Bally

All posts tagged Bally

First task on the to do list after my last update was test the carry switches on all score reels for each player. Previously, I tested that the score reels all advanced when the 10, 100 and 1000 point relays were manually triggered. These work and the score reels advance. This testing was done in game over / attract mode, so only the 1000 point carry switch could be tested. I now wanted to expand my testing to check the carry switch on the 10’s and 100’s too. These can only be tested with a game started. I finished the last update with the machine successfully running a game – so I’m was ready to begin.

Mariner Pinball
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During my initial inspection of the machine in the first update, I had noted down a few things to look at before I attempted powering it on for the first time. This update will focus on these items. First on my list is the fuse panel. Located just inside the coin door, there is a small panel which is home to 4 fuses. My understanding is that the fuse clips on Bally EM’s are crap and a common source of problems as they often break. One of the fuse holders has already been replaced, with the new fuse holder being installed over the old one. The fuse holder on the far right (8A line fuse) is missing one of the clip arms, so this will have to be replaced.

Mariner Pinball
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One of my favorite times has arrived again – it’s NEW project time! Just as good as NEW pin day in my book 🙂 This time around, I’ll be performing a repair and service on a 1971 Bally Mariner machine that has made it’s way here from Germany. I’m stepping outside the comfort zone I developed while working on solid state machines and diving into an EM project. All of my Pinball projects to date have been solid state machines that were built between 1979 to 1986. I’m pretty excited about this project as it’s a chance to look at something different and gain more experience with EM’s.

Mariner Pinball
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It’s been awhile since my last crap box purchase. I actually wasn’t keen on buying any more as I have built up a large amount of spare second hand parts that have come in handy for my pinball projects. This one however had a few very specific parts I wanted, so I couldn’t resist. At the cost of $12.50AUD, it was hard to go wrong. First up, the largest part here, was a coin door. It’s not in the best condition, but the coin entry and return face plates are in good condition and match those found on my Pinbot machine. This could be useful for parts in the future.

Pinball spare parts
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This time I’ve got a serious pile of second hand pinball parts to sort through. Some 40kgs+ of assorted bits and pieces from various machines and manufacturers. This is actually two lots joined together truth be told. I purchased both at the same time and when I collected them, they were all tipped into the same box to bring home. So instead of somehow splitting them up and doing two write ups, I’ve decided to just do single post covering everything. There really is a lot of stuff here to get through. The total cost for the box was around $35AU, which isn’t too bad considering the bulk of it all. There were some items I was specifically after but most of the content is a mystery. I can’t wait to see what’s actually in here 🙂

Pinball Parts
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