(Topic ID: 262718)

*SOLVED* Tell me what was wrong with my F-14 and win a prize.

By Beechwood

4 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 79 posts
  • 38 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by fireball2
  • Topic is favorited by 6 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    pasted_image (resized).png
    IMG_20200224_162336 (resized).jpg
    IMG_20200224_145920 (resized).jpg

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Beechwood.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    #1 4 years ago

    **EDIT: Added another prize as some felt my original package was underwhelming (My wife said my package was "fine" but I was disappointed with the tone she used). Added a metal novelty sign for the winner. See pic.**

    My F-14 started acting oddly all at once. The left lane save kickback coil would start firing like a jackrabbit on a date for no apparent reason, and stop just as quickly. Soon into the game, the upper VUK wouldn't fire the ball into the lock, and then two balls would be loaded into the shooter lane, rendering the game unplayable. Turn game off and back on, and in attract mode whenever the game fired up sound and the topper, the ball save coil would fire again like a desperate red head swiping right on Tinder. I looked high and low for shorts and re-seated cables/connectors to no avail. And as these coils were not in the same row or column, I was baffled.

    Eventually, I found the culprit. Do you have a guess?

    First one to correctly post the answer wins the prize. If no one does, the closest guess will win.

    Grand prize is: 2 BRAND NEW Solo Cups (red in color), 4 gently used 555 bulbs, and a piece of string (manufacture and length unknown)

    Good luck, and remember... H.I.O.P (Hey, it's only pinball)
    IMG_20200224_145920 (resized).jpgIMG_20200224_145920 (resized).jpg
    IMG_20200224_162336 (resized).jpgIMG_20200224_162336 (resized).jpg

    #3 4 years ago
    Quoted from barakandl:

    A/C relay for solenoid bank select?

    No, but thanks for playing! Unfortunately I can't afford a consolation prize... I have pinball machines

    #6 4 years ago
    Quoted from chad:

    Loose screw fell behind circuit board.

    My wife did find a few screws loose, but that was me. Not the pin. Thanks for your guess!

    #7 4 years ago
    Quoted from bluebomber:

    "I'm sure it just needs a fuse"

    That was going to be my selling point if I couldn't figure it out

    #10 4 years ago
    Quoted from 2manypins:

    Transistor on a coil or switch?

    Ah, dude... so close. But no. Maybe you have too many pins.

    #11 4 years ago

    Did I mention the Solo Cups are dimple free??

    #15 4 years ago

    All great guesses. Obviously you all have experience with some crazy shit.

    But no....

    Thanks for playing. Vanna please show them the door.

    #17 4 years ago
    Quoted from erak:

    Loose/bad ribbon cable?

    "and re-seated cables/connectors to no avail"

    Good day... I SAID GOOD DAY.

    But thanks for the guess

    #19 4 years ago
    Quoted from Frax:

    Corrupted roms? (I've heard and seen a lot stranger things, and all the obvious stuff has already been said lol)

    Stranger Things is not like F-14, but thanks for playing.

    NEXT!

    #24 4 years ago

    Awe, shit Morty. They are trying so hard.

    But NOPE suckers.

    Thanks for playing!

    #26 4 years ago
    Quoted from pinballplusMN:

    You replaced a flipper coil and a drop of solder fell on the large diode board on the bottom of the playfield causing havoc.

    I wish... that would have been an easy find. But Wrong!!

    NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!

    Thanks for playing

    #29 4 years ago

    This game has 4 balls... already 2 too many. So no.

    No solder drips.

    The reason was so damn stupid... but the symptoms were so weird.

    Keep guessing!!!

    #31 4 years ago
    Quoted from TreyBo69:

    A literal bug in the machine

    Gremlin is the accepted term in my f**ked up mind.

    But, no.

    Thanks for playing.

    Keep the line moving.

    #33 4 years ago
    Quoted from rvdv:

    Got a mouse in there ( under the cups now)

    If the mouse was under my cup now, it would be pretty fucked up.

    It's happy hour in Hudsonville.

    But no.

    Thanks for playing, get your parking ticket validated on your way out.

    #36 4 years ago
    Quoted from holminone:

    One of the wires in switch came unsoldered or if ball trough has led switch it was out?

    Getting closer, but NO!

    Thanks for the response

    #37 4 years ago
    Quoted from PNBLWZD:

    Did this start happening on its own or had the game been worked on just recently?
    If no recent work done, battery acid damage on driver board causing switch matrix confusion or a cracked diode lead on a switch or flipper coil.
    If recent work done, diode installed backwards

    Nope, worked great then just went to shit.

    #40 4 years ago
    Quoted from guss:

    Drunk gremlin

    Hahaha... best answer yet, and very close.

    But unfortunately no.

    #41 4 years ago
    Quoted from holminone:

    Broken spring in a coil?

    Getting closer, but no.

    C'mon... who wants those bitchin Solo cups?? That is like a $0.49 value.

    Gawd....

    #43 4 years ago
    Quoted from mikat11:

    Broken ball trough switch actuator broke off and found its way over to the kickback rollover switch.

    That sounds fricken cool... but no.

    You guys have seen some shit, I gotta give it to you.

    But this was not that.

    NEXT!!

    #45 4 years ago
    Quoted from Manimal:

    Broken leaf from contact switch slid down and shorted

    So close but no.

    Now back of the line you go!!

    Thanks for playing

    #48 4 years ago
    Quoted from EasternBloc:

    Benthic monkfish lay an egg in the VUK again?

    It didn't smell like fish, and I checked my fingers to be certain...
    So no.

    Thanks for playing.

    #49 4 years ago
    Quoted from ryan1234:

    Shorted flasher?

    Ryan my man, you are the closest so far.

    Make room for some sweet ass solo cups if no one else gets closer.

    #51 4 years ago

    I just shit myself, so I will clean up, go to bed and sleep this off.

    If no one guesssssses the correct answer by noon (12 pm EST) tomorrow, I will reveal the true reason this son of a bitch was f**ked up.

    Not like anyone cares... this is just pinball after all.

    Hey, it's only pinball

    #54 4 years ago
    Quoted from Completist:

    I predict the secondary market will be insane for these.

    I'm banking on it, I got like 198 of these bitches in reserve when the dam breaks.

    BOOM! Easy street.

    #65 4 years ago
    Quoted from Nihonmasa:

    You had a flasher lug touching a wire going to a coil => activating coils when flashers should have

    SO so close but no.

    Honorable mention #1

    Thanks for playing!

    Quoted from dozer1:

    Game has the flashers installed that they left out on the production games? Found out why they left them out?

    Honorable mention #2

    Correct, but not specific enough.

    Thanks for playing!

    Quoted from 1iblind:

    Flex LED shorting against a switch.

    Honorable mention #3

    Again, correct but not specific enough.

    You guys were on fire after I passed out HA.

    #66 4 years ago
    Quoted from mbwalker:

    Bent leaf switch touching a bulb base (or touching something else it shouldn't).

    WINNER!!

    All correct except the "bent" part.

    An LED was not seated well (by previous owner) in between the stand up "C A T" targets.

    After I raised the PF a few times, the base of the bulb was just barely touching the leaf switch.

    Could hardly even see it.

    Congrats! I hope you are local because the prize is pick up only, unless you live somewhere warm and I can get there for under the amount in my vacation fund ($14.27)

    Thanks everyone for playing!! Peace out

    Joel
    H.I.O.P.

    #69 4 years ago
    Quoted from bssbllr:

    Not cool. Never mentioned that in any other post.

    YOU are CORRECT sir.

    I will ship to the winner when he PM's me his location.

    I hope he doesn't live in Australia (Noob Noob... God Damn!!)

    #72 4 years ago
    Quoted from bssbllr:

    I mean a man of his word. Also who ever tried must really need;
    Grand prize is: 2 BRAND NEW Solo Cups (red in color), 4 gently used 555 bulbs, and a piece of string (manufacture and length unknown)

    It seems he lives in Indiana, so I think I can cover shipping with my vacation fund.

    But I will be sleeping with the chickens tonight when my wife finds out it is depleted.

    #76 4 years ago
    Quoted from mbwalker:

    LOL. Of course I had a similar problem...with a Freedom EM. Turn on the pin, *something* would happen at some point (I think when I hit the start button). Poof would go the 8A fuse. I'm an EE, but now I was faced with what seemed to be countless relays...I figured one of them HAD to be turning on when it shouldn't. Out came the old schematic and a road trip to find 8A fuses. Countless hours with numerous 'aha!' moments, all that ended in dead ends. Grrrr...
    Not sure how I stumbled upon it, but it was plain as day when I saw it. The shorter side of the leaf switch must have gotten nailed pretty good. Bent 90 degrees, right up against the base of a bulb. I have a 3d printer so I printed a collar. Problem solved.
    No need to send a short distance to Indiana...fun was guessing (almost) right!
    [quoted image]

    Just goes to show how crazy repairs can be. Needle in a haystack.

    Glad you enjoyed the thread.

    #78 4 years ago
    Quoted from oPinsesame:

    Is that a Roger Miller "Dang Me" reference?

    I don't know who or what that is... so no.

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Beechwood.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    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/tell-me-what-was-wrong-with-my-f-14-and-win-a-prize?tu=Beechwood 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.