Tech: IJ subway problem

[ChrisH]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

My new IJ has a problem. I've googled but haven't found the solution
yet. Some but not all balls shot into the lock don't get to the idol.
They stay in the subway. When it happens I get the beginning animation
but don't hear the lock solenoid fire. The ball search eventually
begins but doesn't always (in fact, usually doesn't) find the ball. At
least not on the first few tries. I'm not sure which search the lock
solenoid fires on. So here is what I did so far. I removed the subway
and sanded it smooth to be sure that no indents were hanging up the
ball. It is smooth and clean. I replaced the lock opto, but not the
receiver. I made a larger light shield for the lock opto to be sure no
light was bothering the optos. I put spacers under the 4 lower screws
to give the subway a harder tilt. I'm running out of ideas. All optos
and the solenoid test fine. The plunger moves freely in the coil at
the lock. The reciever opto at the lock is about all I have left but
it tests fine. The fact that it doesn't find it in ball search sounds
as if there is something hanging up the ball but I have been over it to
death and there is nothing that could be doing that as far as I can
see. Is there something I am missing? Any help would be great.
Thanks,

Chris

 

[ChrisH]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Thanks Lloyd. I did what you said. I had the game turned on but not
playing a game. I rolled the ball in about 60 times. I could hear it
rattle around a little but the ball always made it to the lock and was
brought into the idol. I started a game with the glass off. The
second shot into the lock didn't come out. If it was the optos I would
have expected a failure during the test. If something in the trough I
would have expected at least one failure during the test. Could this
be software related? I'm blown away here.

Chris

Lloyd Olson wrote:
> Turn the game off, roll a ball down there, see if you can hear it roll all
> the way or if it stops. Try and figure out if it's hanging up, not resting
> in the right spot, or a switch ( opto's too ) problem. LTG
>
>

 

[pt]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. If I remember correctly
(I don't have an IJ any more) it turned out to be an intermittent or
stuck ball gate in the subway. There is a solenoid that acts as a gate
in the trough center that meters only one ball at a time into the idol
popper. The gate is normally closed. It opens when a ball is sensed
in the subway. The gate was not opening properly and allowing the ball
to pass into to popper. Seems like it was a broken/loose wire on the
solenoid in my case. But a bad opto at the subway entrance and/or
middle could cause this too. Test those optos and the solenoid gate
carefully. Make sure the plunger on the gate is opening fully and
letting the ball pass cleanly by.

Good luck
John

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Turn the game off, roll a ball down there, see if you can hear it roll all
the way or if it stops. Try and figure out if it's hanging up, not resting
in the right spot, or a switch ( opto's too ) problem. LTG

"ChrisH" <chaznap@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message
news:1125968883.720888.316570@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> My new IJ has a problem. I've googled but haven't found the solution
> yet. Some but not all balls shot into the lock don't get to the idol.
> They stay in the subway. When it happens I get the beginning animation
> but don't hear the lock solenoid fire. The ball search eventually
> begins but doesn't always (in fact, usually doesn't) find the ball. At
> least not on the first few tries. I'm not sure which search the lock
> solenoid fires on. So here is what I did so far. I removed the subway
> and sanded it smooth to be sure that no indents were hanging up the
> ball. It is smooth and clean. I replaced the lock opto, but not the
> receiver. I made a larger light shield for the lock opto to be sure no
> light was bothering the optos. I put spacers under the 4 lower screws
> to give the subway a harder tilt. I'm running out of ideas. All optos
> and the solenoid test fine. The plunger moves freely in the coil at
> the lock. The reciever opto at the lock is about all I have left but
> it tests fine. The fact that it doesn't find it in ball search sounds
> as if there is something hanging up the ball but I have been over it to
> death and there is nothing that could be doing that as far as I can
> see. Is there something I am missing? Any help would be great.
> Thanks,
>
> Chris
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

Not software, sorry. Most likely a switch issue then. Time for a break and
then tackle later with a fresh mind. You could be overlooking something
obvious. LTG

"ChrisH" <chaznap@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message
news:1125972518.640873.118590@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks Lloyd. I did what you said. I had the game turned on but not
> playing a game. I rolled the ball in about 60 times. I could hear it
> rattle around a little but the ball always made it to the lock and was
> brought into the idol. I started a game with the glass off. The
> second shot into the lock didn't come out. If it was the optos I would
> have expected a failure during the test. If something in the trough I
> would have expected at least one failure during the test. Could this
> be software related? I'm blown away here.
>
> Chris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.pinball (More info?)

I would go into solenoid test, and then switch edge test. Check every
solenoid, then check every switch. Make sure you don't have something else
mucking up the works here. LTG

"Lloyd Olson" <ltg@ssbilliards.com> wrote in message
news:cP2dnft8sqJnZ4HeRVnyvw@skypoint.com...
> Not software, sorry. Most likely a switch issue then. Time for a break and
> then tackle later with a fresh mind. You could be overlooking something
> obvious. LTG
>
> "ChrisH" <chaznap@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message
> news:1125972518.640873.118590@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > Thanks Lloyd. I did what you said. I had the game turned on but not
> > playing a game. I rolled the ball in about 60 times. I could hear it
> > rattle around a little but the ball always made it to the lock and was
> > brought into the idol. I started a game with the glass off. The
> > second shot into the lock didn't come out. If it was the optos I would
> > have expected a failure during the test. If something in the trough I
> > would have expected at least one failure during the test. Could this
> > be software related? I'm blown away here.
> >
> > Chris
>
>
>