Space Shuttle pop bumper problems

20eyes

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The bottom pop bumper on my space shuttle seems to be having issues working intermittently. It will be working fine then won't light up and has a weak response when the ball hits it. Not sure where to begin with this.
 
When it gets intermittent in play does it work good in test?

Loose or dirty socket for bulb and clean/adjust the switch for starters.
 
Those g-d twist sockets pissed me off so bad..

When I rebuilt my pops on Shuttle, I replaced them with newer 555 style sockets...BUT...it is a VERY tight fit. If you can salvage what you've got, you may be better off in the end. Check that the bulb is not actually loose in the socket. That was the main problem with mine...there was no tension and I could not get the socket out in one piece to bend it back into shape so that it would hold the bulb properly.

As far as the weak response, like he said, start by checking the gaps on the switch. Make sure the metal ring assembly is moving freely. There really shouldn't be any tension at all with the machine off other than the return spring. If there is, look into why it might be, go ahead and replace the coil sleeve. Make sure the ring isn't dragging on the sides of the pop bumper body when it pulls down. Check and make sure that the two yokes (one fiber one metal) aren't broken or half missing. That's just a few things off the top of my head that I corrected on mine.. :p

They're really not that bad to rebuild and assuming your playfield isn't trashed like mine, new pop bumper bodies/wafers is one of the best bang for the buck appearance things you can do for Shuttle, IMO.
 
I guess i'll just have to start poking at it. I may end up rebuilding them anyway. I can't justify new pop bumpers my playfield is pretty worn and the plastics are junk. Its just a fun machine.
 
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