(Topic ID: 297615)

Switch Matrix Issue Bally Fireball 2

By The_Director

2 years ago



Topic Stats

You

Linked Games

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

7B1EB27C-8B19-4E99-A381-EC52CA29C3F8 (resized).png

#1 2 years ago

I've been repairing games for a decade now and had hands on in the 1000s, and I'm pretty well frustrated with whatever is causing this issue.

This is a Fireball 2 machine. I *think* it is a switch matrix issue. However, all switches work well from 40 down to 1 in the switch matrix test. I can't find any missing or jammed switch diodes.

But, the error happens with the post kicker button. It'll work 100% fine, even when the drop targets on the right side are engaged when there is no ball in the outhole. However, IF there is a ball in the outhole (which obviously there is for most of the gameplay in regular play), when the second from top drop target on the right bank is down and the post kicker button is pressed, the game will tilt. When the bottom drop target is engaged, and the post kicker button is pressed, the game will fire the Odin saucer.

I've shotgun replaced diodes on all the offending switches, read about every diode in the game as good, tried two MPUs, two solenoid drivers, the connectors have all been repinned. It still does it with the sound board isolated out.

The interesting thing is the outhole is 01 switch. When it is not pressed, everything works fine. When it is and those two drop targets are down and the post kicker button is pressed, the switches that engage (tilt and odin saucer) are two over on the exact same row.

Maybe I've just looked at it too damn long, but any help with a fresh set of eyes or brain would be appreciated.

#2 2 years ago
7B1EB27C-8B19-4E99-A381-EC52CA29C3F8 (resized).png7B1EB27C-8B19-4E99-A381-EC52CA29C3F8 (resized).png
#3 2 years ago

When you draw the box on the switch matrix related to the switches in question, the shadowed switches are caused from a short on the opposite corner of the box which is the the post kicker button.
Make sure the post kicker button switch stack has a separator between the two lugs the diodes is soldered to.
You can quickly check it by testing the diode on that switch when you press the button. If it shows shorted while the button is pressed that's likely the problem.

#4 2 years ago

Pull screws out of the tilt board and see if they are rusty.

I had a similar issue with Flash Gordon, the wood of the tilt board was conducting since it was saturated with moisture.

Not exactly the same problem but it would tilt when a standup target was hit.

#5 2 years ago

Well, I finally figured it out. Gosh, what a time wasting pain in the butt. So, the diode was fine and wouldn't short even when post kicker switch was closed. But, with my DMM testing it vs other switches I noticed a difference in that the other switches had continuity to the banded end of the diode, but not between the row and column wires. This one didn't work like that. Upon closer inspection, at some point in its life, someone wired the column and row wires to the switch blade lugs and ran the diode oriented correctly to the outer lug, so it looked fine, worked in test, but wasn't right and causing that confusion under certain circumstance. I re-wired it right with the row line to one switch blade lug, the column to the outer lug and the banded diode to the other switch blade lug and what do you know, she's back in business. Sometimes I wish no one ever tried their hands on these games before they come to me...this was just one of those things that looked right on the surface, but wasn't on closer inspection.

Promoted items from the Pinside Marketplace
$ 30.00
Lighting - Led
Pinballrom
Led
$ 10.00
£ 195.00
Displays
Retro Electro Designs
Displays
2,500 (Firm)
Machine - For Sale
Las Vegas, NV

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/switch-matrix-issue-bally-fireball-2 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.