Data East Simpsons 1990 Trough not recognising when ball goes down

[manty]

Hiya. Bought this recently and all good apart from tonight where when a ball goes down the trough the game doesn't recognise it. i have taken glass off and if i flick the ball towards the plunger it starts again ok. Until another ball goes down the trough.

Any ideas please?

I am based in Kent

 

[strobey]

Hi manty,

If you open the coin door while a game is in play and up at look at the trough you'll see the trough switch which detects a drained ball.

Give it a little pull downwards to close the switch and see if it triggers a ball drain and a kick- across.

If it does, the switch arm just needs adjusting slightly as the ball may not be depressing it enough to close the contacts. A very careful and small bend upwards, from the top, should be enough.

If it doesn't, check for loose wires on the switch.

If it triggers the sound of a drained ball, but doesn't kick, then the switch is fine and you're looking at a fault with the trough solenoid.

Loose wires again are a good first check.

 

[manty]

Hi manty,

If you open the coin door while a game is in play and up at look at the trough you'll see the trough switch which detects a drained ball.

Give it a little pull downwards to close the switch and see if it triggers a ball drain and a kick- across.

If it does, the switch arm just needs adjusting slightly as the ball may not be depressing it enough to close the contacts. A very careful and small bend upwards, from the top, should be enough.

If it doesn't, check for loose wires on the switch.

If it triggers the sound of a drained ball, but doesn't kick, then the switch is fine and you're looking at a fault with the trough solenoid.

Loose wires again are a good first check.

Thanks @strobey . I have checked the trough switch and i can hear it clicking, but it doesn't do anything, wiring looks ok as in not loose. also it doesn't trigger the sound of a drained ball, so I am guessing its the switch?

 

[Jay Walker]

The 'out-hole' switch is just about the furthest forward switch on the playfield. As such, either of the wires breaking off a switch further up the playfield can disable the outhole switch. Have a look at the games' 'Switch Matrix' chart, noting which Row and Column the outhole is positioned as. Then check each of the other switches on that Row and Column. If you don't have the manual for it, follow the wire colours.

Looking at the manual on-line, the outhole switch is No. 10, which is Column 2, and Row 2. The colours used for these are Green with red trace, and White with red trace, respectively. The chart shows that Column 2 is also used for the trough switches themselves, the Ball Shooter switch (in front of the plunger), and the flipper End of Stroke switches. The other switches on Row 2 consist of the left hand return lane, 'Double Chocolate', one of the central drop targets, right hand target bank No. 2, and Top Lane Left.

 

[BrianSoton]

Stick the game in Switch test and activate each trough switch to see which one doesn’t activate

 

[russdx1]

Yup switch test to track down faulty switch then check for loose wire on the switch it self of the switch it is connected to. Hopefully just loose wire and not bad switch

 

[manty]

Hiya, I have changed the trough switch and no joy, is there anyone who is in or around kent that could sort for me, i am in Higham, 15 mins from Bluewater. Obviously happy to pay for repair and knowledge to fix. Thanks. or does anyone want to buy it, as I think i need something newer. Ta

 

[CHRIS B PINBALLS]

Maybe just worth doing what jay walker said a few posts up it’s more than likely a wire off further up the line as each column and row is daisy chained together have a good look at stand up targets as they are the most common culprit

 

[russdx1]

Hmm looks like outhole switch is the first switch in the matrix so can’t be a break anywhere else. Does all other switches show up ok in switch test? Just this one bad? Did you replace the diode as well?

 

[Jay Walker]

The position of a switch on the matrix chart isn't an indication of the sequence that switches are wired on the playfield, though. A playfield has the switch lines connected to their rearmost locations first, and then the wires lead forward. Hence the vulnerability of an outhole switch, so far forward on the playfield.

If a diode is under suspicion, then apart from measuring it with an ohmmeter, it's okay for test purposes to simply short across it (or short the Row and Column wires together, for that matter). It's not acceptable for play, but eliminates the switch and diode in a fault-finding situation.

I think I need something newer

@manty, are you considering something newer because of difficulties like this?. Because any machine can suffer such problems. I had to sort out what I suspect was a similar case with a Terminator 2, while it was still quite a new machine, and getting heavy use in locations (when it was working). A colleague on weekend call-out had failed to remedy the outhole switch not working, despite changing the switch. On the Monday morning, it took me longer to correct his efforts (the diode was reversed, AIR) than to find the actual cause, a broken wire on one of the central spot targets, which get a terrible beating. The target itself was still registering, but the outhole and I think another target, weren't due to being further forward.