Mata Hari
Bally, 1978
Mata Hari EM
Bally, 1977aha, now as I've only checked it using the diagnostic red button (and hear it when it first powers up) - where is the actual "switch" for the 10k chime?
Does it activate when a score adds up to 10k, or say when the 50k light is on???? It's a little different from a lane/target/kicker as I don't know where the direct switch is located?
Quoted from Nikrox2:From "mrm_4" on an earlier posting:
"The 10k one dings when you get all the drop targets or if the 50k out lane is lit."
But is there a certain switch that activates this 10k chime?
if you get in the saucer once itll light the left out lane, if you hit the saucer twice itll light the right out lane, if you knock all the drops down itll ring the 10k chime 5 times also.
Otherwise the only way that I know to ring it is to go into test mode and let the coils cycles
Or you can ground the transistor on the board
So, back on this now that I have some time and parts..lol With the above info, and the possible need to clean the switches for this 10k chime, where would that/those be located ?
Also - I did receive the caps yesterday and put 2 in (both on the pop bumpers as the other one also had a leg broken off) - one doesn't work at all, the other is on continuous fire....is there a possibility these can be put in "backwards"? I didn't really see any markings as I see on a diode as far as one leg goes to one switch blade, etc.
I may have just done a crappy job, so that's on the plan for tonight, but if I've put these in wrong, please let me know. (I purchased the larger style and the smaller style as well, and I put in the larger ones. Plan was to use the smaller ones this evening, but again, didn't know if there is an orientation to these?
Well, it could have been a crappy job but replaced both of those with the smaller ones you referenced and viola she’s working again. While checking, one of the others wasn’t even working (switch bent open on left bottom) so fixed that and maybe it’s me but they all seem so much more responsive. Either way she’s playing again- now to get that 10k chime fully working ! Thanks again for everyone’s help ! Love this machine!
I hate this machine ! Lol after a few games the left pop bumper started going off again. I went ahead and changed out the other two so that’s all four pop’s have new caps. I think there are only two left (outer lanes switches )??
The switch is open. I can see the coil just going off
Any other suggestions ?
Weird. It’s almost like Morse code...
Seriously, I love this machine...just hate that things continuously stop working ...but it is an old machine and I too break down from time to time 
Just wondering if this whole "change all the capacitors under the playfield isn't some type of "snipe hunt" for a newbie lol I did get plenty of soldering experience, so if nothing else it was a learning experience ha!
I will change out the last two switch cap's this evening, perhaps one of those is actually causing the issue? Seems like a far stretch, but I'm learning.
Just seeing if there may be some other ideas that I may look into that may be causing this ghosting issue on the pop bumper??
Thanks!
Replaced the outer lane switch cap’s as well. Funny thing the left pop quit working totally. So I clipped one end of the cap on it - then it’s working. And no phantom qhosting now. Weird ?
Now that we’re playing her more one of the flippers is getting a lil slow. So that sounds like the next item to work on.
I do get the occasional ball stuck in the saucer. Adjusted that switch as far as I can. 85% of the time it works. It just those other 15%. Ugh
Did I say I love this machine ? Lol
By pop bumper ghosting I am assuming you mean that the pop fires randomly without the ball coming in contact with the pop skirt?
Sometimes this is a bad switch cap, and other times it is just noise in the data lines and unfortunately cannot be totally rectified. Just a quirk of this Bally system where some games do it and others don't.
Quoted from Nikrox2:Replaced the outer lane switch cap’s as well. Funny thing the left pop quit working totally. So I clipped one end of the cap on it - then it’s working. And no phantom qhosting now. Weird ?
Now that we’re playing her more one of the flippers is getting a lil slow. So that sounds like the next item to work on.
I do get the occasional ball stuck in the saucer. Adjusted that switch as far as I can. 85% of the time it works. It just those other 15%. Ugh
Did I say I love this machine ? Lol
Ball getting stuck in saucer hole is a common issue with this game. I had the same problem with mine. I had to adjust the little fins. The fins also effect the direction of the ball when it’s ejected. If the ball sits too far forward the switch may not read it. Especially if the switch is dirty, the contacts are too far apart or backwards. My contacts were backwards. I turned them around for better contact. See this thread for more details.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mata-hari-ball-gets-stuck-in-saucer-hole
Quoted from Nikrox2:Ugh sorry. Replied to that post. Lol. Anywho - one of the fork legs is gone on mine. Broken off it seems. So raise the other up and over a bit maybe?
Try it. If it doesn’t work or makes it worse bend it back. Careful though. Bending it too much can cause them to snap off which is probably what happened to your missing fin. With only one fin the ball is definitely sitting too far forward in the hole. These switches do pop up on eBay or post an ad here. I would look to replace it eventually.
Found and read the post Billc479, great info! Thank you. I did find a used one on Ebay, $11 includes shipping. Get that next week and I'll throw it in there. Id say having both of the blades on the fork will take care of my intermittent non-kick out.
Quoted from EM-PINMAN:Question for you early Bally experts:
Did Bally ever make a promotional Flyer for a EM Mata Hari?? I've seen the Solid State version but considering how few EM machines they made I'm thinking they did not bother with the EM Flyers??
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The SS version is the only one I’ve ever seen. Likewise the only Night Rider flyer is a EM machine.
Quoted from pinkid:Very nice on the drop targets. Where from??
Thanks. I got them from Jeff at Classic Arcades. I had sent him the photos to use. They match my coin door mod. His tombstone targets do have a tiny lip on the back of top edge. I sanded that off to help prevent any Bally target "bricking."
thumb_IMG_0289_1024 (resized).jpgI got his drop targets for my EK. Evel doing a wheelie. Really like them but mine had the lips on them too. When I started sanding the first one it changed colors. So I stopped and had to paint the top white. I left the rest of them. Haven’t had any bricking problems. Did yours change colors after sanding?
Quoted from eagle18:I got his drop targets for my EK. Evel doing a wheelie. Really like them but mine had the lips on them too. When I started sanding the first one it changed colors. So I stopped and had to paint the top white. I left the rest of them. Haven’t had any bricking problems. Did yours change colors after sanding?
No they didn't but I know exactly what you mean. I have a set of his regular bullseye targets. I was experimenting with putting mylar on them. This was really a test to see if I could put mylar on the custom targets. I didn't like the look and when I pulled the mylar off, the white came off with it. It ruined the target. He must have some kind of white coating on them which is unusual for plastic. I will not put any mylar on these custom targets. With the bullseye targets I was getting occasional bricking and that lip was also hitting the rubber on the way down, sometimes triggering the switch behind the targets. It would cause 10 extra points.
I didn’t even notice the lips until I had installed them. Once they were setting straight up all the time. I hand painted the one with a brush and u can’t even tell I did it.
Those MH targets look awesome. Did he make those for u custom or is he selling those too?
Thanks. I'm really happy with how they turned out. He made them for me custom. I sent him the photos to use. He's not currently selling them but I told him I posted pictures in this forum and that he might get some orders. I'm fine with that. I like the fact that the bottoms are flat. They work better than targets that have the little extension tabs on the bottom.
Quoted from phillyfan64:Thanks. I'm really happy with how they turned out. He made them for me custom. I sent him the photos to use. He's not currently selling them but I told him I posted pictures in this forum and that he might get some orders. I'm fine with that. I like the fact that the bottoms are flat. They work better than targets that have the little extension tabs on the bottom.
eagle18 - are you planning on contacting Jeff at Classic Arcades to see if he'd make some for you? If it helps Jeff decide whether or not to make another run, I'd be interested in getting a set or two for myself as well.
Quoted from Mathazar:eagle18 - are you planning on contacting Jeff at Classic Arcades to see if he'd make some for you? If it helps Jeff decide whether or not to make another run, I'd be interested in getting a set or two for myself as well.
Sure. I’ll get a set. Contact him and let me know what he says.
Be sure to ask him for the tombstone style since he does sell both styles. Also your games might behave differently and that top lip may not cause any issues. On mine, I felt it was necessary to sand it off. Originally the targets weren’t going to have any background color but I asked him to redo them with the color. Looks much better in my opinion.
F0278AFA-9BE6-4C01-808D-025B44471179 (resized).jpegF7EA31FD-C040-4659-A3EF-D4C078692A8D (resized).jpegQuoted from phillyfan64:Be sure to ask him for the tombstone style since he does sell both styles. Also your games might behave differently and that top lip may not cause any issues. On mine, I felt it was necessary to sand it off. Originally the targets weren’t going to have any background color but I asked him to redo them with the color. Looks much better in my opinion.
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Will do. Thanx for the insight, phillyfan64 .
I'm stripping down the topside on my Mata Hari to prep the playfield for a new hardtop install. While I'm in there, I'd like to change the plastic slingshot kicker heads (I have new replacements) but I can't figure out how to remove the old ones from the kicker arms. I see a pin holding it in but it looks fragile and not sure I'd be able to reuse it after forcing it out. Any ideas? I'm tempted to just buy all new replacement assemblies ($35 a side) which come with new kicker arms and the plastic heads already attached.
Sling Kicker 01.jpgSling Kicker 02.jpgQuoted from Mathazar:I'm stripping down the topside on my Mata Hari to prep the playfield for a new hardtop install. While I'm in there, I'd like to change the plastic slingshot kicker heads (I have new replacements) but I can't figure out how to remove the old ones from the kicker arms. I see a pin holding it in but it looks fragile and not sure I'd be able to reuse it after forcing it out. Any ideas? I'm tempted to just buy all new replacement assemblies ($35 a side) which come with new kicker arms and the plastic heads already attached.
[quoted image][quoted image]
When I did mine I popped them out with a pair of pliers. After replacing the plastic when I put the pins back in they seemed loose from being squeezed out so I had to widen the pin by putting a small flat head screw driver in the seem of the pin and wedging it a little to widen it. Then pressed the pins back in. It was frustrating but it worked.
Quoted from mrm_4:When I did mine I popped them out with a pair of pliers. After replacing the plastic when I put the pins back in they seemed loose from being squeezed out so I had to widen the pin by putting a small flat head screw driver in the seem of the pin and wedging it a little to widen it. Then pressed the pins back in. It was frustrating but it worked.
Thanx! Will be giving that a try tomorrow. Tonight's frustration was removing the wood borders around the playfield - not sure why only 1 of the 4 was screwed in vs. the remaining 3 being stapled in with wickedly long staples (and the underside of the playfield looks to be pre-drilled with screw holes, but they're empty). When I put this thing back together, I'll be using wood screws unless someone points out a good reason that they need to be re-stapled.
Quoted from Mathazar:Thanx! Will be giving that a try tomorrow. Tonight's frustration was removing the wood borders around the playfield - not sure why only 1 of the 4 was screwed in vs. the remaining 3 being stapled in with wickedly long staples (and the underside of the playfield looks to be pre-drilled with screw holes, but they're empty). When I put this thing back together, I'll be using wood screws unless someone points out a good reason that they need to be re-stapled.
Same exact thing. I used wood screws too afterward. I just predrilled holes in the rails through existing playfield holes to keep the rail from splitting. If I recall the only one screwed originally was inner one for the shooter lane. Those staples sucked.
Quoted from Mathazar:I'm stripping down the topside on my Mata Hari to prep the playfield for a new hardtop install. While I'm in there, I'd like to change the plastic slingshot kicker heads (I have new replacements) but I can't figure out how to remove the old ones from the kicker arms. I see a pin holding it in but it looks fragile and not sure I'd be able to reuse it after forcing it out. Any ideas? I'm tempted to just buy all new replacement assemblies ($35 a side) which come with new kicker arms and the plastic heads already attached.
[quoted image][quoted image]
I have also pushed the pins out with pliers to replace the plastic head. The pins are replaceable if you are missing any (I was), or if you ruin it during removal. They are standard roll pins. I forget where I bought my supply at the time...I think eBay ad attached. The challenge is getting them reinstalled. Takes patience to get the pin started into the hole, then I used a pair of vise grips like a press, turning the vise grip knob to slowly press the pin through the hole. Did all this while the kicker assembly was still installed in the game.
Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 3.33.15 AM (resized).pngQuoted from JethroP:I have also pushed the pins out with pliers to replace the plastic head. The pins are replaceable if you are missing any (I was), or if you ruin it during removal. They are standard roll pins. I forget where I bought my supply at the time...I think eBay ad attached. The challenge is getting them reinstalled. Takes patience to get the pin started into the hole, then I used a pair of vise grips like a press, turning the vise grip knob to slowly press the pin through the hole. Did all this while the kicker assembly was still installed in the game.[quoted image]
Thanx for that lead, @jethrop. Just bought a set - can't go wrong for $2.39 shipped for having a safety net in case I break it on removal. Has to wait till next weekend, tho - family stuff popped up for today. I was thinking I could knock out this hardtop install over the weekend but now I think it's going to turn into the next few weekends. Last thing to remove are the pop bumpers, then prep the playfield, lay down the hardtop, and reassemble everything. mrm_4 and
phillyfan64 may inspire me to do a full cabinet repaint if this hardtop install comes out nice....
Quoted from Mathazar:Thanx! Will be giving that a try tomorrow. Tonight's frustration was removing the wood borders around the playfield - not sure why only 1 of the 4 was screwed in vs. the remaining 3 being stapled in with wickedly long staples (and the underside of the playfield looks to be pre-drilled with screw holes, but they're empty). When I put this thing back together, I'll be using wood screws unless someone points out a good reason that they need to be re-stapled.
All I can figure is that it was cheaper for Bally to install the staples instead of the screws years ago. Thankfully they drilled and countersunk all the other holes.
No turning back now - sanding down my MH playfield in preparation for a hardtop install. Question to you guys - a few white inserts look yellowish/discolored. It's not noticeable when the game is on with LEDs underneath them - all the white inserts look pretty uniform color-wise. In fact, I didn't really notice the discoloration until after I sanded and was looking at them more critically.
Is there any way to reduce/eliminate the discoloration short of replacing them?
IMG_6345.JPGIMG_6354.JPGQuoted from Mathazar:No turning back now - sanding down my MH playfield in preparation for a hardtop install. Question to you guys - a few white inserts look yellowish/discolored. It's not noticeable when the game is on with LEDs underneath them - all the white inserts look pretty uniform color-wise. In fact, I didn't really notice the discoloration until after I sanded and was looking at them more critically.
Is there any way to reduce/eliminate the discoloration short of replacing them?[quoted image][quoted image]
I wouldn’t change them out or anything. That natural off-White, aged color is the best.
Quoted from phillyfan64:Be sure to ask him for the tombstone style since he does sell both styles. Also your games might behave differently and that top lip may not cause any issues. On mine, I felt it was necessary to sand it off. Originally the targets weren’t going to have any background color but I asked him to redo them with the color. Looks much better in my opinion.
[quoted image][quoted image]
I just got back from our library with some printouts of what we decided to go with... my wife did the photoshop work... decided to go with a bit of color but not fully like yours which look fantastic..this is for a full EM restore... thanks for providing the initial images!!!
9037C94A-7D3B-4637-9B94-D0042C13FDE0 (resized).jpegQuoted from Dono:I just got back from our library with some printouts of what we decided to go with... my wife did the photoshop work... decided to go with a bit of color but not fully like yours which look fantastic..this is for a full EM restore... thanks for providing the initial images!!![quoted image]
No problem. They look great! I’ll be watching for your restore pictures.
Quoted from phillyfan64:No problem. They look great! I’ll be watching for your restore pictures.
Exactly! Cmon Dono where’s the restoration thread?!!!
Quoted from Dono:I just got back from our library with some printouts of what we decided to go with... my wife did the photoshop work... decided to go with a bit of color but not fully like yours which look fantastic..this is for a full EM restore... thanks for providing the initial images!!![quoted image]
Pain in the ass cutting, sticking them on and covering with thin Mylar, but worth it!!!
321E9F30-FAD0-4B23-B219-12D3B0F2DAA0 (resized).jpegI'm bringing up an SS MH and have a question on the top saucer - is the kick-out direction adjustable? Mine is kicking the ball out straight down the middle....automatic drain. It's practically guaranteed - out of a 30 kick test, it drained 28 of them. I don't recall the top saucer being that deadly when I played MH on location back in the day and a 93% SDTM drain from it will make this game less fun to play. FWIW, I have the machine's pitch at 5.5 which is max for the legs/levelers currently installed and confirmed it's level across the playfield.
Quoted from Mathazar:I'm bringing up an SS MH and have a question on the top saucer - is the kick-out direction adjustable? Mine is kicking the ball out straight down the middle....automatic drain. It's practically guaranteed - out of a 30 kick test, it drained 28 of them. I don't recall the top saucer being that deadly when I played MH on location back in the day and a 93% SDTM drain from it will make this game less fun to play. FWIW, I have the machine's pitch at 5.5 which is max for the legs/levelers currently installed and confirmed it's level across the playfield.
There should be two fins at the front of the saucer, those should be adjusted so that the ball shoots to the left flipper. I started by putting both straight up then adjusting the left one just slightly until I got it set. Those fins break easily and a lot of them come unattached from the back side and need resoldered into place.
Quoted from mrm_4:There should be two fins at the front of the saucer, those should be adjusted so that the ball shoots to the left flipper. I started by putting both straight up then adjusting the left one just slightly until I got it set. Those fins break easily and a lot of them come unattached from the back side and need resoldered into place.
Thanx! Funny thing is I thought that might be the point of adjustment, and I did move those fins but I moved both at the same time. I didn't think to just try moving one of them, and it's good to know that the ball is supposed to go in the direction of the left flipper.
I'll try moving the one left fin bit by bit after I get home from work. Hopefully, I won't break it off. I did find a used replacement assembly on eBay for $34 if I do break it off and can't solder it back on.
Quoted from Mathazar:Thanx! Funny thing is I thought that might be the point of adjustment, and I did move those fins but I moved both at the same time. I didn't think to just try moving one of them, and it's good to know that the ball is supposed to go in the direction of the left flipper.
I'll try moving the one left fin bit by bit after I get home from work. Hopefully, I won't break it off. I did find a used replacement assembly on eBay for $34 if I do break it off and can't solder it back on.
just do little adjustments, sometimes I find that moving them opposite of what I think I should moves the ball where its supposed to go.
Quoted from mrm_4:just do little adjustments, sometimes I find that moving them opposite of what I think I should moves the ball where its supposed to go.
Success, @mrm_4. But of course, it wasn't easy - this machine always seems like one step forwards, two steps back! As I was adjusting the fins, the whole saucer assembly fell out of the bottom of the playfield! I bought this MH non-working on the cheap about 6 weeks ago and have it mostly functional now, but I keep running into 40 year old problems as I tinker to bring it back to life. So the two screw holes that hold in the saucer assembly have seen better days and are too worn out to provide any bite for the screws. I did the old carpenters-glue-with-toothpicks thing, clipped them after a few hours of curing, sanded it down smooth, and re-screwed in the assembly nice and tight. I adjusted the left fin a few times and eventually it did make a difference....the ball now constantly ejects to the left toward the left flipper. Every once in a while, it'll even hit the top left pop bumper on eject and get shot around up between the pops for a while. Nice.
Thanx for the assist!
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Medina, OH
