Pinbot Help

mneubey

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Just throwing this one out there, because I'm not a pro at Pinball repair - My Pinbot recently stopped registering the ball when it's drained, I'm sure it's not the actual switch because pretty much everything connected to it no longer works. I followed the wires and tested for continuity, but there were no shorts to be found. I checked all of my fuses, and everything seemed perfectly fine ... anything beyond this is pretty much past what I know to do ... any ideas? Sorry if this is a dumb questions as well, I'm pretty much stumped!
 
Just throwing this one out there, because I'm not a pro at Pinball repair - My Pinbot recently stopped registering the ball when it's drained, I'm sure it's not the actual switch because pretty much everything connected to it no longer works. I followed the wires and tested for continuity, but there were no shorts to be found. I checked all of my fuses, and everything seemed perfectly fine ... anything beyond this is pretty much past what I know to do ... any ideas? Sorry if this is a dumb questions as well, I'm pretty much stumped!

check for bad or missing diodes at all of the switches. Every switch should have a diode.
 
Trace the color of wire on both sides of the switch to other switches and make sure that they are all still soldered. If a wire with the same color codes the outhole has come loose from another switch you could have other switches that are not working that are not as noticable as the outhole causing the outhole not to work.
 
Cool, I'll double check the diodes first and see if that's the issue, there have been at least two elsewhere that I've had to re-solder, I didn't think to check. Thank you all for the suggestions, I'll knock them out one by one until this thing is fixed. I'd recently had an issue w/one of the flippers loosing power, I ended up replacing the EOS switch, and it ended up working but immediately blew out a fuse .. I replaced the fuse, and now this.
 
Welcome to pinball repair! If this is new to you start a symtom and solution notebook. It might help you in the future.
 
Hey all, I know this is a bit delayed (I tried a few things, then got caught up in some other projects) I'm back looking at my Pinbot trying to figure this sucker out. I checked the continuity for the common wire and ground for each of the switches that weren't working (they are the return lanes and the switch that registers when the ball drains). The continuity from each was traced back to the main board to (I think) 1J10 for the ground, and IJ8 for the other wire, all are making it back to the board ... still doesn't work. I tried testing all of the fuses as well, but still nothing. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it as a relative noob to pinball repair!

PS

Checked all the diodes as well, everything checks out to my knowledge.
 
You have the manual I guess? (if not, download it from IPDB)

Look at the switch matrix chart. Figure out which row/column your problematic switches are contained in. There are probably 5-6 switches in that particular row/column.

Test every switch in the problematic row. Do any of them work? If a few of them work, you most likely have a wiring issue somewhere between the individual switches under the playfield. They will be wired sequentially under the playfield. If the first two switches work but the last 4 don't...it kind of points you to the problem area in the wiring. Although you said you had continuity, so that's probably not the issue

If none of the switches in the column/row work - it's a little tougher. If you do have continuity, it's probably a short or a lose diode, etc. Did you gently tug on all the soldered joints/diodes, etc. while looking down there? Often times the problems aren't evident visually but become apparent once you grab a wire or something.

As a last resort, you could break down that switch column by removing all switches after the first one in the row/column (just desolder the common wire at the first switch). Fire it back up and see if that switch works. If so, add the 2nd switch into the equation and do it again. Keep going until the row/column stops working. The last switch you added will be your culprit (prob not the switch, but the diode, wiring, etc. you get the idea).

Good luck. It sure is a lot easier when something just burns up and turns black, eh?
 
I'd also suggest going back and looking over the work you did on the flipper EOS, especially in relation to shorting against any other wires, etc.

It may be coincidence, but unless you've fixed that issue you've got something probably shorting out on the flipper mech (blowing fuse immediately).......and possibly shorting out on one of your switch columns.

Seems logical to start there first. If that's the case we'll just hope you didn't shoot some random voltage up into the switch matrix.
 
Excellent posts, as always. I tried! ;)
 

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Thanks for the tips! I double checked all the diodes and I did notice the right flipper had a diode that was loose on the lane change switch (opposite of the one I replaced), I re soldered it into place and no change apparently. On my switch test apparently it's switches 11-15 that are not working. I've checked out the Manual before, but I'm pulling it up again to see if it gives me any clues
 
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Switches 11-15 are all in switch column 2.

BUT, there are more switches in that column - including the outhole, left lane change and tilt.

Are you doing this testing in switch levels mode or in switch edge mode?

If you are doing switch levels test, it is reporting the switches that are stuck closed. If all of these switches are reporting themselves as closed in the levels test, you have a short somewhere most likely.

If you are doing switch edge test - it shouldn't report any switches until you physically press the switch down. Then the correct switch number should be displayed. However, of course, if your switches are shorted closed for some reason, they would still show up in this test. If that's the case, work on something that isn't showing up closed in the same column - for instance switch 10, the left lane change. Work that switch and see if it comes up in the test. You said this switch wasn't reporting in the earlier test, so maybe it works as designed and will show up in the switch edge test. That could give us some clues.

report back on that and we'll go from there!
 
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Ahh, everything from 9-16 does not register in the switch edge test. Numbers 17 and 18 work fine - and both have the same common wire found on the other switches (either green/orange, or green/red).

Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

Mitch
 
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Ooops sorry, one correction ... it's only the green/red wires that don't work - which of course means it's all from switch column two (like you said)
 
Also, would it be possible to Diode on the lane changer switch is toast? I'll pick up a new one regardless at Radioshack tomorrow morning just in case - the green/red wire is a part of that particular switch.
 
at this point, I'd really question your work on the EOS/lane changer switch. And the fact you think maybe the diode is fried?

You didn't mess with those switches with the power on did you? Or accidentally cross some wires? The problem is those two switches stacked together operate on different voltages. The flipper EOS at 50v...but the attached switch is run by the logic voltage (the lane change switch) is 5v.

Cross those 2 some way, even for a second, you fry part of the switch matrix on the board because you are shooting 50v into components designed to operate at 5v. That big nylon spacer on there is designed specifically to keep those voltages separate.

Don't exhaust your other options, I'm just speculating based on what you've done so far. Hope I'm wrong. Otherwise, keep digging at the details of that switch column.
 
The one I replaced was actually for the left flipper, this is the one on the right - so I hadn't actually messed w/this one yet. The Diode was disconnected when I pulled on it, but it has just snapped at one end so I have to replace it regardless. I definitely wouldn't mess w/this thing on, I'd rather not kill myself :p I'll let you know what replacing the diode does
 
Just in case this might help someone in the future - I finally pulled the board outta my Pinbot and measured everything. Turns out it was a bad transistor Q49 I think. I went to Radioshack, bought a replacement for $1 and Voila!! Works!!
 
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