new to pinballs and have questions about EM's

armyaviation

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i just bought a 76 bally freedom. it is in really good shape but i have had to do some adjustments. i am pretty good and looking at things and figuring them out but there are a few questions. on the head there is a solenoid that is marked 00-90 unit. it is in the middle upper portion of the head. one of the wires from the solenoid is not attached. it looks like it was soldered at one time but the wire broke off. just wondering if it should be attached and why i havent noticed anything not working. everything works fine.

i also had a question about the solenoid that strikes when you add a coin/credit. it is located at the top middle of the head and strikes upward to the top rail where there is a metal strip attached. it is freakin loud and scares my two month old every time i add a coin. didnt know if it was supposed to have a rubber stopper or what.

lastly on the backglass upper left corner there is a number "40" illuminated most of the time. what does that mean. thanks for any help, Tom
 
Sounds like the "40" is the number match and the disconnected wire in the back box would explain why it stays on 40 instead of changing. Most cabinet knockers are pretty loud. If it's unbearable you could disconnect one of the coil wires.
 
The "40" is the 'match number' and should be lit when in 'game over' mode.

The cabinet knocker should have a piece of plastic in the end of the plunger. You can put a piece of rubber where it strikes. You can disconnect a wire from the coil if it's still too loud.

The 00-90 unit being disconnected could explain why the match number is always 40.

http://www.pinrepair.com/em/index.htm takes a while to digest it all but hoo boy is there a lot of knowledge there.

Cheers. yeah I type slow.
 
thanks that makes sense. in the match mode, do you get awarded something if your score ends in the last two digits that it shows on the backglass. in this case 40. if i hook it back up will it change numbers periodically?
 
The match unit or 00-90 unit is usually powered through the 10 or 100 point relay and should step throughout the game so that the number appears to change randomly. A credit should be awarded when the last digits of a player's score match the number lit on the glass.
 
its wierd, this morning i went to solder the wire back on and i looked at it for a second and the metal plunger for the solenoid is missing. the linkage is missing that hooks up to the plunger. the solenoid looks brand new but it is a bally solenoid. i dont think anyone replaced it because the solder looks factory but the wrapping on the solenoid is really clean.
what exactly does the 00-90 unit do and is it possible this game doesnt use that function
 
The game is designed to use that function, that's why it's there. As to the missing parts, that's a different story....but rest assured it came from the factory with all parts intact and the stepper unit working.

The 00-90 unit is a "stepper unit"...designed to step through the various digits (00 thru 90) one at a time during gameplay. At the end of the game, the stepper unit will transmit a signal to the "match numbers lights" on your backglass. If the stepper unit #'s match the ending two numbers of your score - free game for you. And probably a loud knock from the head. (that's kind of a simplistic explanation, but the principle is there)

As stated, your number "40" doesn't change because the stepper unit isn't working as you found out. Normally, it would light a "random" number of the backglass at the end of each game and then a check would be made to see if that number matches your score.

In reality, it makes no difference in game play, especially if you aren't pumping quarters into the machine. Most EM's have various plugs that can be set to disable the match unit function. I guess some old operators didn't want to give away free games unless you actually earned them.

So yes, it is supposed to be there. To fix it or not is a question only you can decide, since it's not critical to gameplay. You can always have a working machine.....but you'll never have a 100% working machine if the match unit is buggered up. Again, it's up to you as to wether that is important to you or not. enjoy!
 
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