In switch test, one of my left lock lane switches does not register. I took out the left lock lane switch assembly:100_5873 (resized).JPG
The upper (lock 2) switch registers, but the lower (lock 1) does not register by switch action, but will register when the wires are shorted. Both diodes registered the same meter readings both ways.
Now the hunt for an original Cherry style switch begins. I have a couple of other brands on hand, but they don't use the pivot hole type of wire form. I do want to keep the original wire form. If I locate this style original switch, I will purchase several to keep in the RCT parts box:Cherry switch (resized).JPG

Are you saying it won't physically lock one ball or two? It is supposed to physically lock 1 ball but never 2.

Question, you mentioned the ball goes there from the Rocket. Does it ever go there from the Chicago Loop? If not, your diverter might not be working.

Yes, right now the game will not physically lock ball one ever, the ball is shot out immediately. That is the switch that is not registering. The left lower diverter does function correctly and sometimes the Chicago loop sends a ball into the left lock lane. Found Cherry DA3 switches at Pinball Wizard in Salt Lake City, I placed an order. Not widely available.

For future issues, you can buy the generic wire switches from Marco and bend the wire to match the original. They have the wire and ribbon style of diy switches. When you replace the switches, be careful not to overtighten the mounting screws which will deform the switch body itself and cause failure again over time.

I saw the various other styles of micro switches, but want to keep using the original wireform and just transfer it to a new Cherry DA3 with the pivot posts. Upon further inspection, it appears that a previous tech reversed the white/red and white/orange switch wires. My old eyes can still distinguish between red and orange using a magnifying glass and my good reading glasses. Switch matrix chart shows upper switch 42 being white/red and lower switch 43 is white/orange. My switches are wired white/orange to upper and white/red to lower. Perhaps when the lower switch failed, it caused the game to go into ball search every time a ball entered the lock lane. Changing the switch wires would probably cause the game to think there were two ball in the lock and instantly eject them as programmed. That might be why I get the sound "oh no, not two at once!" whenever the lock lane shoot the single ball out. Some what expedient fix for a field tech, game still playable, but no 2 ball multiball from the lock lane. After I get the new switch installed and the wires moved back, I will test everything with the glass off and see what happens.

Yes, if a previous tech reverse the upper and lower wiring, then you would get very odd behavior probably as you described because the first locked ball would always be interpreted as a second ball, but in many cases the play field ball count logic would have a conflict. Not sure how it would respond. Anyway, The top switch is #42, white red. The bottom is #43 white orange. See page 5 for the visual ID of those two switches.

Installed new lower lock switch today. Put in a new Cherry DB5 using the original wireform from old switch. Confirmed both switches were wired correctly, I was in error about them possibly being reversed. Game now plays correctly, ball will physically stay locked in the lane when appropriate. Heard a couple of different statements from the dummy. Can get 2 or 3 ball multiball now and score lots more points. Did not realize just how much this switch affected the "fun" of playing the game. Much better now!!

Hi All- Anyone have any suggestions on the easiest way to get to the bulbs in the blue and white bumpers- trying to finish my led conversion- do I need to remove the left ramp?

Thanks All-

Yes you need to remove the left ramp assembly for access to the bulbs and you get the opportunity to do some cleaning and waxing

Good point hawkeyexx- I will do that !

I installed color changing comet LEDs

Hi ALL RCT Owners- Is the Eat/info plastic impossible to find ? If so does anyone know where to find it? Thanks all

Here ya go...

https://www.pinball.center/en/shop/pinball-parts/playfield-parts/plastics/9030/plastic-4-for-roller-coaster-tycoon?c=2286

The bad news is they don't ship to the US. So either make a friend in Canada or get in on Zitt's group purchase...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinballcenter-parts-needed

Oops, just noticed they're out of stock. Shouldn't be a big deal, that seems to happen every so often and they restock.

Is there a plastic protector for the EAT plastic anywhere now?

THANK YOU !!!!

THATS REALLY NICE!

Very very well done man. I just recently picked up a RCT machine. It's my first pin, I'm new to pinball. It just seemed to be the best value for the pricerange. My EAT plastic is broken like many in this thread have mentioned.

Thread bump for one of the most under appreciated games.
Such a fun shooter.

Has anyone replaced the troll hot tub with anything? Like a barrel?
I was thinking maybe 3d printing a ticket booth.
And I want to add a funhouse mirror in back so you can see the top lanes better.

Maybe 3d print some buildings for the diverter covers.

A rocket body over the top of the rocket vuk would be cool too. I'm Just trying to think of non intrusive mods that fit with the theme.

Anyone have any other ideas?

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Excited about having our first family pinball Machiene. RCT is the star of the game room. Fits our vibe, family of 5 and zeal for Cedar Point.
Looking forward to participating in the pinside community.

Welcome to the club!

Should be at Cedar Point in June! Got a few new coasters since I was last there.

I need a new black rubber sleeve for the pop up post to the left of ABC entrance. A 3/8” OD fits over the post but I can’t find the right length. Anyone know what piece this post is? I can’t find it on the rubber diagram.

Did you ever find the cause of this? It’s happening to mine intermittently.

I had this happening on my RCT when I first got it.
It's probably a stuck or bad switch or diode in either the food stand subway switches or ball lock. Or possibly the trough has a flakey switch.
It was one ball lock switch and the subway switch bad on mine.

They were full of dirt/carbon. I sprayed them with compressed air upside down. And the flakey switch problem and random launches went away.

But I will probably eventually replace those switches if it ever pops back up.

I bit the bullet and got new side rails. The groove in the cabinet from what I can only guess was the previous owner wore a ring. Or scratching nails on the cabinet constantly. It was driving me nuts.

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That does look much better! That's some crazy wear there.

Added some custom flash lamp covers today.
Much Less blinding with the LEDs in standard covers. Fit the theme good too. Saw a YouTube video that someone had done this before.
$10 mod.

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More 3d printing. Just because I always hated the plain diverter covers. Working on a ticket booth for the other diverter cover. Lol

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Very nice lookin. Great job.

That Funhouse cover is very cool, I want one of those!

I changed things up a bit. And printed the buildings to look closer to the RCT art.

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Those look awesome. I would buy them if you want to sell them

I’m having an issue where before game start it says “4 balls missing”. The it seems to play normally but then on ball two or three it kicks out two balls instead of one. Any ideas where to start diagnosing that? I’m not very experienced with pinball tech.

Start by going into switch test and seeing if the ball trough switches are all registering. My guess is the problem is there.

Thank you! I’ll do that.

Lol. More printing and painting.

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I get to join and I actually really like RCT.

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That is a great pair of machines!

Hi All- if anyone knows or has a lead on a plastic set particularly the EAT/INFO - I would appreciate it!

Hey everyone, trying to rescue a RCT for a local friend. L204 is blinking, and whenever I do a coil test, both the auto plunge and trough coil activate AND hold. Both appear to share the yellow/violet wire. Any tips on how to get this one playing again? Thank you.

Check all your switch diodes on the matrix that are in that column/row. Then check the associated transistors. Q1-Q2

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WOOT just joined the club. Snagged one that needs some work to put on route!

Anyone have the speaker panel decal? curious how it looks from far back.

Made more stuff, just because.

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All done. Next up on the RCT modding front. Inside art blades.
Then eventually a color DMD.

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Those look fun! I like the Rudy tie in

Just picked up my own RCT. It's my second pin. First time buying a used pin. My other is a Mandalorian that I got new.

Anyways. First, I never realized how much of a pain picking up and driving off, then unloading a pin is. I am going to be sore tomorrow. I need to find a better way for all this.

Secondly. Are there any backup parts I should have on hand for a 20 year old pin? Anything prone to break on these?

Added an obligatory quick picture. Isn't in the final spot in my basement. But I had to plug her in and play right away.

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Congrats, welcome to the club! You might want to buy some Cliffys to protect the ramps. Flying Turns one is often beat up. Also you should get the batteries off the board if they're not already. Can use remote battery holder or better yet nvram. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the quick reply! Cliffys were recommended for my Mando so I'll definitely get some. So far the playfield/ramps are in really, really good condition and hope to keep it that ay.

Oh I've seen people talk about nvram for older machines. Is it something that should definitely be done because of acid leaking or something for old batteries?

And is it easy to do?

Thanks

If you're comfortable with a little bit of board soldering, you can't go wring with the nvram. Stern Whitestar is listed as an easy one...

https://www.pinitech.com/products/6264_nvram.php

Otherwise you might have to do a tiny bit of soldering to move the batteries off the board. This is a possible option, but it does not mention stern...

https://www.pinballlife.com/remote-battery-holder-for-williamsbally-wpc-wpc-95-machines.html

Definitely a good idea to do one or the other, or at least put in lithium batteries. My RCT came with an unworking board due to battery leakage. Got it for a great price and I was able to get it professionally repaired and cleaned up. Hopefully it's good forever, but ya never know.

Congrats on the pick up. I love this game. Besides the already mentioned NVRAM, I'm seeing a lot of these Whitestar boards with failing capacitors on the power driver nowadays. I've repaired four in the past 6 months that were causing resets.
Im not saying yours is due, but if you notice the machine resets or goes dead in the middle of a game, it's time to get the caps swapped.

Also, a common misconception; batteries don't leak acid, they leak alkaline which is the exact opposite. Any damaged board should be treated with an acid like vinegar.

Mail day.
New shooter rod. And speaker grills still on the way. I guess a Color DMD is eventually on the horizon.

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