(Topic ID: 157954)
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Mata Hari
Bally, 1978-
Mata Hari EM
Bally, 1977
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Monroe Township, NJ
Quoted from indypinhead:Nice score cards...where did you get those?
Contact PinCardz through Facebook. If you order them, make sure you let him know what bonus scores, balls etc you want or anything else you may need changed. He told me to spread the word.
2 months later
I haven't messed with changing the outlane wire guides. There's a couple different hole settings. But like others have said, raise those back legs and lower the front all the way down. This game can be very sluggish if it's not tilted up enough. I noticed a huge difference when I raised mine.
2 months later
Quoted from zaza:"The largest ever Mata Hari exhibition will open in the Museum of Friesland on 14 October 2017, one hundred years after her death."
14 oktober 2017 t/m 2 april 2018
https://www.friesmuseum.nl/en/see-and-do/exhibitions/mata-hari/
Interesting bit of history. Exactly 100 years ago today.
3 months later
Quoted from mrm_4:That's does it, I'm listing mine for 10k when I get finished with.
ebay.com link » Like
But it has new rubber rings and bumpers!
Quoted from pinkid:Anyone see the custom drop targets w/Mata's face on them? I think it was on a MH TNT Amusements restored. Be cooler w/Mata on 1 bank of targets and the Baron on the other. Or alternate them together. Nice either way........
That may have been my Mata Hari you saw on TNT. I got my machine from them and it has the Mata Hari face on the drop targets.
Quoted from mrm_4:Let's see her! Todd does amazing work.
Coin door mod with pictures of Mata Hari and the Baron I did myself.
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Quoted from dasvis:Drilled a hole in the coin door? Why
No, I didn't do that. It came with that button already added. I don't like it but TNT didn't do it. Previous owner probably did it. I just added the photos to the coin slots.
Quoted from Goonie:I used to see those drop targets on Ebay all the time years ago. Perhaps it was them selling. I never bought them and kind of regret it. Would love to pick up a set if anyone tracks them down.
Edit - Hmm, your drops are different from what i saw on line. Nice!
According to Todd, the drop target stickers came from Jeff at Classic Arcades.
Quoted from mrm_4:Looks so good! Love the coin door mods!
Thanks!
Quoted from pinkid:phillyfan64, that is one nice Mata Hari. I saw it on the TNT video. Very cool on the coin door mods. I have the promo pieces that came w/the CPR plastics set. I may try that one myself. MH is still one of, if not, the best looking games ever.
Thank you. For the coin door mod, I found the images online. I cropped and shrunk them down and printed them on glossy photo paper. It was a bit of trial and error to get the size. I printed 2 of each and doubled them up. That helped tone down a spot lighting effect the bulbs were causing. I have frosted leds behind them and it does shine through nicely without being too bright.
4 weeks later
Quoted from mrm_4:Picked this up today.
Nice!
1 month later
Quoted from Dono:Have you ever thought of reducing the image somewhat to have them used as a replacement image for the boring red drop target bullseye image? I’m restoring an EM version and one of the things we discussed was creating our own DT image... yours would be cool for that purpose... 1st image on one bank, 2nd image on the opposite bank as one idea.
I have custom targets on mine but I like this idea even better!
1 week later
Quoted from ktuhde:I just picked up a Mata Hari SS and it needs a backglass replacement. Anyone have a reproduction or used good condition original they want to part ways with? Or can someone direct me to an online store that has reproductions in stock. Thanks, Kevin
I would email Shay. Just do a web search for Shay backglass. He makes the EM version. Maybe he has the solid state version and is not advertising it. There is also a decent looking one on eBay right now for $300.
2 weeks later
4 weeks later
Quoted from Edenecho:Coul
D someone take a photo of the tilt bob on mh ss? I had no bob or the thingie holding the tilt bob, so added one from another game. But its not working so i suspect it needs a braid or somthing connected to it.
A photo of how it should be would be appreciated.
Does this help you?
1AE6D911-E101-4B70-ABFB-FBBD8C086CAC (resized).jpegHere’s a few more. Braided wire soldered to eye hook. Other end goes to the screw on the right where you see the blue wires with the orange stripes. On mine there is also one leg of a capacitor on that same screw. Other end of capacitor goes to screw behind the tilt bob. That screw behind the tilt bob also has a white wire with a black stripe ( I think it’s a black stripe). Other end of the white and black stripe wire goes to a tab on the roll tilt switch. (1st picture)
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2 weeks later
Quoted from Edenecho:I dont have a braid nearby, could soldering a wire also be a solution?
Sorry I just saw this question. I’m sure soldering a wire would work just fine.
Game flow seems really off on mine lately. Very short ball times. Terrible scores. Not sure if it’s me or if I need to tweak something. Any tips?
Quoted from Edenecho:It almost feels like a .. classic pinball game
Haha. It’s probably me!
Quoted from eagle18:The cure for that is... if she doesn’t act right for the first couple of balls by giving u stupid drains... reset it to another game. She will straighten out soon.
Quoted from pinkid:Adjust the steepness of your game via the leg levelers. Mine is set up pretty steep, but plays well. Depends on how you like it.
Thanks I'm going to try raising it up a little more.
Quoted from GoodToBeDad:Just finishing up my Mata Hari project. The cabinet was re-painted and the playfield has been clear coated. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Awesome job!
2 months later
Quiet club lately. What can I do about this? Ball gets stuck. Legs up as high as they can go but I still only have about a 5.5 degree slope. I have new legs on the game and I think the new style with the nut welded into the leg, I actually lost some height. I recently installed these new correct tombstone style drop targets. Interesting is that the incorrect hooded type never had this issue.
Quoted from zombywoof:Are the tops of the drops level with the playfield? They look a little low, but it may just be an optical.
Yeah that’s it they’re too low. I just checked. They’re about a 1/16” or so below the playfield. I don’t know if there’s any way to adjust that.
Quoted from eagle18:Mine will get a ball stuck there every so often. I can get it out without tilting it.
Mine will tilt every time trying to get it out of there. It looks like they might be adjustable by tweaking the leaf switches a little bit.
Actually I don’t think it’s the leaf switches. Maybe adjusting the lift bar if possible? It seems like the little tab on the bottom of the targets should be bigger to raise the targets up more than it does now. I’m not sure what’s the best way to go about this. I’ll have to try a few different things.
I found a fix in the Eight Ball Deluxe thread for the same issue. Looks like I need to add some kind of strip along the metal bracket where the targets rest on. I have some felt tape which should raise it enough to do the trick. I’ll report back with some pictures.
Quoted from mrm_4:Put up over 700k the other day which felt like an hour long game. Anyone actually ever roll the score over on this game? Legitimately, without some kind of glass off, rubber banded out lane, tilt off trickery
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That’s awesome! I haven’t been able to break my 451,000!! I’ve gotten 250,000 on one ball and still can’t break it!
Outlanes on this game are brutal. It also doesn’t help that my left flipper seems a little weak and I’m still not entirely happy with my slingshots.
As far as the drop target issue, foam tape is no good. It too soft and it caused some of the targets to bounce and score twice. Although it might be a way to break my lousy score
Quoted from dasvis:Put a second rubber behind the drop targets to solve this
Thanks but really I hate the double ring look. I tried thin strips of wood underneath instead of the felt tape. Switches still getting stuck and causing multiple scoring. Still working on it...
What angle are owners playing this game at? I'm at about 4.5 degrees. The only way I see to really raise it to 6 or 6.5 is to put a board or something under the back legs. Those bolts can't really go any higher. Front legs all the way down except the nuts are still on the front legs. I guess I could take them out but that's still not going to be enough. I also have felt sliders under the back legs.
Quoted from mrm_4:When i did my resto i bought 3” bolts and im at 6 degrees with the back all the way up and the front all the way down.
Do you still have the hold nuts on the front legs or did you remove them? I also have aftermarket legs which have nuts welded to the inside of the legs. These are the new improved style because it gives the threads more to bite to but I think I lose some height with these. The bolt has to go further into the leg. I probably lose a 1/2” there even though they are 3” legs bolts. I just took the felt sliders off because they were getting deformed. I still have the rubber feet on all 4 legs.
6376F5B4-8290-4BD0-ABCA-9AD15B9045AA (resized).jpegI saw 3 1/2” and I think even 4” leg bolts sold at the White Rose pinball show. I just don’t think it would be smart to go that route. I don’t want to make the game unstable.
Quoted from Edenecho:I am having issues with my MH droptargets. Often one or several target "pop out" of their... track when resetting, and gets stuck higher above the playfield than the rest. This makes it impossible to knock them down, and prevents from collecting the 50.000 points.
Anyone with same isdue, have a solution?
Post some pictures of the drop target assembly from under the playfield. It might be assembled incorrectly.
Quoted from Edenecho:Here are some photos of the cirrent "fault state. I can bring it down and take some photos if necesdary. It happens to several of them, not just this one.
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Nothing obvious from the pictures that I can see. Are your springs real weak or worn out? PBR has replacement springs. You are also using hooded targets instead of the correct tombstone style but that shouldn’t cause this issue. The other thing that comes to mind is maybe the reset bar is lifting the targets too high. That bar can be lowered by loosening the allen screws on each end and lowering the bar, then retighten the screws. There is some trial and error here because the bar being too low can cause the targets to drop down immediately after they are reset.
One other important thing to check. What kind and what size rubber are you using behind the drop targets? Are you sure the targets are not hitting the rubber on the way up? Looks awfully close in the picture.
1 month later
Quoted from mrm_4:Im going to tinker around and just make my own topper, screw it.
I don’t like the CPR topper. I’d be interested to see what you come up with.
Quoted from Nikrox2:Well I took what "Phillyfan64" showed us with the LED's (although I just changed out the bulbs in the head, didn't add any strips, etc) and man did that make it pop! Love the look, to me it adds to the beauty. Photo's doesn't do it justice IMHO
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Looks fantastic!
Quoted from mrm_4:Looks good! Ive been thinking about putting one of those slowly color-changing LEDs behind the candelabra over Baron's left shoulder.
Definitely worth trying. I had a fire led in there but it just wasn’t bright enough.
Quoted from Nikrox2:Followed your lead there my friend, thanks for the ideas!
You’re welcome. I actually got the original color idea from eagle18 in the gameroom thread. The pinks/purples, reds and blues really makes it pop without being over the top.
1 week later
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.
4 weeks later
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).jpgQuoted 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.
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.
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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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]
No problem. They look great! I’ll be watching for your restore pictures.
Quoted from mrm_4:No I’ve been pulled away from Mata Hari a bit. Trying to finish up a flipperless restoration in time for the Ohio show and in the middle of doing that I came across a project Gold Wings I just wrapped up.
I’m glad you reminded me of the topper I need to revisit that soon.
No problem. I can’t bring myself to buy that CPR one. I’m just not crazy about it. I’ve emailed Laserific a couple times to see if they would consider making one but they never answered.
1 week later
Quoted from Dono:I’ve learned that Bally drop target banks suffer from an issue with the lock collars wearing down creating too much slop when resetting the bank resulting in one or more targets staying down... I replaced the far collars (opposite side from the reset coil) on each bank. Case closed, resets nice now... these are going into my Mata Hari EM!!! Collars and springs from Marco; PBR probably has them too.
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Targets look great. Good tip on the new collars.
2 months later
Common problem. See this thread. Sometimes the linkage is worn out and needs to be replaced. I got lucky and fixed it by loosening the allen screws on the bushings and adjusting the lift bar. It’s a trial and error thing. I have one end of the bar slightly higher than the other because that’s what worked for me. If your solution seems to be working, leave it be.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mata-hari-drop-targets-only-partially-resetting
2 months later
I’ve always hated that red button being there. So until I can get another door skin...thanks Gatecrasher for the idea. It didn’t quite fit right so I bent the tabs backwards to make it work.
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Looks beautiful! Congrats and welcome to the club. Your backglass even has the German writing on the dagger. Nice!
1 month later
Quoted from Dono:Moving at a fast pace on getting the EM cabinet done prior to York... waiting on some more Molotow cans to complete the body... head is done. I highly recommend these paints for those that dare a repaint job, especially EMs as the sheen is more of a tween-er between satin and semi-gloss. These paints go on smooth, cover really well, and dry quick. They do take some time to get used to, as you spray the paint very close to the surface... 4-8 inches is typical. Here are a few pics of the head that's drying and soon to get its second color after a very light wet sanding (if anyone has alternatives to prepping the base coat for the second color I'm all ears.
The Molotow Signal yellow is spot on as a replacement to the original yellow. Dick Blick and Bombing Science carry the cans.... something like 251 different colors, not too shabby; BS was a bit cheaper when I ordered.
I live in MD and can't legally purchase colored lacquers, but find these cans are a very good alternative. I'm really excited to see how they do with Pimp's stencils. Will report back as I get to this later in the week.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
I got to play this machine and meet Don at the York show yesterday. Absolutely stunning looking machine. It plays so fast that now I have to tune mine up! Did you get the issues ironed out?
Quoted from Dono:Yes, I noticed the game couldn't complete a reset cycle, because the ball count unit wasn't resetting completely. Saw the issue right off the bat - the nylon cog sprocket wheel was binding inside the unit's metal shaft (have never seen a like issue in 25 years). Shaft was clean and lubed properly, so I filed the shaft to reduce friction. That didn't work but I did find from a vendor at the show an old step-up unit from a Bally Bingo with the same type of design. After some surgery, placed the bingo nylon shaft inside the problematic step up and there was no binding. Issue never returned and the game played fine for the rest of the show. Lucky that a vendor had a bally step up in his parts bin!
Glad to hear you got it sorted out.
1 week later
Quoted from Dono:From all the info I've gathered prior to doing my game, the Bally and Susan B Anthony coin door stickers both came out AFTER the Mata Hari Run... that includes the EM (4/78)and SS versions (5/78), so if you're a stickler about mimicking the stock look, that would bean a clean coin door / no sticker of any kind. Always up to the individual, I actually like both stickers, however IMO, if you're going to use a SBA sticker, at least one of the coin door inserts should match the sticker... e.g. (5 plays $1 dollar).
Have fun with it!
Thanks for the info Dono. I’m going to keep the sticker. I also went back to the pointed shooter, at least for now.
85503EB0-80BA-44E7-B4B2-8F23DD21B75E (resized).jpegQuoted from mrm_4:I’ll take the shooter if you get rid of it. I have the pointy shooter also but that can easily be placed in the cabinet for the next guy while I look at Margarehta
Thanks mrm_4. If I decide to sell it I’ll definitely let you know.
Quoted from Dono:Been looking at the CPR Topper... something about the photo they used just looks out of place with the rest of the game IMO... what does everyone else think?
It’s just way over the top with the tiger in my opinion. Maybe a picture of her on the the wall or the game flyer would work but that topper is just out there.
3 months later
3 months later
What do you guys have your saucer hole bonus settings at? I just switched mine to liberal scoring hoping it will help. How about the post settings? For some reason mine doesn’t have the extra holes anyway. My top score is only around 525,000. I suck at this game! I keep messing with the sling shots. I don’t know what else I can tweak. How many degrees is your slope?
Quoted from Mathazar:I have my saucer and A-B score set to Liberal with the 3-Ball setting. I have all of the adjustable posts set in the "Medium" (middle) position. My slope is 7.5. With a hardtop, it's pretty dang fast. My scoring strategy:
1st Priority
Drop targets. 50K awarded with each set of 8 downed. I can usually drop two or more targets with each hit, either side by side or ricocheting off of one bank into the other. On occasion, I can drop two side by side on one bank, ricochet into the other bank, and drop two side-by-side there for dropping 4 targets on a single flip. That's fun. Should be awarded a Special for that.
2nd Priority
If while holding a ball I don't think I can get a good shot on a remaining drop target because of a bad angle (like the sling is in the way to hit a drop target on the same side as the flipper holding the ball), I'll send the ball to the top for a saucer shot to get the multiplier instead of passing the ball to the other flipper for the drop target shot. If I miss the saucer, I usually get one of the A-B lanes which builds towards an extra ball.
3rd Priority
If I've built up enough bonus points (15K-20K) I'll turn focus to getting the saucer multiplier maxxed out to 5x before turning my attention back to drop targets and the 50K that comes with getting all 8 down.
4th Priority
Likewise if I see I'm a couple of A-B lane completions away from an extra ball. I'll trap the ball with either flipper and send it up the A or B alley hard enough that it crosses over the playfield and comes down the other alley. After getting the extra ball, I'll return my attention back to either the saucer (if not maxxed at 5x and I'm at 15K-20K bonus) and then the drop targets.
Thanks for the tips. I’m definitely going to try to follow this. I usually try to set out to get the saucer hole first, but I usually wind up going away from it. I very rarely will get awarded an extra ball for the A and B lanes. I also need to raise it up again. I had a board under the back legs to raise it but I took it out. Now the slope is only 4.8% on my Craftsman digital level and it’s way too slow. I’ll put it back up. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to get it up to 7% even with the back legs extended all the way up. I’m using the extended 3” leg levelers.
2 weeks later
Yeah, I definitely don’t have that on either slingshot. It looks like they forgot it. I do have the 3 holes on those posts that are a few inches above the slings.
Quoted from eagle18:My hardtop only came with the middle hole, like u have. I’m going to drill another hole to make it easier for the ball to go down to the flipper. The post will cover the hole I have now.
I was thinking about moving mine a little also. Will it really make a difference in actual game play?
Quoted from eagle18:It will make some difference. Not a major difference. I experimented with the 3 holes on the original playfield and kept the post on the inside hole to make it easier. I can tell a difference on my hardtop in the middle hole. More drains now. Move it to that outside hole and it’s a bitch.
So if I wanted to set it to the liberal post setting, is it necessary to also move the 2 posts that are above the slings?
93AE516E-2548-43F5-B812-8374CC23DF70 (resized).pngQuoted from eagle18:You know I never paid attention to that before and didn’t move the top two. When I put on the hardtop the hole on the left side lined up in the liberal hole and the right side with med hole. I thought I had done something wrong and drilled a hole where the med is located on the left side. I think I will move it back to the liberal position and find the liberal hole on the right. Thanks. Either way if u move the bottom one to the liberal where the sling is, even if u don’t move the top 2, it will make it a little easier.
Very good, thanks for the info.
Quoted from eagle18:Let us know what u think.
Will do. It will probably be a few days. Thanks.
I guess I’m going to have to drill some pilot holes which I’m pretty leery of doing. I don’t want to mess up my playfield.
Is the above drawing correct? All the posts would be moved lower toward the flippers for liberal? The slingshot adjustments seem to be the opposite of what is shown for Eight Ball Deluxe for example.
I do have the 3 holes on my upper posts like I’m supposed to. zombywoof is correct. Eight Ball Deluxe is a different geometry. It has no adjustments for the upper posts, only the slings. I guess that’s why the settings of the two games are totally opposite.
D364AE19-8F4B-44DA-8D91-E688E1D2FD68 (resized).pngQuoted from eagle18:Take a Drexel and take it out a little. On my MH all the plastics fit when I put it on liberal. I just set up EK to liberal and had to use the Dremel to widen the slot on one spot. If it’s not perfect the nut will cover it.
Good idea. For the liberal setting when you line up the post with the rollover guide wire, should the top of the post be about even with the guide wire? This picture still shows the normal setting and you can see the post is just above the rollover guide wire.
EABCB931-2534-468D-8A2E-2DA39713CEB8 (resized).jpegQuoted from eagle18:Yes, that is correct
Thanks eagle18.
Finally moved the posts. Seems a little better. I didn’t move the upper posts. I still suck at this game! Thanks for the help eagle18. Pop bumbers are next.
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Quoted from eagle18:It helps some. Not a huge difference. Every little bit helps. U should move the upper 2 also.
I’ll check it out but I didn’t want the 3rd hole to show.
2 months later
1 month later
Quoted from Dono:Just a guess - limits the travel the pop bumper skirt axle can travel, to prohibit the axle from moving outside of the spoon switch.
Yeah that’s probably what that hole is for. I didn’t realize the plastic pop bumper body actually actually attaches to that bracket. Thanks.
1 week later
Quoted from GeoKansas:Greetings fellow Mata Hari owners. I guess I'm officially in the club. I bought a Mata Hari, (SS) but it has some BIG issues. I picked it up for $250. This was the last pin I needed to round out my college era of machines that was located in our student union during my education at the time. (1978-'82)
So, The cab is in pretty good shape, but the head is gutted. Gutted — as in no boards, transformer or backglass. The latter I took care of from the good folks at CPR. It's not a translight and is 3/16" thick. It put me back a few Benjies to say the least.
I thought I would first post here and kindly ask if there might be anyone here wishing to help direct me in finding the correct boards and transformer (pic of top number) or if any of you wish to offer up any for sale. There are a couple of posts on fleebay that has three boards for about $300 including shipping. I'm not sure if they are in working order.
It's going to take some mental fortitude and a lot of patience to resurrect this baby and I thank you all in advance for any encouragement. Otherwise I am sure it would of been parted out and headed inside a dumpster. The exterior cab and head are actually in really pretty good shape. I know there's a ton of work ahead of me. Thanks again. Yeah, I know. I'm nuts.
Not nuts at all. Welcome to the club. You could buy the 3 board bundle from Alltek but that will set you back over $400. Still not bad though considering what you paid for the game. They would be all new boards and you wouldn’t have to worry about them. That would get you almost there. You would still need the transformer and rectifier board. New rectifier boards are available. Alltek doesn’t make that one. The transformer might be a little tough but I’m sure you can find one.
2 months later
My Mata Hari has an older Alltek board with a lithium battery. The battery is still working but it’s a few years old and I thought it might be time to change it. I don’t want to lose my high score or any settings. Do I need to keep the power on when I change the battery?
Quoted from Quench:The Alltek revision J schematic says the RAM chip (with high scores) is powered by the power-supply when game power is on. So yes you should be able to swap the battery with the game on to prevent losing your highest score.
Make a note of what the highest score is anyway incase something goes wrong so you can manually set it again.
Thanks Quench.
2 weeks later
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.
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.
5 months later
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! 
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.
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.
1 month later
6 months later
Quoted from eagle18:That thing is gorgeous! Can’t beat Reese Rails.
Thanks. It really is gorgeous. No bites so far. I’m going to probably take it down. I really hate to sell it.
11 months later
Quoted from mrm_4:Forget the drops they’re a trap! Hit the saucer three times (or 4 depending on settings for the 5X) then just work A and B until that dagger is maxed out! THEN go for drops
I’ll have to try this. I usually go for the drops first and it’s not working for me. My top score is still only around 750,000. She’s laughing at me!
Quoted from swampfire:I didn’t even get to play the bank with Mata Hari. Oh well. I think people enjoyed my Bally row though.
[quoted image]
Nice!
Rebuilt the slings for the 3rd time on this machine. Brand new switches. Brand new diodes. Brand new coil sleeves. Everyone say no capacitors on slings so I didn’t put them on this time. Well I cannot get them to work right without them. It missing too many scores. Put them on then it machine guns. It’s driving me nuts! Again!
I have 22 volts on all my coils. No wonder the slings are weak and the game is playing lousy. Looks like I need to start a tech thread.
Quoted from slochar:sounds like the rectifier board might have a bad diode its bridge
22 volts at test point #5. It’s a newer Pinhead rectifier board. It was installed a few years ago.
Quoted from Quench:^^^ this, what slochar said.
Half voltage is caused by an open circuit diode in the bridge rectifier for the solenoid power. All your coils including the flippers should be weak.
I just disconnected the board and tested it. You called it. One of the bridges is bad. It’s shorted. Thanks very much slochar and Quench.
Just wondering could my machine gunning slingshot have caused the bridge to go bad? Shouldn’t a fuse have blown first? Bridge #1 is the one that’s bad.
Quoted from Quench:I doubt it.
Bridge BR1 is for the feature lamps. BR3 is for the solenoids.
If you're putting a cap on the slingshot switch make sure the front leaf is bent far forward so there's less chance of the switch "reverbing". One cap on each side only, not on both switches of each side.
Thanks Quench. I’m hoping not to use the caps. They definitely help with the scoring but they seem to add more trouble than they’re worth for slingshots. Besides the front blade being tight to the rubber, it seems the switch gap needs to be wider when using caps.
I’m going to try replacing just the bridge first. I don’t think I need to replace this board since it’s only a few years old and looks very clean. Hopefully. I’ll order a few extras.
You know what, I’m wrong. I just watched the Chris Hibler video on testing bridges. I was doing it wrong. The bridges are all good.
I need to hit the wires with the soldering iron and repinn the connectors. Some of them look a little suspect.
Edit: it’s working now. Ha! Got to be the wires.
Well I could not be more embarrassed. Apparently I had the meter set to AC when I was reading the 22 volts. I guess what I thought was weak slings is just how it’s always been with this machine. I’m still going to repinn the connectors and touch up some of the soldering on the rectifier board wires. Sorry to waste your time guys.
Quoted from mrm_4:It happens man don’t worry about it too much. You’ll figure this thing out.
Thanks
Third time was the charm. Slingshots are much better now. Very snappy. I completely repinned the rectifier board and ordered pins and connectors to do the other boards. One board at a time. It’s tedious but worth it.
10 months later
Quoted from mrm_4:I love those target decals. I always forget you have those and then I see them again and love it.
Thanks!
Quoted from NicoVolta:Agree those are nice!
Thank you. I need to get in there and clean them.
2 weeks later
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