LogFAQs > #905157400

SunWuKung420 posted...

DPsx7 posted...

SunWuKung420 posted...

So I flipped up the table, underneath was the electrical schematic. I used an EC meter and identified that the solenoid for the broken flipper was bad. I ordered a new one, replaced it and that's how I fixed a pinball machine without any training.

That was lucky. A good portion of the underside is easy to fix. If something isn't moving it's either stuck and dirty or a switch/solenoid is broken. Bulbs and rubbers are simple. My biggest concern are the boards in the backbox.

I'm sure, with the multipliers and keeping score, the backboard is more complicated.

I surprised myself, at the time, that I fixed it. Maybe I'm a genius?

Both types have their issues. Electro Mechanical like the baseball game doesn't have all the fancy electronics the Solid States do. Clean some coils and switches and for the most part EM's will work. Anything else breaks and it takes some time to track down, where a SS has reports to tell you what is broken. But like I said before, my SS has several major electronics boards in the box and if any of those go down, well, I doubt replacements will be easy to find let alone cheap. They aren't anything I'll be fixing myself.

Maybe. Ha. Common sense is a good thing. When one flipper stops working there's only a couple things you need to check. If the mech part can swing freely then check the switch or coil. Something I learned is a coil either works or it doesn't. Any machine with weak flippers needs to have the coil sleeves replaced or the mech part cleaned or adjusted. Don't use oil as that tends to collect 'pinball dust' and turn into gum.