I've just completed a restoration of my Strange Science and it now is anomalously triggering switches. When starting a game, it will often add additional players even though the credit button was only pressed once. In addition, the three upper "Particle Separator" rollovers will trigger in reverse sequence twice each time a new ball is placed in battery. I've captured the entire sequence in the attached video, any help is truly appreciated.

Strange Science Manual: www.ipdb.org/files/2396/Bally_1986_Strange_Science_English_Operating_Manual.pdf

20200513_224750 (resized).jpg

Hi Ryan,

I figured it was a matrix issue as well, however I am able to successfully test all switches without any anomalies.

I decided to test the input keypad and noticed that, when pressed, certain buttons on the keypad are registered as playfield switches. Is this normal? I unplugged the keypad and still observed the same anomalous behavior noted in my initial post above.

When I unplug J4 (playfield switches plug) and begin a game, no anomalous behavior is seen. Interestingly, I can still use the keypad to trigger various playfield switches in this mode of operation.

I'm still baffled by how the pattern is always the same (credit button, rollover B, rollover A, rollover L, rollover B, rollover A, rollover L) as I would imagine that a matrix issue would be spuriously random.

Also, I'm loving my fire LEDs I got last week!

Pete

So I realized I had not checked the trough switches and, wouldn't you know it, they appear to be the culprit. You can start a game with multiple balls (Atoms) already loaded into the Atom Smasher (multiball mechanism). When I begin a game with 4 already loaded so that no balls are in the trough, the anomalous behavior is gone. In switch test mode, triggering the individual trough switches shows normal behavior.

Looking at the attached matrix photo, it appears that the issue is with the "Strobe 4" column, though I am also getting anomalous credit button closures as well... Where to go from here?

Pete