On my WMS BTC I picked up last weekend, everything's been working great until I finally wound the clock to 12 where it stopped.

According to the instructions at 12 it is supposed to light the 6 and I should be able to continue winding the clock at least to 6. So I took out the unit and there is a screw installed as a stop that stops it at 12, but also serves as a stop when the game resets which is also at 12.

Without this stop, it looks like upon reset, the stepper would just unwind the spring all the way and freewheel to a random stop. It is the kind of stepper with two coils, one that clicks up, one that releases upon reset.

So to anyone else that owns one or knows the function, is it supposed to be at 12 when game starts? If so, it needs to at least be able to go around 1 1/2 times and still reset and come to a stop.

The only other thing I can come up with is it is supposed to start at 6 and somebody moved it or some special mechanism I am missing. Any advice would be appreciated. I've been thru 100s of these steppers just like this one, but this has me confused.

Thanks for any help!

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It's looking now like it's supposed to reset and start the game at 6, not 12, and the clock hand was installed incorrectly and one full revolution is all it's supposed to do? That's all I can come up with.

Appreciate any input if that is not correct.

It's broken

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Yes.

I think with this kind of stepper, it has to have some kind of a stop so when it resets it won't freewheel and totally unwind the spring. That screw looks makeshift like the original stop is missing.

I also figured if it has to be able to make it to 6:00, then it has to start about 7:00? I've never had one or played one before, so I have no point of reference.

I don't remember seeing one at Banning when I was out there.

It just seems odd that it would start at 7:00, but that seems to be the only way it would work.

The clock hand can be installed at any position on the shaft.

That's for sure. It does. It's a spring loaded stepper with a reset coil.

Youtube's no help. The one on there starts at 3:00.

They're all broken

I thought 6 at first, but it has to be 7 because of the stop which allows an almost complete, but not an entire rotation. If it is supposed to make more than one rotation and still be able to reset, it needs some kind of fancy mechanical device which definitely isn't there.

The stepper itself is labeled "Clock Unit" so I am assuming it is correct.

On my Magic Clock, it can go around at least twice and still reset, but uses an old school stepper that is meant to do so and is not part of mechanical animation, only lighted.

That's where this whole thing started. I pegged 12 and it stopped.

Manually working the stepper, I can get that 6 to light, so I know where to attach the hand, but that screw used as a stop is rinky dink and doesn't look original. And when it now pegs at 6 it jams it up and locks the knocker and replay circuit on.

I can make it work correctly, if I know what correctly is.

Those would normally be on the outside of the gear to activate switches.

The difference between this stepper and every other Wms stepper like it I have seen beside the funky screw is the stop would be a small round nub peened to the back of the gear wheel, and the backing plate would have an additional stop plate with two adjusting screws holding it in place in the lower right.

This one has the backing stop plate under that spring mounting post by the screw in this pic.

That's what I'm thinking at this point.
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That's looking more correct by the minute.

I need to set it up so when it hits 6, it goes a little past it so it won't lock the knocker on.

Haha!

Seeing that nobody knows how it's really supposed to work, most of them must be sitting in piles.

I had one that was a real pile.

I think I finally found a decent vid of how this clock is supposed to work.

Thanks! That doesn't sound bad, however then somehow I must have the complete wrong assembly in there with an extra coil and wires that look factory to reset it when the game starts.

Maybe they made two different styles. I don't have a schematic at the moment, but have one on the way. That will at least clear up if it should reset or not.

But I do appreciate all input on this. Replays and when you get them are important here. Just like working coin mechs.

Scratch that! I'm taking that back!

The wires to the reset coil don't look so factory after all!

I doubt he would have a clue unless he owns one which I also seriously doubt.

I now think it is as flipit said and wickerman too. I have been at work all day, but just got my second look at it since last night.

My game looks like someone did some engineering to modify it to reset instead of just keep clocking. Those wires are the dead giveaway. But what about all the pics of ones starting between 6:00 and 7:00? Crazy stuff! I want to see the schematic.
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I looked at that before even starting this one.

I now think someone went to a lot of trouble on mine to make it different. But I also get the feeling it's not the only one.

Heck, I could have still been playing with brand new redline Hot Wheels when it happened.

It was dropping a friends HO locomotive when I was six that I learned I needed to know how to fix things. It's never ended...

I'd definitely take good tacos over straining my brain any more on this thing.

Looks like I might end up with some extra parts including a couple levers and several springs.

But there is a reason somebody did this and it may not be the only one. Probably to cut down on free replays.

It doesn't change the rules at all. It takes away the randomness of lighting the kickout holes for special at 12 and the number 6 on the clock replay. Makes it so you have to earn them and they will therefore happen less often.

Yes, I think the consensus is mine was modified to reset the clock at the beginning of each game. So far I've just left it that way.