My first EM!!! Williams Aztec.

timberterror

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
2,652
Reaction score
53
Location
Anna, Texas
I picked up my 3rd pin today and it's my first EM. A Williams Aztec. It's currently not working, but it's in good shape. The playfield is decent, the cab is solid and could use cleaning and maybe repaint, the backglass is really nice with only minor flaking.

It came with some new rubbers, parts, wax, novus, a shaggy DVD, manual, schematics, and a bunch of other general EM repair documents.

I had posted a pinball project wanted a couple weeks ago on CL and he emailed me yesterday. Great guy and the closest game I've ever picked up, about 5 miles or so away.

Looking forward to getting it working. - Barry
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0525.jpg
    IMG_0525.jpg
    94 KB · Views: 47
  • IMG_0526.jpg
    IMG_0526.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 41
  • IMG_0527.jpg
    IMG_0527.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 39
Good luck on the EM. They are tough,tough,tough to work on.
I've repaired two EM's before. It was a MarsTrek and Joker Poker and both are still working, but since I've purchased a Bally bingo machine and it's going to be the toughest one yet. It remains hiding in the shadows for over a year now waiting for repair.
Someday maybe...
 
EMs tough to work on? I beg to differ...pretty easy once you know how everything works together. It's all just wires and relays...no different than an SS/DMD except no electronics(and hence more relays).

I suppose if you consider plunking a new/repaired board into an SS/DMD "working on it", it might be easier...but if you actually have to repair the electronics yourself, not a chance.

If it's not working, go through and clean every single coil and switch. Don't adjust anything until everything is clean, most of the time it's just that something is extremely dirty causing problems.
 
EMs tough to work on? I beg to differ...pretty easy once you know how everything works together. It's all just wires and relays...no different than an SS/DMD except no electronics(and hence more relays).

I suppose if you consider plunking a new/repaired board into an SS/DMD "working on it", it might be easier...but if you actually have to repair the electronics yourself, not a chance.

If it's not working, go through and clean every single coil and switch. Don't adjust anything until everything is clean, most of the time it's just that something is extremely dirty causing problems.
I have to agree with you. EM are about as simple as it gets and cheap to work on. It's almost always just a dirty switch, stuck stepper or gummed up score reel. By comparison I just bought all new boards for my Firepower. Cost $500.
Glennon
 
I picked up my 3rd pin today and it's my first EM. A Williams Aztec. It's currently not working, but it's in good shape. The playfield is decent, the cab is solid and could use cleaning and maybe repaint, the backglass is really nice with only minor flaking.

It came with some new rubbers, parts, wax, novus, a shaggy DVD, manual, schematics, and a bunch of other general EM repair documents.

I had posted a pinball project wanted a couple weeks ago on CL and he emailed me yesterday. Great guy and the closest game I've ever picked up, about 5 miles or so away.

Looking forward to getting it working. - Barry
If you have any problems with it let me know. I owned Aztec at one time and currently own several Williams machines of this era. I'd be happy to help.

Glennon
 
I have to agree with you. EM are about as simple as it gets and cheap to work on. It's almost always just a dirty switch, stuck stepper or gummed up score reel. By comparison I just bought all new boards for my Firepower. Cost $500.
Glennon


not to hijack dude's thread, and if we need to take it to PM or whatever that's cool, but i've got a zip-a-doo that i've got a couple of problems with and i can't find the literature to help me with the repairs now that that one site was switched to pay....

- the score reel on the left side (1P) continually resets itself. and makes an annoying sound while it's doing it.

- i have to manually move the little game over relay thingy in the bottom of the cab to get the pin to start a game....but it won't ever let me start a second one....i have to unplug it, move the little relay thingy again, and do it that way.


any suggestions? heck, it might help the OP out as well in a general repair sense.

thanks.
 
not to hijack dude's thread, and if we need to take it to PM or whatever that's cool, but i've got a zip-a-doo that i've got a couple of problems with and i can't find the literature to help me with the repairs now that that one site was switched to pay....

- the score reel on the left side (1P) continually resets itself. and makes an annoying sound while it's doing it.

- i have to manually move the little game over relay thingy in the bottom of the cab to get the pin to start a game....but it won't ever let me start a second one....i have to unplug it, move the little relay thingy again, and do it that way.


any suggestions? heck, it might help the OP out as well in a general repair sense.

thanks.

Sounds like a stuck switch or relay, or shorted switch or relay, could be on the reel...could be on something associated with scoring on the playfield for that value. It just keeps going and going like the energizer bunny?

The game over may be due to the first problem. If the game can't start because the score reel never resets, it won't let you start a new game.
 
Sounds like a stuck switch or relay, or shorted switch or relay, could be on the reel...could be on something associated with scoring on the playfield for that value. It just keeps going and going like the energizer bunny?

The game over may be due to the first problem. If the game can't start because the score reel never resets, it won't let you start a new game.



ok...yeah, that last part makes sense. i mean, it starts a game, but there's never any score.


and yeah, it just keeps going and going, resetting, resetting, resetting...never stops...and it doesn't matter what playfield value is hit. heck, it starts trying to reset the score the instant that a new game is started.
 
ok...yeah, that last part makes sense. i mean, it starts a game, but there's never any score.


and yeah, it just keeps going and going, resetting, resetting, resetting...never stops...and it doesn't matter what playfield value is hit. heck, it starts trying to reset the score the instant that a new game is started.
Is it reseting the score reel or scoring points? By this i mean when you manually reset the game does the score reel stop rotating? What I always tell anybody with and EM if you haven't already done it go through and clean all switches and stepper units and then go from there.
 
Is it reseting the score reel or scoring points? By this i mean when you manually reset the game does the score reel stop rotating? What I always tell anybody with and EM if you haven't already done it go through and clean all switches and stepper units and then go from there.


ok...i had a whole post typed out and then decided to plug it in one more time to give you an accurate play by play and the dang thing did something it has never done: it let me start and play a full two player game complete with scoring. soooooo weird. of course, when i tried to start the second game it reset everything and kept trying to reset everything like it usually does. LOL.



it sounds like at this point i need to clean everything like you suggested and then report back after that's done....would you mind telling me HOW to clean these EM pins and exactly WHAT you're talking about when you say switches vs. stepper units?

photos would be uber-awesome, as repairs ain't my forte. ;)



thanks.
 
- the score reel on the left side (1P) continually resets itself. and makes an annoying sound while it's doing it.

- i have to manually move the little game over relay thingy in the bottom of the cab to get the pin to start a game....but it won't ever let me start a second one....i have to unplug it, move the little relay thingy again, and do it that way.

When the machine starts a new game, one of the first things it does is reset the score reels to zero. Each score reel has a switch that indicates when that reel is at its zero position. If a reel keeps spinning, the zero switch for that reel is probably out of adjustment.

With power off, manually advance the reel by pushing in the solenoid plunger until reel is at zero position and adjust the switch. You can look at how the other score reels work to figure out what switch it is.

Your second problem is just a symptom of the first. Once you get the score reel to recognize zero position, the game over relay should reset on its own.
 
Last edited:
EMs tough to work on? I beg to differ...pretty easy once you know how everything works together. It's all just wires and relays...no different than an SS/DMD except no electronics(and hence more relays).

I suppose if you consider plunking a new/repaired board into an SS/DMD "working on it", it might be easier...but if you actually have to repair the electronics yourself, not a chance.

If it's not working, go through and clean every single coil and switch. Don't adjust anything until everything is clean, most of the time it's just that something is extremely dirty causing problems.

This will be my first order of business.....

If you have any problems with it let me know. I owned Aztec at one time and currently own several Williams machines of this era. I'd be happy to help.

Glennon

That would be awesome.

So posting a wanted ad for project pins really works? I might have to try that one myself.

Good luck with your new pin!

Yep, I posted that I ws not a flipper, just a collector who needed something to tinker with and the price was right....

not to hijack dude's thread, and if we need to take it to PM or whatever that's cool, but i've got a zip-a-doo that i've got a couple of problems with and i can't find the literature to help me with the repairs now that that one site was switched to pay....

- the score reel on the left side (1P) continually resets itself. and makes an annoying sound while it's doing it.

- i have to manually move the little game over relay thingy in the bottom of the cab to get the pin to start a game....but it won't ever let me start a second one....i have to unplug it, move the little relay thingy again, and do it that way.


any suggestions? heck, it might help the OP out as well in a general repair sense.

thanks.

Damn thread hijackers........he he - Barry
 
Only have one solid state game. 1980 Midway Space Invaders that I just bought and have yet to find the courage or time to touch. All of my other games are EM. However paid a great price for it.

My restoration season begins late fall/winter/early . As the honey do list diminishes. I prefer EM at this point in my collection as everyone can see. I have only run into one road block in my short EM experience with my flash game on my 67' CDI Ski-Ball. Just stopped working don't know why when all steppers and critical parts cleaned.

Will not begin new project until this mechanical restoration is completed. I prefer EM it's therapy for me so I'll not quit until I restore the Ski to it's original state. EM is rewarding good luck with the Aztec!
 
ok...i had a whole post typed out and then decided to plug it in one more time to give you an accurate play by play and the dang thing did something it has never done: it let me start and play a full two player game complete with scoring. soooooo weird. of course, when i tried to start the second game it reset everything and kept trying to reset everything like it usually does. LOL.



it sounds like at this point i need to clean everything like you suggested and then report back after that's done....would you mind telling me HOW to clean these EM pins and exactly WHAT you're talking about when you say switches vs. stepper units?

photos would be uber-awesome, as repairs ain't my forte. ;)



thanks.
Is the score reel just clicking or is it rotating through the numbers? The switches/contacts are on the relays. They should be marked like Start relay, Hold relay, ect. The stepper units should be marked Ball count unit, player unit Credit unit, ect.
Those leaf switches have contacts that look like automotive points like the ones inside the oldschool distributer. If your having game start up problems more than likely it's one of the thing discussed above. If it's scoring phantom points more than likely, but not limited to a playfield switch.
Glennon
 
Yep, I posted that I ws not a flipper, just a collector who needed something to tinker with and the price was right....
This is me exactly. Perhaps I'll try this. I mean, right now my price range of what I would pay is $0-$150 for a project. Pretty unrealistic, I imagine.

Which means my best chance is a "goodness of ones heart" type thing or somebody who has one just sitting around and thinks what they have is junk.

I'm just itching to try a new project and to learn something new from it. I learned so much already on the arcade side of things in the past year with my previous/first project.

Did you get a lot of spam from your listing before you got a match?
 
This is me exactly. Perhaps I'll try this. I mean, right now my price range of what I would pay is $0-$150 for a project. Pretty unrealistic, I imagine.

Which means my best chance is a "goodness of ones heart" type thing or somebody who has one just sitting around and thinks what they have is junk.

I'm just itching to try a new project and to learn something new from it. I learned so much already on the arcade side of things in the past year with my previous/first project.

Did you get a lot of spam from your listing before you got a match?

I didn't want to spend a ton of cash on a project either. I think I got lucky as he wanted $100 for it with all the extras and it's in good shape. At $100 if it never works I won't be too disappointed and if it does all the better for experience.

I figured I'd get a ton of spam or people wanting $1000 for some beat ass project game. I posted the ad about a week ago and this was the first response I got. He said he had restored a couple other pins, but didn't have a place to keep them so he sold them. He had this one for a couple years and decided he'd never get to it. He just happened to check CL and responded to the ad.

He also threw in a German slot machine that works so I'll sell or give that away.

You should try the ad and see what happens. - Barry
 
I didn't want to spend a ton of cash on a project either. I think I got lucky as he wanted $100 for it with all the extras and it's in good shape. At $100 if it never works I won't be too disappointed and if it does all the better for experience.

I figured I'd get a ton of spam or people wanting $1000 for some beat ass project game. I posted the ad about a week ago and this was the first response I got. He said he had restored a couple other pins, but didn't have a place to keep them so he sold them. He had this one for a couple years and decided he'd never get to it. He just happened to check CL and responded to the ad.

He also threw in a German slot machine that works so I'll sell or give that away.

You should try the ad and see what happens. - Barry

That is awesome Barry. Exactly what I'm looking for. Maybe I will give it a try.

Paul
 
Good luck on the EM. They are tough,tough,tough to work on.
I've repaired two EM's before. It was a MarsTrek and Joker Poker and both are still working, but since I've purchased a Bally bingo machine and it's going to be the toughest one yet. It remains hiding in the shadows for over a year now waiting for repair.
Someday maybe...

EMs may be more complex than arcade cabinets, but they are much easier to deal with than SS/DMD pins. As others have noted, everything is visible for you to see: coils, wires, switches--a lot of them!--and other basic mechs. It's relatively easy to visually inspect and adjust everything; it's usually easy to see what each switch or mech is supposed to be doing. A bit of logical thinking and triggering coils and stuff by hand can track down problems effectively.

Now, a bingo game is a whole 'nother beast! I would not want to work on one of those!!
 
.... EM are about as simple as it gets and cheap to work on. It's almost always just a dirty switch, stuck stepper or gummed up score reel.....

That about covers it. I keep getting ones that were played to death and then stored forever - so it's all the switches dirty(some burnt), all the steppers and score reels gooey. fun fun fun.

it sounds like at this point i need to clean everything like you suggested and then report back after that's done....would you mind telling me HOW to clean these EM pins and exactly WHAT you're talking about when you say switches vs. stepper units?

photos would be uber-awesome, as repairs ain't my forte. ;)

pix for mr. hijacker? hmm... we'll see.

If it's not working, go through and clean ...everything...
This will be my first order of business.....

here mr. hijacker, have a picture:

attachment.php


I got a stack of model train magazines from the neighbor. They make great bathroom reading material. The article said that this guy spent at least 50 hours painting that there little boxcar to look old and rusty.


Now I don't feel so bad about the hours spent cleaning pinball innards. Cleaning off goo that used to be grease. Making a shiny spot on switch contacts. Replacing switches that don't clean up easily. Replacing coil sleeves and.......



Here's a step unit:

attachment.php


Here's another:

attachment.php


It helps to remember that it isn't the coil that drives the step unit - it's the spring. If the spring can't overcome goo, the unit doesn't work.

ZippityDooDaa sounds like a score reel switch might need attention:

attachment.php


Original post was about Williams so that's the pix you get. Bally switches may behave differently.

I've seen the insides of a bingo. I'm not sure I'd want one.
 

Attachments

  • step1.JPG
    step1.JPG
    42.1 KB · Views: 48
  • step2.jpg
    step2.jpg
    80.6 KB · Views: 48
  • step3.JPG
    step3.JPG
    36.5 KB · Views: 48
  • perspective.JPG
    perspective.JPG
    28.4 KB · Views: 48
Back
Top Bottom