Newbie needs help with Elektra flipper issue

^^^ nope.

The top and bottom playfields are completely seperate from eachother on Elektra. The ball trough/drain has nothing to do with the lower playfield. If the ball trough isnt regestering the lower star rollover will not be working as well when the relay switches to change from the top playfield to lower one.

If the star rollovers switches are stuck it will kick out 2 balls during play and go to game over after 1 ball drains.

TO FIX....

Reflow solider on the solenoid expander board.
The relay attached to under the playfield by the coindoor. Also check that its associated test switch that is attached under the playfield is working correctly. and that the 555 bulb by the board is not burnt out.

When you press the expander boards test switch it should click and activate only the lower playfield every time the switch is pressed.

If the solider joints are bad it will either activate both playfields or wont switch between the 2. Same goes if the bulb is burned out.

Had the same issue on my elektra.
Reflow the solider on the back of the board for the relay connections.
This board.Screenshot_2015-05-30-15-21-33.png
[att=2483113,512093

#4 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

Thanks Erak... Time to get brave and pop the girl open. Have some burned out bulbs that I need to replace and noticed that the star rollover on the upper playfield (near the right flipper) doesn't seem to be working too.

#5 8 years ago

ECB

erak

Pinside member

As far as the burned out bulbs are concerned...

If you put a new bulb in and the lamp still doesnt work it could be the corrosponding SCR that controls that specific lamp on the lamp driver board (in the backbox) has failed.

Check the schematics on ipdb. If you have any lamps that do this after replacing the bulb.
It will tell you what controls what lamp.

I have one lamp SCR out I am replacing at the moment.
The lower playfields #2 arrow.

Good luck!

#6 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

Having an issue locating the proper board. There's only one that I see attached to the lower playfield (picture 1) and it doesn't match up with the photo above... help!

I also noticed a wire that seems to have come disconnected, along with a "reset button" (potentiometer?) that's busted (picture 2) that's attached near the ball drain/front left of the machine.

The third board is in picture 3 and it's located slightly up and left of the board in picture 2.

P5310053-edit.jpg

P5310054-edit.jpg

P5310055-edit.jpg

#7 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

D'oh... read, don't just look at the pictures, Jeff! Solenoid Expander board... obviously #2. Now, just need to figure out those hanging black wires and the broken button/pot/whatever

#8 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

OK... so with further review... the reset button is functional, just looks broken. However, no click nor lower playfield activation when pressed. Guessing those 2 soldered but otherwise unconnected black wires are at least part of my problem.

#9 8 years ago

ECB

erak

Pinside member

Reset button?

That button by the solenoid expander board is the lower playfield test button.

When pressed it will cause the relay on the solenoid expander board to activate.

It turns off everything on the upper playfield and turns on the lights and coils on the bottom playfield.

The test button should have all 4 wires on it. 2 black wires with blue stripes on one side of the switch. And 2 solid thicker black on the other side.

Remove the solenoid expander board and reflow all the solider pads on the back of the board where the relay is solidered to it.

Then check/replace the light bulb next to it.
Then solider the wires back to the switch.

Then turn on and test.

You actually dont need the test switch, you can just touch/jump all 4 wires together to test as well.

My machine is missing the switch. But twisting the wires together does the same as the button.

1433206416437.jpg

My switch wires with the yellow tape on them.
I just take off the tape and touch the two bundles together.

#10 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

My bad... mispoke... test button, not reset... nothing happening when it's pushed, but know now that's because of the 2 soldered together wires not being connected to it.

Not yet seeing the bulb you've referenced, but probably buried under the harness. Feeling confident enough to yank the daughter board now though, so a new weekend project is at hand.

Thanks for the help... I'll probably be back for more. lol

Additional findings (because I can't wait until the weekend to dig in)
Only bulb I found near the solenoid expander was actually nearer the aux driver (you can barely see the socket to the right of the board in pic 3 above), but it was burned out. Swapped another bulb into that socket and the lower playfield behaves as it did previously - works 99% of the time with the upper playfield kicking in that other 1%. That looks like the major culprit, but I'm going to try reflowing the connections to see if that resolves the other 1%.

Post last edited 8 years ago: “Added additional findings”

#11 8 years ago

ECB

erak

Pinside member

That should do it.
Mine was doing the same thing. It worked about 50% of the time. Once I reflowed those points it hasn't acted up since. 100% now.

Good luck!

#12 8 years ago

ECB

erak

Pinside member

Looks like probably the top circle. But maybe the bottom. On my machine its mounted right beside the expander board.

IMG_20150604_171637.jpg

#13 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member

Burned out bulb was top circle, so think that solved most of the problem. Hit the relay solder joints last night... so far so good!

Thanks, again, for the help!

#14 8 years ago

ECB

erak

Pinside member

Awesome news!

What backglass does yours have?

2 weeks later

#15 8 years ago

JEF

JEFrank

Pinside member