I will start this post with the "I know, I know" statement. Pennant fever is that annoying System 8 game to stay away from. That being said. I bought one.... I know nothing about pinball machines but I am an EE with 20 years of communications electronics behind me so I thought, why the heck not... turns out to be a really fun project and I love the fact that everything is traceable and repairable, like the good old days. And this was absolutely my favorite game as a kid!!!

So
I have re-capped and replaced a bad Zenor on the power supply. and now have the game functioning at about 80%.

Next in line:

Lighting issues:
this will all be solved by replacing the molex connectors on the power supply, voltages are all good to go.

Q: what molex do I use here? and how is the best way to source them, has anyone found a bulk kit they like (i have the tools all ready)

Magnet coil:
This does not work. The relay is firing but no magnet. I have not dug into this yet..

Bat Coil and rheostat (or lack there of):
he bat works fine but it has been hacked. I will include a pic later. It appears the rheostat that controled the bat power burned up (it was fixed by removing the entire assembly and placing a sticker over the burn that reads "engineering" haha)

Q: I want to restore the bat to stock with the rheostat assembly in line. Does anyone have information on parts or wiring for this? Or even better, have the bat adjustment assembly as a spare part for sale?

Coin lock out:
The coin system does not work. In the coil test, nothing happens for the coin lockout (#4 SM-35-4000-DC) so I assume this is the issue...

Q: is there a good tutorial on basic coin door operations and repair? I assume they are all basically the same, I have zero experience and could use some basic education....

we will see what comes next after all of this.... Probably LED conversion... but I want to get it back to 100% before doing any of that..

Thanks,

John

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I found this funny, so it lit on fire, we cut the parts out but hey, its Okay!!! I put an orange engineering sticker over it Nothing to see here!!!

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Thanks and good to meet you... I did purchased a Rheostat online and simply welded up a steel bracket for it. My wife is going to make me a decal so it looks proper... I have done a full LED swap and changed out several of the connectors that were toast... I was lucky and found a NOS playfield. it is almost perfect. The age has caused some cracking on the clear so I am going to take the time to re-clear before I put it in....

The one issue I am having is the pitching... it is all over the place... I have not looked into it yet since I knew I was going to tear it down to replace the playfield... I may have some questions for you when that comes around.....

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My changeup is significantly slower than the fastball and as you stated pretty much right down the middle everytime....
The fastball is not consistent in speed or direction and the curve is totally random...

Since I will be tearing this down to replace the playfield I am waiting to troubleshoot....

Here is my theory.. It has to be in the switches. it looks like the changeup applies a break (like a caliper) to slow the pitch. My guess is that by cleaning and adjusting the leaf switches that control this will help. I think the break sticks or stays on at times... For the curve, if it comes out fast it works but if the ball comes out slow (stuck break or switch) it will get tossed to the side by the magnet field because it is traveling too slowly and has more time to react....

The rest of it is pure adjustments.... I will stay in contact with you as well...

John

We are soooooo on the same troubleshooting path.....

I decided to work on my PF pitching and bat yesterday and are seeing exactly the same thing you see... I added a washer to the sahft under the codder pin "where you ref 1/16 play" to remove most of the slop you were talking about.. My goal was to get a consistent position for the arm as it rotates through.

This definitely helped... The pitches are more consistent, but not perfect at all... There is no break, I have know idea where the heck I got that image from, ignore!!! Mine is like yours the coil pulls the pin out and that arm swings around... I def have a difference a speed from changeup to fastball but I am not sure if the FB is fast enough also causing crazy curves... Do you get crazy curves that throw the ball around the bat?

I also cleaned and aligned the contacts on the leaf switches, added a new bat coil (not related to pitching) and oiled the mechs.... I think the .016 metal flap is misdirecting the ball.. I have sanded it the best I can but will replace it with new once I replace the playfield...

I will take some videos and post them to You Tube since I believe you and I are the only ones on the planet trying to work on one of these unique pigs...

the other thought I had was adding a spoon to the end of the pitching arm, i don't see how it can ever be consistent with just the bar..

Sent you a private message....