Hello, I am new to pinball machines and bought my first, a Strikes n Spares machine, last summer. I nearly had it all working (playing fine except feature lamps) but then there was a large bang in the backbox and since then there's a load more things wrong. Starting with power I am currently trying to work out why BR1 on my rectifier board keeps failing.

At present since the "explosion" the new problems are: the scoreboards not working, reading 0 and then nothing. The test button not working. 7 lights on start up intermittently. The start button not working (but I can give credits via tripping the lever in the door) - I'm hoping these new issues are all connected to one fault that happened with the bang!

The same issues I've had since getting the machine are the feature lamps not working, but GI is on. Wrong voltages on Rectifier Board (TP2 reading 159 not under load) and the BR1 repeatedly going even when I solder new ones in.

Thank you both, I will try and work out how to contact the mods to move this too.

So the "bang" made the back glass pop a little and was around where the rectifier board/ transformer is. It happened while playing. It forced a wafer to fly off the rectifier board! I think it was f5 that blew that time, I can check later on. I'll upload pics later too and thanks for the help I really appreciate any advice.

Hi Both,

Hi Quench , it is a 10 amp fast blow on F1. All the fuses on the rectifier board are correct now and I have checked and they all have continuity. This is the rectifier board at the moment in the photos attached, I take it off the machine when I work on it.

This will be the 3rd BR1 I have soldered on. The first one on the machine wasn't working when I got it (hence no switch lights), I changed it once and got the switch lights working for a few games and then that BANG. The 2nd one I soldered on never worked. I am about to attach the 3rd attempt soon - I have tested the next BR1 with a multimeter and it is working. I am worried that the solder my wife bought me for my birthday is not the right one, see attached. Diodes CR1, CR2, CR3, CR4 do look very black, not sure if that's anything to do with it. In my manual it says they act like a bridge rectifier so that might be it. Also my desoldering is grim so its caked in my p&ss poor soldering attempts previously.

Hi @slochar, yes starting from the power. C26 on the solenoid board looks okay, see attached. I have seen I get get a new rectifier board for about £60 in the UK but the machine all seems to be the original boards, some with modifications on. I'd like to practice as much as I can on these boards so at least when/if I get a new one I've got better at soldering because at present I suck at it!

I have also attached photographs of the solenoid, MPU and Lamp boards.

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Hi Quench thank you, I really appreciate the help.

Those might be slow blow fuses - can you give me the full part/codes they're marked with?

I have pulled the fuses and they read:
F1 F10A / 250 vp 312
F2 BUSS / 4GC 3/4 250 volt
F3 BUSS AGC 4 32/
F4 F5A / 6OV PBi
F5 BUSS 4GC 20 32V
F6 (upside down pyramid with lines in it) 3A 250v 313

Behind those three bridges is a rectangle aluminum spacer that sits between the bridge and the metal frame the board attaches to. Are you adding any thermal transfer paste to the back of the bridge and that aluminum spacer and then screwing it on?

Yes, the spacer is there and with the 2nd BR1 I added more thermal paste to it. The 1st BR1 I fitted that worked I didn't have the paste and thought there was enough residual left on the spacer....that then was followed by the BANG while playing.

The feature lamps on the playfield have power from that BR1 all connected together via a bare braid wire stapled to the playfield and connected to the base of each lamp (a lot of people confuse this braid wire as ground but it's not - it's feature lamp power). Lift the playfield and carefully follow the braid wire to each feature lamp looking for any potential short circuits to anything else. Do the same with the light/display door in the backbox (where the feature lights illuminate behind the backglass).

This was news to me, I thought the braid was ground as it came off the metal frame of the backbox and joined the braid that continues into the machine under the Playfield - see photos. There seems to be no way this connects up to the rectifier board. So not quite sure what to do about that.

BTW, those bridge rectifiers are directional - you are installing it the correct way??

Yes, the new bridge rectifiers I bought were placed corresponding to the +- on the holes on the rectifier board. The BR's also have a curved corner to show which one is +.

Those four (CR1, CR2, CR3, CR4) diodes form a bridge rectifier. They rectify the high voltage going to the displays.

Interesting, they look very dark in the photograph I just took. I will try and find older photographs I took of the rectifier board before the bang and see if they got fried. Maybe that's why my scoreboards aren't working anymore?

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Hi Quench , it's funny as there was a bang but no soot, no smell or smoke. Br1 that failed looked fine too. Can a fuse make that much noise blowing?

I found the narrow braid around the underside of the playfield, thanks for pointing that out, and I have seen where the dark blue cable clips onto it now and again (pictured). I'll inspect proper on my next day off.

I couldn't quite get the cr1 cr2 cr3 cr4 diodes to beep or do anything while testing for continuity, I'm simply holding the red and black connector to the metal wire on each end of the diode.

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Yep, that works got 600 reading on all the cr's. Found a broken capacitor on the playfield last night, some bare wires where the coating has come off. Some lights are wired one way, some another. I dont think that should be an issue though, see photo.

New solder arrives tomorrow and I'll try and have a go on Sunday getting the rectifier board working again. Thanks again

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Hey All,

So I ended up getting a new rectifier board as BR1 kept on failing every time I installed in and I couldn't work out why. The new rectifier board is on thanks to a guy in the UK here who did it via mail order and things are working again on my machine! The test button in the coin door is also working again, which is really helpful. There are two things I've found that need sorting during the test:

1. The scores cycle through fine until they hit 888888 which comes up all blank, then 999999 appears but then it all goes to hell and is just a random bunch of numbers and then blank.

2. In the solenoid test I get the knocker and the chimes and nothing else. I can add a credit and start a game but the outhole kicker doesn't eject the ball and the flippers don't work - they just oscillate a few mm and buzz. So something either is wrong with the solenoid board or I've a dodgy connection somewhere as all of the solenoids seem to be out, right?

Aside from that I'm super happy the feature lights are working again, the test button, the credit button, the scores actually have numbers on etc so a great step forward.

Amazing, Cheers Quench. Our babies are asleep now so I will try this tomorrow as the pinball machine is in the room below the nursery!

So it was me being a moron....the new rectifier board had an extra pin for J1 and my wafer wasn't aligned correctly, hence no power to the solenoids.

Now J1 is plugged I got 7 green mpu lights, but then while it was in attract mode there was some ghost scoring and chiming as the 1st player score went up in 100 point increments until all scores went blank. I tried a reboot and then got only 2 green mpu lights and nothing else.

To me it seems like the machine was working before the solenoids had power (when J1 was in the wrong way) so clearly has to be a solenoid issue right?

So after this mornings experiment I realised now the F1 fuse on the new rectifier board had blown. So I changed it for a spare 10A Fast blow and powered up with J2 plugged in only and got good voltages off all TPs on the rectifier board. I plugged in the rest (J1 & J3) and fired it up and got 7 lights and then ghost scoring and then nothing. Now it won't let me run a test or start a game again. I then checked the F1 fuse and it has died again! Eeeek.

Could I have fried the new rectifier board having the J1 wafer pushed in one slot over by accident?

What could be making F1 continually fail? It doesn't fail when J2 is in, but once I put J1 and J3 in and power my machine up it is blown.

There's no damage to the MPU board, which is original, it looks like U6 and U2 have been replaced. No battery attached (I read online thats not a problem as its only for remembering high scores). I am not sure about firing it up again for now as I've blown all the F1 fuses I've got (see below) can I fire it up with a blown F1 fuse to check the MPU flashes? My hunch is now, like the one that blew earlier, I will only get two flashes.

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I have put in my last spare 10A fast blow fuse into F1, with J2 plugged in only I am reading the following:

TP1 6.7
TP2 161
TP3 12
TP4 7.2
TP5 47

The whole reason I got a new rectifier board was that I had F1 keep blowing, I thought it was a problem with BR1 (hence me fitting three new ones one after the other) this makes sense now. So this is probably why I keep losing feature lights but they run for a bit and then the fuse goes on f1 and I lose them. I have J1 to J4 connectors on the lamp driver board, I will try pilling them out one by one on boot like suggested. A little worrying as I'm down to my last F1 fuse. What could be causing a short on the feature lamps?

So I filmed both attempts I mentioned above and put them on YouTube....while watching back both attempts I see that when I shut the backbox door it goes to Hell....

"A very common problem here is the ground braid that connects the head to the backbox. This can bunch up and touch one of the lamp sockets on the back side of the insert (display) panel (when the insert panel is closed)"

Erm.... my ground braid was bunched up and hitting the back of the scoreboards! Haven't dared to fire it up since but this could be one of the main issues.

Thanks for all your help it's super appreciated BigAl56 gdonovan Quench @slocher

So yes it was the braid cable in the backbox hitting the wiring on the back of the door making more issues. Alas on start up the feature lights and scores work for a bit then die. I will post videos below with notes. The good news is the fuses dont blow everytime this happens (that must have been the ground braid in the backbox).

So this was it working and the backbox door being able to close and not short to ground. But after this clip I opened the coin door to add a credit, which it did, but after that feature lights and scores went and start button game wouldnt work. Powered up after this and no feature lights or scores. Good news is the f1 fuse has stopped blowing.

Hi Quench I have filmed the most recent start up:

I always thought it was 7 flashes.... but if that first flash doesn't count its only 6.

It cut out this time in the video when I touched the coin door to press the test button. Not sure if that was a coincidence.

When it crashes I get 2 mph flashes on the next start up. I tried disconnecting j3 but did it straight after so also only got 2 flashes still. If I leave it for a while I will get 7 flashes again. I looked in my bally modules and procedure handbook and it says two flashes was to do with U8. Online I found a repair guide that says this :

The Fakers Guide: no third flash means U8 (5101) is bad.

Techno Guide: The U9 CPU goes out to U8 (CMOS 5101 RAM) and makes a copy of the contents of the first half byte. It does this because U8 is battery supplied, non-volatile memory where the bookkeeping functions are stored. 

Now, my machine had no battery attached to the mpu when I got it but I read online that was fine as it was for only saving high scores. But reading the link above makes me think that's my problem as theres no battery attached to the mpu board so U8 isnt working?

Cheers Quench, I pulled U8 off and here are some photos. It doesnt look too bad to me but I'm not sure what it should look like. Thanks

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So I removed the ram chip again and it spun out and another pin snapped off. So that's it for a week till the new one arrives. If the socket is bad I will look for a replacement - I guess until I take it off I won't really know how bad it is on the MPU circuit board underneath it.

Till then I'm going to look over the feature lights as slochar pointed out there could be a short there. I noticed on the last time my test button functioned that the feature lights for the bonuses in the bowling ball dont work - I just checked the bulbs with a 9v battery and they do work, so something is wrong there. I will look at the wiring diagrams to see how they are connected, the ground on the underside of the playfield around it seems fine. Thanks for all the help everyone. Have a great Easter.

Thanks all! I got the new U8 part but having trouble locating the 22 pin socket for it. Any ideas on UK sites that might have it?

Thanks!

So while I wait for the U8 parts heres some oddities ive also come across.

I've been using "Zoom" with my mum during lockdown so she can see her grandbabies and it gave me an idea, I could "zoom" on my phone with someone and show them my machine? Happy to compensate for their time/help. Just an idea while we are all on lockdown.

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Yes, it's where I got my machine last summer. I've found this forum easier to post on and the archive is really easy to search here too. I'm on it as ed209 and my avatar is Jack Burton from Big Trouble in little China

Great, thanks Quench. Maybe this could be the short I've got going on. Thanks again

Hey all, I got the old socket off and have taken a photograph of the board where it was attached. Some of the contacts (if that's the right word) look a little discoloured, should I rub them with some scothbrite or wire wool?

Aside from that I think I'm good to go soldering on the new socket... which does look a little difficult but I'll have a good crack at it.

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Great, thank you. I bought the pen. Now for the alcohol!

I will order some flux, cheers!

Had a go soldering the socket on for the U8 On the MPU tonight. So bloody small! I think I need a magnifying glass! I took a photo on my phone just to see what I did and it looks okay. Some solder seems to have bridged two pins, will that be a problem? I have some of that funky alcohol I got recommended by you, should I wipe that area down with it after soldering too?

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Great, yes. I aimed to heat the pad and the connection first with the solder iron and then introduce the solder. Then remove the solder iron. I was soldering at 350 celsius which is what I found online for board work. The solder wire was 0.8 mm 22 swg 60/40 Tin lead Solder Wire I got off eBay. I've wiped up the flux with the alcohol and hope to fire it up tomorrow and see what happens. I DID find a loose lamp wiggling about under the playfield and I have tried putting some solder to keep it in place (

) but it seems hard to get the solder to stick - I was thinking that wiggly lamp under the play field could be what's causing the trouble as none of the lamps on the ground wire connected it as well work either. So next up will be putting it together, firing up the machine - somewhere in this thread I remember reading about what connectors to put in first - I will read through it and then start using my multimeter to read off the voltages at the various test points I can find. Thanks again everyone, starting to feel like I am making progress again.

New U8 and socket installed and able to run test button again.

And I was able to fire it up to play!

Still need to sort solenoids 13,14. Although solenoid 13 is the coin lockout which I've got disconnected. Not sure what solenoid 14 'K1 relay' is though. 26 is up on the switch test and from running the ball over the pins on the playfield I can see the 6,9 and 10 pin switches arent responding. Still need to get the old rusted leveller off and sort the angle. Player 3 score is twitchy... but man! I am over the moon! Its great to have it working even this much!

Thanks! Again I couldnt have done this without all your help and I'm hoping this thread can help others in the future.

I'm going throw swapping bulbs that were out but it seems now I'm testing the bulbs with a battery they do work. I've marked all the lamps that have good bulbs that aren't firing in play on the plug connectors diagram (i was hoping all the dud ones were on the same connector) but alas they seem to be lamps across both j1 and j3. Not sure what could make these specific lamps not work? Attached a screen grab of the lamp test. My marked diagram of the non working lamps and the plug connection diagram.

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Ha! I just found a link Quench posted 3 years ago to someone with a similar problem - I am off to look at: https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Bally/Stern#Failed_Lamp_SCRs

Spoke too soon. Just went to fire it up to read off test point voltages and I got one flash mpu flash. I had a fiddle with some connectors I'd unplugged and I'm back to two mpu flashes. I'm hoping my shoddy soldering on the new U8 socket is what's the problem. I'll take it off later and try and resolder it a bit better.

Nope. Resoldered the socket and no luck with U8. What can make U8 5101 SRAM fail? Is there a way to test it with a multimeter?

Hi Big Al, Yeah I looked into it but I can't seem to get the NVRAM 5101 chip here in the UK right now.

Hi GPE, I soldered on a 22 pin socket and put the new 5101 into that, what confuses me was the machine was up and running and turned off and on a dozen times and was working - so I'm leaning to think it wasn't a bad trace. The 5101 did fall out of the socket at some point when I was screwing the screws that hold the MPU board back in place, but I can't remember if that was before or after it stopped working. I've ordered some more 5101's as we can get them in the UK quite easily and will take it from there. I'm hopeful that this isn't a big issue as it was working with the new socket and 5101. The only thing I'm worried about is if the 5101 is failing because of some issue on the machine, but I can't seem to find anything online about that. Thanks again gang!

Strike! So the new 5101 ram arrived and I popped it in the U8 socket on the MPU board and hey presto. It lives! Still lights out here and there. I bought a wire with clips on to clip to ground to test the out bulbs like you mentioned above. Will also go through the various TPs on the boards. Somewhere I saved a link to a website that has them as they are a ballache to read off the schematics in the manual.

It works and I had a super easy game as the new levelers aren't on yet! Thanks everyone.

Hey All, so 96% of the lamps are all working but having trouble with Switch 26 - one of my rollover targets was getting stuck on, so I looked online and it said to clip the capacitor. I did it and hey presto - no more phantom scoring and the switch no longer stuck closed. The game played but it rarely registered hits unless they were super direct... which is no good.

New capacitors arrived and I soldered one onto the rollover target that is not always triggering (seriously you need three hands for it!) and I fired it up and now the phantom scoring is back and its stuck closed again. So I clipped the capacitor again and now back where I was before.

Two questions if you please:

1. Could I have soldered the capacitor onto the switch the wrong way round? Is that a thing?

2. I ordered 10 capacitors, should I try to solder another one on? (I hope not as its a nightmare, although I have just read that tinning both ends you want to connect is the way to go).

Thanks slochar ! yes, when I was first trying to solder on the cap the switch wire came loose from the metal tab as the solder holding them melted as well and I did see a hole on the metal tab, so I should shove the wires through that right? Is it a problem if the wires to the switch and the capacitor are in direct contact? Or is that the whole point? If not I can try the clipping idea nearer to the cap and trying again, I have 10 caps so hopefully one will work!

Thanks BigAl56 yes, it took me a while to do it... my first go! so you know I probably fried that switch with the soldering iron anyway!

Thank you pinzrfun I also got some spare diodes but from what I read it seems to be the capacitor that's the issue, I could try swapping the diode too maybe?

Thanks all, I couldn't have done this without you and the forum.

I've soldered on a 3rd capacitor and again when in play its scoring constantly. The only time it doesn't score is when I press the switch down. Could it be the switch wires have been soldered on the wrong tabs? Like the opposite they should be?

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The capacitors I ordered were these: https://pinparts.co.uk/products/switch-capacitor-for-early-solid-state and I noticed two types that arrived so I first tried the larger sized one (503) and when that didn't work I tried the other one which you can see currently attached to the switch in the photograph.

The test mode works and when the capacitors are on its #26 stuck on. When I clip the capacitors all switches are open.

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Thanks Quench I looked underneath and I might try swapping switch wires with switch 21 instead as it's a lot nearer and I won't have to unhook the wires/drag them so far. I'll try and use my manual to work out the right wire from 21 to swap with the white/brown wire from 26.

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Yes stoptap it is a bit of dogs dinner isn't it! When you say healthy gaps between all solder tabs you mean the three solder tabs on the switch arent touching each other, right?

Hey all. So aside from the rollover switch I've yet to have time to repair it's all pretty good. Plays nicely.

Looking at my coin door there seems to be a part missing, the coin comes in and then drops with no guiding chute to get it down to hit the switch. I'm trying to workout what part I'm missing and where to source it here in England.

Hope your machines are seeing you through, each night I get in a quick game and it's flipping amazing!

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Brill thanks!

Hi, yeah I changed the diode last night - so now new capacitor and diode. Its stopped the always scoring issue (why I had to clip the capacitor last time) but its still temperamental. I have a whole new rollover switch which I'm going to replace with as the old ones fairly rusty and hammered! So I hope that will be it. Thanks for the tip and sorry not to reply sooner as I didn't log in for ages.