Fathom cleanup questions

[swinks]

My Skateball has the same bracket as the Fathom and unfortunately a little different to the Gottlieb bars. Sorry

[solar value]

My Skateball has the same bracket as the Fathom and unfortunately a little different to the Gottlieb bars. Sorry

No problem, thanks anyway.

[solar value]

OK, here's a question for all those pinball detectives out there:

It seems that at some stage the diodes on many of the coils on this machine have been replaced - on the slingshots, the pop bumpers and the drop targets (only the ones that reset the targets). I can tell because they have been replaced in a very messy fashion. I can't be sure but it looks like that they have all been done at the same time. Is there any reason someone would do this? It seems unlikely to me that all those diodes would have failed (but I could be wrong).

Thanks, SV.

[solar value]

Oh yeah, and another question:

Does it matter if I replace diode IN2005 with IN2007 on a coil? I used diode IN2007 because it says that it can be used on coils on the RTBB website but then was wondering if it is OK for all coils.

Are the other letters on the diode important, ie "MS" or "MCC I"?

Thanks again.

[ajlaird]

As diodes can fail over time, I reckon someone has just replaced all of them to save the hassle of having to find any that are blown.

As to the diodes, my understanding is that they are the same (is that IN4005/IN4007 rather than IN2005/IN2007?) except that the 7 can handle larger voltages so is fine to use in place of the 5.

[solar value]

As diodes can fail over time, I reckon someone has just replaced all of them to save the hassle of having to find any that are blown.

As to the diodes, my understanding is that they are the same (is that IN4005/IN4007 rather than IN2005/IN2007?) except that the 7 can handle larger voltages so is fine to use in place of the 5.

Aah, yes...should be 1N4005/7, thanks for the reply.

Also, just notced there is an extra (after-market) wire going from the left lug of the middle-right (cave-trap) drop target coil to the under-playfield fuse near the flippers. Anyone know what this mod is for?

Thanks, SV.

[Strangeways]

As diodes can fail over time, I reckon someone has just replaced all of them to save the hassle of having to find any that are blown.

As to the diodes, my understanding is that they are the same (is that IN4005/IN4007 rather than IN2005/IN2007?) except that the 7 can handle larger voltages so is fine to use in place of the 5.

Aah, yes...should be 1N4005/7, thanks for the reply.

Also, just notced there is an extra (after-market) wire going from the left lug of the middle-right (cave-trap) drop target coil to the under-playfield fuse near the flippers. Anyone know what this mod is for?

Thanks, SV.

Can you post a picture ? This does not sound right at all.

[solar value]

Can you post a picture ? This does not sound right at all.

OK, Here's a pic of one end of the non-factory wire, it's the thicker yellow one connected to the lower lug of the coil:



The other end connects to the fuse near the main flippers:



Here you can see the whole wire, running from the bottom-right of the photo to the top-left:



Just wondering what problem this mod would be intended to fix.

[solar value]

Hey, does anyone know if this round washer/spring is meant to be in the flipper assembly?



I know this kind of washer is in a lot of the other solenoid assemblies but only one of my flipper assemblies has one.

Thanks, SV.

[Strangeways]

The yellow wire may have been added to replace a broken or frayed original wire. The 43V to power the coils is daisy chained, so I don't think it is a modification, just a replacement wire.

The washer should be on all coils, but it does not matter if it is not installed. I think Greg has them - http://www.rtbb.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=416 - They look the same to me.

[solar value]

The yellow wire may have been added to replace a broken or frayed original wire. The 43V to power the coils is daisy chained, so I don't think it is a modification, just a replacement wire.

The washer should be on all coils, but it does not matter if it is not installed. I think Greg has them - http://www.rtbb.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=416 - They look the same to me.

Thankyou very much.

[solar value]

Simplest solution is to put some contact over the area... it will last for ages, prevent further wear and will come off with relative ease should you decide to restore the area later down the track

I was wondering has anyone tried Frisket clear masking film for protecting the playfield against further wear? As it is low-tack, I thought maybe it could be an even safer option.

[Strangeways]

Simplest solution is to put some contact over the area... it will last for ages, prevent further wear and will come off with relative ease should you decide to restore the area later down the track

I was wondering has anyone tried Frisket clear masking film for protecting the playfield against further wear? As it is low-tack, I thought maybe it could be an even safer option.

Frisket won't stick for long, but you can try it ?

[solar value]

Ok everyone,

Exciting moment just now - I powered the game up for the first time. When I flicked the switch only the GI lights came on. I tried the self-test button on the MPU but nothing happened. Then I tried the sound test button on the squawk and talk board and the machine went throgh all the speech calls. So we had G.I. and sound but not much else. There was only a dull glow in each of the displays.

OK, at this stage I didn't have balls in the game so I put the balls in and turned the machine off and on. This time all the displays came on and the machine ran through some solenoids, etc. So I thought: "great, it's working" and pressed the credit button and it released a ball for a game, i fired the ball and let it drain and after that not much else happened, none of the switches seemed to work and it didn't release another ball. So I turned it off and on again and the GI came on, the displays flashed briefly and the game made one noise and that was it.

So that's where I'm at now. When I turn it on the GI comes on, the displays flash once and the game makes one brief noise but that's all. At least I know the displays, solenoids, etc. are capable of working, they just aren't at the moment.

I have the boards tested on this machine, so I think we can assume they are OK. Where to go from here?

As always, any help would be greatly appreciated, SV.

[Strangeways]

As you have found, all three balls must be in the trough for the game to be ready to play.

Is the machine is "attract mode" - with the displays cycling through the last game score played and the high score to date ? If not - the game has not booted properly.

Try the test switch on the front door. The switch on the MPU is a reset switch, not a test switch. See what happens when you press the test switch on the front door. The first press should light all the lights, the second test will go through the solenoids and the third will test the displays (might be the other way around).

If the solenoids are playing up, you have a small board under the playfield with a 555 globe and a relay mounted. This board can cause issues, but first lets get the game booting.

At this point, all the boards most likely will be fine, but the old connectors may be the problem. Refit the connectors to the MPU board.