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Episode 10 - Double-Up is Broken - Oh, No!

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·18m 15s·analyzed·Mar 21, 2015
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Troubleshooting Double Up replay reset circuit failure and EM switch maintenance.

Summary

Nick Baldridge troubleshoots a mechanical failure on his Bally Double Up bingo machine where the replay register won't reset after games. He walks through diagnostic methodology using schematics and manuals, identifies the multi-play relay as the prime suspect, and explains EM switch maintenance, adjustment, and cleaning techniques for resolving similar issues.

Key Claims

  • The replay register reset circuit on Double Up is broken, preventing the machine from resetting replays or starting new games

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge describing his direct experience turning on the machine and observing the failure

  • The multi-play relay on Double Up has a history of flaky switch problems

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge stating 'On this machine I've had a lot of trouble with the multi-play relay'

  • EM pinball switch contacts are higher voltage than solid-state and self-clean during play

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge explaining switch technology: 'In a solid-state pinball machine, the switches are typically very low voltage... the contacts in an em are different they do carry a higher voltage and when the switch closes when it's properly adjusted, it will clean itself'

  • Switch adjustment should be done with the short blade, not the long blade, to avoid multiple contacts and damage

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge providing technical guidance: 'you want to adjust the small side of the switch. You don't want to adjust the long blade. You only want to adjust the short blade'

  • Bingo machine manuals and schematics are comprehensive and include switch locations, relay configurations, stepper positions, and circuit engagement details

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge: 'The bingos have fantastic manuals... they tell you every switch, whether it's normally open or closed, and its location'

  • The Double Up schematic spans approximately four games when fully spread out

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge describing the schematic: 'it really is gigantic it goes across about four different games if you spread it out all the way'

  • Dirty or arced switch contacts can be filed to restore operation without replacement in most cases

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge describing his experience: 'In the control unit for example in double up i had a switch that was almost completely eaten away by arcing... I was able to file it out without having to replace the switch'

Notable Quotes

  • “The first thing to do is to think about the different paths that the electricity goes down in order to do something simple.”

    Nick Baldridge @ early in episode — Core troubleshooting methodology for EM machines

  • “You may have heard online or elsewhere that EMs like to be played, and that saying exists because the switches have to be able to clean themselves.”

    Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Explains why EM machines need regular play to maintain switch contacts

  • “If you slip and accidentally touch a coil on one side and a switch on the other, I may blow a fuse at best or fry something at worst.”

    Nick Baldridge @ mid-episode — Safety rationale for machine maintenance procedures

  • “The long blade is actually the captive part... the tension on the long blade is what allows for the relay to open and close appropriately.”

    Nick Baldridge @ late in episode — Technical explanation of relay adjustment methodology

  • “It's possible to bring almost any switch back from the dead unless it's physically broken or the contact has fallen out.”

    Nick Baldridge @ late in episode — Practical guidance on switch restoration and repair

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonDouble UpgameBallycompanyFor Amusement OnlyorganizationPinball ResourcecompanyWilliamscompanyMagic ScreengameMystic Linegame

Signals

  • ?

    product_concern: Nick Baldridge's Double Up experiencing replay register reset circuit failure; machine unplayable until repaired

    high · Personal experience: 'I started pushing buttons and realized I was able to push my red button more than four times... I was unable to do anything else'

  • ?

    product_concern: Multi-play relay on Double Up has history of flaky switch problems requiring troubleshooting

    high · Nick Baldridge: 'On this machine I've had a lot of trouble with the multi-play relay'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: EM machines require regular play to maintain switch contact integrity; dormant machines accumulate dirt and arcing

    high · Nick Baldridge explaining why 'EMs like to be played' and switch self-cleaning mechanism

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Comprehensive guidance on filing, adjusting, and restoring heavily damaged EM switch contacts without replacement

    high · Nick Baldridge's documented experience restoring a nearly destroyed control unit switch in Double Up

  • ?

    operational_signal: Emphasis on proper tools (switch adjuster tool), methodology (short blade adjustment), and safety (machine off during work)

    high · Extended technical guidance on adjustment procedures and rationale

  • ?

    community_signal: Nick Baldridge actively sharing detailed troubleshooting methodology and EM maintenance knowledge via podcast

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.055

0:00
what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is nick baldridge today i thought we'd talk about troubleshooting a specific problem with a bingo machine i went to turn on double up last night because i was thinking about how i hadn't had a good game in a while and thought it was about time that i racked up some replays inserted my quarter, game started up appropriately I started pushing buttons and realized I was able to push my red button more than four times, shot all my balls and then I was unable to do anything else. Even tilting the machine didn't actually tilt it. Turning it off and back on didn't reset the replays on the register. So with any problem like this The first thing to do is to think about the different paths that the electricity goes down in order to do something simple. So when I tilt, I heard the tilt trip work. When I shot all the balls, I heard the timer stepping up. The motor was still turning.
1:14
So that leaves me to believe that something in the replay reset path is broken. so armed with that knowledge I consulted my trusty gigantic schematic for Double Up and it really is gigantic it goes across about four different games if you spread it out all the way so looking at the schematic you have to know some information thankfully there's a legend that's printed on every schematic that shows you information about wire colors,
1:54
switches that are normally open versus normally closed, versus single-pole double-throw. So looking at the schematic for the replay register reset circuit,
2:10
the first thing I do is look towards the bottom. That's where all the coils are labeled. And those are the loopy lines. that show along the bottom of the schematic.

  • The comeback key feature can disable the start relay on bingo machines

    medium confidence · Nick Baldridge speculating on alternative causes: 'the start relay can be disabled by the comeback key feature'

    • high · Entire episode format dedicated to educational troubleshooting walkthrough

    2:23
    So I find replay, register, reset, and then I follow the path back up. At the top of that section, with a thick line, is where the electricity originates from. And so any switch that's in the path between that thick line, or the common, and the coil, is suspect and has to be checked. So looking here we've got the multi-play relay has a normally closed switch. If that's open that'll prevent that coil from firing. We have the replay reset relay which is it's a single pole double throw but it's normally out of that circuit and when you turn the machine on it switches to the correct circuit. We have the mixer spotting 16 pulse cam number 2A and so what that tells me is it's the first switch on the second cam of the mixer spotting discs, and that's up in the back of the head at the top. That switch is responsible for a lot of the game, and it's unlikely that that's out of adjustment, but it needs to be checked.
    3:38
    Then you have the replay reset relay lock-in switch. You have the anti-cheat relay. the replay register zero switch, and then you have shutter switches, ball lifter cam switches, and control unit cam 3A. On this machine I've had a lot of trouble with the multi-play relay. That's the relay that awards you multiple coins for a single coin entry. So I suspect that one first. Alternatively, thinking about it a different way, the start relay never engages.
    4:23
    And the start relay can be disabled by the comeback key feature that I was talking about So another likely suspect if all of these switches check out properly in the replay reset circuit is the comeback key And as I mentioned before the lock cam pressure has to be exact
    4:43
    So I need to check and make sure that all of those switches are working appropriately. And while I've got the play field lifted and I've got the ball return board taken out, I might as well examine all of the relays that control the doubled and quadrupled scoring features that are located under the panel. Because some of the lights can become flaky over time just with dirt, dust, wax, and other junk.
    5:15
    So, I've got a night of tweaking ahead of me. But unfortunately, this problem may have to wait for a few days before I'm able to fully tackle it.
    5:29
    So, while we're talking about paperwork, I'll just set my schematic aside there. The bingos have fantastic manuals.
    5:39
    The schematics are pretty good. but that varies from game to game and i think i've always suspected anyway that they play some intentional tricks with some of the stuff on the schematics to uh maybe throw competition off i'm not really sure about that um it may just be that i don't understand certain circuits but uh looking at them and then looking at the physical reality it it doesn't always jive and I always raise an eyebrow when that happens.
    6:13
    But the manuals for the bingos are phenomenal. Like late 70s Williams EM games and their manuals, they tell you every switch, whether it's normally open or closed, and its location in relation to a particular relay. It'll also document the at-rest position of every stepper. and each additional step and which circuit it engages. Beyond that, it shows you the location on the schematic of every single switch or stepper. So it's a very helpful troubleshooting tool.
    6:54
    I tend to run to the schematic first because, again, with the games that I have and knowledge of other Magic Screen games and Mystic Line games, I just happen to know where to start looking. but no problem in starting with the manual if you know that a particular relay is giving you trouble.
    7:16
    So I've got the manual for Double Up here and looking in the section for relays I see the Batcab relay bank and it tells me that there's four different coils the replay reset coil, the start relay coil the multiplay relay coil and the anti-cheat relay coil. So I'm concerned about the multi-play relay coil. I've mentioned before I've had some flaky switch problems with that.
    7:42
    It tells me that multi-play relay coil is optional. Mine came from the factory with it installed, but apparently you could get this machine in a nickel version as well. It tells me that the coil basically is energized through the coin switch circuit, and the location on the schematic is A7. So the schematic has letters on the left-hand side and numbers along the bottom, so you find your block.
    8:14
    On the bottom will be A, and then move over to the right until you find 7, and then you should see the multi-play relay coil.
    8:24
    The first switch is normally open, and the first switch usually is a hold switch for a particular coil. This is no exception and it completes a circuit to the coil through control unit cam 2B.
    8:42
    The second switch completes a circuit to the start relay from the coin switch. The third switch opens the replay register reset circuit and then the fourth switch detects a winner or coin credit circuit to replay register step up. I not having a problem with it detecting a winner yet but the rest of it is pretty questionable So I need to check the operation of each switch on that relay and make sure that the coil is firing appropriately when I push the coin switch.
    9:22
    But it gets a little more complicated because I can't actually test that multi-play coil until there are zero replays on the meter. So I can manually remove the replays from the meter one at a time, or I can fix the replay reset circuit so that there are no more replays on the meter. And that's the approach I'm going to take.
    9:45
    So the first thing I'm going to start with is switch number three, which should be normally closed. The easiest explanation is that it's somehow opened itself. and the open can be caused by dirt or dust or just wear and tear. Over time, it may come misadjusted. I'm setting my manual down here.
    10:11
    So, I know the whole episode so far has been about tech, but I thought I'd take a minute and talk about how switches work in an EM pinball machine. In a solid-state pinball machine, the switches are typically very low voltage, approximately 5 volts, and when the ball closes the switch, it sends a signal back to the computer. the contacts are not silver or any other metal other than copper or possibly burnished gold and they don't have to be they're not carrying a high voltage the contacts in an em are different they do carry a higher voltage and when the switch closes when it's properly adjusted, it will clean itself.
    11:11
    You may have heard online or elsewhere that EMs like to be played, and that saying exists because the switches have to be able to clean themselves. If they don't and are allowed to sit for years at a time, they'll collect enough dirt and dust that you'll have to go through the game and shop the whole thing out. adjusting a switch is much less daunting than it may seem but you have to have the proper tool i've been places and fixed machines where people have adjusted them with pliers and not jeweler's pliers or you know something small they've adjusted them with regular pliers and those switches are always mangled.
    12:00
    You want to adjust with a switch adjuster tool preferably and I'm a scaredy cat so I always do my switch adjustment and bulb changes with the machine off.
    12:11
    Some people think that's a waste of time. You do save an extra second or two if you leave the machine on but if I slip and accidentally touch a coil on one side and a switch on the other, I may blow a fuse at best or fry something at worst. So I'm reluctant to do anything really with the machine on.
    12:39
    So as far as adjusting the switches, once you have the appropriate tool, you want to adjust the small side of the switch. You don't want to adjust the long blade. You only want to adjust the short blade. and occasionally you may have to feather the the long blade a little bit but you should definitely try adjusting from the short blade first and make sure that you absolutely have to adjust the long blade the problem is that the long blade because it's actually the blade which is connected to the thing that the ball hits is very likely to bounce around. And if you're adjusting the long blade, it's likely it'll make multiple contacts with the short blade and cause a problem. And the same goes for relays too. Relays which are not activated by the ball hitting them. Relays, you want to adjust the short blade because the long blade is actually the captive part There a piece that holds all the switches in the relay together and the tension on the long blade is what allows for the relay to open and close appropriately. If you start adjusting the long blade first, you'll find that there's more problems down the road. So how do you clean a switch? well for solid state games you can take a business card stick it between the switch and rub it back and forth you can do the same for an em however if an em is particularly filthy because it sat for a very long time you'll want to file the contact and there are two parts to every contact there's a typically pointed part and then there's a flat part.
    14:35
    You want to be very careful not to file the tip off of the pointed part or else your switch will never operate appropriately.
    14:45
    On the flat part you want to file until the entire contact is the same color. now if you've found that you filed the entire contact away then you'll just have to replace the switch but that is very unlikely to be the case in the control unit for example in double up i had a switch that was almost completely eaten away by arcing when the switches get dirty they will start arcing and the burns that those generate dig holes into the switch and you have to file those out I was able to file it out without having to replace the switch and it operates perfectly fine it's not one of the switches that I mentioned earlier so it's possible to bring almost any switch back from the dead unless it's physically broken or the contact has fallen out. So if the contact is loose, you can take a pair of needle nose pliers and squeeze the blade and the contact together and see if that holds it any better. If it does, it's just worked its way loose a little bit and you'll have to check it again in the future. If it doesn't, then you may need to solder a little bit and see if that helps. just soldered the contact onto the blade. That won't hold forever either.
    16:20
    So in the long run, you will probably have to replace the switchblade and the contact. And you can get them from Pinball Resource, and I'm sure most other pinball sales places.
    16:35
    And you cut them to length, and you squeeze the contact on, and then you install it. And it's not as difficult as it sounds.
    16:47
    So aside from all that, what do you do if you can't find the problem? So in the example I gave earlier, I've got this situation where my machine doesn't reset appropriately, and it won't start.
    17:03
    Well, the next thing to do is to fan out a bit. So all the switches that I mentioned touch other things. As you heard from my description of the multiplay relay from the manual, that gave me about five other things to check.
    17:20
    And I can go through the schematic, take a look, and see what all those touch, and then check all those. So what sounds like it might be a very simple problem, and it probably is a very simple problem, may take me a while to diagnose just because there are many things to check. and they're located in physically disparate portions of the machine.
    17:44
    But I'll get it resolved and the machine will play just fine. That's all for this time. Thank you very much for joining me and I'll talk to you soon. Thank you again for joining us. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com. You can find us online at 4amusementonly.libsyn.com or via Stitcher if streaming's your thing, Pocket Casts, iTunes. See you next time.