Tech: Baby Pacman

pinballdirec

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I just picked up a Baby Pacman a few weeks ago and it is working about 95%. It seemed to be working fine for a while, but now it doesn't always switch back to video mode after the ball drains. I know when this is going to happen because the drop targets don't reset and it stops scoring in pinball mode.

also how are the drop target suppose to act? Mine are normally reset except for the drop target that is in front of the pinball in the loop. they reset as soon as they are knocked down.. Is this normal.

Any thought or ideas? thanks Kevin
 
now it doesn't always switch back to video mode after the ball drains

also how are the drop target suppose to act? Mine are normally reset except for the drop target that is in front of the pinball in the loop. they reset as soon as they are knocked down..

check the switch
maybe the switch isnt telling the computer the ball has drained because it isnt working

if i remember correctly, the two drop targets on the ends are supposed to "be down" so you can shoot the captured pinball from one side of the loop to the other and get the energizers for the video mode
 
check the switch
maybe the switch isnt telling the computer the ball has drained because it isnt working
Maybe, but the scoring stops and and the drop targets don't reset first...


if i remember correctly, the two drop targets on the ends are supposed to "be down" so you can shoot the captured pinball from one side of the loop to the other and get the energizers for the video mode that is what it is doing, the 3 center targets reset as soon as they are knocked down

see notes above
 
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but since it is on topic...

I recently began having issues with my drop targets... They don't drop at all any more and I can't even push them down if I want to. If I turn the game off, I can push them down, but when I turn the game on, they slowly push themselves back up, but then they won't drop back down. There is also a faint smell of something burning, which leads me to believe the drop target coil may be the issue and its been burned up. Can anyone diagnose my issue? Do I need to buy a new coil and replace it? All of my boards seem to be going through their normal cycles, and I've recently had all my boards either replaced and cleaned up. There is also a slight "hum" as well which seems to be centered around the drop targets as well. My machine worked 100% before this...

I'd appreciate any help as I'm really into the hobbie, but I don't know diddly squat about fixing them...
 
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I recently began having issues with my drop targets... They don't drop at all any more and I can't even push them down if I want to. If I turn the game off, I can push them down, but when I turn the game on, they slowly push themselves back up, but then they won't drop back down. There is also a faint smell of something burning, which leads me to believe the drop target coil may be the issue and its been burned up. ... There is also a slight "hum" as well which seems to be centered around the drop targets as well. ...

Check the driver transistor for the drop targets - odds are good it's bad, and it sounds like your coil has cooked itself as well and will need to be replaced, if you're getting that smell and have otherwise been playing it in that condition for a while.

From a quick look at the schematics - Check Q36, along with it's associated diode CR6. If this is the only coil stuck on, you may be able to get away with just replacing the coil and the driver transistor, but I'd do that diode as well while you're at it.
 
Drop target situation is correct. Target in front of captive ball is down.

So the Drop targets are working as designed.

So my problem is "Sometimes" the drop targets are not popping back up and the pinball mode stops scoring, when this happens the game will not return to video mode after the ball drains. Could this be a communications issue or should I look for something else?
 
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So the Drop targets are working as designed.

So my problem is "Sometimes" the drop targets are not popping back up and the pinball mode stops scoring, when this happens the game will not return to video mode after the ball drains. Could this be a communications issue or should I look for something else?

It could be communications, but you definitely need to make sure that nothing is burning up on your board, or the coil itself (locked on). The smell could point to the trouble.
 
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