Broomfield, CO
Simply gorgeous.
(Topic ID: 157954)
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Mata Hari
Bally, 1978-
Mata Hari EM
Bally, 1977
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Can someone please provide a part number for the correct slingshot switches (two on each side).
I believe the switches found in my project machine are not correct. Thank you in advance.
WP
Quoted from WhiskeyPinball:Can someone please provide a part number for the correct slingshot switches (two on each side).
I believe the switches found in my project machine are not correct. Thank you in advance.
WP
AS-2911-23
Bally Sling Switches (resized).jpgMH Switches and Solenoids (resized).jpgFunny even on the drawings it shows the switch contact points not facing each other. Practically every single switch on my Mata Hari was backwards. Must be a Bally thing.
Quoted from phillyfan64:Funny even on the drawings it shows the switch contact points not facing each other. Practically every single switch on my Mata Hari was backwards. Must be a Bally thing.
And stern and Williams.
Awesome. Thank you gents.
why would the factory (Bally, Williams, etc.) have the contact points not facing each other? Human error, laziness, or designed that way?
Quoted from WhiskeyPinball:Awesome. Thank you gents.
why would the factory (Bally, Williams, etc.) have the contact points not facing each other? Human error, laziness, or designed that way?
My guess is error and laziness. I can’t see any reason they would be designed that way.
Quoted from phillyfan64:My guess is error and laziness. I can’t see any reason they would be designed that way.
I noticed this same error on a few switch contacts on my EM MH as well; weird.
Quoted from WhiskeyPinball:why would the factory (Bally, Williams, etc.) have the contact points not facing each other? Human error, laziness, or designed that way?
Bally, Stern and Williams all had switches with one contact reversed, images from some of the parts catalog and some discussion below. Suffice to say all three manufacturers doing this can't be lazy or an error, it must be by design.
4 weeks later
Quoted from oilspot:I'm in! Just got it home after having to drill the locks to load it. Totally unknown condition. Totally dead. Replaced the line plug and voila! It booted and it plays!
[quoted image]
What’s that crossword game with it? Flipperless or a bingo?
Quoted from Quench:Bally, Stern and Williams all had switches with one contact reversed, images from some of the parts catalog and some discussion below. Suffice to say all three manufacturers doing this can't be lazy or an error, it must be by design.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/price-check-1980-sterns-quicksilver-stargazer-seawitch/page/77#post-5862714
True. Note: the contacts are flat cut heads... not round headed as later design have.
Quoted from mrm_4:What’s that crossword game with it? Flipperless or a bingo?
'59 Williams Crossword. Some hacks need to be undone and a badly burnt stepper coil, but the PF and BG are IMMACULATE. Regular flipper game with no outlanes and NINE gobble holes in the middle.
So I got it booted and playing for a bit, then all hell broke loose.... Left target bank stopped resetting, burned up a trace on the driver board, lower left pop stuck on but I got it shut down before the coil was damaged. Repaired board trace and now it blows the solenoid fuse on power up immediately. And the line fuse shortly after. I suspect the connections between the mpu and driver boards are flaky causing some of this? The diode on the bank reset coil failed short? Going to start checking today.
Quoted from oilspot:So I got it booted and playing for a bit, then all hell broke loose.... Left target bank stopped resetting, burned up a trace on the driver board, lower left pop stuck on but I got it shut down before the coil was damaged. Repaired board trace and now it blows the solenoid fuse on power up immediately. And the line fuse shortly after. I suspect the connections between the mpu and driver boards are flaky causing some of this? The diode on the bank reset coil failed short? Going to start checking today.
Ugh, sorry to hear. I had a similar issue when I got mine. Played well, and then bam!, smoke started billowing from the vent in the backbox. I never did find out what caused mine, but after a thorough repair and restoration, problem resolved. I did end up replacing all of the board connectors and completely rebuilt the power supply. Took some time, but been kicking for years now. Good luck with the repair. It's a great game!
3 weeks later
Quoted from pinwiztom:I wonder if Brian S., still has all of these?[quoted image]
Holy crap - talk about rare EMs. EK, BJ, and x3 MH.
Quoted from eagle18:How old is that pic? Whose Brian S?
He's sold at least one and probably two shown in that photo. Brian S. from Illinois, great dude!
Quoted from pinwiztom:Brain S. is a total Bally pin collector freak and last I heard he owned at least one of every flipper Bally made, with exception of one or two of the rarer pins.
Maybe Six Shooter or Six Sticks and/or Bullseye.
Last time I talked to him he was shy only one title... def. not Six Sticks... IIRC it's one with less than a handful of copies produced.
1 week later
Started gutting my MH cabinet this weekend to get ready for some wood repair and repainting with a Pinball Pimp stencil. Does anyone have a picture of what was secured with these staples? I'm assuming it's some sort or paper or cardboard cover that goes over the power toggle switch assembly? I'd like to see if I can recreate it when it comes time to put everything back together. Thanx...
IMG_9328a (resized).jpgQuoted from Mathazar:Started gutting my MH cabinet this weekend to get ready for some wood repair and repainting with a Pinball Pimp stencil. Does anyone have a picture of what was secured with these staples? I'm assuming it's some sort or paper or cardboard cover that goes over the power toggle switch assembly? I'd like to see if I can recreate it when it comes time to put everything back together. Thanx...[quoted image]
Here you go my man!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/i-thought-she-was-a-dirty-girl-before-i-stripped-her-down/page/3#post-4796291
Thanx, @mrm_4! I knew I saw it somewhere before....I even have your dirty girl thread bookmarked. Going to go thru it again now and get ideas for my cab rebuild. 
2 months later
1 month later
Quoted from DickHamill:Hi all SS Mata Hari owners. I'm currently working on a re-write for Mata Hari, accomplished by plugging in a new processor into the J5 connector on the -17 board. The new board is based on an Arduino Nano and can be built for less than $20. I'm looking for a couple of testers who are willing to build their own card (takes a few hours) and send me videos of their results.
Here are examples of my other re-writes:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stars-2020-new-code-for-stern-stars-1978
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/black-jack-2020-new-code-for-bally-black-jack-1977
The new code implements roughly the same A/B lane and drop-target awards, but it also implements 5 "modes" for more scoring opportunities. Aside from the card plugged into J5, this re-write uses only original hardware, so it doesn't really modify the underlying machine. The new hardware also supports a switch for "dual-boot" so the old code can be run as well.
Please PM me if you're interested and I can provide more details.
(this is just a hobby of mine--aside from the Nano and a couple of connectors, it's all free. I'm not trying to sell anything)
I have the RoyGBev built, with Nano, and is programmed with Mata Hari 2020. I had the RoyGBev/Nano on a -17 board, but have some problems in the switch matrix. An Alltek Bally Stern Ultimate MPU and SDB have been obtained, and will be installed this weekend.
I have not come up with any Wave Trigger sounds yet, as the Mata Hari (real life) time period doesn't seem to have any "characteristics" sounds, other than WW1-era sounds.
So, for Alltek, other than the lamp loop and switch loop counters, is there anything else that needs to be programmed specific, in the BSOS_Config or in the hardware? And is the R134 interrupt jumper still required on the Alltek MPU board?
Thanks in advance.
keith20mm
Quiet club lately. I was well on my way to finally blowing past my high score and I tilted on the last ball. This game! 
Ya, it has been quiet here lately. Just to liven things up a bit....here's some game play I did recently on my newly restored MH. Ball speed is pretty fast on the new hardtop with a 6.8 degree pitch. Pops are nice and lively, but I still need to dial in the left sling some more....does the occasional machine gun. And, as usual, the outlanes are just plain unforgiving.
Game 1:
Game 2:
MH Rig (resized).jpgI’ve had the same issue with machine gunning slings on this game. It’s a very fine line to get them just right. You probably need to open the switches a tiny bit. Are you using new switches or the original ones? I’ve found that the old style with the bent blade stiffener works better than the newer ones. But even the old style will still double fire or machine gun if they’re too close.
Quoted from phillyfan64:I’ve had the same issue with machine gunning slings on this game. It’s a very fine line to get them just right. You probably need to open the switches a tiny bit. Are you using new switches or the original ones? I’ve found that the old style with the bent blade stiffener works better than the newer ones. But even the old style will still double fire or machine gun if they’re too close.
They're the originals - will try opening it up just a tad more. I do have some new replacements in my stash I could try but I think you're right...overall the older style tends to work better / more consistently. I'll widen the gap a bit.
Quoted from Mathazar:They're the originals - will try opening it up just a tad more. I do have some new replacements in my stash I could try but I think you're right...overall the older style tends to work better / more consistently. I'll widen the gap a bit.
Nice videos.
My switches had backwards contacts and they were pretty mangled so I replaced them. But I had a heck of a time getting them to work correctly.
I’d like to get my game up to 6.8 degrees like you have. I’m at around 6.0.
Haven't played the EM in a while, might have to get her going this weekend... I really like the angle... mine is around 6, probably about right for the EM... but I may go up a bit. Great video, I like the ability to see both the playfield and above board views, well done.
1 month later
I've got a hardtop in my Mata Hari so I don't have the flipper alignment holes. I just used the rails as a guide and kept the flippers even with them at the same angle, making sure there's no ball hop and that the ball continues on an even path downward along the rails and across the flippers. I've been really happy with the game play/flipper action with this setup.
IMG_9901 (resized).JPGz81 (resized).jpgQuoted from phillyfan64:Flippers too high? How do folks have theirs set? I know I’m above the little alignment holes.
[quoted image]
Use the tips pointed to alignment holes. It plays perfectly that way and it's the factory stock setting. Two great reasons to set it this way.
Quoted from Mathazar:I've got a hardtop in my Mata Hari so I don't have the flipper alignment holes. I just used the rails as a guide and kept the flippers even with them at the same angle, making sure there's no ball hop and that the ball continues on an even path downward along the rails and across the flippers. I've been really happy with the game play/flipper action with this setup.[quoted image][quoted image]
That looks perfect!
Hey fellow Mata Harians I just joined up with a pretty decent copy, but it’s missing one drop target. Does anyone have just 1 good ole non hooded target I could buy? I’d prefer the red bullseye on it but at this point I’d take almost anything. I spoke to Steve at the Resource and he’s temporarily out of them. Thanks guys!
9B71F701-6BCA-4781-BC67-D0FCF90D0486 (resized).jpeg 4 months later
Hi all, I just finished a CPR playfield swap on my Mata Hari - I LOVE this game. I’m down to one problem: the note sounded by the largest chime is flat. I’ve watched a few YouTube videos where it’s perfectly in tune, and I think I can fix it by grinding off some of it with an angle grinder. If you have a Mata Hari and the tune sounds correct to you, would you mind measuring the length of your largest chime bar?
I decided to go with black playfield posts (instead of red), and I really like it. What do you think?
28FE8CB6-5BF8-48D3-BDD1-2BFBA66549C6 (resized).jpeg4CC1A2CB-728D-415B-87CF-0152D9FA94E3 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from Xtraball:Does anyone have just 1 good ole non hooded target I could buy?
I have a bunch, since I replaced mine with new. PM me and I’ll send you a few for the cost of postage.
Quoted from swampfire:I’m down to one problem: the note sounded by the largest chime is flat.
How do the rubber grommets look that are between the chime bar and chime box? Cracked or hard grommets will dramatically effect the chime tone. Chime Rebuilt Kits are cheap and take only a few minutes to install:
Quoted from DK:Looking for a nice EM MH in the US that you would ship. Thanks!
Good luck and I hope your pockets are deep!
There's one on e bay right now
ebay.com link: Bally 1977 MATA HARI EM Pinball Machine Rare Fun and Serviced New Video
Quoted from Mathazar:How do the rubber grommets look that are between the chime bar and chime box? Cracked or hard grommets will dramatically effect the chime tone. Chime Rebuilt Kits are cheap and take only a few minutes to install:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/AS-2564-CUK4
I have the chime rebuild kit, so I’ll try that first. Thanks!!
The chime rebuild kit improved the sound quality a lot! I also used a green pad to scrub all my chimes nice and shiny.
But that didn’t fix the flat chime. I’m blessed with perfect pitch, so I went back and forth between the game and my grinder until it sounded exactly right. I probably only removed 1/8” of material. Anyway, here were my final chime measurements:
6.875” (174.625mm) - the one I ground down
6.05” (154mm)
5.43” (138mm)
4.94” (125.25mm)
I bet Bally just specified these at 7”, 6”, 5.5” and 5”. Anyway, that one flat note was really bugging me, so I’m glad it’s fixed!
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