The cards in the backbox are the indicators for the SPIN function. Only one of these cards should ever be lit at a time, and there should always be one lit.

There should be a mini-stepper relay in the head, called the SPIN RELAY. There is one disc and wiper on the spin relay that selects one of the cards on the backbox to light up. When the SPIN feature is activated, the spin relay is stepped several times by a pulse-generating SPIN UNIT stepper mounted on the bottom board. This makes the lamps for the cards on the backbox "spin" as they light up one after another quickly in rotation. When the pulses stop, the one randomly selected (lit) card that is showing on the backglass is spotted.

If you aren't seeing any cards light up on the backbox, the spin relay itself may be missing. The spin relay is mounted just below the replay unit, as shown in this picture from IPDB:

http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2288&picno=66171&zoom=1

If the spin relay is there, but no cards light up on the backbox, check the disc and wiper on the spin relay to see if they need cleaning.

And of course, check that the lamps and the lamp sockets for the card lights are OK.

- TimMe

On the bottom board, to the right of the score motor, is the spin unit. This is a stepper with a small rectangular metal spinner and a bakelite finger attached to the stepper gear shaft. The finger is positioned such that it can flick the spinner and make it spin.

The spin unit steps up several times to wind up its torsion return spring. When the spin function is activated, the reset coil of the spin unit stepper is energized, releasing the gear and allowing the torsion spring to snap the finger back to the reset position. As the finger snaps back, it flicks the spinner and makes it spin. A switch attached to the metal spinner pulses the spin pulse relay.

The spin pulse relay pulses the spin relay and also sends current to a small time-delay module consisting of a diode and a capacitor. This delay module is used to hold in the spin delay relay while the spin pulses occur. Each pulse from the spinner, in addition to stepping the spin relay, re-charges the capacitor, which keeps the delay relay pulled in. As long as the pulses occur fast enough, the capacitor stays charged and the delay relay stays in. When the pace of pulses from the spinner slows down enough, the capacitor discharges and the delay relay drops out. This causes the selected card to be spotted and also terminates the spin function.

Here is a picture from IPDB showing both the spin unit to the right of the score motor, and the delay module located just behind the left side of the spin unit:

http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2288&picno=34453&zoom=1

As for cleaning lamp sockets, the best thing to use for playfield sockets is a #443 wire brush attached to a Dremel tool running at medium speed. Push the brush directly against the center contact down inside the socket for a second or two, and then run the side of the brush around the inside of the socket in the area above the center contact for another second or two. Don't push the brush down into the socket between the side-wall and the center contact, as this will put undue stress on the central rivet holding the socket assembly together.

For lamp sockets in the head, you can use also use the #443 brush, but be aware that the center contact is a spring rather than a metal post.

- TimMe

If the spin light goes all the way around and lights each card at least one time, then the spin function is working to factory spec. If not, then either the delay module is not working or the spin unit needs adjustment.

The main reason a delay module fails is a bad capacitor. It's fairly easy to tell if this is happening. With the playfield up, actuate the spin function and watch the little metal spinner. If the spin delay relay drops out and stops the spin function while the spinner is still going fairly fast, then the delay module is bad and you need to replace the capacitor and/or the diode on the module.

If the delay module seems to be OK, then the main reasons for a short spin are:

1. The little metal spinner has too much friction on it. This is usually due to the spinner axle not being lubricated, or the pulse switch blades are out of adjustment and are putting too much back-pressure on the spinner.

2. The little metal spinner is not stopping in a mostly vertical position so that the bakelite finger can give it a solid hit. This is usually due to either the pulse switch blades being out of adjustment, or the wire axle on the spinner itself being bent. NOTE: If you attempt to bend the wire axle on the spinner, be careful as it is easy to break the wire if you apply too much force.

3. The bakelite finger is not stepping up far enough to give the spinner a good hit when the unit resets. This is usually due to the bakelite finger being set in the wrong position.

- TimMe