I've owned the game for 3 years, and have basically just "put up with" not being able to get the points for the final "R" spinner of Sorcerer. Tonight, while sick, I mustered up enough energy to get out there and finally get this figured out, now that I got some helpful leads.
Thanks to the input from many (both here at KLOV and on the pinball.rec group), I was able to troubleshoot the issue successfully. I learned how to jumper the connections between the J8 and J10 connections on the MPU, and confirm that the issue was NOT on the MPU (thank God).
I traced the wires down to the molex connectors that bring the headbox wires and the playfield wires together. I totally bypassed the connector and shaved away a little casing on the wire in question on both sides of the connector. I ran a jumper with alligator clips to both of the wires on each side of the connector, and credited up a game. The ball hit the "R" spinner and finally, it registered! I played a few more games with the alligator jumper on, and then took off the wire, disconnected the molex connectors, and reconnected them together. I played a few more games and the spinner continued to register.
The connectors, which were hanging down in the hole between the headbox and the playfield, looked like they had slightly worked themselves apart. Not much, but enough to impact the connectivity. I brought those connectors back up into the headbox area, and put 2 zip ties on it: one to hold the connectors together, and another which allowed them to "hang" from one of the screwed-in wire harnesses up in the head box.
This issue really taught me alot about pinball machines, mostly how to go through the switch matrix test, as well as how to read the actual matrix diagram in the owner's manual and all of its related numbers and symbols. This has been a a huge learning experience.
The original issue can be found here:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=124414
Thanks to the input from many (both here at KLOV and on the pinball.rec group), I was able to troubleshoot the issue successfully. I learned how to jumper the connections between the J8 and J10 connections on the MPU, and confirm that the issue was NOT on the MPU (thank God).
I traced the wires down to the molex connectors that bring the headbox wires and the playfield wires together. I totally bypassed the connector and shaved away a little casing on the wire in question on both sides of the connector. I ran a jumper with alligator clips to both of the wires on each side of the connector, and credited up a game. The ball hit the "R" spinner and finally, it registered! I played a few more games with the alligator jumper on, and then took off the wire, disconnected the molex connectors, and reconnected them together. I played a few more games and the spinner continued to register.
The connectors, which were hanging down in the hole between the headbox and the playfield, looked like they had slightly worked themselves apart. Not much, but enough to impact the connectivity. I brought those connectors back up into the headbox area, and put 2 zip ties on it: one to hold the connectors together, and another which allowed them to "hang" from one of the screwed-in wire harnesses up in the head box.
This issue really taught me alot about pinball machines, mostly how to go through the switch matrix test, as well as how to read the actual matrix diagram in the owner's manual and all of its related numbers and symbols. This has been a a huge learning experience.
The original issue can be found here:
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=124414
