(Topic ID: 79832)

Tech Help Needed: no controlled playfield or backbox lamps

By EEE

10 years ago


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  • 29 posts
  • 7 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 years ago by EEE
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

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#1 10 years ago

On our newly acquired Bally Solid state machine, none of the controlled lamps in both the playfield and backbox are working. I have checked the connectors, and J1 looks good. Fuses f1 and f5 are both good (20 amp fuses).

It was just shipped in and they were working prior to leaving the sellers house.

Any suggestions?

#4 10 years ago
Quoted from Schwaggs:

Need to know which specific machine you have or at least the generation (WPC, WPC-S, W95, etc). Specific era machines have specific things to look for in troubleshooting this type of thing.
Also, to be clear, you are referring to the General Illumination lights or the playfield insert lights or both?

It is an Embryon.

#5 10 years ago

TP1 shows .22 VDC when the red probe is held on TP1 and the black one is held on the cabinet ground braid.

Also, F1 shows as a good fuse.

I also pulled and reconnected all of the connectors on the lamp driver board.

#8 10 years ago
Quoted from pinball_faz:

Those fuse connectors are really crappy. Check the voltage at the other side of the fuse.
If that's still bad, test the bridges to see if they are ok.
faz

The fuse holder seems solid and it has been replaced at some point. Also, BR1 was replaced, too.

So it seems that I have a new issue with the lamp driver board. What is the trick to jumping around that and powering all of the controlled lights, like in test mode?

#10 10 years ago

I am definitely a beginner when it comes to electrical testing, so let me go through those basic readings again, and see if there is something I missed.

#12 10 years ago

Thanks Minnesota13, I will do my next testing following your specific instructions.

#14 10 years ago
Quoted from pinball_faz:

Here's a good video someone put together on testing bridge rectifiers:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/11JPy4t36oo?autoplay=1&rel=0
faz

That guy is a genius, compared to me. I followed his procedure and had virtually the same bad reading, so at a minimum it is a bad bridge rectifier (#1). I will replace that when I have the proper tools.

Thanks for the link.

I am puzzled though as the consensus seemed to be that a bad bridge would blow the fuse, but it didn't. Could that be a sign of another issue?

#16 10 years ago

Is that the little wafer thingy, or is it some other item?

#19 10 years ago

Crossing my fingers for the diodes fail open scenario, and done.

I am dying to play this thing!!

#20 10 years ago

I found that the BR1 was bad as it tested open, so no blown fuse as a more obvious failure. Replaced it, but still have no controlled lamps in either the playfield or the backbox light board. The fuse holders on the power rectifier board are good, and the TP1 and TP2 on the lamp driver boards test properly.

I can run a jumper wire between TP1 (power) on the Lamp Driver board to the power side of the socket in the backbox (quick touch) and see the lamp illuminate.

I also swapped in a known working Lamp Driver board with no change.

I am still stumped.

I did cross the wire for the TP1 to the ground side of the one bulb at one point over the weekend and miraculously both the backbox and playfield insert lamps came on and functioned properly for a few games.

I turned the machine off and back on a while later and they were dead again.

Any other suggestions of what to look for or test?

#22 10 years ago

Thanks minnesota13.

I tested pin 11 on J3 (indeed blue) as well as pin 5 on J1 (same color blue) and TP1 and TP3 on the rectifier board, and all readings were -0.050 VDC.

Also, the voltage at a variety of the switched lamps under the playfield also has the same basic reading of -0.050 (black probe to cabinet ground braid, red probe to either side of any switched lamp - naked or insulated wire, actually).

#23 10 years ago

I also tested the 5 test points on the rectifier board and noted a few that were out of spec

TP1 - should be 6.5vdc.....tested at -0.05vdc
TP2 - should be 230.0vdc.....tested at 233.0vdc
TP3 - should be 11.7vdc.....tested at 14.8vdc
TP4 - should be 6.5vdc.....tested at -0.05vdc
TP5 - should be 43.0vdc.....tested at 43.6vdc

The problem is becoming clearer from these results...

#25 10 years ago

Re tested TP4 and it comes in at 6.3VAC. So that is fine.

Also retested the BR1, that was just replaced and it is still registering fine.

The 20 amp F1, and all other rectifier board fuses are intact and not blown. I tested continuity across them as well.

I undid the J1 and the J3 on separate tries and turned on the machine, with no change

What would cause TP1 to be so far off with the BR1 and F1 all looking good?

#27 10 years ago

Thanks for the offline help action76..."Possibly reflow solder pads and test that BR1"

You nailed it. The BR1 that I replaced was done poorly. I tapped on it while the machine was on and the backbox and playfield controlled lights came on.

I need to redo it with better solder pads and quality of work.

I may be close to a fully working machine (fingers still crossed).

1 month later
#29 9 years ago

Yes, it was a bad solder pad.

Quoted from mof:

EEE, did you get this working ok?
-mof

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