As I expected, the game did not take kindly to being bounced around the winter roads in the Northeast yesterday. We got her down in the basement and put together without too much trouble. Dropped in the first nickel and, not much happened. There is power, and the mixer and control unit motors are running. The magic screen motor is not, but it may not unless the feature is enabled or in use so I'm not much worried about that yet. There were no lights of any kind and no ball being served. I had been a little worried about balls in the trough while moving it around so I pulled up the playfield and took a look. Sure enough, two balls had gotten jammed in the lifter. We had taken the five balls on the playfield out before moving it, but left the other three in there. Probably a bad idea.

Anyway, dropped another nickel and it's now serving balls. The shutter seems to be working but I did notice it did not close once when the first ball was plunged. Lights are coming on behind the numbers as balls hit the holes, but there is no other illumination - no feature or odds lights, no playfield GI, etc. When dropping balls manually into a scoring combination, hitting the R button does not score any replays. I can hear it trigger off some stuff in the backbox when R is pressed, so I don't think it's the switch.

I think I am going to start with replacing all the fuse holders. One of the fuses is actually soldered in and the others seems weak, so that's job one. Anyone have any suggestions on what else to look for to get the lights on? Since the number lights are working, can I assume the fuse is good or would GI and controlled lighting be fused separately? Any suggestions on how to begin looking at scoring the replays?

I'm going to go spend some quality time with the schematic and the several bingo websites I know of! All comments, hints and suggestions are welcome.

Oh, I should mention that all this stuff worked yesterday before hauling it to Vermont from NJ

Oh yeah, Vic, I'm not planning on getting knee-deep in anything just yet. Looking at the schematic, GI is directly driven off the 17 volt transformer tap through a 10A fuse. Absolutely nothing else in circuit, so I'm going to press on with replacing the fuse holders and put in all new fuses. Looking at the old ones, some are over-fused by double the value, so they have to go along with the one soldered in.

Once that's done, I'm going to clean the Jones connectors and hand cycle and reset as many of the steppers as I can - wouldn't surprise me if they picked up some dirt or grit on the trip. Then we'll see where we're at...

Dave

OK, initial problem resolved. Turned out to be the one Jones plug we didn't disturb That small one all the way on the right. It feeds the outputs of the fuse block down into the cabinet wiring. I popped it out, squeezed the connector tabs in slightly, wire-brushed the plug and lighting is now back in service.

I'm going to polish up the rest of the Jones plugs and see if that resolves the replay counter issue. Based on it working yesterday it sure seems to have to be a plug.

I'll still need to swap out these fuse holders as several are weak and one has the fuse soldered in.

I pulled the screws from the playfield and was able to raise it a bit and slide it out a little but then it was hitting on something. Do I need to just pick it straight up and pull it out to avoid snagging anything?

The beast lives!

Its_Alive_(resized).JPG

Played a few games just fooling around and discovered a new problem. I actually noticed this while picking up the machine when we got a 3 ball winner on yellow for 4 replays and only 3 were toggled up on the counter. We put it down to an "off by one" kinda thing which I figured I'd get to eventually. Turns out that's not it. I was checking out some of the holes that weren't lighting when balls landed in them. In the process of doing so, I ended up with a yellow 64 winner. The counter toggled up 3 replays when I hit the R button. Just for kicks, I hit R again, and now I had 6 replays. Once more yielded nine and I quit there, figuring the problem was consistent.

I also noticed when moving the screen that it gets a bit out of line around step C or D.

So I've got a few topics to dig into. Good thing I took tomorrow off

Had a question on the playfield light shields. What is supposed to hold those in? A lot of the ones on this game are very loose and wobble when the ball hits those little curly springs.

With not much else to do, I ordered some stuff from PBR and printed and placed some new instruction cards. They came out great.

Instructions_(resized).JPG

I use paint.net as my drawing program and just printed them through there. Make sure to print actual size and use Print Preview to make sure they look right before wasting the ink/paper. I used Avery Full Sheet mailing labels and they printed in landscape. Just had to cut them out of the sheet and stick them down. It's not an aggressive adhesive so they'll also come up easily if I ever decide to redo the top and bottom arches and side rails.

I really love working on these EMs so I don't mind that it has a few issues. Just more to learn!

I'll be working on the payout issue this afternoon. I only did a quick check yesterday but it looks like only the yellow inline scores are affected right now, though now that you've reminded me I will need to test the section scoring also.

Is there a simple way for me to manually enable the Magic Screen feature so I can move it over for section testing? This machine is downright stingy with awarding features

Need some advice on a new issue now

I think I got the yellow replay scoring sorted out as it will now score 4 replays instead of just 3 at the base odds. Unfortunately it is now difficult to test as the game will randomly shut down while dropping coins. Dropping the first coin works normally. Dropping other coins may work, or may cause the machine to just shut down. It does not seem to matter where I am in the process: scores & features, features only, even trying for extra balls.

Probably something I did, but as far as I know nothing I worked on for the yellow scoring should be related to this.

Gonna go browse the bingo site next but any suggestions are welcome...

Interesting behavior. It's not the coin switch for sure, and I don't think it's the CU 4D switch either. It seems to be doing it only when the door is open. I just played probably a dozen games with no trouble at all with the door closed. Before, I had it open working on the yellow scoring. I'm thinking some sort of vibration issue with the door hanging open.

That yellow scoring is definitely fixed, as I had it count up a 96 win with no problems, so that's one out of the way. Still need to work through checking out the Magic Screen scoring bits but ad-hoc observing leads me to think they are OK. I also verified the 2 rollover buttons are doing what they should. I think I may have spotted an issue with the Press Buttons Now light not always working but need to pay closer attention.

Operational questions for you guys...

After hitting the R button and collecting a win, should I be able to try for extra balls and keep playing for a better win? I tried that once earlier and while digging some nickels out of my pocket, the game shut off like it usually does after the fifth ball has been played. Dropping the nickel then started a new game, even though the EB light was on. I think that makes sense, and I have a feeling if I had hit R to reset the timer unit, it may have allowed me to continue, but I didn't think of that then.

While playing off replays, hitting the Green button flashes and awards features only, as it should. Hitting the Blue button flashes only the scores but occasionally allows features, such as 3 in Orange and 3 in Blue, plus moving the Red Letter game light. Should it be doing that?

Thanks for all the help guys. She's coming along nicely.

Oh, BTW, bingopodcast, the Red Letter game does work. You just can't see it as the backglass is a real mess, sprayed over on the back in a lot of areas with white paint. With the glass off, you can see the red bulb lit on the R letter and the couple times I tested it it worked great.

It's very interesting trying to decide how to troubleshoot something that is, by design, intermittent

Dave

They come and they go problems that is...

Think I fixed the issue with the Blue button awarding features now and then. Found some misadjusted switches on the Feature and Score Lock and Play relays. Also found one on the Mixer 4 relay that was supposed to close when pulled in but wasn't. I guess I'll see what that does somewhere down the line. Nice thing about EM relays is it's pretty easy to tell what switches are supposed to do when the coil pulls in.

I also wound back the reflex unit and this is where I may have screwed up. I now get no odds whatsoever when starting a game. Dropping coins will eventually light them however. Need to go browse the schematic for that.

Is it normal for the reflex unit to have wires soldered to one of the solder tabs that hold the shell on? They don't mention that at the bingo site. I'd like to get the cover off and see where the stops are. It's hard to tell with the cover on. I have a gut feeling it may have either wound backward or forward too far. I also noticed that my game has the #5 ratchet so it's going to reset the reflex much slower than it advances it. I may have to see if I can come up with a selection of ratchets. I gather they had numbers 1-5.

Anyway, that's for later. Getting the initial odds working again is the next thing.

Indeed John! I'm going to look up and favorite that thread.

Well, I am giving up for the night as I'm just frustrating myself now. Things just keep getting worse, and seemingly in things I am not touching. Now, the Red button isn't working. It clicks, and I can hear the relay pull in, but then the lights go immediately out again. The blue button works in that it stays enabled, but the scores never go up in that mode either.

The score units get reset on game start but they never step up for the initial step. That's why no odds lights are on. Frankly, they don't ever step at all right now. If I step them manually, the lights come on and wins do get scored normally. I have no idea why these score units, which were working perfectly, are now no longer working.

If I understand it correctly, and this is the way it used to behave, the initial score is automatic at game start and the second nickel is also pretty much a given, though I'm not sure that's 100%. It was pretty repeatable though. So obviously something is blocking the power to those step up coils. I checked the switches on each score unit and they all seem fine. The yellow score unit has 2 switches, one for the reset position and the other for the max position. The Red and Green units only have a max position switch. That seems odd but it looks to be intended. There are no loose wires hanging around and, more importantly, they did work earlier today.

One thing I need to look at is the Extra Score Step relay. I found it with a blade broken off just a few minutes ago. I've no idea if it was always that way or if it just broke. I don't see how it could be related but maybe the broken switch is in-circuit to the score units. That seems like it could be likely.

If I can get the scoring going again, I think she'll be back to near 100% though I don't quite trust that reflex unit yet. Features seem awfully hard to come by with it reset.

Thanks man. I'll go take a look at the schematic as you suggested and take another look at that Play Features relay. I did look at it earlier and thought it looked fine but I was getting tired.

The blue button actually works correctly. When pressed, it stays on until I hit the green or red. It's the red with the issue - once I press it, the red Scores and Features panel on the backglass blinks but then goes right out again.

Anyway, you're right - focus on getting the odds working again and then worry about the small stuff.

OK, some data points.

For the life of me, I see no issues with the Play Feature relay, nor with the Yellow Score Unit reset switch. It is closed at reset and opens on step one.

If I manually step the score units up to the second level, they will work from then on, increasing at random as expected. Also, features will begin to be awarded too. This in Red mode, and as I'd expect.

One interesting thing I noted was that stepping up the green unit would occasionally award a feature. This is in Red mode again, so acceptable but I found it odd that the Green Score stepper would do that, though it may also have come from the Red Letter game unit which steps when the Green Score unit does. Not sure how all that works.

It looks like this is something in common between the Feature and Score sides and related to the initial 2 "automatic" odds increases. It seems like they cause something to happen that then allows the Score units to be driven randomly.

I'll do that jumper testing tonight and report back. Thanks again for all the help!

Now that I have been in the machine, I am confused as to why I would want to jumper the yellow score unit zero switch, as it is open at the reset position. Looking at around B30 on the schematic, I think what you meant was the open at top switch. I checked that and it looked good. I cleaned it and tested. No change. I switched off, jumpered that switch and tested again. No change.

Next up will be the Play Feature relay switch, assuming I can identify the wire. They are all pretty grungy.

Following it along, it looks like it passes through the score disk and the Play Score relay before hitting CU switch 8E, then continues through mixer relay #2 and EB Trip #1. Is that the path you're thinking of? I think it makes sense due to the fact that things start working after the units are manually stepped. That would put it up on the Mixer 3 path instead.

For those following, here's the schematic section:

Scoring_(resized).PNG

And my discussion, which may well be all wrong

We are looking currently at the red part of the circuit. I've jumpered the Open at Top yellow score unit switch to no effect. I have not yet jumped the Play Feature relay at the bottom, though I have convinced myself that will have no effect either. Here's why. If that switch were open, no score units would EVER step, and as I discovered last night, they will step if I manually advance them. To my eye, that means the Play Feature relay switch must be closed. I am thinking that once I manually step the units, the purple path is coming into play. Note that I didn't draw the purple path for the Red and Green units, but it exists, straight up from the coils. Given the manual step behavior, I am inclined to suspect the green paths. These go through the score disks then off to the left through a couple of paths before reaching wire 30 at the top, which is the bus wire at the top of the circuit.

So I am going to jump that Play Feature relay switch to be thorough but since it is the only path down to the bus on that side, I think it has to be closed.

I will then wait for BP (bingopodcast) or Vic to chime in before mucking about any further.

I did take a look at both the EB trip relay 1 and the Mixer relay just now, and I think they look clean and well adjusted. The Play Score relay only comes into play when the Blue button has been pressed, so I think I can rule out the path through that relay and CU Cam 8E. I have myself nearly convinced to take a look at CU Cam 7. That path seems to be the driver for the initial guaranteed odds jumps.

I think what I will do is meter for continuity from wire 30 to the Mixer 2 relay and then further to CU Cam 7. That should tell me if that part of the path is connected.

Is there a way I can manually turn the CU with the power off? I'd like to get Cam 7 on its lobe and then I should be able to continuity check all the way back through the score disks, through the 3 Open at Top switches, to the Play Feature relay and ultimately to 70 at that relay.

I did have the playfield up very early on when the game would do nothing, to check the trough. That turned out to be the problem that time - 2 balls in the lifter after we transported it. So I am pretty certain the odds issue occurred well after that. To be sure though, I lifted the playfield over lunch and all of the shutter motor cam switches look great. Probably the nicest, cleanest ones on the machine. There is a very heavy metal bar and cage around them so it would be very tough to snag them, and you'd certainly know it I think.

I've examined those relays I'd adjusted earlier 100 times and they look to be operating properly. I'm just not seeing a problem in them anywhere.

I forgot to mention that we did look at the CU over lunch also and it looks to be operating properly. We thought the 7A switch looked to be gapped a bit too loosely so we tightened it up a bit but still no result. I am going to pull the switch stack mounting bracket tonight and roll them upright where I can get a good look at them. We had a sense that the 7A switch looked odd, corroded or pitted maybe, and I want to get a close look at that.

I also want to figure out why the Red Scores and Features panel isn't coming on at game start. I'm wondering if that is somehow related, though from the schematic I don't see how. Is there an order to the closing and opening of the button switches? If I press the Red button, the lights flash but don't stay on and I can hear a relay cycle.

I sure appreciate the help. Basically, as far as I can tell, the game is working but for the guaranteed odds issue and the few other small things, like the Red button panel, the features being awarded in Score only mode.

Dropping a coin cycles the game, opens the shutter but fails to enable the red panel or the opening odds. Once I step the score units manually, the game works. I can play for scores only, features only or both, though the red panel lights won't stay on. Things will be awarded that maybe shouldn't be based on the mode but that's minor. The odds will go up sometimes, features will be awarded sometimes and the first ball will be delivered to the shooter lane. Plunging that ball will close the shutter and lift the next ball. Bingo card lights will come on wherever it lands with a couple suspected bad bulbs. Red and Yellow rollovers work fine. There may be a problem with flashing the before 4th ball lights but the before and after fifth ball work. Once the fifth ball has been shot, if there's a winner, it will score it seemingly correctly. So far I have tested red, yellow and green scoring on the regular card, Red super-section scoring and OK game scoring. All of those work and holding the R down will start the red letter game with the correct setup, including odds! Playing for extra balls works, and balls are occasionally awarded and played normally. The timer unit shuts the motors off after a couple minutes as it should.

I did go over the score units and cleaned them a little but they look quite good and none of the wipers are mangled. It would seem odd that all 3 score disks would fail in the same way too but who knows.

I will check the EB and R button on fourth ball later tonight and report back.

Results of tonight's brief troubleshooting session.

I am not able to start EB play until ball 5 has been shot. I can hit R on ball 4 and start the score searching.

I verified that I at least have connectivity from the EB #1 trip relay switch at around E26 on the wire 30 side all the way through the top of CU Cam 7A at around D28. If I clip the 7A switch closed, I get connectivity all the way to the 3 score unit step up coils. The remaining question for tomorrow is to observe that 7A switch with the front panel down and see if it looks like the moving blade is lifting the static one a little.

I noticed while testing that the Mixer 2 relay seems to latch and trip quickly when a game is started and I wonder if that is breaking that Mixer 2 switch at E28 when it shouldn't. Looking around the mixer, I found a broken wire on the coil marked Spotting Cams Index. Since Index means to hold in place, I am wondering if this coil is supposed to be pulling in to hold the mixer 2 relay on while the guaranteed odds are generated? I will resolder that tomorrow and test some more. I was gratified that there doesn't appear to be a broken wire in that big bundle between the door and the CU.

I got the Red Light panel issue resolved. It was indeed Yellow switch button 3 which was causing the lock-in circuit on the Red Button relay to drop out immediately.

So, some progress. I also discovered the Red Score unit appears to have a short in the odds lamp circuit where that flexible spring guide carries the wiper wiring to the edge connectors. I'll have to pull that apart and look at it too.

Anyone happen to know what size a bingo playfield glass is? I was going to call and order a new piece today and, of course, forgot to measure it.

This is for much later when the machine is running well again, but is there a way to adjust the stopping point of the magic screen when it's moved? Mine lines up well with the numbers when using the right button, but not so well when moving it left.

I'm going to measure the glass tonight and get a new sheet ordered. The one I have is pretty bad and I am not sure it's tempered. Has some very sharp edges too.

Good progress tonight. I got very frustrated and basically threw caution to the wind, not stupidly but more aggressive than I would usually be. When I continuity checked, I had clipped the CU 7A switch closed with one end of my jumper wire to avoid having to fiddle with moving the CU manually. Everything had continuity checked good, but the initial odds still didn't work.

Tonight, I wanted to check that the 7A switch was, in fact, being lifted and I could see that it was. I decided to basically just jumper around everything in the path from the EB Trip Relay to the 7A moving blade. I did that, dropped a coin and nothing! How could this be?

So I sat down for a while beside the machine and fumed/pondered when it occurred to me to actually jump the 7A blades together. In hindsight, I could have obtained the same result by just jumping to the static blade which is connected to the coils. I clipped the 2 blades together with one end of a jumper wire, made sure the loose end was out of the way, and dropped a coin. The score units advanced! So I pulled the jumper I had placed on the Mixer 2 relay and tried again. Nothing! WTF! Fortunately, a cooler head prevailed and I looked at 7A. My clip had fallen off the static blade due to the movement. I re-clipped it and tried once more. YAY! The score units moved.

So I believe I am down to replacing that 7A switch. It's adjusted as close as I dare go, and the color of the contacts looks odd so I think the points may be bad. I burnished them with a flexstone several times to no effect so I think new ones will be needed. I would imagine these are high-current points and the blades look to be a heavier one than the replacements PBR carries.

Anyone know of a source for a pair of CU blades, or have any spares sitting around they'd sell me?

That's the heavy work for tonight. Think I'll relax before bed with some playfield cleaning, post tightening and new rubber installation. I'll save the light bulbs for tomorrow. I may even be tempted to take a file to those points. Doubt I can make them any worse!