(Topic ID: 40418)

Whirlwind help

By Ronnie1114

11 years ago


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  • 43 posts
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  • Latest reply 11 years ago by jhanley
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#1 11 years ago

Just got my 1st personal pin, my parents have one but they got me this one for my 16th birthday. I think that is in good overall shape. One thing that is kind of weird is that that there is no wear around the spinners even though the playfield doesn't even have Mylar. The only 2 problems that I can't figure out are 1: About half of the GI and flashers in the backbox are out. 2: The row of bonus multipliers above the flippers never come on. I checked all the fuses and didn't see anything. Any help would be appreciated.

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#2 11 years ago

and some more pics

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#3 11 years ago

and one more

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#4 11 years ago

If you have the manual look up what pin powers the bulbs that are out.
Usually a wire connecting to the pins is screwy.

So say maybe pin 4 of Jxxx powers one of the the backbox strings of lights...and it's not touching the pin, or the pins are bad.

EDIT: Here's downloadable version if you don;t already have it
http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/2765/Williams_1990_Whirlwind_Operations_Manual_Br_With_Schematics.pdf

#5 11 years ago

I have a manual, and i'm somewhat of a noob at this. where would I look up the pin powers?

#6 11 years ago

System 11 GI is not its strong point, you likely have burnt connectors on the interconnect board in the backbox, a blown fuse or two, and burnt traces, these are all common and would mimick what you have there...it needs pulled out and repaired, also check the relay board in the backbox behind the translite.

#7 11 years ago
Quoted from Ronnie1114:

One thing that is kind of weird is that that there is no wear around the spinners even though the playfield doesn't even have Mylar.

Hard to see in the pictures, but does it say Diamondplate near the outlanes (Factory clear coat)? That may be why no wear. And look carefully, there is an overlay for spinner wear. Perhaps the playfield was touched and cleared. And lastly, maybe the game just didn't get much play.

Whatever it may be, I'd be really happy to have the game you have as it looks like its in nice shape. Some cloud topper decals, some repairs as suggested above for your lights. Looks really nice!

#8 11 years ago

Thanks for the responses, i will post a picture of all the connectors but i didn't see any burnt ones.

#9 11 years ago
Quoted from ZEN:

System 11 GI is not its strong point, you likely have burnt connectors on the interconnect board in the backbox,..

Hmmm...not too familair with System 11 games...looking at the schematics page 94 shows the rows and columbs lights on J6 & J7? Page 97 also lists them. Not real sure how to tell which pin is connected to which lights.
So I would GUESS the backbox would be GI, and the multipliers are controlled lamps.

I can;t help much more I'm sorry. Alo, make sure when you are "testing" fuses that you are using a Multimeter....just looking at them can trick you for sure!

#10 11 years ago

The bonus multipliers are all on the same circuit board under the playfield. Try wiggling the connector on that board with the power on (be careful!) to see if the bulbs light up. You can also try disconnecting / reconnecting it but it's common for the pins on the board to have broken solder joints. It's usually a quick and easy fix to add a little solder to the pins and you're good to go.

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For the backbox GI, check the long skinny board in the bottom of the backbox. One of the connectors on the right side below the fuses will probably be a little burnt. You will need to replace the connector and pins in order to get the GI properly working again.

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In both cases, a basic multimeter will help you determine if you're getting power and can check for continuity if you have a broken wire somewhere.

#11 11 years ago

Nope, no diamond plate but there are not any decals around the spinners. Here are some pics of the connectors and hacks that I have Noticed.

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#12 11 years ago

more

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#13 11 years ago

sorry about the bad pics, my camera is not all that great.

#14 11 years ago
Quoted from blizzak:

The bonus multipliers are all on the same circuit board under the playfield. Try wiggling the connector on that board with the power on (be careful!) to see if the bulbs light up. You can also try disconnecting / reconnecting it but it's common for the pins on the board to have broken solder joints. It's usually a quick and easy fix to add a little solder to the pins and you're good to go.

For the backbox GI, check the long skinny board in the bottom of the backbox. One of the connectors on the right side below the fuses will probably be a little burnt. You will need to replace the connector and pins in order to get the GI properly working again.

In both cases, a basic multimeter will help you determine if you're getting power and can check for continuity if you have a broken wire somewhere.

K will do.

#15 11 years ago

Here are some pics of that board for the lights. It had all of this black powder on it and so did the underside playfield where the board was.

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#16 11 years ago

Welcome to the forums and congrats!

Suggestion: Get a better camera or a steadier hand haha . Seriously LOL.

Can you take a better picture of the connector 3 pics back. It has 4 fuses and 4 yellow loops on the right hand side. The 4 yellow loops connector is what we need more detail of. GI should always be on (or blinking). Have you tried swapping GI bulbs from good to bad just to make sure it's not the bulbs that are out? The backbox has two sets of bulbs... #44 GI bulbs and #455 blinkers (I think there are 6 or 7 of them across the center). Try putting a working one in a bad one's slot. You might get lucky and simply need a few boxes of light bulbs!

Also can you take a better picture of the 2nd pic in your "no diamondplate" reply. Something looks reworked or burned there. may or may not be an issue.

You DEFININTELY need to purchase a multimeter if you want to own and fix issues on your pinball. I wish I had a pinball at 16, let alone my favorite -- Whirlwind. Congrats man!!

Those multiplier lights are all connected to a single circuit board underneath. Can you verify that the Shoot Again light and the Right Spinner light do or do not work? If those don't work, then the problem is likely with the Yellow/Grey wire that's in commong with all 8 of those lights.

#17 11 years ago

take another couple pics of multiplier board.it looks like the socket and bulb are in backwards.

#18 11 years ago

The right spinner and shoot again light do work. I do have a multimeter and I think I tested the fuses right with it. Switched out the bulbs in the back box.... no difference. These pics are MUCH better. Who knew that my phone would yield so much better results.

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#19 11 years ago

You got some crispyness right there.

#20 11 years ago

Your GI problem is definitely that connector. That's a typical failure. I've had to repair the GI connector on 6 of my games. The problem is that connector was rated for a lower amperage/heat rating then it would have drawn in arcades with the game being left on for hours and hours at a time.

As for repairing it, the good news is that the parts are cheap (the whole process costs about $5). The bad news is that it requires wire stripping, crimping, and soldering on a new header (what the connector goes into on the circuit board). You might want to have a tech come do this for you, or we can point you to a parts list and instructions.

As for the first picture, it looks like someone replaced a transistor and resistor. Can you put your multimeter into Ohms (resistance) mode and see what you get with one lead on each metal leg on R43? I'm concerned that it looks "black".

Regarding the 6 multiplier lights, if the shoot again and spinner lights work, then the issue is not the entire lamp column in the lamp matrix. More likely your voltage wire (yellow) feeding into the 6 lamp board is either not fully seated in the connector, or is not getting continuity from it's connection. I'd have to check my Whirlwind to see where this yellow wire connects to.

#21 11 years ago

Thanks so much for the help. I will put the mulimeter on it soon. Any ideas on where I can find a tech?

#22 11 years ago

multimeter came back negative. no change in ohms when put it on that resistor. Could that be what is causing the multiplier lights not to work?

#23 11 years ago

SCORE!!!!!!! If you look in the picture of the GI connector, the bozo before me accidentally moved the connector down one pin, so the connector was off and there was nothing on the top pin. i noticed this and plugged it back in correctly and..... Everything works! Even though the connector looks nasty it seems as it was repaired.

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#24 11 years ago

Ronnie, there are several other identical resistors adjacent to R43 (R42,46,47). You should get about 68 ohms on them. It doesn't matter which way you put the leads on a resistor. I want to make sure you're measuring it in the right mode. If you DO get about 68 on them and bubkiss on R43, you likely have an additional problem. Q17 and Q13 next to it could very well both be bad.

Have you run the game through the various test modes to check the sounds, lights, etc... Put the game in the solenoid test to fire off the flippers, flashers, kickers, ramp diverter, etc... I'm willing to bet your left slingshot does not fire either

I would be happy to work on your machine, but alas I've never stepped foot in Washington state. Hopefully others here can recommend some help locally if this is a bit too much to chew. The benefit is that a "GOOD" tech will explain things along the way so you're paying him for not only the repair, but a great intro to pinball repair.

#25 11 years ago
Quoted from Ronnie1114:

SCORE!!!!!!! If you look in the picture of the GI connector, the bozo before me accidentally moved the connector down one pin, so the connector was off and there was nothing on the Top Pin. i noticed this and plugged it back in correctly and..... Everything works! Even though the connector looks nasty it seems as it was repaired.

Yikes, bozo is right. One of those pins should be removed from the board and a "key" (blocking piece of plastic) in the connector so that you CAN'T put it on the wrong way. Unless that's a black connector (mine was white like the others), it looks charred and should be replaced ASAP.

#26 11 years ago

It is a black connector and one of the pins is removed but there is no pin. I would bet that at one point it burned up and someone who kind of knew what they were doing came in and replaced it, as the place where it plugs into is white. And all of the solenoids work, even the left slingshot. Thank you sooo much for all your help.

#27 11 years ago

Indeed if the connector is black, it has been repaired. Surprised someone did an IDC passthrough, but black is good. Don't worry about the other half then.

As for R43, that resistor has to be good if the left slingshot works (you may not have tested it correctly). Machine looks great! Your fan topper is naked and needs a decal though Enjoy it. It was my first pin, and still here!

#28 11 years ago

Well you are right, i was in wrong mode, cause all of the other resistors were not registering either. Changed it and poof a good reading. The reason that the topper is blank is because I painted it and am waiting for decals. Do you have any idea on the bonus multiplier lights? Thanks a lot for your help.

#29 11 years ago

multimeter in DC voltage. With the connector removed from the 6-lamp board...

black lead clipped to a ground (side rail, etc...), red lead probed into the other end of pin 1 on the connector (yellow wire), what do you get for a voltage, if any (game turned on)?

If nada, you need to put the multimeter into buzz/continuity mode (touching the two leads should make it beeeeeeep). Follow the yellow wire to its next stopping point. Keep the red lead in pin 1. Take the black lead and CAREFULLY touch along the yellow wire's stopping points (which if memory serves me, should be the shoot again light and whatever wind direction is under the spinner). Ultimately you should find a break (no tone).

#30 11 years ago
Quoted from Ronnie1114:

Do you have any idea on the bonus multiplier lights?

Quoted from joe2012:

take another couple pics of multiplier board.it looks like the socket and bulb are in backwards.

joe 2012 already stated that all of your bulbs are installed on the wrong side of the board. Start there.

#31 11 years ago
Quoted from LEE:

joe 2012 already stated that all of your bulbs are installed on the wrong side of the board. Start there.

LOL!!! I didn't even notice this. Bahahah. The heck with what I posted, electricity doesn't work when your bulb sockets are not touching the metal contacts. They are definitely upside down, and would be shining into the cabinet, not the inserts -- aside from the fact they are not touching any metal.

#32 11 years ago

Yeah,the sockets are screwed into the wrong side of the board

#33 11 years ago

God, I feel incredibly stupid, I didnt even notice that was the way I got them. Ughhhh

#34 11 years ago

you have to clean off the rust on the solder pads on lamps 1,2,5,6.leave 3,4 so you can see what it looks like after cleaning reflow the pads like 3,4.then reflow 3 ,4 to smooth out the solder pad.p.s. happy b-day.

#35 11 years ago

Hmmm I didn't notice rust on any of the solder pads for the bulbs. That looks like a camera flash bulb effect. Look at the first pic in the 15th post with the text "Here are some pics of that board for the lights. It had all of this black powder on it and so did the underside playfield where the board was". Board looks fine in my worthless opinion

#36 11 years ago

I flipped the lights around and got nothing.

#38 11 years ago

Can you take a picture of the board now, with the connector plugged in. Did you follow my post above to see if you are getting voltage to the board via the yellow wire?

#39 11 years ago

Replace the pin headers and buzz out the traces on the inter connect board AFTER replacement. Get the crimpers out,use trifurcons and crimp clean wire and put them in new plug connectors with an index key.

#40 11 years ago

I dont think my multimeter has a continuity test. I will get pics here in about 30 min

Quoted from cal50:Replace the pin headers and buzz out the traces on the inter connect board AFTER replacement. Get the crimpers out,use trifurcons and crimp clean wire and put them in new plug connectors with an index key.
I have no idea what any of that is.

#41 11 years ago

Chances are that you may have cracked solder joints on the male pins where they are soldered to the board. Quite a common problem on this type of board. Look closely at that area for hairline cracks and reflow with new solder - preferably after removing old solder.

Other than that, follow wxforecaster instructions for looking for a broken wire upstream.

#42 11 years ago

The wire was not attached to the shoot again light so I attached it to the light and.... bam it works. Thanks again for all of your help.

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