Help: Two minor issues with my ST:TNG

Tighe

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1: The machine tries to load balls into the hole behind the lanes under the Borg ship 90% of the time the ball will bounce off the wall behind the hole and go down the lanes.

Has this happened to you, how did you fix it?

2: I replaced the 4 AA batteries but the game does not save settings. I haven't had a chance to check it out, to see if it is a bad connection. Can someone please take a photo of the proper orientation? I just put them in the same way the old batteries were installed. I can't find it in the manual.

Thanks guys!
 
I did find this in the manual:

Factory Settings Restored.
This message indicates that the CMOS RAM (U8) no longer retains any custom Pricing or Game Adjustment settings and has reverted to factory default settings. Generally, the following CPU checks will isolate the cause of the CMOS RAM memory failure. The voltage at pin 28 and pin 26 of U8 should be +5V (game turned On) and at least +4V (game turned Off). When the voltage drops below +4V, memory reset occurs. Check the batteries and battery holder. Be sure that the batteries are good and that there is no contamination on the battery holder terminals. Turn the game OFF, and use an ohmmeter to check diodes 01 and 02 on the CPU Board .. 01 should read o ohms when forward·biased and infinite ohms when reverse-biased. 02 should read 15 ohms when forward-biased and infinite ohms when reverse-biased. (Readings taken with an analog meter.}This message can also indicate that there is an open diode on a 50V coil and noise is entering the circuit.

This should help me! :D
 
IRRC there should be a metal form back there that directs the ball into the hole. Maybe yours is missing.
 
Yeah. If its not bouncing off the drop target take a poc and let us see. Thats kinda wierd.....
 
Found a picture of mine:

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All the batteries on mine are tits up. All positive nubs straight up on the board. Side by side. It's like the alien from Total Recall.
 
I would bet that if you can adjust the drop target so that it sits flish with the playfield your problem may vanish. Also replacing the plastic may help but it really shouldnt strike there. PITA to get back there but other option is to move the metal deflector towards the hole more.
 
Just watched the video...yeah, not the drop target causing it to launch. I know this sounds stupid, but have you tried getting a ball back there by hand, just to make sure the gap is big enough for the ball to fall through? I don't see how that could be the case, but figure it doesn't hurt to ask lol...

Assuming tilt and level are good...
 
I can put the balls in by hand, and 50% of the time they go in. I thought maybe I should move the metal bracket back some.
 
Yeah I would check the metal thing to make sure it's not stopping the ball from falling in. Almost looks like the ball might be hitting it and bouncing back off so I would bend it up some and see what happens.
 
Sadly I cannot tell what's happening from the video as you cannot see much when the ball goes over the drop target.

However, it does look like the drop target isn't flush with the playfield and the wood behind the drop target is beat up. I'd guess (just a guess) this is causing the ball to jump into the air a little, hit the angled metal piece at the "wrong" angle, and bounce back.

If I'm right and the drop target isn't flush (it's hard to tell), I'd adjust it and see what happens.

... Altan
 
Here is a video of what is happening, it should be ready on Youtube in a few minutes:


I'd like to see a lower angle. Maybe the ball is catching some air as it hits the divot behind the drop target. That area on mine was well chewed, but I layed multiple layers of clear on it before playing it a lot, so I may have avoided having the same problem.

The other thing you can try is shimming the metal form up so that even if the ball is getting air, it still strikes it in a better spot to deflect into the hole.
 
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