Bally Mata Hari (Bally, 1978) reset issue

dan2liz

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my 1978 mata hari pinball resets itself when the ball ejects from the top saucer.. I have replaced the mpu board with a newer half the sized board. my voltage is 5.1.. the ball ejects and only the display goes off and the game restarts... if the ball doesn't hit a bumper and I do not push a flipper button it stays on..I have replaced with new capacitors on playfield and selenoid, new mpu board... I need help. thanks dan
 
I'm not a pinball tech, but does it reset when you bump or nudge the table?
Are the reset button and wires secure?

EDIT: Not sure if it has a reset button. But make sure the contacts in the game button, the button that you press to start a game, are solid, not loose or almost touching.
That button will reset the game. I know for a fact that it will.
I used to play Mata Hari and other Bally games of that era at the arcade in the late 70's, and there was somebody else's kid brother who thought it was funny to watch me in the middle of a good game and then sneak up from behind me and press that game button.
 
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no it only resets when the ball is kicked out of the hole and there is instant play...if it ejects and doesn't hit anything immediately its fine..its gotta be a short of some kind somewhere
 
Does the 'reset' start a new game? Does the game deduct a credit when it re-starts?
 
I guess I shouldn't say it resets itself it just ends the game.. doesn't matter what ball your on either..it shuts down and you have to push start to play again
 
if the ball doesn't hit a bumper and I do not push a flipper button it stays on..

This happens only after the ball ejects from the saucer eject hole at the top?
And then hitting a bumper, using a flipper or activating another solenoid?

Does it do this from just hitting a bumper or using the flippers?
After the saucer eject, do the lights dim or flicker before the machine shuts down?
When it 'resets', does the game act as if you turned off the main switch on the bottom of the playfield cabinet and then switch it back on a few moments later? Is there that pause for setup like when you turn that switch on, with the beep? Like a quick computer boot?

I'm not a pinball guy, but I do know something about circuits and drawing too much power, or the effects of a ground fault error.

It could be the eject solenoid is drawing too much power and an immediate second hit to the bumper or a flip extinguishes the available power at the power board, and then trips the MPU to reset.

That Bally era of machines also had trouble with their power board stability.
Lights would flicker on bumper hits due to uneven or low power and regulation, and if the drop was too extreme, the game would reset. It would shut down and restart as if the main switch was turned off, pause, then on. (BTW, You don't want to toggle this switch rapidly like a kid playing strobe with a light switch because the surge current can blow a high current power supply. It's also good to use a quality surge protector AC strip or box to prevent damage from power spikes. The arcades around here always do).

First thing, I would make sure the ground wires are solid, not loose, and double check the ground pin at the AC wall socket and the chord for continuity (no breaks). Ground fault might be causing the high current coils (solenoids and relays) to "act like an open circuit" with backup at the power supply secondary.

Then check the wires at the eject and at the board.
Then check the eject solenoid itself.
 
Now I'm just making stuff up.
But trace the top eject wiring back to the control board, or check schematics.
If there is a relay for the eject, then check any drop resistors and capacitors there.
A bad resistor there could be causing power backup, and surge current when the eject solenoid is then engaged.

But again, I'm only speculating.
 
this symptom is usually known as lock up and re-boot, not really a re-start or start of a new game. sleepy might be correct as it could be a surge. to narrow down the problem, go into self test , the solenoid test mode, and does the test get completed with all the coil firing properly without the machine locking up? if it does lock up track down the problem coil, might even be a chime coil. or you can use the grounding the tab on the driver transistor trick to pulse the coil slightly longer than the self test would. if none of the coils cause the lock up the fuse/rectifier board should be checked next for wrong sized fuses and check under side of board and re-flow solder connections on the male pins that seem to always crack. also check and re-flow the solder connections of this size male pins on the driver board and each of the displays. replacing of the male pins on the fuse/rectifier board if they have heat damage might be needed. and re-pinning of the female connectors with trifurcon pins would be next. replacing the fuse/rectifier board with a newer version is sometimes the way to go because of its updated design and parts.
 
It could be the eject solenoid is drawing too much power and an immediate second hit to the bumper or a flip extinguishes the available power at the power board, and then trips the MPU to reset

yes dave this is exacly what it does...do you think replacing the Bally Voltage Regulator / Driver Board with an updated new board would fix this problem.. the lights do dim when you use the flippers.. like I said the voltage reg board is putting out 5.1 volts
 
instead of replacing the voltage reg/ driver board try repairing it. starting with replacing C23 the 5 volt filter cap. if it hasnt been replaced yet it should be. caps go bad with age , you might see a bulge on the bottom of this cap near the lugs. if you do its def. bad. if this cap is bad all kinds of weird problems may happen. also there are other needed mods for this board. check out flipperwinkel bally section for these mods and a lot of other great info. i have it printed out and its my go-to book for early bally and stern ss repairs. if replacing C23 doesn't solve the problem, repairing or replacing the fuse/rectifier board would be next because of a weak part or connection.
 
I am more of a plug and replace kinda guy.. I was told that I could do that with the voltage board but the fuse board has more to it? yolu know anyone who repairs here in Everett wa area?
 
i know working on boards isnt for everyone, but i would rather spend $10 for a part and keep the original board than $140 for a new board plus the $200 for the new mpu board. display glasses at $50 each if needed. about $50-$100 in playfield and cosmetics. a service call could be between $100-$200 even if you supply the parts. so getting a early bally ss machine up and running can get expensive quickly.
 
ooops

well the new board did not fix the mata hari problem.. It did however fix my evel knievel pinball problem..so I guess I will start tracing wires off of the center ball kick solenoid and see what I can find..thinking maybe a ground issue..hmmmmmm.......
 
Are you sure that it is not the saucer eject's solenoid that is causing the fault?
 
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