Williams Satin Doll (Williams, 1975) Score Motor Over Running

[acn160]

Hi all,

I am hoping somebody can help me with a problem that is puzzling me. I own a 1975 Williams Satin Doll EM Pinball, and I am trying to get it back into working condition. Everything appears to be in order, except that I can't get it to start a game anymore. It has worked before, so I imagine this is a switch that is dirty or needs adjusting or something like that, I just can't find the right switch. Here is what happens:

I turn on the machine, and press the reset button. The score motor runs, causing the score to reset, the first ball light to be lit up, and the ball to be ejected into its starting spot. From here though, the score motor just continues to run, and it cycles back to trying to send the ball out over and over. Does anyone know specifically what causes the score motor to stop and the game to begin? Could it be something with the credit reel?

Thanks for any help you can offer,

Adam

 

[sleepy]

I don't know anything about it, but does the credit reel deduct for the game?

As an ignorant, I would guess that there is a dirty or broken contact on or contact arm at the score reel relevant to resetting to the Zero position, or a loose or broken wire or connector, or a faulty relay.
Assuming a specific reset contact and/or contact arm on/at the score reel, track the wire (if it's there) to the relay. Make sure the wire is connected to the designated relay according to available schematics.
Else, it could be a bad relay or *I'm guessing* a relay switch at the trough kicker for the ball. *If* the ball kicker to plunger lane has the switch for finalizing the game reset, that could do it, or the relay that it is connected to, if there is one. Again, check the connections (both ends) if there is a switch there.

EDIT: Because the ball normally enters the plunger lane after the score reel resets, I'm thinking it's at the kicker or a relay wired to a switch on the kicker, but does the score reel reset to Zero and stop before it then spins again and if it does, then does the ball kick out after the reel stops at Zero?

Is there a wire switch in the Plunger lane that the ball rolls over when it kicks out? Maybe it or the wire/connections to it or a relay wired to that switch is the cause.

 

[acn160]

Thanks for the reply, Sleepy.

Sorry I got all the terminology wrong, I'm a complete noobie here. Anyway, I will have to check out the schematic on wire from the kicker. There is not a button that the ball rolls over, and I only see one switch which I assumed was to let the kicker know that it should activate, but again I'll check the schematic.

When the score reals stop at Zero, they never do spin again, it just keeps trying to kick the ball out again and again. I guess I didn't know how to explain it before. Also, maybe i'm naming the credit reel wrong. It says "credit unit" on it on a label in the back box. It is a real with numbers 1-30something and then some open space. It seems to get stuck going back and forth in the blank spot when I start it up. I suspect it is trying to get to 1 to show me that I have one credit, but maybe I'm way off?

Thanks so much again for the help.

 

[acn160]

I have been slaving over this thing, trying to bypass certain wires and see what I can find out, but I still can't figure it out.

I'm not sure if I'm reading this correctly, but from what I can tell this is the section of the schematic germane to the turning on and off of the score motor. Can someone help me interpret it so I can figure out which switch is responsible for turning it off?



Maybe I just don't understand how this works at all...but I don't see a normally closed switch or anything like that that needs to open to break the circuit. Thanks for any advice you can offer. I can take pictures of other sections of the schematic if need be.

 

[sleepy]

When the score reals stop at Zero, they never do spin again, it just keeps trying to kick the ball out again and again.

That sounds like a switch on the Kicker that is supposed to operate after kicking out the ball is dirty or broken, or the wire or a relay connected to such a switch, but again, I don't have the electro-mechanical training or skill to know for sure.

Does the score motor run when the kicker is trying to kick out a non-present ball?

 

[sleepy]

I did look at the schematic, but it is too blurry and I would poke around the Kicker for the plunger first.