Went and checked out a '71 Williams Stardust. I played a couple of games and it seemed to function properly so I bought it. Got it home, put it together and plugged it in but have yet been able to make it work. Pressed the left flipper button and all the lights came on. pressed the start button and heard the motor cycle once and then nothing. Lights will come on but nothing on the playfield works with two exceptions. The down post buttons will activate when contacted and the eject cycle will perform when the ball is put into either of the two capture holes. Other than that, it is dead. Flippers do not work, bumpers do not work, etc.

I'm guessing something happened during the take down/move/re-assembly, but I have checked everything I know to check and can't really find anything that doesn't look right. I put all new fuses in it and I have also checked them with a DMM so I know they are all good. I can add scores to the wheels and then manually operate the relay and it will do a reset. I can activate the motor manually and it will cycle. It just seems that a portion is dead.

Anyone have any pointers on what mught be the cause? I'm sure there are hundreds of possibilities. LOL
I do have some experience and coursework on electronics theory, troubleshooting etc. but it has been a long time since I have "practiced". I'm pretty sure I can fix the unit if I can get pointed in the right direction.

Any help or advice would be most appreciated. I really want to get this thing going for my grandchildren's playroom.

Thanks in advance.

I do have the schematic and the manual from IPDB.
I can manually add points on the score reels and they will reset if I manually operate the reset relay. The score motor seems to work properly (cycles when manually activated.

I am not familiar with the Williams Startup Sequence (I googled the term but I'm not sure what exactly I am looking for). Is that a list of things I need to check in a particular order or is it something the machine is supposed to do in a particular order?

I have examined the various parts as suggested on pinrepair.com and nothing jumps out at me from that. I have to believe that something happened during the move and re-assembly since it worked fine when I first checked it out. I just can't seem to isolate what that something might be.

Sorry for all the questions, I am a complete novice as far as pinball machines are concerned but I love a challenge so I am sure I will get there eventually and learn a lot in the process.

I did put the ball back in and let it roll down between the flippers. The machine would not send it into the shooter lane.

Yep. worth a shot. I appreciate your taking the time to post. As I said, any and all suggestions/tips/pointers are appreciated as I am a complete rookie...old as dirt, but a rookie nonetheless. LOL

Great suggestions! Thanks! I have also been doing a lot of reading on this type of machine so the list of things I think I need to do keeps growing. I am going to move these two suggestions to the top. I did unplug the Jones Plugs when I took it apart to move it so I will check those for tension first and also make sure they are clean. Then I will check the screws on all the switch stacks.

I haven't had much time to work on it since my earlier posts and I am anxious to get back in there. I did re-check the fuses and they all checked good. One other thing I did is put the DMM on all the coils and they all appear to be good. I don't know what the exact Ohm reading is supposed to be for each type, but readings were consistent when compared to other identical coils within the unit.

Now, if only I didn't have to work at my real job today.....

I hope to get back under the hood this evening and I will report my findings.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions. I have learned a lot already.

Thanks! I have made a copy and will use it as a starting point the next time I get a chance to work on it.

Awesome restoration! Now I will not be happy with mine until it looks that nice.

Got the start up sequence and did the following.

Manually added points on all 4 player positions
Made sure there were credits on the credit unit
Advanced the ball in play to 5
Advanced the bonus unit to 10,000
Manually tripped the game over latch/trip relay and the game over light came on.

In this condition, I pressed the credit button and the following happened:

The credit unit decremented 1 position
Game over light turned off
Player unit reset to player 1
Ball in play reset to 1
All score wheels reset to 0
Match score light went out
Score motor stopped when all these functions completed.

What did not happen was the bonus unit did not decrement to 0.

Am I correct to think that my problem likely lies within the bonus unit or a switch on the reset relay? I looked at the reset relay and could not find anything obvious. Switch stack screws are tight and the contacts appear to be in good shape.

I still have no switches on the play surface working with the exception of the two down post rollover switches and the switches in the two capture holes.

Sorry to keep asking so many questions but I feel like I am close to figuring this thing out but I just can't seem to get over the hump.

Eureka! Finally found the problem. A bit embarrassed that it ended up being so simple. Turns out that switch A on the Game-Over relay was not making good contact and was killing the entire play field. A slight adjustment and she's running just fine. A few minor hiccups that I will do some fine tuning on in the next day or two, but it is very playable as is...and a ton of fun!

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I think it is somewhat fortunate for me and my learning curve that it took so long to actually find the problem. It was a great lesson in how these fine machines actually work and I learned a ton about how all the various components all work together. I have a much better understanding of them now and feel confident that I can resolve this type issue more quickly moving forward.