(Topic ID: 47916)

Last Action Hero Coil problem

By Kcpinballfan

10 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 21 posts
  • 3 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by RudeDogg1
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

You

Linked Games

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

IMG_20130420_170157.jpg

#1 10 years ago

I was playing lah and mid-game during multiball the ball launch stopped working so I ran a coil test and the coil didn't work during the test. What should I do now? Replace the coil or replace the transistor that drives the coil? Everything else is functioning properly. This is where I always get stumped in the troubleshooting process is where to start? Thanks for any help provided.

#2 10 years ago

Fuse good ? ( pull and check with a meter ) broken wires at coil ?

You could always ground the tab of the transistor and see if it fires or not. If not then you have a break from transistor legs up to and including coil.

LTG : )

#3 10 years ago

how do you test if the break is in the cable between a connector and coil?

#4 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Fuse good ? ( pull and check with a meter ) broken wires at coil ?
You could always ground the tab of the transistor and see if it fires or not. If not then you have a break from transistor legs up to and including coil.
LTG : )

I'll have to check the fuse but I thought this fuse ran more than just this one coil? How do I go about grounding the transistor to see if it fires?

#5 10 years ago
Quoted from RudeDogg1:

how do you test if the break is in the cable between a connector and coil?

Take a DMM, put one probe on one end of the wire, put the other probe on the other end. Sett meter to ohms - what does the meter say ? Just put two probes together - what does the meter say ? Should be the same reading if there is continuity of the wire from one point to another.

LTG : )

#6 10 years ago
Quoted from Kcpinballfan:

How do I go about grounding the transistor to see if it fires?

Figure out what transistor fires it, there will be a metal tab near it's top. turn the game on. With a wire touch the metal tab with one end of the wire, and briefly touch the other end to ground. See if that fires it.

LTG : )

#7 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Figure out what transistor fires it, there will be a metal tab near it's top. turn the game on. With a wire touch the metal tab with one end of the wire, and briefly touch the other end to ground. See if that fires it.
LTG : )

Oh I see, I know the metal tab you're talking about. It's showing two transistors in the line a TIP 122 and a TIP 36C I assume the 36C is the one that fires it?

#8 10 years ago

Try them both.

LTG : )

#9 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Try them both.
LTG : )

Will do thanks Lloyd

#10 10 years ago

Well I figured out the problem. The plastic part of the coil has a slight crack in it next to where the wire on one side attaches, I bent the wire slightly and it started working. Any suggestion on salvaging the coil since it works?

#11 10 years ago
Quoted from Kcpinballfan:

Well I figured out the problem. The plastic part of the coil has a slight crack in it next to where the wire on one side attaches, I bent the wire slightly and it started working. Any suggestion on salvaging the coil since it works?

Solder the wire together. From your description it sounds like it is broken.

LTG : )

#12 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Take a DMM, put one probe on one end of the wire, put the other probe on the other end. Sett meter to ohms - what does the meter say ? Just put two probes together - what does the meter say ? Should be the same reading if there is continuity of the wire from one point to another.
LTG : )

cheers fella got continuity on both connectors (even tho one connector isnt wired the same as in the manual). Looks like a new transistor then?

#13 10 years ago
Quoted from RudeDogg1:

cheers fella got continuity on both connectors (even tho one connector isnt wired the same as in the manual). Looks like a new transistor then?

Did you ground the transistor tab and did it then fire ? If so new transistor is next.

LTG : )

#14 10 years ago

Solder the wire together. From your description it sounds like it is broken.
LTG : )

I'll try it, couldn't hurt. The plastic is cracked on that coil though and I'm not sure if it's playing a part in it not working? I took a pic but I'm not sure if you can see the crack. I'd like to fix it without having to buy a new coil.

IMG_20130420_170157.jpgIMG_20130420_170157.jpg

#15 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

Did you ground the transistor tab and did it then fire ? If so new transistor is next.
LTG : )

it didnt fire, i got it to fire earlier by grounding the coil but it wont do it from the transistor

#16 10 years ago
Quoted from RudeDogg1:

it didnt fire, i got it to fire earlier by grounding the coil but it wont do it from the transistor

Sounds like a bad transistor

#17 10 years ago

same results for my knocker, are they easy to replace? i have a desoldering station ect? (sorry i highjacked kc)

#18 10 years ago
Quoted from Kcpinballfan:

I'll try it, couldn't hurt. The plastic is cracked on that coil though and I'm not sure if it's playing a part in it not working? I took a pic but I'm not sure if you can see the crack. I'd like to fix it without having to buy a new coil.

The problem is the thin wire off the coil to the lug and big wire - you need to clean the thin wire very good and be sure you have a good solder joint between it and the big wire.

Then use black tape to hold in place and you are good to go.

LTG : )

#19 10 years ago
Quoted from RudeDogg1:

same results for my knocker, are they easy to replace? i have a desoldering station ect? (sorry i highjacked kc)

No worries, my issue is pretty much resolved. Yes transistors are pretty easy to replace. If you've never done any soldering before it may be hard for you but with a bit of practice its easy. Snip the leads off the transistor on the board use a solder sucker and soldering iron to remove the old solder and old leads out of the holes. Be careful of the heat from the soldering iron when installing the new transistor and the board, do quick work to avoid burning up the new transistor and to stop from lifting the board traces. To control heat slide the new transistor in the holes on the board then take an alligator clip and clamp it across the transistor leads on the component side.

#20 10 years ago
Quoted from LTG:

The problem is the thin wire off the coil to the lug and big wire - you need to clean the thin wire very good and be sure you have a good solder joint between it and the big wire.
Then use black tape to hold in place and you are good to go.
LTG : )

Oh I see what you're saying the copper wire of the coil is probably the culprit. I'll solder these up, thanks for the help there Lloyd.

#21 10 years ago

cheers ive got a desoldering station so a lil easier than a solder sucker

Promoted items from the Pinside Marketplace
$ 5.00
Playfield - Protection
UpKick Pinball
Protection
$ 78.50
$ 10.00
Playfield - Protection
UpKick Pinball
Protection
$ 39.00
Cabinet - Other
Arcade Upkeep
Other
From: $ 209.00

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/last-action-hero-coil-problem and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.