The Match Unit is not advancing the wipers, so the match number stays the same. The coil is pulsing and the rod for the stepper and the wipers are clean and move freely. I saw the 5 year old thread where Steve Fury added a great simulation of the ratchet stepping up the wipers. I inserted a thin plastic washer behind the coil to see if the ratchet pawl was just coming up short but it still is missing. I’m thinking the pawl itself is broken off but it’s almost impossible to see or feel without taking the unit apart. Any other Space Mission owners have this issue? And do I have to find a whole new match unit assembly? Or is there a part with just the ratchet I can buy? I’ve had the machine for about 4 weeks and I’m thinking I just never noticed it before. I can upload a video later today. Thanks

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/williams-match-unit-help#post-777604

Here’s the wonderful gif and thread from 5 years ago. That was a huge help.

Greetings Rolf. I haven’t solved the problem but I think that the pawl that pushes the teeth on the stepper may have broken off. Steve Fury in that thread mentioned that the ratchet may be coming up short due to spacing of the coil. I may try to insert a thicker washer behind the coil to see if that helps the pawl reach the teeth. Otherwise I’m guessing I need to take it apart to see if the pawl is indeed broken off. If it is, I would like to know what to try to replace. I know these parts might not be easy to find but I just want to get some advice on what to do next. The Match Unit not working is not the end of the world and thanks to you and others, this game is playing like it should.

Thanks Rolf but unfortunately I don’t have that goodie on my game. I was hoping I did. That would have been like a gift.

Thanks a bunch MT45. I will let you know after I look at the pics.

That’s a great write up MT45. I figured it would be tedious to fix but it’s cool to see someone who has already done it. I’m going to take the unit apart tomorrow to get the plate out, to see if something is broken and I’ll let you guys know what I find. If you have any link to the parts people in Canada, that would be great. Thanks again.

Awesome. Space Mission is like a buddy. If you own one, you’ll know what I mean.....and I hate to be one of those guys.

Update:
Thanks for the link MT45 but after taking the plate off I discovered that the tooth that catches the cog was just fine but had slipped behind the cog. Once I reset it over the nylon cog, it’s working like a charm and the match unit is advancing like it should. It’s similar to what happened to the OP in that old thread I linked. I’ll see if it happens again but once I tightened the screws, I think we’re good. Thanks again to you and Rolf for the help. I learn something new about these machines every day. Problem solved.

That feature is really awesome. I can’t believe that when I cleaned up and waxed the playfield, that I didn’t stop to think of what that Rollover was intended for. I never would have guessed it was a “Tilt Rollover”. Cool stuff Rolf. Thanks