Congrats on the pin, I think that it’s a fun wedge. Have you checked the other relays? I can’t remember if it’s the start or hold relay that has to be properly gapped/cleaned for the start up to reset.

Which one(s) of these switches/relays is keeping the score motor running? When all of them are open the motor will stop.

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Yes.

There's one more switch to test: on the Reset relay (D) on the sequence bank, with Blue+Red and Black-Red wires.

Do the score reels reset to zero?

I assume you mean that you manually tripped the D relay.

If the Reset relay (D) doesn't trip during game startup, Inspect and diagnose this circuit with Alligator clip jumper wires

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gottlieb-big-shot-repair#post-6305153
http://www.planetimming.com/Pinball/troubleshooting/EM%20Troubleshooting.pdf
http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index3.htm#features
Example of a pinsider actually doing this https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/red-baron-tech-question#post-5858156

pasted_image (resized).png

Inspect and diagnose this circuit with Alligator clip jumper wires

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gottlieb-big-shot-repair#post-6305153
http://www.planetimming.com/Pinball/troubleshooting/EM%20Troubleshooting.pdf
http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index3.htm#features
Example of a pinsider actually doing this https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/red-baron-tech-question#post-5858156

pasted_image (resized).png

I had a similar issue with a game I had at Pinfest. It turned out to be a score reel switch. They're often balky, and they're tricky to adjust properly.

Mine was doing that as well because of a score reel limit switch not engaging properly.

One of the reviews says the wire is 22 gauge, which is too thin for many uses

16 gauge should be OK
You can link shorter alligator clip jumper wires together

They describe two Gottlieb reset sequences which may be common, but there were many similar but distinct reset sequences used. In the 70's some Gottlieb games had manuals that describe the reset sequence used in that game but on earlier games you have to sort it out from the schematic.

But unwinding the entire reset sequence from the schematic isn't really how you want to troubleshoot. It's hard to do and much of the effort is unnecessary. Instead try to focus in on something that's not happening (e.g. the replay button doesn't do anything or the score reels don't reset). Keep in mind that the issue you're chasing may be due to another issue and not really a problem. Eventually you'll trace back to the main culprit (like the S/Start relay won't trip).

/Mark

You might try checking the switches on the coin door. I've fixed a couple games where they were bent closed.

Exactly right. You've proven that the rest of the circuit works and that the issue is in the part of the circuit that you bypassed. By moving the jumper to other points you should be able to determine whether of the remaining switches are working or not.

All I can tell from the photo is that that's a step unit or stepper. Look for labels, wire colors or at the reference photos at http://pbresource.com/pfplayfEM.htm to figure out which stepper is which.

Zero Pos "Ball Count" Unit on the schematic above refers to a switch on the Ball Count step unit that activates when the unit is in its zero or reset position. The same goes for the Replay Unit or credit unit in the back box that indicates how many credits the game has. Use the wire colors from the schematic to identify the switch you're looking for.

Hmm. The T/Tilt relay should only trip when one of the tilt switches closes. When it trips it cuts power to most of the game including the Outhole switch and the O/Outhole relay effectively ending your game. So the T relay switch in the red path in the schematic in reply #11 is what lets you start a new game when the game has tilted.

If tripping the T relay enables the Replay button I suspect your problem is with the switch in parallel with the T relay switch, the Zero Position Ball Count Unit switch. That switch I think is what keeps you from starting a new game during reset until the ball has been kicked to the shooter lane, which advances the Ball Count Unit to 1. It's keeping you from hitting the start button twice and losing a 2nd credit before the first ball has been served.

If you advance your Ball Count Unit away from its reset position does the Replay Button fire the Start relay?

Now that you've got the Start relay firing as it should we can look into the next step. It sounds like you previously identified the D relay switch as the path that sends power to the Score Motor.

The D/Reset relay in this game might be better called the Reset Complete relay. When the Start relay fires, the motor starts turning and both trip banks should reset. That should reset the D/Reset relay and close the D relay switch in the schematic in reply #3. That switch keeps the motor running until the D/Reset relay trips which opens that switch.

The schematic in reply #9 shows that the D/Reset relay can't trip until all four score reels have reached zero and closed their Runout switches. Once that happens the Motor 2B switch that closes briefly at the very end of each motor cycle should trip the D relay, opening the switch that feeds the Score Motor and the motor should stop.

I don't follow. The Motor 2B switch in the D/Reset relay circuit (brown-white-red wire to orange-white-red wire) is normally open. It closes briefly at the end of each Score Motor cycle. When it closes the D/Reset relay will trip if all the remaining switches in the circuit are also closed.

Have you checked the behavior of the D relay as described above? Have you checked each of its switches to see that they open and close as they should as the relay trips and resets? Are any of the D relay solder tabs or wires shorted together?

More info about Gottlieb wire colors: https://www.funwithpinball.com/resources/Gottlieb-Wire-Colors

Forgive me for asking again, but have you checked the switches on the coin door...specifically the ones that would be triggered by the coin mech/coin? I have found that if these are stuck closed, they will cause the score motor to run immediately when the game is turned on. This is different than issues caused after the reset sequence is started.

These sometimes get screwed up when they are used to start games or when the coin mechs are removed.

It was worth a shot..sorry it didn't fix it. The ah-ha moment will happen. I once had a game that took me months before I found the issue (worn cloth insulation hitting metal). Stick with it.

PM from OP:

Hi there. Just seeing if you have any other suggestions for my issue with Royal Guard. I know there is only so much you can help with online. But didn't know if you have some other suggestions?

On a thread this long I've lost track of what problem(s) you're trying to fix. Can you refresh our collective memory?