Power supply problems

 

I've been really pulling my hair out over the "Star Trip" cocktail table power problems. I think there is a power problem of some kind because none of the solenoids will fire. So either the whole board is shot or there is a power problem of some kind. Checking the power seems an easy first step.

 

But the cocktail tables are a major pain to work on because they are so deep. To reach the power supply board down on the ground level I have to bend over the lip and way down in, trying not to touch anything or bump the brace I have holding the table up.

 

I purchased a repair manual from ebay and it has lots of helpful information on what voltages should be seen on what test points on the power supply board. Unfortunately it did not provide an actual diagram of the board and I can't find them.

 

Finally I found some information on another repair site. And I think I have discovered why I am having such a problem. This is a picture of a standard Star Trip power supply board.

 

 

 

And now, my board:

 

 

Notice any difference? Yes....my power supply "board" is an actual board. Someone removed the board (with its test points) and mounted the power supply components onto a piece of plywood.

 

 

sigh

More solenoid frustration

I made limited progress on finding what the problem with the solenoid was.

After downloading the user guide, it explained how to run the diagnostics. I ran the switch diagnostics which told me that none of the switches were faulty. I then ran the solenoid diags and the solenoid was on the whole time as the other ones fired one at a time.

The process gave me 2 important clues.
1 - during the switch test the solenoid was not on. This tells me it is not a short as a true short should have powered the solenoid even then.
2 - during the solenoid test the solenoid was on all the time. If it was shorted to a couple of other solenoids it should have powered off at least once as they all fired one at a time.

Based on this it is most likely something on the solenoid board. When the board is unpowered (during the switch test) the solenoid is off and when the board is powered tne solenoid is on all the time.

Hopefully it is an easy to replace transistor!

I labeled everything and pulled the board, then ran the simple multimeter test on the transistors without any success...sigh
So I have ordered a real testor. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Stuck Solenoid

One of the two problems with the Hot Tip table is that the solenoid powering the left bumper right above the flipper is on all the time. As soon as the power is turned on, about 3 seconds later the table boots up and the solenoid pops up:

I checked the wiring in the back, looking for obvious shorts:

But everything looked ok. Time to break out the multimeter...

I checked the switches, verifying they were open unless pushed on. I traced the wire (Blue with brown stripe) back to the board and verified power was working ok as when I pulled the connector from the board it did not turn on. Although it is still possible there is a short with some other connection on that same plug.

While rechecking the switches, I noticed a 3rd switch almost underneath the solenoid. It appears to be tripped when the solenoid fires. I checked it and found that it did not close:

It looked like I had found my problem! I carefully removed the switch. It is difficult to tell from the picture. They are close but do not make contact:

So, I bent the wire a little, put it all back onto the table and fired it up with high hopes!

Sadly, the problem still exists. Ugh, back to the drawing board.


Edit: After more research, that switch is a scoring switch - for incrementing the score and has nothing to do with firing the solenoid.

Problems with the Hot Tip Table

I haven't done an in-depth analysis yet but here are the problems with the Hot Tip table:

Shell:

The wooden cabinet is in bad shape. corners that have splintered badly, and the front center looks as though the wood was torn apart by a tow-hitch.

The top glass display is also in poor condition with multiple spots where the paint is missing or bubbling up.

Playfield:

The playfield is in decent shape with only minor wear and all graphics very visible - not bad for a table that is almost 40 years old! However - There are 2 solenoids that are not firing. Don't know if that is a wiring problem or dead solenoids, and if they are dead, how long till the rest suffer the same fate?

Electronics:

The boards have all been replaced! it turns out the previous owners did quite a good job of keeping it going, including purchasing replacement boards a few years past. So things look pretty good on this end.

The digital display is working good, no problems with lights or logic.

Another Table!

Out of the blue, I received a call from a really nice couple wanted to sell their old "Hot Tip" 1977 digital pinball table.
The price was good and the table has some issues but overall is in repairable shape so I am now the proud owner of two pinball tables!

A bit blurry but it is in my garage!

The list of problems

After spending some time with the unit last night, my summary is:

Outer Shell

The shell is in pretty good shape considering it is around 40 years old.

 

 

The glass has a lot of scratches on it, the frame around the glass is worn down so the bare metal is visible. The sides are not wood but appear to be a Formica-like wood-simulation laid down over plywood. On the bottom the base is the same, a Formica-like hard coat over plywood. There are chips in the corners but all in all, not too bad.

Playfield

The playfield looks pretty good for the age.

 

When you look close though, it is apparent that the paint is barely hanging on. Look at the "7000" yellow ellipse. You can see the clean area where a mylar plastic film was laid down years ago, and what the unprotected surface looks like.

 

 

I don't see myself removing all the paint and completely redoing the table surface, but a good cleaning and touchup will definitely be needed.

Power/Electronics

There are some problems here.

The person I purchased it from said it played well but got really smoking hot underneath and blew fuses.
In my tests, I am getting inconsistent results. The Power-On-Self-Test runs correctly so the power supply is generating the proper voltage and the main logic board is happy.

However, in 10 power-on tests. My results were:
Logic board: powered on all 10 times, worked good.
Sound board: powered on all 10 times, worked good.
Playfield lights: powered on all 10 times, worked good.
Score display: powered on 2 times. Passed test when it did come on.
Playfield solenoids: never powered on at all.

Based on the report from the previous owner that it played well and that the solenoids don't work at all and the score only displays sometimes, I am currently suspecting a power problem.

Time to get out the multi-meter!

Pics of star trip

This is what it looks like now. Not too bad

I have a table!

Thanks to the immense kindness of JosiahCox I am now the proud owner of a Star Trip cocktail pinball!

It has some work needed: some kind of power problem - it blows fuses and heats up far too hot, but I found some repair manuals and schematics. Since I can find the hot end of a soldering iron (at least by the second try) I have every confidence I can get this thing up and running!

Pics coming soon

Too Late

It seems that I got into this too late by a decade or so. Craigslist and eBay are filled with ads from people looking to flip old pinball games. The days of finding an old busted up table for a few bucks are gone.

Repaired tables are selling for multiple thousands of $ now.

There are still bargains to be had, I am sure...but the days of easily finding them are long gone.

Why?

Why this blog?

Am I just a blowhard? And whats up with the "and life?" is this supposed to be some kind of "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" thing?


Well kinda.

This blog came about primarily because I became interested in pinball repair as a hobby. I read this article about having a hobby, something more than vegging out in front of the computer or TV and I started thinking of what kinds of hobbies it could be fun to get into as I approach retirement age.

Ship in a bottle: appealed a little, the model-building aspect. The precision and work involved, but it seems a little too old 19th century grandpa to me.

Woodworking (and/or metalworking): this appealed to me. I have done some of both and enjoyed it.

Classic Car Restoration: Sounds like a lot of fun, but the investment is too high for me.

Then I thought about restoring old pinball games. Buying an old busted up game for a song, spending quiet evenings tinkering, cleaning, repairing. When the grandkids and family come over they would have something to do besides heading straight for the X-Box.

It seemed like a perfect fit. The fun of pinball, the elegance of repairing old equipment, the relatively low cost of the games themselves.

Maybe if I restore a few extra, I can donate them to the church or the boys and girls club or something.

and the "life" part?

Well, I expect occasionally I will write about something besides pinball repair so I wanted to make sure that was known up front.

it is alive!

My blog has begun.