Tim's Rescue 911 thread

[tim.sanderson]

Another question regarding the AC power. Let's say the green wire is the ground. Being that AC has no positive nor negative, is it possible to do damage by hooking the 2 power wires up the wrong way? If so, how do I go about testing which is which? I really don't want to fry my pin before I actually get to play it!

 

[luch]

test it with your tongue . no just joking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tkaye]

Sheesh! :FP:

I hope the TZ I'm getting from the next container isn't this much work. I was really hoping to just clean it and convert the power supply as needed and go... :?

Oh well. There's lots of new friends here that will help!
Right guys?




....guys???
:shock:

 

[tim.sanderson]

Black is hot. White is neutral. Usually you put a switch on the hot wire. For residential.
I don't know for pinball, but you shouldn't screw anything up with the wires backwards. Maybe a bridge rectifier would act differently, but I don't know.
I'd just keep black to black, or black to brass screw if your wiring just a plug

Thanks for the info, that was sort of what I was thinking. I just wanted to confirm.

I hope the TZ I'm getting from the next container isn't this much work. I was really hoping to just clean it and convert the power supply as needed and go... :?

I'm having way too much fun working on my pin. That's half the fun for me!

 

[WARLOCK]

Tim, I love this thread. The new guys sound just like Brewmanager and I did a year ago.

Advice:
If it feels wrong, don't proceed with it.
If you are not sure, wait to find out until the veterans chime in. (or you really figure it out yourself)

Have fun, but don't be impatient.
If you are frustrated, or uncertain, walk away and come back to it again later.

Ask twice, then do it correctly once.
Be safe.

That is all.

Happy fixing!

 

[tim.sanderson]

Hmmm, I tried to power it up a few minutes ago, but got nothing. When I found all that crap in the cabinet, one of the things I found was a fuse holder. I see in the lower right hand side of the front cabinet is a power-supply sorta thing. (I'm pretty sure its not a P.S., though) I see a fuse missing. The only problem is the fuse holder is busted, and won't stay in. Is that likely my issue? All the other fuses and stuff seem to look ok. Any ideas?

 

[WARLOCK]

Think.
wait.
read schematics.
think again.
wait.
think.
Veterans will respond in time.
then perhaps do. (maybe)
Only if you are sure.

 

[tim.sanderson]

Very good advice. I think I'll take it. I've decided to not do any more power stuff tonight, and have kicked into cleaning mode instead. The playfield actually looks pretty great once the grime is wiped away!

 

[slacker]

Hey Tim! Cleaning and replacing Rubber is good.... Listen to Scott blowing up a board or burning the house down is not worth it, wait and see if one of the T.O boys close to you can help you out. (Hey Guys Tim always has Beer!) NUDGE NUDGE.
It looks like maybe the fuse holder was broken by all the crap rolling around inside, also I don't know much about swiching them to 110 but all the sticker on that power supply say 220V so get with someone who knows, 220v will curl more then just the hair on your head
Goodluck
J..

 

[Menace]

Another question regarding the AC power. Let's say the green wire is the ground. Being that AC has no positive nor negative, is it possible to do damage by hooking the 2 power wires up the wrong way? If so, how do I go about testing which is which? I really don't want to fry my pin before I actually get to play it!

You are correct in that you will not hurt anything in the game if you get the hot and neutral wires backwards on the new plug but you will want to get it correct for safety reasons in the long run. The rule is you always "break" the hot line, so whatever wire goes to the switch on the bottom of the cabinet and the fuse holder is the HOT line in the game. (you can verify this with your DMM in continuity test) The hot side of any plug / outlet is the thin / skinny prong, the wider one is always neutral. (usually the right slot on an outlet, or the left blade on a plug when looking at them head on)

As for your fuse issue... the holder you found in the cabinet is indeed your line fuse. This is the main fuse for the whole game. This will probably be marked as a 4A SB fuse on the power box (which is what that is in the pic you posted), but that is for 220V mains. You will have to upgrade this to an 8A SB fuse now that you have switched it back to 110V mains. If the holder is busted, you will need to figure out if it's the holder itself that's pooched or if it's just the cap. Either way, Sayal should have what you need but I think you should still be able to at least get the game to power up by holding the fuse cap on the holder manually. (or rig something to keep it in place for the time being, just use something safe. (non conductive) One thing you can try is using the cap from the "primary power" fuse, as I think this is just the fuse for the 220V service outlet, just install an 8A SB fuse in it and give that a go. (if it's the holder itself this cap will not work either)

Oh, and if the coin door needs to be closed to power the game up, you should be able to just pull the interlock switch (white switch usually in the upper left corner of the door) plunger out towards you when the door is open to allow it to work.

Keep us posted with any more progress or questions.

Doug

 

[tim.sanderson]

Thanks for the info, Doug. There's some really great stuff there. (didn't know the switch could be pulled out ) I tested the power coming in from the new power wire. It shows 120v, so that's good. I tested the continuity on all my fuses in the cabinet, (haven't done the ones in the head yet) all looked good. After I fix the fuse holder, I guess next will be to test the power going into the module.

Patrick; Is that the TEED OFF you got from Gerry? Is that the module that came with yours? If yes, it's interesting that yours was 120v and mine was 240v.

Off to try my luck at THE SOURCE, if not, back to SAYAL.
Oh yeah, I'm going to order a manual right now. I'm sure that'll help my fight.

 

[tim.sanderson]

I just tested it with a multi meter, but didn't get any reading. Does the playfield have to be down and locked in place for the modules receptacle to work? Or should it have power as long as it's plugged in/turned on?

 

[Menace]

As long as it's plugged in, and the main line and the other fuse beside it is good you will have power at the service outlet.

D

 

[tim.sanderson]

I can't do any more work on it until after 9pm tonight, but here's where I am at so far:
http://www.multiball.org/2013/05/busted ... older.html
_____________________________________________________________________
I've had some issues powering up my machine. One of the things I've discovered is that my LINE INPUT fuse holder is broken, likely during transport. (there was A LOT of heavy shit flopping around the cabinet) Two minutes from my house is a "THE SOURCE" The only holder they had was a tiny bit larger than the one in the power module. So temporarily, I've just soldered on the new holder on the outside of the module. That's all the work I can do until after work tonight.

_____________________________________________________________________


Tim

 

[tim.sanderson]

YAY! I got it to fire up! There's a short little (terrible quality) video here:
http://www.multiball.org/2013/05/its-alive.html
Soldering a new fuse holder on the power module did the trick.
There's some pretty loud 'feedback' coming out of the speakers, even with no volume. Might that be a bad ground?

 

[Menace]

Huzzah! Glad you got it powered up. Ground buzz, ugh... could be simple but could also have you running in circles. Check for obvious things like the ground strap from the lower cab to head is in place, and that all the pcbs are screwed down and tight. From there you should verify all the grounds are connected with your dmm' and they all terminate correctly to the ground lug on the new plug you installed.

D

 

[tim.sanderson]

I threw 4 balls into it and everything runs great. Even the helicopter works. So far the only thing I've noticed is the light bulb in the rotating light up top is burnt out. It does spin, though. So far I'm extremely pleased with the condition of the pin. I'm hoping to have the rubbers changed by morning so I can play my first official game!

 

[WARLOCK]

Congrats Tim. Nice work so far.

 

[slacker]

Awesome
I picked you up a manual yesterday so I will bring it for you Monday.
J..

 

[tim.sanderson]

Awesome
I picked you up a manual yesterday so I will bring it for you Monday.
J..

That's awesome, thanks guys!
I bought a money order to send pinball resource for a manual. It was going to cost more than $40 with shipping. Good thing I forgot to drop it in the mail last night!