Hey folks, I’m a n00b to tinkering / repairing pinball machines, but am willing and wanting to learn! I’ll admit it, electrical stuff has never really been my favorite thing in the world, but I’ve still had some real-world experience with it (some examples: wiring up assorted new lighting modifications in my car; installing & wiring heated seats; wiring/connecting my garage door opener (SS board) to a dashboard switch; etc. All of these involved basic electrical work & soldering.) While these pin machines certainly look complex, I refuse to be intimidated by them! Naturally, though, I’m going to need a little help as I learn -- and so it begins. Here’s my current situation, in both TL;DR and long detailed versions. Pics at the end -- please have a look at these too.

TL;DR version:
- Bally 1977 Bobby Orr Power Play
- Per prior owner: Used to work fine with regular play, then used irregularly, now doesn’t work.
- Symptoms: Some lights, no scoreboards, no play start
- Found burn around resistor on Solenoid/Voltage Regulator board
- R&R’d resistor
- Also connected two unconnected ground wires elsewhere on machine
- Powered on: No noticeable change to condition/state.
- Found broken wire on knocker solenoid
- Resoldered wire
- Powered on: blew fuse F4; no other noticeable change to condition/state.
- Awaiting new fuses & knocker solenoid (intend to R&R)
- Looking for feedback/tips/tricks on further troubleshooting

Here’s the longer, more detailed version:
I recently bought two machines; one (EM) works fine, and the other (SS) needs some (hopefully) minor work.

This is a ~1977 Bobby Orr Power Play from Bally. The previous owner states the machine played perfectly fine while it was being actively used. Then, in a move/separation situation (~2 years ago), the machine was left behind and sat, rarely used. Its health was not monitored by the enthusiast/owner.

Recently, in preparation to sell it, the owner went back to evaluate the machine, turned on to play/test; he found some lights didn’t come on, the scoreboards didn’t activate, and the game wouldn’t start. He took a peek inside and identified a burned area on the solenoid/voltage regulator board. He pointed this out to me, and said he didn’t remember that being there, so it could be the culprit. The burn was around a 330 ohm resistor; I unsoldered and removed it, and soldered up new resistor (well, a 10, 100, & 220 in series) in its place.

Pic of board (overall):
SolVoltReg-overall.JPG

Close-up of burn area:
SolVoltReg-burn.JPG

Back side of board, in burn area:
SolVoltReg-back.JPG

While working on this, I also remembered he pointed out two ground wires that were not connected. One I could tell exactly where it was supposed to be connected, so I connected it. The other, I was uncertain, so I connected it to the perforated metal inside cabinet ‘throat’. This seemed like where it might go, as it appeared to be at the right length. (I do intend to follow up on this to see if there’s anywhere else it may have been intended to terminate.)

Where I connected one grounding cable coming up out of the lower cabinet. (Pic taken before I connected it.) You can see the perforated metal plate also, where I then attached the other grounding cable.
grounding.JPG

So … after replacing the resistor and connecting the ground cables, I turned on machine and …… similar state. Mostly lit, no scoreboards, no game start. (It seemed like there may have been more lights on than before, but might’ve been my imagination trying to be hopeful.)

I looked around for anything else that seemed amiss … and I found a broken wire for the knocker solenoid (backbox, upper left corner) hanging out in space; the end of the wire looks like it tore off the terminal. I re-soldered the wire’s end to the terminal on the solenoid.

Pic of this solenoid, after I resoldered the yellow wire.
knocker_solenoid.JPG

I then powered on the machine again – this time, it blew out fuse F4. Otherwise it stayed in the same state as before.
Looking around for repair tips, I found a handy reference for Bally machines that read “If fuse F4 blows, there is either a problem with the backbox knocker, or the cabinet coin door lockout coil, the solenoid bridge rectifier (on the rectifier board), or the rectifier board's varister.”

Pic of rectifier board (after I blew fuse F4):
rectifier.JPG

This seemed like too much of a coincidence, that I’d just rewired that knocker solenoid and then blew that fuse ….. so I’m going to replace that solenoid also. I’ve got fuses and the solenoid on order; awaiting delivery.

In the meantime, while I wait for my new parts, I’ll probably try some of the basic voltage testing listed here: http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/ballyss/rep/index1.htm#minimum Aside from this (or any of the detailed overhaul work describe at that link) does anyone have particular ideas/suggestions? I’m worried the issue with the burn on the solenoid/voltage regulator board may not be resolved, so some hints over there would be great.

Many thanks in advance, for the help you're about to provide, and for all the help you'll provide in the future. I look forward to 'giving back' down the road, however I can, after I get proficient at this stuff.

I don't have pics right now but can take some this evening. I recall looking at that battery and thinking it didn't look so great ... and then your comment and that other source (linked above) both mentioned those batteries can cause problems -- so I'll definitely take a closer look there and remove it.

Naturally, replacing the boards is the more expensive route. I'll definitely go there if I have to, if that's the only way to get it working again. However I'm definitely interested in doing some of the basic troubleshooting first, for 1) the learning experience (I need it!), and 2) potential cost savings (especially since I just bought my two pins ... gotta reign in the spending for now). Please don't think I'm rejecting your advice! If money were no object, I'd certainly go that route sooner.

I certainly hope to!

One final note: Schedules are crazy this week and I've got out-of-town company coming this weekend, so my troubleshooting attempts will be sporadic at best. I appreciate your patience and sticking with me as I tiptoe through this slow process.

Thanks again!

Here's the MPU and a close-up of the battery area.

20150715_054059.jpg

20150715_054105.jpg

Thanks for this specific test. I checked this on all three bridge rectifiers, and all came back ~.53 ... so I guess that's not it.

I did check that questionable solenoid using a procedure I found on YouTube (checking resistance), and that one did come back bad (~.02 ohm). I verified on others believed to be good, which came back ~9 ohm.

Looking at it to understand better how the knocker works, I can see the old one has the striker bar stuck in an up position. I'll be replacing this hopefully today if I have a chance.

Updates:

-Alright, new knocker solenoid is in, though I haven't wired it up yet.

-I replaced the F4 fuse I blew (probably due to the old bad solenoid) and checked the voltages at all the test points in the top cabinet per http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/ballyss/rep/index1.htm#tp ... and they all check out.

-I noticed this game doesn't appear to have a sound board...? This should be below the the solenoid driver /voltage regulator board and right of the lamp driver board, right? I just have a blank space there except for an old crusty placard with transformer connection instructions.

-I also noted there's no connector along the 'top horizontal' row of pins on the MPU board (~30 pin), is this normal?

Anyway, I've pulled the MPU board and I'm going to go cut off the battery and clean it up. Stay tuned.

I removed the battery and have attacked the corrosion. Being that this is my first time at this, I didn't get super aggressive, but definitely removed a lot of it. I'm willing to go back and hit it further, but wanted to see if I'd made any progress.

I hooked MPU back up. Note, I'd installed the new knocker solenoid but had not yet wired it in. When I turned the machine on, the red LED on the MPU came on and stayed on, and nothing else happened.

Feeling brave, I shut it off, and wired in the new solenoid. This time, when I turned the machine on, it immediately activated the knocker solenoid (the knock startled me, lol), and held it on. (The rod stayed up until I shut the machine off, then it dropped back down.) Also, during this test, the MPU's red LED flickered on once then stayed off.

EDIT: Thinking about this, I wonder if there's something in the playfield table that's shorted or connected that's driving the knocker solenoid to be on full time. Will look into this after lunch.

Any other thoughts?

This is getting interesting. Despite the knocker solenoid staying on, I decided to hit the self-test button in the coin door. After a moment, it ran through the self-test, everything cycled, the chimes went, and even the scoreboards turned on!!!

I shut it off, and then turned it back on again. Now, each time I turn it on, it runs through the self test and I get seven flashes from the MPU's LED.

I started smelling electrical burn, and noticed the wrapper on my new knocker solenoid starting to melt -- unsurpising, I guess, since it's still keeping that on all the time. Any suggestions on troubleshooting that? If that would stay off like it should, I might be a step closer to being back in business.

I did use vinegar in the cleaning process. When I say I wasn't that aggressive, I just mean I didn't go super crazy with it all.

Will do, also based on my latest post.

OK! I disconnected the knocker, and turned it on. It ran the self test and seemed happy. I also stepped through the lamp, display, solenoid, and switch tests via the button in the coin door. All were good, and the switch test came back with results of '0'.

So, all seems happy -- except nothing happens when I hit the start button. Thoughts?

Crap, I dunno what happened, but now it's reverted back to its lights-on, scoreboards-off, no-MPU-LED mode. Hmm. I wonder if I jiggled something somewhere. I'll get back to you once it's alive again.

Ok, got it going again. Start button displays # 06 during switch test.

Hell to the YEAH!!!!!! Ok here's the update:

I pulled the MPU and cleaned more of the corrosion off, and reinstalled the board -- that got it back into the quasi-functional mode where I could go through the tests.

My four-year-old daughter (gotta start em early!) helped me through the tests, and we tested all the switches. I identified that one of the coin slot switches wasn't working, but everything else was good.

All the solenoids -- except for the disconnected knocker -- are functioning.

I've got about 9 bulbs out in the playfield, which we identified during the lamp test.

I could've sworn the guy who sold this to me said it was set to free play ... but I guess not, because hitting start didn't do anything. What DID do something was manually throwing the (working) coin switch, which set off the chimes -- and then let us hit start and begin playing!!!!!!!! My daughter and I are loving it!!!!!

THANK YOU ALL for your help. There's still more work to be done, as I want to get the knocker working properly, so I'm going to keep this thread open for now until I iron out that problem. Might still need your wisdom there. In the meantime, it's time to play a few games!!!!!!!!

You have no idea how excited we are over here. ....actually, you probably do.

Good to know, thank you. As I've been playing I've noticed how many replays have been racking up, so I suspect a previous owner did something similar. Only trouble is the initial power-on, since I have still have to give it an initial credit to get it going.

Yes, I did check this, and the one in the photo (which had come with the machine) had definitely gone bad. After replacing it, though, the machine is still keeping that solenoid on full-time, so there's still something wrong. I've disconnected it for now and will (at next opportunity) look into fixing it per vid1900's suggestion:

While we're on the subject:

Yes, the diode was present; it's visible in that photo.

This is fantastic, next time I have to pull that board, I'll attack some of these R&Rs too.

Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on the Knocker troubleshooting, though since the game is functioning, this will probably become low priority. I still want to figure it out, both for the practice/experience and just to have it working properly. Stay tuned!

So a new wrinkle in the saga: now almost all the solenoids have stopped operating. I went into diagnostic mode solenoid test to confirm, and as it cycles through all of them, only the flippers and chimes operate -- everything else is silent (with the exception of two soft 'clicks' I hear in the upper cabinet near the end of the cycle). I checked the voltages at the test points on the voltage/solenoid regulator board, and they all check out. Certainly too much of a coincidence to have almost all of them drop out at once. Any suggestions?

Great thought. I'd looked at the fuses in the back cabinet but didn't think to look for one under the playfield. I'll look into that next chance I get. Thanks!

Anyone have any other thoughts/ideas in the meantime?

Thanks guys, that was it. Missed that fuse. Glad I bought a pack of all the fuses needed for this game! Back in business. Now back to troubleshooting all the other issues, the next of which is:

The post that pops up in the drain -- it pops up when it should, but it doesn't always pop down when it should (only sometimes, unreliably). The light turns off when you hit the switches that should retract it, so it seems to be getting the message. Think the solenoid might be going? Will check resistance. (The wrapper's pretty brown too.) Any other thoughts!

Yes, the up/down action of the post is nice and smooth with the power off. Perhaps the issue is with the 'perpendicular' solenoid? I think see how the system is supposed to work (see pics below; correct me if I'm wrong); the 'Post Up' command should activate the 2800 solenoid, to retract the plate, so the post on the 1200 springs up. The 'Post Down' command should activate the 1200 solenoid, pulling down the post, getting 'latched' down by the plate on the 2800.

Perhaps the 2800 is not functioning properly? I checked resistances -- the 1200 read ~9 ohms (which is good), but the 2800 came back at ~100 ohms. Maybe the 2800 has gone bad?

Post Up:
20150801_204837_zps98c4gtzm.JPG

Post Down:
20150801_204856_zpszeuj8ewr.JPG

Yes, the spring is under the post cap. It's not visible in the pics, because it's above the top surface of what you see there.

Ok, I tried loosening and repositioning the bracket on the 2800, but it still wouldn't catch properly. So I pulled the 2800 out of the bracket to see if it was working. What I found is the plate itself is not connected to the 2800; rather, the plate hangs in front of it, pulled toward the 1200 by a spring (up on top of the bracket). The 2800 has a MAGNET that pulls the plate in when activated ("releasing" the post, so it springs up into the drain). Then, when the 1200 pulls the post down, the spring on the 2800 bracket is already the pulling the plate out to latch it down.

I couldn't really change the fwd/back position of the 2800 bracket, so just for kicks I shifted the 2800 solenoid itself closer to the plate, hoping that it wouldn't pull the plate so far back (so it'd be 'closer' to latch down the post). I did this by changing the washer position at the solenoid attach screw. Now it works perfectly!!!

I don't know if I've described any of this well enough to understand ... but bottom line is, you guys rock and your guidance has led me to a good fix yet again. THANK YOU ALL, including vid, cody, ken, pinkid, yetti, freeplay, mrjamma, raff, piparoo, dasvis.

And once again, my four-year-old daughter was thrilled to help -- I had her cycling the switches on the playfield so I could watch the action of the solenoids & plate. "Up Switch!" "Down Switch!" "Upswitch!" "Inlane!" "Center Target!" "Down Switch!" We both had a blast.

I'm sure more issues will arise, and I still haven't attacked the knocker rework (per vid's instructions), so I'll continue to leave this open.

Also note: I've officially reset my family's high scores (we're tracking on a whiteboard), because the improperly functioning post had skewed all the scores. (It was up more than it was supposed to be. My wife is now upset, because that was such a good help, lol)

The F4 fuse on the rectifier board has raised its ugly head again -- which was one of my original problems.

I'd previously noted from a Bally resource: “If fuse F4 blows, there is either a problem with the backbox knocker, or the cabinet coin door lockout coil, the solenoid bridge rectifier (on the rectifier board), or the rectifier board's varister.”

- My knocker is disconnected (since I still haven't replaced the applicable transistor per vid's instructions), so that can't be the problem.

- I checked the bridge rectifier per Raff's instructions: "Test the bridge rectifier for the F4 fuse In diode mode put black lead on + or red lead on - and other lead on any of the AC terminals reading should be between .4 to.6 (power off)" It came back at .53, so that doesn't appear to be the problem.

- I haven't yet checked the coin door lockout coil; will try to have a look at this tonight.

- I don't know how to test the varister.

Any suggestions?

Done ... and blew the fuse again. Down to one last fuse before I'm out of commission (til I order more).... Next suggestion?

Ok I'll see if I can get to Radio Shack sometime soon to get the bridges, and I'll replace them per the instructions at http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/ballyss/rep/index1.htm#ps .

Any other suggestions of things I could check/test in the meantime? Anything else we might have missed?

Also: I checked all the Test Points on the rectifier board -- the first four come back at the appropriate value, but TP5 comes back with 0. According to that reference, it should be ~43 volts. Is this coming back zero because the F4 fuse is blown, or might there be some other problem here?

Hey vid, I went to Radio Shack today.
-- I got the 1N4004 diode
-- Resistor question: What wattage? They had 1/2W, 1/4W, and 1/8W. I'm thinking probably 1/4 but want to be sure. (I bought them all and will return the rest). They had 330 Ohm but didn't haven't 120, so I'll string together 100+22 or 100+10+10.
-- Unfortunately, they didn't have the TIP102 transistor (nor the SE9302 or NTE263 alternates suggested by http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/ballyss/rep/index1.htm#parts . So I guess I'm stuck on this part of the rework until I get this.

About this: I'm confused which to use. The guide linked above mentions, in the 'parts' list:
"Bridge Rectifiers: keep a few 35 amp, 200 volt (or higher) bridge rectifiers around, with wire leads. The Radio Shack ones that are 25 amp at 50 volts. Just examine them before buying. Often they have much higher ratings. For example, if they say "3502" this means they are 35 amp at 200 volts. But I've also seen "1001" which is 10 amps at 100 volts. Remember, look before buying. I would avoid buying the unlabeled ones. 25 amp bridges work just fine too (but usually there's no cost difference between 25 and 35 amps). The ones being replaced are usually 8 amps! "

I found the ones at Radio Shack that are 25amp 50volt, but the text above (and the text in the actual repair procedure itself) is somewhat confusing. Can I use this one or not?