Bram Stoker's Dracula - magnet unload error

30FathomDave

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I noticed on my BSD that the Mist Multiball doesn't work correctly. It just gives me two balls right off the bat without any cool magnet stuff.

In the test mode, it says there is a "magnet unload error." If I put a ball in the unload area (on either side of the machine), the magnet grabs it, drags it about halfway across the playfield, and then drops it down the center of the playfield.

Is this an issue with the magnet motor, or the magnet itself... or neither? I saw that there's a motor on ebay, but I don't want to grab it if it's not going to fix the problem.

Any ideas?
 
After it drops the ball, does the motor keep moving across the field? If so, it sounds like a magnet or magnet driver problem.
 
After it drops the ball, does the motor keep moving across the field? If so, it sounds like a magnet or magnet driver problem.

Yeah, the motor keeps moving across the playfield. The magnet seems to work everywhere but right in the middle.

The motor doesn't run at all during gameplay- only in test mode. I'm assuming that's because the game detects the error at startup?

The game plays great other than the magnet issue.
 
If your motor runs, that's not the problem. If the magnet is moving it partially, thats not the problem. What happens when you run the whole test mode? If I remember correctly, it takes the ball back and forth...then one more time half-way and drops it...after it finishes a few more tests it reloads the ball and starts over.

Are you sure all your optos are functioning correctly? They are VERY touchy. Each "hold area" has 2 optos to tell the game the ball is in that area, and then there are 2 long range optos between the two hold areas so the game knows if the ball is traveling between them, or knocked off the magnet's grip (thus starting Mist Multiball).

Also - check your options to see if the magnet/mist function has been disabled! Operators had that option if there were issues, so people could keep playing the game.
 
If your motor runs, that's not the problem. If the magnet is moving it partially, thats not the problem. What happens when you run the whole test mode? If I remember correctly, it takes the ball back and forth...then one more time half-way and drops it...after it finishes a few more tests it reloads the ball and starts over.

Are you sure all your optos are functioning correctly? They are VERY touchy. Each "hold area" has 2 optos to tell the game the ball is in that area, and then there are 2 long range optos between the two hold areas so the game knows if the ball is traveling between them, or knocked off the magnet's grip (thus starting Mist Multiball).

Also - check your options to see if the magnet/mist function has been disabled! Operators had that option if there were issues, so people could keep playing the game.

Thanks for the tips. It's gotta be the optos. The motor runs fine, and the magnet works everywhere but dead center. The test never makes it all the way across the playfield. It gets halfway there, drops the ball, and then continues across the playfield without the ball.
 
Thanks for the tips. It's gotta be the optos. The motor runs fine, and the magnet works everywhere but dead center. The test never makes it all the way across the playfield. It gets halfway there, drops the ball, and then continues across the playfield without the ball.

It's supposed to do that during one part of the test. Are you running the entire test process?
 
Yeah, I'm running the whole test, but it drops the ball down the middle on the first pass. If I pick the ball out of the trough and put it up on the other side of the playfield, the magnet grabs it but drops it back down the middle on its way back. It's like everything works but the very middle. I can't get one continuous pass all the way across the playfield.
 
Yeah, I'm running the whole test, but it drops the ball down the middle on the first pass. If I pick the ball out of the trough and put it up on the other side of the playfield, the magnet grabs it but drops it back down the middle on its way back. It's like everything works but the very middle. I can't get one continuous pass all the way across the playfield.

Look at the little diagram on the DMD ...that shows the "opto lines" and if they're open or closed. Obviously, when the ball is on the magnet, the side pocket optos should be open and the long range should be closed. What's the DMD showing? You can test the opto path w/ your fingers in that test mode (w/ the mode stopped).

If any of these things aren't working right, that could be your answer as to why the machine is dropping the ball. If it thinks a ball's in the side pockets, it could drop it ....or, if it thinks the long range is open, it could drop it.
 
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