Need to know a little of the background on this game, has it ever been gone through thoroughly (electronics). Rebuilt power supply? Changed logic supply filter capacitor? repinned connectors?

With only the information presented, I would suggest testing the switch matrix at the CPU to determine if this is a board problem or a playfield problem. If it turns out to be a playfield problem, I'd rebuild all those drops so they are smooth as butter mechanically, and with new diodes and possibly new switches (or at least cleaned and adjusted). Meteor is all about drops, and they have to work superb.

No, you can go larger, just never smaller. In one of my games I had the same cap as shown in this pic from the online repair guides...a 15000 uf 20V cap.

badcap3 (resized).jpg

I bet left nut most of the connector pins are cracked at the solder joints ,on MPU and the other boards including the power supply too.
This causes all types of switch problems and locks up etc ,
Replace them don't try to just reflow the joints , the corrosion won't let the fresh solder take , so best to replace headers and new crimp connectors to on the wires.
This takes some time to do , But you will end up with a more reliable game .
The Target bank problem could be mis adjusted and or dirty switches.
good luck with the Meteor

Did you try a switch test on the Game?
Press the self test button 4 times. that will get into the switch test .
Reset all the Target banks and remove the ball ,
You should get 00 on a display if none of the switches are stuck closed.
The lower left bank switch no's are 19-21.

Oh heavens..don't buy retail electronic parts. You can get 1N4004 general purpose diodes for about $.06 each if you buy them in a quantity of 100 from an electronics distributor like Newark, maybe even cheaper elsewhere. Just use Marco for very "pinball specific" items.

Yeah, that cap is a huge package. Most of the time I use much smaller packages than that. This much more commonly:

cap-01 (resized).jpg

Hmmm. This target thing is sounding more and more like a logic problem with the MPU as this conversation continues. If the switch test passes perfectly, something awry on the MPU board is signalling the reset solenoids to fire repeatedly. Could be a lot of things, so a little difficult to pinpoint on the forum...but we'll keep at it.

Check all the coils in coil test, I'm pretty sure they are ok...if the coil is firing to reset the targets that tells you that the output circuit, driving transistor, are working ok. I am approaching this similar to what mission control said to the Apollo 13 crew when all their systems were in a state of havoc - he proposed they start by listing everything that worked.

Volume controls are not going to solve the sudden loud noise problem, except for saving your sanity by lowering its level. This could be related to the drop target problem. If the MPU is sending some erroneous signals to fire the coils it could also be sending erroneous signals to the sound circuitry. Has the MPU board ever had corrosion? Any signs that has been cleaned before? The battery is removed from the MPU, correct? Another thing you may try is to firmly seat any socketed ICs (corrects for the phenomenon known as "chip creep") You might remove the MPU board and inspect front and back, post some clear pictures of the board out here in the thread as well. A beneficial test, if possible, would be to buy/borrow another MPU board even if temporary. Substituting a known working board would confirm that we are dealing with a problem isolated to the MPU board.

As far as the target numbers are concerned, are you saying the target faces within a bank are mixed numerals? They should be grouped as "1's", "2's" and "3's" on each bank.

image-28 (resized).jpg

Yeah, that is correct. If you look at the switch matrix in the manual, the column with the left top switch bank, consecutively down the column they refer to the targets as "top", then "low", then "mid" - which gives you an order of 19,21,20 if you were to drop them manually.

Borrowing a board from a good working game can be a little risky. I've done it a few times, myself. It's helpful troubleshooting...BUT, you do have to be very careful with transferring software ICs, and replacing cables. You also need some confidence in the other circuitry of the broken game, that you don't have a problem elsewhere in the game that could damage your working board. If you are not comfortable with it, don't do it then. You don't need to wind up with two broken games.

The odd switches sequence are right . If you have a manual , It shows the lower left bottom target is 23, middle 24 and top target 22 , same on the middle left bank the number 20 bottom , 21 middle and 19 on the top .
far right bank bottom 10, middle 11,and top target is 9
So sounds like your switches are working correctly.

Bad 5101 chip?

I don't want to sidetrack this thread (I'm very interested because I have sound issues on a Meteor I just acquired) but I have a question about the wiring for the mpu A4J3. My switches all register correctly in test mode. The coils, however, don't fire correctly. I've verified the coils are good (going to ground each coil fires just fine). I have studied the switch matrix wiring and I think whoever had this before has it wired up incorrectly. For instance, firing the pop bumper causes the M drop target to drop. Other coils won't fire at all. Right slingshot switch causes one of the drop target banks to reset. Just all messed up.
Can you please (oh please) take a photo of A4J3 wiring and identify all the wire colors and pin location?
Thanks!!!

I'm gonna ask something silly..

When you go into the test mode, and watch the targets reset, are they firing *in the right order*? The order should be -
1 Targets Up
2 Targets Up
M, E, T, E, O, R memory drop.
METEOR Up
3 Targets Up

I ask because if a normally-operating game loses a wire from a reset coil, the game will attempt to reset the targets quickly like you're saying. In this case, from what you describe, it sounds like the game is trying to reset the 2 or 3 drop targets, but is firing the wrong coil. So the coil continues to fire over and over, scoring because the game thinks the targets dropped again.

IMHO, it sounds more like an address issue with the MPU sending commands to the solenoid driver board.

Hope this helps . This is from my project meteor. They havent been re pinned yet!

DSCF1563 (resized).JPG

DSCF1562 (resized).JPG

Thanks Ralph67, for the pic. All my wiring connections look to be correct. I'm having a very similar coil firing problem like Brian.
I'm just starting on this Meteor. Just starting to get it operational. This is a project machine. I put in a new Alltek mpu and solenoid driver board. The original lamp driver has 2 tips that need to be replaced but that can wait. I don't get all the sounds out of the sound board. Unplugged for now. The switches are very dirty, but I can get them to pass the switch test wiggling them around. I'm going to clean them up and repin the dirty connectors for J2 on the solenoid driver board (A3J2). Could the dirty switches and dirty A3J2 connector be causing the switch matrix to get bad data?
And on the mpu, I have the dip switches set for Stern clock speed. I did a memory clear and have the game set for meteor.
In coil test, not all the coils fire. The meteor drop targets 6, 8, 9 and 10 fire instead of some of the other coils in testing.
What does work is left bottom drop target bank, left top target bank, flippers, out-hole, coin lock-out.

In game play:
Close right sling switch: O drop target fires
Close left sling shot switch: Top left drop target resets
Close pop bumper switch: M drop target fires
Closing all switches on meteor drop target: Outhole coil fires

This thing is possessed.
Does anyone see a pattern here that I'm missing? I hope it's just filth and the pending clean-up will fix it.

@Enaud, by your in game play description, the problems you're having with the wrong solenoids firing is because you're missing a solenoid select signal between the MPU board and the Solenoid Driver board.

Specifically: the connection from the MPU board connector J4 pin 3 to the Solenoid Driver board connector J4 pin 5. Either of those connector pins has a poor/open connection.

Yeah, I kinda agree - reflow header solder pins to remove any cold-solder joints you could have.

@bdPinball, by your description, the problems you're having with the wrong solenoids firing is also because you're missing one of the solenoid select signal between the MPU board and the Solenoid Driver board.

Your problem specifically points to: the connection from the MPU board connector J4 pin 2 to the Solenoid Driver board connector J4 pin 4. Either of these connector pins along that wire has a poor/open connection. Please check them.

Both those burnt pin/connectors on the red and orange wires on the long connector of the Meteor Rectifier board are for general illumination to the backbox. So if the backbox G.I. lights sometimes cut out, that's probably where the problem lies.

Good to hear Brian . Oh and those SDU boards are interchangeable if needed.
Yes mate do the pins and connectors that should make the Meteor a bit more reliable

Pop in some NVRAM. The sound is the first victim of the 5101 going bad.

http://nvram.weebly.com/

Thanks Quench for the great suggestions! I repined A4J4, A3J2 and A3J4 connectors. Now all the coils fire correctly!
Tomorrow I'll move to the cleanup stage. Lots of work to do there.
Now, about the sound issue. At the end of the game I get a scratchy rocket sound but that's it. The same sounds come up in the solenoid test. I checked out a youtube video to see what all kinds of sounds there are. But other than the rocket, I get nothing.
I'm not sure how to approach the sound board. Suggestions?

@Enaud, good to hear it's working properly now!
Regarding your sound query, so basically the only audio you get is the rocket sound at the end of the game? i.e. during the game it's silent - no background sound or game sound effects when you activate switches?

There's a repair guide here for the sound module you have that's worth looking at:
http://www.pinball4you.ch/okaegi/rep_soundsb300.html

Clip that battery off the motherboard ASAP

I'm actually getting that now on my game as well. After a few quick power cycles of my game, I lost all sound effects except background noise. Then, after a few days (and more power cycles), everything died except the explosion sound. Unlike you, though, I get the explosion sound when I get all METEOR targets down and at end of game.

I haven't tracked it down yet, but I have a strong suspicion that one of the logic chips on my board blew. I just have to track down which ones..

I had this sound issue on mine. I noticed that when I had no sound that a couple of GI rows in my back box was out. There is a square connector that feeds the lights on the backbox in the head. I just wiggled this connector and the lights came back on and the sounds was completely back.

Could be more cracked pins on mpu or sound board , and the original ribbons cable are not the best imo , I have made some new cable in the past , If you have time but probably better just buying a new set ,
You should check the volages on the SB. And a new cap kit while your checking the sound board is a good idea ,
I think i have a list on the voltages, ill go look and get back to you

Oh yes i thought that to , cut it off and clean up with white vinegar and water 50/50 then wash it off again in hot water, it will dry quicker or blow it dry
Put a memory cap in place of the battery, you may need to scrub the tracks clean of corrosion.

http://www.pinball4you.ch/okaegi/rep_soundsb300.html
Found this link for you

Get some new posts Brian , I fix the holes with a cut down thick matchsticks , the big BBQ matches type are great and wood glue ,(pva). If you were closer id send you some posts lol. Good luck ...

Reseating is not a long term fix, especially if the header pins have been sanded or the connector pins are corroded. You'll need to replace them for reliability.

Dothedo is right about replacing the pins/jumper. I can tell you that when I brought my Pinbot home it would work flawlessly for weeks and then at the worst possible times at parties it would dump and reboot. I was just being lazy and really knew that the MPU power cable should be repinned. I had finally had enough and repinned it, then the problem never returned.

There are better ways to awake the adult ladies in the house

Got my sound working! Last night I brought the ribbon cables in and checked for continuity on each pin. Pin 1 was broken. So, I repaired that and tested this morning. All sounds are working! So, the restoration continues. I've rebuilt three drop target banks and am half way through the meteor drop target bank. It's starting to take shape!