Bally Hi-Lo Ace (Bally, 1973) long sluggish, now dead

[GSGregg]

A friend asked me to dabble with his toy, and who am I to refuse? Some history:

For the 15-20 years that he's owned it, it's always 'lit up' when turned on, although the motorized stuff could take anywhere from a few minutes to quite a while before coming to life. Once it did, though, it would work indefinitely. Then last September he and his lady rented out their home and moved into another that they had remodeled.....and the machine hasn't even lit up since.

After viewing the schematic, I was able to surmise; 50VAC powers the relays, solenoids, etc., and 6VAC powers the lights and bumpers. Voltages measured to Ground were all 6V (no 50V), but with with the low-V fuses removed, readings from secondary lug 4 (50V) or lug 10 (6V) to lug 8 (Common) were all zero. Therefore, the Transformer is dust, right?

Trouble is, my electric/electronic field is Automotive; in Household, Radio, TV---or Pinball, I just dabble. So the question is, could I have missed something fundamental that led to incorrect readings?

Thanks for reading.....

 

[Coil_Smoke]

Check for line voltage reaching transformer primary? The outlet, line cord, power switch, line fuse...Maybe something disconnected along the way. Then check the transformer windings for continuity with an ohm meter. Those transformers are usually pretty damn reliable but they do burn out from overloads.

 

[GSGregg]

Hi, Coil_Smoke; Thanks for responding.

When I got 110V at all primary lugs, I forgot that because the two coils are tied in parallel, there could still be one open; I then tried to imagine what freak of Benfranklin could cause the odd 6V readings. Next time I see the machine---maybe a week or more---I'll unsolder the whole trans and see what's up. Thank you again;

Gregg