I read somewhere that you should count the number of winds when you unwind it so you know how much tension it needs when you put it back together.

Like you, I'm also wondering if there is some kind of normal?

It is a tricky balance, since too loose or too tight and it won't behave correctly. I have found 3 to 4 gives me the sweet spot, but it seems to vary based on the mechanism. Of course most important thing is to properly clean it. I've wasted too much time messing with how many wraps and adjusting springs when trying to take a short cut and not taking the whole thing apart and cleaning it properly. I've learned my lesson on that, and now I just bite the bullet and take the needed time to tear the steppers apart and clean the heck out of them.

I almost had one get away from me last night from my Gottlieb replay unit! Caught it with my finger and have the puncture wound to prove it. It needed 4 winds...

I have found Williams steppers to be 3 winds.

Every one I have worked on (with the exception of one on a one-off shuffle board scorer) has been between 3-5 windings.

The problem with counting when you unwind is that your counting on (pun intended) that the last guy wound it correctly. Just like he correctly replaced that blown fuse with a 1/4"bolt wrapped in foil for good measure.

And I also find 3-4 winds correct.

Art.

Little vice-grips are the ticket.

Great idea! I've got a few more steppers to rebuild - will dig out the vice grips.

I once posted (on RGP) that I was looking for photos of a tear down for one of my machines. LTG posted I should be taking my own photos. Him posting that pretty much killed the thread and I reached out to him explaining, that based on what I was seeing, I had very little confidence the last guy had put things back together the right way. He acknowledged that he had not really thought about that when he replied.

i like to start with 3 turns. On Bally's you can also have 1/4 , 1/2 and 3/4 turns too, fine adjustment.