Newbie Question re. my Data East Hook machine

chriswhitworth

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Have had our Hook machine since it was new back in 95. Has worked just fine over the years, but occasionally, the newest grandchild will get too enthusiastic with it and get the machine out of sync.

Specifically, I get an error message on the pixel panel below the score area that says "one ball missing". When you po0wer up the game, you hear all the "ejectors" - not sure of the term but the actuators that cause the balls to pop out of whatever hole they fall into, cycle in sequence like they are looking for the "missing" ball. Of course it isn't missing but is somewhere it shouldn't be. The net effect is that when you hit "Start", a ball pops into the launch chute, as it is supposed to, but immediately after, a second ball is loaded as well.

In the past, I have just called the pinball repair guy, but it seems that this is more on the level of a reset than a repair. Unplugging it and plugging it back in does not solve the problem.

Anyone have any tips, suggestions? I don't want to just open it up and hope for the best.
 
Does you pinball use IR LEDs in the ball trough? Had a similar problem with one of my pins and I had an IR that was going bad, swapped it out and all was good again.
 
You have a ball trough problem from the sounds of it, or a shooter lane switch issue..

Plugging it and out won't fix anything...ever hahah...

From the sounds of it, you should get a repair man. It's not the kids fault either, there is no way he could cause the machine to fire 2 balls to the shooter lane...

Go to pinrepair.com and read about your machine if you want to try and fix it yourself. Probably a bad switch...
 
Go into to diagnostics and test all of the switches, this should tell you the issue. If you do not know how to do this you will need your manual or a repair guy.

Finally, children cannot hurt a pin, at least not by playing it. Maybe with a baseball bat etc. But not by playing it. Owning a pinball can mean lots of work and repairs. Good luck.
 
I have a data east Back to the Future and when I first got it I had the same issue. Turned out a wire just needed to be soldered back on right around the ball trough area...check for any loose wires.
 
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