Playboy pinball repairs

[Pinballrocks]

 Playboy update.
 Ok, so far i have sorted out the displays, cleaned/ re-rubbered & replaced globes on the playfield/ sorted out some dodgy coin door wiring & removed minor surface rust from some of the metal parts.

 I need to replace the following.......
 
 RHS flipper button switch, top & side trim around the backglass repaint cabinet
(stencils have just arrived from the US) Some minor touch ups will be reqired on the playfield.

 Machine plays pretty well although there is some issues with the solid targets. they work when i push them by hand
 but if hit HARD with ball during game play they do not register? Does anyone know why?
 PS I might have some brand new 1978 Playboy Cabinet stencils for sale if i chicken out of the re- spray..lol

[Ballywannabe]

"Bally Brick" syndrome

Most Bally drop targets do the same thing.  You can try rebuilding the target bank and this may help a bit, but the only real cure seems to be to make the target stems stiffer if you have the desire to do some experimentation.

cheers
Ian

[Pinballrocks]

 
Thanks for your reply.
I'm keen to give it a go. What is the best way to stiffen up the targets?

[Pinballrocks]

 
 The problem Targets are the fixed ones,  the drop targets dont seem to be as bad

[joydivision]

If you solder a .47 mf disc capacitor across the target switch, this will enable registering every time whether a soft or hard hit. The capacitor ensures a switch closure registers with the mpu. You may even see some original red ones still present on some switches, replace those too.

I couldn`t beleive the difference this made when I installed these caps.

This completely changes the game play to how it should be with 100% scoring.

T

Playboy update.
 Ok, so far i have sorted out the displays, cleaned/ re-rubbered & replaced globes on the playfield/ sorted out some dodgy coin door wiring & removed minor surface rust from some of the metal parts.

 I need to replace the following.......
 
 RHS flipper button switch, top & side trim around the backglass repaint cabinet
(stencils have just arrived from the US) Some minor touch ups will be reqired on the playfield.

 Machine plays pretty well although there is some issues with the solid targets. they work when i push them by hand
 but if hit HARD with ball during game play they do not register? Does anyone know why?
 PS I might have some brand new 1978 Playboy Cabinet stencils for sale if i chicken out of the re- spray..lol

[Ballywannabe]

Sorry, did not read closely enough

Wot he said, .047mf caps will mean all switch closures are registered, no matter how quick the hit.

You will find a similar problem with the drop targets - a solid hit straight on is likely to result in the target staying up as they flex too much and hang up on the rubber behind.  Unfortunately the fix is not as simple!

cheers
Ian

[ddstoys]

Ive found the same issues with strikes and spares but been to busy to worry about it ill add a few caps and see how i go.  As for stiffening up drop targets could you add a piece of solid wire and lay some fiber glass over top???   I dont have a bally with drops to test on

[Pinballrocks]

 Sounds like some good advice guys, I did notice that all the red caps have been cut & replaced with what looks like diodes (Probably a different type of cap). I will remove them & replace with .47 as advised. As for stiffening the targets looks like a much more difficult fix.

PS. My Cabinet Stencils came in from the US & they are excellent quality stencils. Even a bum like me should be able to get a great result. I have had some trouble trying to match the purple for the playboy. But think i am close with an Auto pantone colour. I have been to 4 paint specialists & they cant colour match the code(including bunnings).
I sourced the original colour coding from the US but in Australia it makes no sense. Does anyone have some answers?
Cheers Paul.

[joydivision]

Their should be an IN4004 or IN4001 diode on the switch and then also the .047 mfd ceramic disc capacitor on the same switch as well.

[Pinballrocks]

 Thanks for the info joydivision.
 Maybe all the caps have been broken & not cut. I could reconnect caps to check first and if not successfull replace
 them all. cheers 

[Pinballrocks]

I have soldered the 0.47 caps to the target switches and targets are now functioning correctly. The machine was working well for about 10 minutes, however another problem has occurred. The machine is scoring randomly when flippers are activated and when the ball is ejected into shooter lane and seems to score extra points during game play. This was not occurring before, it may be coincidental. Does anyone know how to rectify the scoring problem?

Also solenoids occasionally activate twice when the ball has left the pot bumper, and sometimes the slingshot will activate without the ball hitting it. This was occurring previously. Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks, Paul

[dj10555]

If the 0.47 caps are the originals they can cause false triggering of switches to occur so many people just cut them off. You can try remove the caps from the pop bumpers to see if this will stop the double firing. The random firing could also be a set of switches being too close together and touching due to vibration. You will need to look at every switch and check there is enough gap between the blades. The switch test built into the game is useful for showing which switch is stuck on.
regards Derek

[joydivision]

maybe try the maybe try the suggestions by dj10555 in this order...

Put machine in self test for the switch test with the ball out of the outhole (should show 0 if no switches are stuck) if a number shows, check the corresponding switch and see if it is stuck closed, if not remove the capacitor.

remove any original switch caps anyway, replace. (make sure the value is correct on new ones, ceramic .047 mfd  ceramic disc capacitor.

Generally check all switch solder joins in case one is loose

check all switch clearance, maybe one or more are too close and making contact with the flipper/pop bumper vibration

It only takes one switch to play up or be stuck on to cause random scoring or solenoid firing anywhere and everywhere on the playfield.

If case you happen to have changed any IN4004 diodes, they need to be soldered on with the band on the correct side.  If installed the wrong way this will also cause erratic behavior.

[Pinballrocks]

 
 Thanks all.
 I'll try the switch test in order as mentioned and see how it all goes.

 Cheers 
 
 

[Strangeways]

If you have the pops firing at random, try hitting the playfield softly with your first. If they pop - then regap. If not, the problem is somewhere else in the switch matrix. Best way to fix this is to replace all the caps (as discussed earlier).

If you really want to isolate the faulty cap - replace all the caps on the switches in that row the firing pop is in. If the problem persists, replace all the caps in the column.

I once had a problem on my Space Invaders that ended up being the PIA socket on the MPU board. One pop would fire at random, even with the ball still in the plunger channel !