That is your credit counter.

it is the "credit unit"... it tells you how many, umm, credits, you have on the machine...

if when you press the "start button" it doesn't decrement, a previous owner disabled it somehow in order to set it to free play...

Could also need to be shopped. The stepper parts often get gummed up.

There is a "normally open" switch on the unit that is bent permanently "closed." (Forget which one, but you might be able to see it.) BTW, why would you not want it on "free play?

One coil should increase it and the other decrease it,having it on free play should not change the habit of operation.
Manually step it up and then down and see if it works right, it may need to be cleaned and lubed,the spring may not enough tension to return it (step down) or it could be an electrical issue.

take a few pictures of it from different angles, focusing on the switches and coils, and post them up... one of us will be able to figure it out...

yea, unless the prev owner did more than they had to....

True^there are some hackers out there in Pinland.

sadly, i have one right now that would make a hacker proud....

but your original post sounds more logical, it may just be gummed up beyond hope...

My brother just got a Top Card and someone hacked the As match unit (F) relay and gutted all the wires except 4 it must have been used in Ny as machines were not allowed to be replay.
Needless to say the lower jones plug is mia ,luckily he got one thats longer than needed and I will saw the excess off thats not needed.
Plus there is enough wire from the donor plug to make the job easier,now i only have to find out what wire goes where.

If you have the schematic look in the other coils used section ,looking for subtract replay unit coil and follow the index.
Follow the wiring upstream which will show how the coil is triggered.
If no schematics are available then it will most likely trace back through a switch on the score motor 2c as my 1959 gottlieb as well as the later schematics use that for triggering the subtract coil,or maybe you have a bad coil?

Your Back Glass is great shape!

Looks like a few NEW wires added, Is that a plastic coated blue wire going to the credit unit?

Doubtful, unless they color matched and snuck the wire in under the vintage, dirty waxed linen lacing. Remember, this is probably the "zero position replay switch", which likely carried 110v and coincidentally was blue in many machines of this vintage.

Regarding the original question, the first thing I would look for is to see if the previous owner simply cut or desoldered the wire to the coil. If not, check the start (S) relay or look on your schematics to see see what else is on that circuit. Motor 2C is another likely culprit.

Before you do that, you may want to get introspective and assess your chances of fixing this minor problem that doesn't affect game play with the chances of mucking something up. You will likely end up just setting your game up for free play in another manner anyway.

The other thing to consider is that prior to selling a machine, OPs often severely hacked up the wiring involved in the coin and credit circuitry to keep the machine from showing back up on a competing route.

Todd
Team EM.

In 1982 when I bought my Solar City, from an operator. I had make sure that it came with the coin mechs. He said why would you need those for in home use?

More than just that. I have several machines that the coin mechs as well as all the switches and support structure for the coin mechs were pulled, the wires were cut off and sometimes even pulled from the wiring harness. This seems to be more common in some areas than in others. I think I have seen it with early wedgeheads from the K-zoo area and later 70's machines from the Saginaw area. But who knows where the games were from before that?