midway cobra shuffle alley player lights

kuglerarcade

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hi i have a problem with my game the player 1 or 2 or playing field lights light and some times dont dose any one know where the problem my be on a reel or a switch thanks
 
Good evening.

I'm an owner of a Midway Cobra. Restored it from top to bottom.

Your 1 and 2 player lights are controlled by the player unit. This is the step unit that is right above the motor above the pinset. This may need torn down and cleaned with alcohol. It must move freely and properly for this game to work.

Need a little bit more information on the playfield lights. Are you speaking of the flash game lighting embedded in the formica? Or are you speaking of the floresent tube that lights the pins?

Let me know I'm actually putting mine together tomorrow morning and may be able to help.

How do you like lifting that 900lb back box. It's a killer right?

OHEMIO
 
Good morning.

I just reassembled my Midway Cobra. I'm 100% confident that your player unit is the cause of your grief as mine was the same it would not switch players. Thinking back when I bought this game I never tore down this unit. It was my first mechanical restoration and I was a bit intimidated.

However it's more simple than it looks. If you never done this I'm going to tell you what I have just done in sequence to help:

> Mark both sets of fingers and the rivet board home position.

> Unscrew the nut and lock washer.

> Unhook the spring from the toothed sprocket side (you may want to count the number of turns.

> Pull the top set of fingers.

> Pull the spacer. This is between top set of fingers and the bottom set of fingers.

> Unhook your springs. (you have to have the right springs on this unit with the right tenstion or this unit will never work right. Out of all of the games I own this one is the most sensitive regarding tension)

> Pull the sprocket. (you will notice the oil on a plastic washer you need to remove this all it was never needed. This is one of the causes why your Player 1 to Player 2 not to work)

> Clean this sprocket in 91% alcohol.

> With fine grit sand paper 400 or above lightly sand the shaft.

> Pull the control arms. Clean the pivot points in alcohol.

> Pull the pungers out of the solinoids clean them in alcohol.

> Take a small old rag that will fit in the plunger holes. Soak it in alcohol and work it into the plunger holes. (you do not need to oil these it will just cause you problems later)

> Clean the center hole where the shaft rides through good. (old oil pumped in here will cause you issues)

> Take fine grit sand paper and clean your rivets until they shine. Then clean off with small rag and alcohol.

> Carefully clean your fingers. (these bend very easy and caused me a game function problem I'll explain later)

> Now re-assemble your plungers, then arms, place your bottom fingers between the disks, then inset the sprocket. Note the home position on your board, your sprocket shaft groove, and fingers. Place your spacer on the shaft then your top set of fingers, lock washer, then nut.

> Springs and fingers. I have found with much grief. The stability of this unit since it's double rides on five points. The two sets of fingers and the three springs. More so than any other step unit I've ever worked on.

> Apply the proper tention on the shaft spring. Should be at about 29 to 31 turns. Too much and this unit will not step up. Too little and this unit will not reset to the lower player when the turn is over.

> Then apply your arm springs. Step up and down manually. If it snaps back too fast when you push in the top punger unwind it once. Funny thing about this is I have found that you want it to snap back slower.

Last my issue. I accidentally dropped the fingers onto a carpet ever so slightly bending two of them. They were not making contact on two rivets. This was causing player 1 not to register strikes or spares correctly. MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS SNAP TO THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TENSION TO THE RIVETS. This is tricky because remember the stability of this unit is dependent on these two sets of fingers.

Only lubrication you need to use is a very small amount on the shaft. PTFE in a pen sold at radio shack. Nothing else!

If your going to adjust these take them off.

I essentially spent two nights going through all the contacts on the back door. Filling them which needed done again after two hard years of beer and bowling. Also looked at the contacts and cleaned the score motor. Tore out the player 1 score reel. I'm happy I did this game gets a lot of play but none of it was necesary. That's why I love this hobby. The challenge of repairing something thats broken.

Hope this helps. Let me know how you make out and PM me with any questions.

OHEMIO
 
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