).JPG

You DID look in the backbox, right?

The FS mini-stepper is indeed what alternates the left/right Special lights. But it's not the wiper blades, it's the switch blade that rides on the black plastic cam that opens/closes that changes the lights.

But here's the kicker: the schematic says that FS only steps during game reset while the score reels are being reset. It's fed from the switch on AX that controls the 100's reel reset, but would be pulsed whenever the score motor switch 1A is pulsed to complete all the score reel resets. The result would be that once reset is complete, the Match number is cast, and FS shouldn't move again.

However, I know from having owned the game that the 10 and 11 Specials do alternate, so I'm going to conclude that there's an error on the schematic (or at least the one I have), and that the line should have been drawn to the 100's scoring path instead of the reset path. I would then expect FS to step whenever 100 points are scored.

I no longer have the game though, so I can't confirm.

Those parts of the schematic don't show the FS coil path though (the FS coil is shown right about the 100's score reel coil, lower down on the schematic).

With those two wires off, the 'common' trace on the boards are disconnected, and Match won't work. But those don't affect the Special lights. That's the switch blade behind the one board, which rides up and down on the black plastic cam.

After re-installation, see if the solenoid ever moves. (my guess is no).

Snap pictures of the FS area of the schematic and post for a bunch of help, if you would like.

My read of the schematic is still that FS will only step during game reset. But my recollection of playing Buccaneer is that the Special will alternate. At the moment, I can't reconcile the two.

Anyone have a working Buccaneer who could confirm what the behavior actually is?

The Special lights do alternate side to side. I will play with it later and advise what scoring triggers it to alternate.

Special alternates sides with 100 point hits. Cant pick up the pattern but it is usually two hits on the 100. Sometimes just one, a couple times it was three hits to change it.

Note... My game is set to 5 balls ... Not sure if that has any bearing on it.

Thanks for checking!

I think that suggests a couple things then. First, the schematic probably should have the line drawn from FS down to the scoring path to the 100's coil instead of the reset path. And second, I think the FS stepper on your Buccaneer may need some attention, Chum.
(It should alternate with each step.)

I must be dense. I don't see the FS relay on those schematics?

It's between the "Ten's Unit" and "Hundred's Unit" coils, shifted to the right a bit.

Thanks, Dirt

OK, so my read on that schematic is that IF the M relay pulls in AND the 100s runout switch is closed, THEN the FS will step. (Even if the AX is open)

In other words, once per revolution of the 100s reel.

Ah, of course! Bit by the back track drawing trace again.

So FS should step as long as the 100's reel isn't on 0, and the 100's reel steps. Then the special lights should alternate each time, unless the 100's reel is stepping from 0 to 1.

(Gotta get more coffee...)

Nine times per full rev though, right? The runout switch will be closed as long as the reel isn't on 0.

Whoops. 9 times/rev, not once.

That makes more sense. Especially when a match is involved, they liked to pseudo randomize it. I suppose just setting in on reset, fed through the A relay might do it, but if you were good, you might count it. People did crazy stuff to get a free game. I think I remember somebody having a calculator or something. I can't believe it worked though.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dangerous-dann-franks-match-predictor

Very interesting. I also think it is total BS. I like the disclaimer - "if it isn't accurate, the machine is wrong. "

FS will activate with either:
- AX active and a switch at motor position 1A (which will only occur during game reset); or
- M active and the 100s score reel not on zero (which will cause the 100s reel 'runout' switch to be closed). This path is only used when 100 points are being scored, and the score reel isn't transitioning from 0 to 1.

3 or 5 ball setting doesn't affect this.

On the Gottlieb schematics, only the lines that intersect with the black dot share the logic path; lines that only cross but don't have the black dot are not on the same logic path (they're just drawn that way for convenience in routing the drawing).

Don't post the complete schematic; the copyright is still enforced by Gottlieb, LLC (if that's what you meant by "complete clear pic", otherwise never mind).

Meter is good. Need to get from the coil to the jones plug, the jones plug to the runout switch, runout switch to the M relay, etc. If it works during game reset, but not by scoring 100 pts, then that's a very helpful isolation observation.

Nope, just the colors.

With the FS jones plugs disconnected (to open the path), do you get continuity across the FS coil lugs? If so, check the ohms reading. If not, then there's an open at the coil itself (which means it won't work).

Should be able to solder that back on OK, rather than replace.

Did you solder back on the other to wires to the '0' lugs?

One board of that FS mini stepper is for the match lights, and the other board is for the actual match function. And as you've seen there on the schematic, there's a make/break switch on R that needs to be closed for them to light at all. R should activate and stay activated after starting a game.

So could be the switch at R, or the wiper blade/board on FS.

(R is located on the score motor board.)

No, actually R needs to be energized for the Match lights to work. The schematic (as drawn) represents the state of the game following reset and ball 1 sitting at the plunger, and the game powered off (kind of an odd convention they followed). So that make/break switch shown on the schematic going to the Match lights will be in the opposite state when the game is on following a reset. When the game is first powered on, but before starting a game, R has not yet energized so the Game Over and pirate flag lights are the only things on.

But since the R relay is on the score motor board and the match lights are in the backbox, there's a jones plug connection the signal has to pass through, which means there could be an open/dirty contact there as well to check.