(Topic ID: 284042)

Williams "Aztec" extra ball not working anymore

By Crowebar

3 years ago



Topic Stats

  • 7 posts
  • 4 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 years ago by Crowebar
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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    #1 3 years ago

    My recently acquired Williams Aztec 4 player machine has been getting played endlessly by my kids and their friends and they love it.
    I had set the extra balls to be very easily to attained which they all loved. The problem is the extra balls stopped being awarded tonight. The game still plays just fine, but when you hit the scores that I set in the cabinet for extra balls, nothing? I looked at the manual but I'm not sure it helped much. At least I didn't see any smoking gun. I've only had this machine about a month and have been helped by many on this forum so far. I'm hoping I can get pointed in the right direction again!

    Thanks in advance!
    Dick Crowe

    #2 3 years ago

    Can you be a little more specific as to what is happening or not happening?

    I don't own an Aztec, but have played it more than a few times. The extra ball feature light on the playfield should be controlled by the energizing of the setup relay. The feature adjustment jack under the playfield has settings of conservative/medium/liberal, which control how easy it is to energize the setup relay by hitting targets. I think cons requires all the letters in A-Z-T-E-C to be collected before the setup relay will fire and the extra ball light on the playfield will come on. At the other end of the spectrum, the liberal setting only requires EITHER the A-Z-T targets, OR the A-E-C targets, to be collected to energize the setup relay and light the extra ball light on the playfield. Then, hitting the center target should energize the extra ball relay and light the shoot again light on the backglass and award the extra ball.

    Is the feature adjustment jack still securely plugged in? Do the A, Z, and T target lamps light up when hit? Do the A, E, and C target lamps light up when hit? Does the extra ball when lit lamp even illuminate?

    First, I would remove the playfield glass, remove the ball, and put the playfield in the up position and start a game and then manually collect the A-Z-T or the A-E-C targets with your finger and check whether the target lamps illuminate and the setup relay energizes (pulls in). Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where that relay is, but it's likely mounted on a board hanging under the playfield or on the mechanism board on the floor of the cabinet.

    Lee

    #3 3 years ago

    There are two ways to get the extra ball. If you have the extra ball selected instead of credit. The 1st is described byRunBikeskilee.

    Quoted from Runbikeskilee:

    I think cons requires all the letters in A-Z-T-E-C to be collected before the setup relay will fire and the extra ball light on the playfield will come on

    The second is by exceeding the high Scores set in the backbox.

    1. make sure the Play adjustment plug is clean and making good contact.
    2. Make sure you have the hi-Score adjustment set.
    3. Check that the extra ball relay coil wire are still attached to the coil.
    4. Check that the jones plugs are clean and fully seated from the backbox to the mechanism panel.
    5. With the glass off check each player and see if the extra ball relay (on the mechanism panel) is pulling for both the aztec targets and the hi-score.
    6. If some of the players get an extra ball, I would check and clean the player unit.
    7. If none are scoring check the 10,000 pt re. and game over relay to see if the switch needs cleaning/adjusting.
    8. If aztec target don't score check the switch highlighted in green.

    Online Schematic and manual are found here.
    https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=119

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    #4 3 years ago

    Good catch, ArgosySK. I never encountered an Aztec that was configured to award free balls in place of replay credits and failed to recognize that option.

    #5 3 years ago

    Thank you so much for all the help! The extra ball was still being awarded for hitting the A Z T E C targets. It stopped awarding the extra balls for a one player game for the preset scores that I had set in the back box. After a little tinkering around it seems to be linked to the player control unit in the back box. Just for fun I tried a 2 player game and when I got 200,000 for player two it awarded me the extra ball. When it was player one's turn again and 200,000 score was reached the extra ball was awarded to player one also! It seems to be working fine now. My guess is that one of the contacts on the player control unit wasn't making great contact. Once I added more players and the wheel moved to different player positions it made good contact again. Now I just need to identify which pin on the player control unit needs a bit of cleaning. I don't want to just hit them all. I've been told to only fix problems one at a time and that cleaning everything causes more problems.
    Thanks again! This thing is a blast!

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    #6 3 years ago
    Quoted from Crowebar:

    Now I just need to identify which pin on the player control unit needs a bit of cleaning

    Player 1 is controlled by contacts 34, 38, 39, and 43

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    #7 3 years ago

    Howard you are amazing. I’m out of town for a couple days but will take a close look when I get home.
    Thanks! Dick.

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