SkeeBall issue with scoring, any thoughts?

[TallDude]

Howdy folks, hope this is the right section to post this!

I am working on an old SkeeBall. For some reason, every hole scores 10 less points than it should (50 scores 40, 30 score 20), except the 10 which stills scores 10. Before I strart ripping into it, anyone have this issue and have any pointers?

 

[gorf73]

I am trying to go off memory here so I may be wrong. My unit is not at my place so I cannot double check on mine. If it is a H or S model, I believe there is a microswitch in each scoring hole. As the ball rolls down, it makes contact with each switch below it, adding up the points (I believe 10 pts each). So if you get it in the 50, it makes contact with 5 switches to equal 50 pts. I would guess that you have a switch that is not closing all the way or is maybe stuck closed. That does not really explain why 50 is reading 40 however. I would still check all switches. Hope this helps

 

[TallDude]

That's a great bit of info. I'll rip into the back of it and see what I can figure out. Thanks!

 

[boy141]

I own one. Take the ringboard off. Then place the ball at the 50 score. drop the ball. should score 50. Go to 40, drop the ball. One of the switches will be faulty.

 

[big420atx]

I own one. Take the ringboard off. Then place the ball at the 50 score. drop the ball. should score 50. Go to 40, drop the ball. One of the switches will be faulty.

Pretty much this is all tht needs to be done. You can even check with the board on if you want. Just stick your hand in the hole and tap the wire.

You might even have a loose terminal on the switch.

 

[herbertsmart]

may be of interest to you skee ball owners:

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=421630

 

[MrGorf]

Some of your switch wires might also need to be adjusted. As gorf73 stated, each of the 5 switches adds 10 points each, depending which hole the ball enters. I think there is a minimum time between switch closures or it wont register. This 'debouncing' is in case a switch somehow triggers twice in rapid succession it won't add extra points.

When I first set mine up it wouldn't always score correctly. After some adjusting of the switch wires it worked perfectly.

I will say that mine was an intermittent problem - sometimes it was correct and sometimes it missed. If yours always misses, then it is more likely a broken switch.

 

[Mangler90]

Talldude,

Did you get it fixed? Like others have said this should be a very simple fix. It is obviously one of the switches not counting. Mine did it from time to time and it was a connector that would come loose. What happens when you pull off the front board is there are switches along a path. Each switch is worth 10 points so the higher the hole the more switches are triggered as the ball rolls down. You will quickly uncover which switch isn't working. Sometimes it is the metal probe from the switch that gets bent or breaks off. Either way not a big issue.

 

[rhysmoe]

Wondering if anyone had any more insight to this issue on my machine. It's an old 6ft deck for kids. All of the holes score off by ten, but they don't seem to score in succession. I hit 50 once it scored 40 and so on down the line. The ten appears to be if you don't make it in any holes it should score 10 mine scores zero. I do not see a micro switch anywhere that would trigger a ten I only have 4 metal prongs. Kind of at a loss if anyone has a direction to go.

My ball release also stopped worked after being turned off for a long while. I assumed it was a ground issue I cleaned plugs reattached no dice. I have two machines so I can Frankenstein I bit but in much better with cars than electronics for home use so I'm not 100% how to diag and don't want to go shooting power with a power probe on an old machine. Thanks in advance!

 

[big420atx]

Wondering if anyone had any more insight to this issue on my machine. It's an old 6ft deck for kids. All of the holes score off by ten, but they don't seem to score in succession. I hit 50 once it scored 40 and so on down the line. The ten appears to be if you don't make it in any holes it should score 10 mine scores zero. I do not see a micro switch anywhere that would trigger a ten I only have 4 metal prongs. Kind of at a loss if anyone has a direction to go.

My ball release also stopped worked after being turned off for a long while. I assumed it was a ground issue I cleaned plugs reattached no dice. I have two machines so I can Frankenstein I bit but in much better with cars than electronics for home use so I'm not 100% how to diag and don't want to go shooting power with a power probe on an old machine. Thanks in advance!

i sent you a pm. check it and message me back. i am pretty sure i can help you out.