Gottlieb Solved Surf 'n Safari (Gottlieb, 1991) optics

[Turbotype1]

Hello, New to the forums AND new to Pins. I just got my first machine, a Surf n safari. I've owned it for a few days now and for the most part it plays great. From the first time I played it , when you started the game the whirlpool lights would start going and the points would start adding up before you even shot the first ball, but then it would work normal. Kinda figured something might need alittle tweaking. But tonight when I started it , the whirlpool never stopped. I ran the switch diagnostics and the optics for the whirlpool were closed ( big suprise).
My question is how would I go about aligning these optics up?
Thanks in advance...Pete

 

[chitownpinball]

im not sure how to align them, but they might just be dirty. try swabbing them with some alcohol first see what happens.

 

[Turbotype1]

Thanks for the reply... I cleaned them up today but nothing has improved.
Pete

 

[chitownpinball]

Ah bummer.

If I understand the optics control board correctly, there should be a light on it that will turn on and off when something is passed through the optic beam. If that is true, you might be able to loosen them up, align them by hand and watch the light to see if it turns on or off when you have successfully aligned them.

good luck!

From Pin Wiki:

"
4.9.3 Optical Switch Problems

If the associated LED on the opto controller board lights up when the light beam of an optic switch pair is broken, the switch pair is functioning properly. However, if the associated LED on the opto controller board stays on, and a ball is not located at the optic switch pair, there is something wrong with the optic pair. Typically, something is either blocking the light beam, or the receiver or transmitter needs to be cleaned. To clean either the receiver or transmitter optos, use a Q-Tip dipped in Windex to remove dust and dirt. Of course if the LED does not light up at all, there is something wrong with the optic pair.

Testing the transmitter is quite simple. An item which is readily available, a digital camera, can be used. Just aim the camera at the transmitter opto, and look at the opto through the camera's screen. If the opto is on, it will appear as if it is lit up with a purplish-pink hue. To test the opto receiver, an incandescent flashlight can be used. An LED flashlight may or may not work, and is not as effective for this test. Put the game in switch test mode, and aim the flashlight directly at the opto receiver. If the switch shows as closed in switch test, and / or the associated LED on the opto controller board lights, the receiver portion of the optic pair is functioning properly.

In any of the above cases, there could be a problem instead with the opto controller board. If at all possible, swap the connectors of the optic pairs from a known working opto controller board to the possibly questionable opto controller board.

Should either the transmitter or receiver fail, replacement components are still readily available. Both components can be purchased from GPE. Here are links for the transmitter(QED123) and receiver (QSD124)."

Link: http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gottlieb_System_3

 

[Turbotype1]

Many thanks... The LED was on continuously. I decided I would swap out the board with another one that was known to be working. To my surprise, when I removed the board in question I noticed that the part # was different than the # printed on the underside of the playfield. Upon further inspection I found that one of the other optics board's numbers didn't match either. You might have already guessed it , but 2 of the optics boards had been swapped. I put them back to where they belonged and presto... all the optics are now working perfectly.

Can't Thank you guys enough...I'm totally green at working on these and with out the help of this forum, I would have been pulling my hair out by now.

Now on to the limp left flipper

Thanks again...Pete

 

[chitownpinball]

nice!

 

[faralos]

limp flippers are generally caused by a bad or weak solenoid
for that flipper, check it's contacts first as it may be just dirt between the contacts then check the solenoid itself (with a multimeter) using the right one as a source guide for the settings then check it's connections (wires) they may be loose or not making good contact look at all the solder joints for cracks too, if it still is weak you may need a new coil for the left flipper
imo it's best to replace both at the same time to keep their strengths close (to replace just one may mean you have a strong new one and a weak older right side one) hope this helps ya' a bit

 

[Turbotype1]

The weird thing is that at the beginning of the game the flipper has strength, not as much as the right one but definitely stronger. As the game goes on, it gets weaker and weaker... It actually stops moving at all sometimes. With the game off, the motion feels the same as the other flipper ( takes the same amount of force to move it through it's stroke).
Does this still sound like a bad coil or something else? Do these coils maybe over heat?

Thanks ....Pete