EM Tech: Williams Aztec starts 4 player game whenever a game is started

Compute

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EM Tech: Williams Aztec starts 4 player game whenever a game is started

Spent the morning trying to sort this one out, my brain is fried. When I start a game, it plays all four players. I've checked the switches on the coin and ball count units, they seem to be fine. The switch-stacks on the motor are adjusted properly, as well. All of the steppers were rebuilt, so they step appropriately. Changing the position of the coin unit WILL change the "# Can Play" in the backglass, but starting a game still plays four players. Any ideas?
 
That is a wierd one! Could the wiper on the player unit be installed incorrectly? If you play a multi player game does the player unit advance when it should? Does it reset when it should?
 
Look at the coin unit on the bottom panel.
there's a switch that should open when the unit is at the 4th player position. often, from fat fingered friends and owners, the rotational activator gets on the wrong side of this switch, not allowing the coin unit to reset to one player. just hold the switch out of the way, and reset the unit, and your problem should be fixed.
 
That is a wierd one! Could the wiper on the player unit be installed incorrectly? If you play a multi player game does the player unit advance when it should? Does it reset when it should?

The action of the player unit is fine. When I bought the game it was intermittent, but then got worse. Eventually I rebuilt the unit and wrestled with it for some time to get it to reset. But it does go through players 1-4 smoothly, it just does so on every game.

Look at the coin unit on the bottom panel.
there's a switch that should open when the unit is at the 4th player position. often, from fat fingered friends and owners, the rotational activator gets on the wrong side of this switch, not allowing the coin unit to reset to one player. just hold the switch out of the way, and reset the unit, and your problem should be fixed.

The switch looks like it's ok, although checking it with the meter shows continuity (with the machine off). The fingers don't look quite right, however. For each step, it looks like one of them is about half a notch off-place. Bending the finger back to where it "should" be only puts it off place at a different position. It's almost like the whole unit is off by half a notch. Is there a way to adjust this?

EDIT: I pulled the wiper assembly off the unit again. Between the outside plates the fingers not held tightly together. I tightened those up and re-aligned the pcb to the mech. Now the unit looks prettier, although the machine is still having its issues. I checked the ball count unit while I was down there, as well.
 
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you're not understanding what i'm saying.
i can't come up with a better explanation,
but i just don't think you are seeing what i'm describing.
 
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I understand entirely what you're saying, just nevermind all that other crap I said. There is only one switch on the unit, and it opens when the unit is at position 4. I verified that the switch is on the correct side of actuator that causes it to open when the unit is in position 4. Heck, I even tried putting it on the wrong side in case I did rebuild it incorrectly. I know it's difficult to diagnose a machine you can't see, so if pictures or video would help I can do that.
 
Block the contacts on rthe player reset relay that control the player unit step-up with paper. Wire colors W-Br to Y-Br. If that prevents the unit from advancing players keep moving backwards through the print to find out which contacts are making when they shouldn't. It could involve the reset relay, or the ball count. Good luck.
 
I got as far as blocking those contacts. The game then stopped advancing the player unit. I spent a few hours pulling my hair out. It has to be something in the switch stacks on the score motor, but everything LOOKS ok. Whatever feeds through that switch is turning on when it shouldn't be, causing the unit to advance. When the ball ends at player 4, it does reset to player one and you can finish out the game in that way. As much as I enjoy pinball, a 20-ball game just doesn't excite me ;).

The switch in line with the player reset relay hold (Index B) seems to be ok. I'm in the middle of some other projects right now, hopefully I'll get back to this sometime this week.
 
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