Need some tech advice

[necroscope]

have a problem and need some troubleshooting,i just installed a led flasher that previously wasnt working right next to the opto board that controls the magnet in front of the filing cabinet on the x-files,opto was working prior to this and i was wondering if there was a fault in the flasher wiring it could stop the opto's from working,at the same time i also replaced a micro switch  under the playfield that is now working correctly and i dont know if that could affect it either,any help would be most welcome,thanks

ben

[Strangeways]

Some LEDs interfere with Optos. First I'd try removing the LED and see if the optos return to working normally.

[pinball god]

Ben you have my problems, adjust the coin mech and find the CPU blows  . I have a similar problem with my Theatre of Magic. I replaced the ROM's and now the ball save option doesn't work if after hitting the trunk the ball goes SDTM. Put the old ROM's back and still the problem. My problem does effect game play like yours does. Good luck I'm sure you'll get there.

[necroscope]

Some LEDs interfere with Optos. First I'd try removing the LED and see if the optos return to working normally.

thanks nino will do some more experimenting,have noticed that if i move the opto board back it triggers the magnet so maybe my fat fingers bent the bloody thing out of alignment or it is simply the you beaut led making it play up,plus there are a couple of posts that only half screw into the wood putty and sit at an angle.so process of elimination starting with the led 

Ben you have my problems, adjust the coin mech and find the CPU blows  . I have a similar problem with my Theatre of Magic. I replaced the ROM's and now the ball save option doesn't work if after hitting the trunk the ball goes SDTM. Put the old ROM's back and still the problem. My problem does effect game play like yours does. Good luck I'm sure you'll get there.

Yes pinball god the probs you have sound like the type of thing that could only happen to me 

[necroscope]

Thanks nino it was the leds,only on one side though 

[necroscope]

well it was still playing up after i pulled the led's out,so i pulled the opto board re-flowed the solder points and re-installed,  got to play the first reliable game on the pin since i got it,pretty stoked right now,now i get what everyone likes about fixing pins,no better feeling of acomplishment,i'm finding the soldering pretty easy too with the weller marksman,lot different to the irons i used years ago.

[Strangeways]

well it was still playing up after i pulled the led's out,so i pulled the opto board re-flowed the solder points and re-installed,  got to play the first reliable game on the pin since i got it,pretty stoked right now,now i get what everyone likes about fixing pins,no better feeling of acomplishment,i'm finding the soldering pretty easy too with the weller marksman,lot different to the irons i used years ago.

That would have been the next suggestion - reflow the solder joints on the opto board - Well done !

Weller Soldering Irons are a great choice 

[necroscope]

thanks nino but i'm still having hassles with it  now it seems to work intermitintly and then the opto seems to get stuck on and the score keeps climbing,the board i re-flowed was the reciever and now if i wiggle the opposite board the tranceiver it seems to set it off again and get it working once more,what would be the chances of the two stuffing up at the same time,i can only conclude i must have disturbed it,i also have a post that is only half in the playfield as it had been bodged up with wood putty but that has fallen out so now it leans like the tower of pizza see picture,it moves everytime the ball hits it, so i am not sure if thats causing the fault please note photo the opto in the photo is the reciever and is the one i reflowed  also i am unsure of the perameters of opto's ie:do they need to be aligned perfectly to work and how fragile they are if they can be put out of alignment by a bump ect there is also another set of optos just down from these two and i dont even know what they do they dont seem to do anything when the ball passes between them,any advice would be appreciated,i'm planning on spending sat night taking the under playfield ramp off so i can get to the other opto boards to remove for reflowing.
ben

[dj10555]

Hi Ben,
I have repaired an X-files with a similar problem. The surrounding posts can pull out of the playfield and if crooked can blocked the opto path. The posts can also break free and hit the opto board and cause damage. You can check if the optos are aligned by looking at the red LED located on the lower part of the opto board underneath the playfield. When the boards are correctly aligned the red LED under the playfield should go out and when the beam if blocked it will turn back on. You can loosen the screws on both the transmitter and receiver boards and move them around until you find the position where the red LED goes out. You will need to check this on both sets of boards. The posts can break aways from the edges of the playfield and can sometimes be fixed by placing a washer underneath them to spread the load. The posts are needed to protect the optos from damage. The opto LEDs are a special type which glow red on Stern and Sega pinballs. If you cannot get the boards to align successfully you might need to replace both sets of optos.

regards Derek 

[necroscope]

Thanks for the advice derek  very much appreciated mate and has given me a better understanding of the problem,will have another crack at it tommorow arvo/night might have to re-putty that post hole as a temporary fix as the post moves pretty easy and it only takes two or three hits with the ball before it's close to the opto,oh well at least i've had one good game out of it 

ben

[necroscope]

Thank you derek ^^^your advice in adjusting the opto's made it a breeze ended up reflowing all four opto's so hopefully that will be the last of them playing up till i do the playfield swap,put a washer on the suspect post and then super-glued it from underneath the playfield seems to be holding up so far  anyway thanks again,saved me hours of fiddling around 

[faza]

Well done how good is this site 

[MartyJ]

Ben,

I've used a product called JB weld to repair playfields.  I find it much stronger than bog / bondo.

The problem will be its not nothing to really bite into, but maybe worth a shot.

[necroscope]

Thanks for the advice marty,is jb weld available at bunnings? pretty sure i will be needing some,i'm thinking maybe fill the whole hole up with it and redrill the post after a few days give it time to set,just depends if it can be drilled,what do you think marty is it worth a try. ben

[faza]

If not you may be able to use the JB weld to insert a sleeve or insert to screw into