So the wife asks "So what are you going to do evenings now that the pinball is working?" knowing full well I am champing at the bits to do cabinet work on a machine resurrection I have started a dozen times!

She doesn't get the joy of 'fixing'. She is best friends with the Karma Fairy.

After a few weeks of fine performance my Vulcan is acting up again. Had a great late night session, rolled it over twice to beat my high score, turned it off and upon restart the next weekend the Karma Fairy got her due:

When the machine does an initial reset after pressing the game/credit button once score reals reset but the "number of players" indicates both '1' and '4'. Match number also comes on and stays lit. Game play then is player one then player four. Pressing the credit button after reset does nothing.

Away from home till tonight thus the following is as I recall . When I manually advance the coin unit the machine indicates '2' player, then '3', then '4'. I think!?! the errant four goes out. I did not yet get to simulating game play when coin unit has been manually advanced. I did try one but do not recall the events << not a good sign . I think it added player four regardless of the number of players indicated but I could have been delusional though I am sure it had nothing to do with proper hydration with frosty beverage.

After starring at the schematics I poked all over the place based upon my cross-eyed circuit tracing -- player unit, coin unit, AX, BX, last ball and add a player relay. Switches looked correct but I have been mistaken many a time.

I can provide shots of schematic but not sure what section might assist troubleshooting. Number of Player lights?, Coin Unit? related relays O, Q (drat: forgot function names - need to get a copy of the schematics on my 'work' machine

Thanks

Tom

Thanks for looking in once again DF.

So after a long step by step evaluation of events last night, I came back to add in Player Unit and Coin Unit events -- but the scoring events changed, I updated with additional information. Hope this is an appropriate level of detail. As I reread I get more ideas but will resist poking till comments are made. Some 'maybe appropriate' schematic shots will be added shortly.<pizza's ready> Where I am shy in info : ask away

Crap - the outline read better in Word - if an issue let me know and I will reformat somehow.

1. Machine off, player 1 shows 500 pts. Credit reel has been advanced to 8

2. Machine turned on.
a. "4" players and match number light along with typical illumination
b. Player Unit at home position - player 1 rivs
c. Coin Unit at home - fully counter-clockwise

3. Credit/Start button pressed
a. credit reel drops 1
b. targets reset
c. score reels reset to zero
d. match light # flashes
e. ball delivered to plunger
f. match light # comes on steady
g. players # 1 and 4 light (number of players, not the reels)
h. player 1 score reels light
i. ball in play "1"

4. IF BALL IS PUT INTO PLAY
a. player one scores, drop ball PU: advances three to player four rivs
b. player four scores, drop ball, ball "2" PU: advances one to player 1 second set rivs
c. repeats thru balls 2,3,4
d. after player 2 drops ball 4, player 1 ball 5 lights
e. loud buzz from ?4B?5B? (#4 rollover reset or target 5 reset) relay in large ??reset bank?? -- under playfield, backbox end not the targets. CHANGED, new events below
f. ball does not eject to plunger, I missed if PU moved but believe not.
g. Machine powered OFF

5. IF INSTEAD THE CREDIT BUTTON IS PRESSED
a. credit reel drops another 1
b. no other difference, CU does not move, machine performs as above

6. IF INSTEAD THE COIN UNIT IS STROKED/ADVANCED CLOCKWISE

a. ONE STROKE
i. Players 4 light goes out, 1 remains lit
ii. Game plays as a single player apparently normally
iii. Loud BUZZ as above at start of ball 5 - changed, new events below

b. TWO STROKES
i. Players 1 & 2 lights come on
ii. Games play as two player should
iii. goes in to ball 5 as it should
iv. after player 2 ball 5 game does not end but returns to player 1
v. after player 1 drops the now ball six, players cycle back to player one while points are added to player 2 and sometimes player 1 also
vi. player one continues and repeats as above, never ending

c. THREE STROKES
i. three player game that turns into a never ending player 1 after player 3 ball 5 including the random extra points as ball ends and ejects to plunger while players cycle back to 1

d. FOUR STROKES
i. ditto -- HOWEVER the extra points at ball end now get added to player 1

ROUND II - replaces last eve's events

4. IF BALL IS PUT INTO PLAY
a. player one scores, drop ball PU: advances three to player four rivs
b. player four scores, drop ball, ball "2" PU: advances one to player 1 second set rivs
c. repeats thru balls 2,3,4,5
e. after player 4 ball 5 game does not end but returns to player 1 PU advances one
f. after player 1 drops the now ball six, players cycle back to player one while points are added to player 2 and sometimes player 1 also NOW 100 pts to both for numerous balls.

5. IF INSTEAD THE COIN UNIT IS STROKED/ADVANCED CLOCKWISE

a. ONE STROKE
i. Players 4 light goes out, 1 remains lit
ii. Game plays as above UNTILL ball 5+
i. THEN players lights went out and player 1 reel lights went out.
ii. Scoring stopped but feature lights and chimes operated. Ball ejected to plunger
iii. Machine OFF
iii. as before

b. Others appear to be the same as last night

Coin Unit switches look to be correct - for what my observation is worth. Just not stroking when credit button is pushed.
Player Unit large switch (player) stacks appear correct. The short on black cam seem to be also but not a great view while making things happen.

--- Tom

imagesCAEV6M3N.jpg

I so understand.

These may be related. Ask for more if you can clue me in.

players lights.jpg

add player ball return hold relay.jpg

add player.jpg

subtract replay and start relay.jpg

game over relay.jpg

Some Vulcan 00-90 unit and match light schematics. Let me know if more are useful.

match lights and coin unit.jpg

00-90 with player uniit.jpg

00-90 relay.jpg

RE:

Yep! That correlates well. I will look at the CU and those two paths in the am.

Thanks! for your sharing know how.

add coin unit relay.jpg

Is this the one?

So I started with U and S relays. Flexstoned all and adjusted two on each. Then started machine. Perfect reset, 1 player, credit button adds players. Fantastic progress to get back where things worked. Not unlike listening to an old Firesign Theater album.

So what then seems to be the ??remaining issue is that the machine does not recognize the end of a game. After the last ball 5 no matter how many players the game continues on player one.

Useful?

add player-last ball-add replay.jpg

Thanks - I was just the mechanic following a masters lead. I enjoy the insights & lessons of logic presented.

So when the player unit advances to ball 5, the double bonus relay in the large bank fires on, if a point is scored then when the ball drops the O fires and the BX comes on and the score motor advances ?1/4 turn, if no points scored the O fires, the BX does not and the score motor advances ?1/2 turn, eject hole fires ball to plunger, trough switch has no effect on ball count.

Nothing seems to occur due to the BX being on other then limiting the eject.
So methinks a next event needs to be directed by either a branch off the BX or the score motor position after the ?1/4 turn. So should these be the next poke areas?

Also just noted an additional wrinkle.

When the machine is turned on OR after a played game ends - the first press of the credit scores but the tilt and game over stay lit. Ball is not delivered to trough. Press credit button again and machine goes through reset and player 1 is ready, ball at plunger.

Games plays apparently normally then at seemingly random times the tilt light and game over light come on and game acts as tilted though it was not from play.

Thanks DF, will try the 3 ball in the morn.