Helping a guy out with his WPT game and came across a few errors I am looking for input on .....

1. Upon turning the fame on the JAIL DEVICE will activate and after 15 times it stops. Once it stops the display advises JALI DEVICE MALFUNCTION. I worked on one of these before and it was the optos. I cleaned them but this had no bearing. When I put the game into TEST mode the optos tested ok.

2. The bottom pop bumper is not working. It works in test mode though. I lifted the playfield and physically closed the switch to no avail. Diode???

3. Not really an issue but....this machine is on location and the guy has a Tournament Button in the game but it was never installed. Is this as simple as installing the button and going to menu to turn the feature on?

Thanks in advance for input.

No it doesn't Lloyd! If I test the coil in test mode it will fire. I physically closed the switch by hand and it's not registering so thinking ts4z might be right in the sense there is a break in the wire!

Yeah as stated, once the game is turned on it will open/close 15 times and then the display shows there is a malfunction with it. I did check that the opto in front of the Jail was working properly but if I understand correctly there is another opto further back! I didnt check this one!

Okay brilliant!

Thanks for the post!

Reviving this thread as I was out of town for a little and just getting back to this.

What I did find is the front opto registers but the back opto is not (when in test mode) so appears the back opto is the culprit. I guess removing the upper playfield is the best way to get at that opto but also to clean the playfield (pf) as well??? Any input on doing this? I did a complete tear down of a WPT pf before but that was removing everything. Looking to see if anyone has any advice on the easiest way to remove just the upper playfield to fix the opto (hoping it's just a detached wire). If it's an opto itself which opto part number do I need (prob order off Mouser)?

The pop bumper, I didn't have jumper wires with me at the time so couldn't jump it. Also, didnt have a meter with me (most of my tools are back East limited as to what I have)!

Thanks for the input!

appreciate the post and now that you said that I seem to recall the same thing. Been years since I took one out.

Update (Capt Log....) I spent a little time with this machine again today and was able to fix the Jail Bar issue:

Actually the Jail Assembly comes off from the back board of the playfield. There are six screws that attache the assembly to the backboard. You also have to unplug the connectors. Actually pretty easy to remove.

Once I removed the assembly I cleaned the acrylic playfield area where the optos shine through and also cleaned the optos themselves. It's now functioning as it should!

Last thing to tackle is the Bottom (center) pop bumper issue. Unfortunately I forgot most of the tools, that I brought from the East coast, so I didn't have what was needed. Nonetheless, all three of the pop bumpers work in Test mod when I fire the coils. When I put the game into test switch mode the switch does not register so I know it's the switch itself! Diode maybe??? I don't have a multi-meter with me so is there an easy way to test this? I do have a set of jumper wires!

Again, thanks for all the assistance!

Just a note about this machine .... this machine is on location and is really clean for a routed machine. Outside of the pop bumper the machine is working 100% even all the bulbs.

Apologies if I wasn't clear Lloyd, only the one pop bumper (bottom center) is not working. The other two are working.

Thanks Lloyd will give it a look next time I am able to get out there!

Do a Google search as I found several places to have it albeit they're international pinball part places but you can still get it! Apparently this part is no longer made. Also, keep in mind that there are two parts to this....a receiver and transmitter opto board. Are you missing both or just one!

Thanks for the post as I overlooked this. Well I don't think this is the issue with the pop bumper it's something I will do to update the machine!

Okay so had a chance to run down and look at the WPT today! First thing I did was install a new battery and then updated the code!

So onto the pop bumper. Keep in mind I have limited tools and by no means am I an electrical engineer. I had a few diodes so I figured as cheap as they are I would put a new one in as opposed to searching for broken wire. Went into Test mode and the pop bumper works. Thought I was out of the woods but upon coming out of test mode the game just cycles the balls. When I went into alerts I am getting a deluge of alerts for the green/brown wire which happens to be the wires that support the pop bumper. So by putting the new diode
in it's causing issues with everything that runs off the green/brown wire. I confirmed I installed the diode in the right direction (ban part towards the lug end of the switch).

Any insight? ? (Calling Dr. Lloyd)

Yeah something happened as I ran back down to confirm that I wired it correctly, I did, and I took the diode back out and the problem persist.

I know a few years back I worked on one of these and had a similar issue and wound up calling Stern. Turned out to be the board was bad and they actually had a recall on it. So I will call Stern tomorrow and see if they can help more to come

Spoke to Chas (Stern) and was advised to look at the CPU to see if it was a Rev F board as that's the board they had issues with. One of the issues was that the machine would go into endless multi-ball and just keep putting the balls into the shooter lane (problem I am having). So need to run back down and see what board is in the machine!

So I do have a Rev F board but I am not convinced this is the issue just yet! Someone help me out with the schematics, I am not very proficient, and confirm for me what connector (i.e. J1) and pin numbers are for the ball switches/optos on the ball through please? I want to check and make sure that the OPTOs aren't the issue. When I go back down I will throw the game into test and see if the OPTOs are the switches in the through are all working correctly.

I also recall that there was a wire, it was either J13 or J6 pin 1, that the sheathing was scalped a little but nothing that was alarming. Looking to confirm which Switches these are for! Again, just trying to think of everything here before sending the board out!

bump

Thank you

Just a follow-up and to close this out. Also, wanted to document this in case someone else has this issue(s).

Went back down today and worked on WPT. Got it up and working ALMOST 100%. Game plays and all BUT when it goes into multi-ball it's endless! Balls will drain and just keep coming out over and over so it's going into endless multi-ball as per Service Bulletin 163 https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/sb163.pdf

So long story short the CPU needs to be sent back to be fixed. The unfortunate part to this is that STERN no longer covers this under warranty, which I can understand as it's been 13 years, so the owner will need to pay 125$ and wait a month, maybe longer, for it to be fixed.

Actually Chas told me what was all done to it as I asked him if it was something one could do themselves. I forget all the particulars as I was driving at the time I talked to him but I recall him saying that their was programming involved so one couldn't do it themselves. Also, he advised that STERN doesn't do the work but the board manufacturer does it as it was an issue on their end.

But I will take pictures just to see, at a minimum, if I get the same board back or not.