Gottlieb System 80 pin - kickers switches are arcing & kickers are 'repeating'

mhkohne

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Gottlieb System 80 pin - kickers switches are arcing & kickers are 'repeating'

OK, I just found an odd issue with the kickers on my Striker pinball (all are affected, the upper right is the worst).

When the ball (or your finger if testing) hits the switch for the kicker, you can see the switch arc, and see and hear the kicker fire. But in fact it almost always actually fires repeatedly (sort of a 'bang bang bang' very rapidly).

Now this wouldn't be a big deal except that said kicker's firing also toggles another leaf switch, which not only gives points, but changes the thing to shoot for from left to right. With it rapid-firing, you simply can't play properly because even when you make the shot properly, you don't know how many times it will fire, so the left/right thing ends up random.

I don't know how wide those kicker switches should be set, but these look much wider than any others that I've noticed in the machine before.

Is this due to build-up of crap on the contacts? Can I clean them, or do I need to replace the switches?

Thanks for any light that anyone can shed.
 
That's cool you have a Striker! I've been playing that one on Pinmame for the past few months and still don't understand the rules! I still think I like to get the real thing!

Question: Did you recently re-rubber this pin? I had to do the same exact thing on one of my earlier Gottliebs. I had to go back and adjust a lot of the leaf switches - especially the slings...
 
That's cool you have a Striker! I've been playing that one on Pinmame for the past few months and still don't understand the rules! I still think I like to get the real thing!

I really like it. I'm completely unclear how to achieve highest score, but the idea is to work the 'ball' up the playfield. The real cabinet actually has two extra buttons near the flipper buttons and these are used to 'pass' the ball from left to right (you only get 3 passes per ball, that's what the lit-up balls in the outlane are). As you hit various targets (the drop targets, the spinners, if lit, etc) you move the ball up the field, but other targets (the yellow pop bumpers especially) move the 'defense' down the field. The defense only comes down on the side where you have the ball, so if they get too close, you can pass and the defense has to start back at the top. Best results for ball movement are the spinners at the top of the payfield.

You'll hate me, but I actually bought this for about $35 in 1998. Some guy had it at a yard sale and had no idea what it was worth. At that point it needed like 2 coils and played great.

Question: Did you recently re-rubber this pin? I had to do the same exact thing on one of my earlier Gottliebs. I had to go back and adjust a lot of the leaf switches - especially the slings...

No, I didn't, but I did do some playfield cleaning. How should those switches be adjusted? It seems to me that they are pretty wide as they are, and when you put the slightest pressure on them, they arc and the coil fires - if you get enough of a hit to actually push them all the way closed, the coil will fire once or twice along the way.

Should they be closer?

I haven't checked the diodes yet, but that's on the list for whenever I get a moment. Also checking the voltage on the coil and seeing if can clean a contact and make it better.
 
It STILL sounds confusing!;) WOW, wish I would've found a deal like that! When you get her up and running perfect, put a video out on it showing the gameplay and rules. I mentioned to Todd on his last TNT video that he forgot to do that!;)

As far as the switches go, you can give them a cleaning w/ some alcohol on a business card and go back and forth a couple of times on the contacts. See, I like my switches tight! I hate when the ball hits a bumper or sling and does nothing, needs the slightest contact to activate. You can always throw it in switch test and adjust as needed. They do make a tool for adjustments but pliers work fine too....
 
It STILL sounds confusing!;) WOW, wish I would've found a deal like that! When you get her up and running perfect, put a video out on it showing the gameplay and rules. I mentioned to Todd on his last TNT video that he forgot to do that!;)

As far as the switches go, you can give them a cleaning w/ some alcohol on a business card and go back and forth a couple of times on the contacts. See, I like my switches tight! I hate when the ball hits a bumper or sling and does nothing, needs the slightest contact to activate. You can always throw it in switch test and adjust as needed. They do make a tool for adjustments but pliers work fine too....

If I can get back to 100%bfunctional, perhaps I'll do a video. It's interesting because this unit is actually a re-import. All the labels are french, and it's still got the French sound roms. Pretty fun.

I'll fool with the contacts after I fix the bad playfield ground I just found today.

Thanks!
 
If i recall properly the fix is simply a resistors to prevent arcing. the arcing makes the cnatact bad, which results in the on off on off
 
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