Help with bally 1088-1

[SirRicktov]

I've recently picked up this 1088-1 and have been trying to get it working. I've been looking over the schematics but the only bad part I've found is the bottom relay coil on the hopper

 The Insert coin light doesn't come on but when you activate the coin switch the middle relay in the top will fire but nothing else.

When i manually release the handle and activate the coin switch the coin step up works and the 2nd and 3rd coin lights come on, but when the handle is pulled there is no payout and the coin step up doesn't reset.

I did manage to get the hopper to payout by manually actuating the relay on the hopper.

Learning to fix these machines is a new hobby for me and any advice on how to find the issues would be helpful!

[DavidLee]

At this point there’s few possibilities that is keeping the machine from running.

Most likely it needs to have the switches cleaned, BUT not all at once.

First switch stack to check would be the Coin Relay Switches.
Located bottom left rear on the reel chassis.
It is mechanical latched and electrically unlatched.
Preform a minor cleaning on these contacts.
Then check the contacts for continuity in both positions, latched and unlatched.

While cleaning a machine for the first time, inspecting the area for loose or broken wires and missing springs.
Best to test the machine after any cleaning and corrections. Avoid cleaning more than 2 areas at a time before testing. Reason being, if you clean multiple areas and the machine does start to work, you won’t know/learn what the problem was.

After cleaning and testing the coin relay switches, check and clean the AB and C switches.
They are horizontal and vertical, located above the coin relay switches

It’s possible the insert coin light will work after the coin relay is cleaned and adjusted.
The insert coin light can be tested by jumping a wire from the color coded wire on the coin accepted light socket to the color coded wire on the insert coin light socket. Providing the coin accepted light is on.

[wolftalk]

here's the schematic viewpoint for what david said.

assuming your middle relay that is powering when the coin switch goes down is the coin unit reset relay (with blue/red wire 21-1 on the relay coil lug), then the green highlighted circuit works.   If the coin relay is not tripping, then it must be one or more of:
- the coin relay switch with the 21-1 and white (50-1) wires is not closed (misadjusted, cruddy contacts, etc.) when the coin relay is latched (mechanically reset after a handle pull)
- plug connection to the reels for wire 21-1 or 70 has a problem
- the coin relay coil is kaput

the second schem chunk below is the insert/coin accepted lamps.  If the insert coin light is not on:
- a switch in the red highlight path is open/cruddy
- plug connection in path not working (plug connections not shown on the schem except in the plug charts)
- the lamp is burned out
- the blue 6V power wire has a problem

the 6V and 50V circuit have a common neutral/ground ... it's yellow wire 30 that is conveniently on the coin switch.  You can jumper from 30 to anyplace in the 6V or 50V circuits that is NOT the power wires.  e.g. jumper from 30 to 20 and bye-bye 6V fuse.  If you jumper from 30 to the red/black 18-2 wire on the insert coin light socket, the light should turn on.

if jumping isn't comfortable, you can clip a voltmeter probe on either orange wire 70 on any handy coil or blue wire 20 on a convenient lamp.  Poke around with the other probe and if you see 6VAC (when other probe on 20) or 50VAC (other probe on 70), you know you have a good path from your probe point to wire 30.  You goal is to get a closed path from wire 30 to the load (coil, lamp).

in this case, a quick check is pull out the reels and manually trip the coin relay.  Stuff the reels back in and see if the coin accepted light turns on.   If no, while it's possible both coin accepted and insert coin lamps are blown, the likeliest problem would be the payout relay switch connecting 30 to orange/red wire 71-2 or the plug connection from the hopper is cruddy so 71-2 isn't working.

[SirRicktov]

Thanks! You were right i isolated the issue to the plugs in the hopper and reels. I can get the male side but what's the best way to clean the female contacts?

[wolftalk]

I think david found small wire brushes you can use to clean the female sockets.   

generally tho, cleaning the male side is good enough unless there's a lot of oxidation in the female socket.   The mechanical scrubbing from mating the plugs seems to scrape thru crud on the female pins well enough that it works reliably.

[DavidLee]

Cleaning the male pins usually solves connective issues.

Cleaning the female receptors can be done with s strip of metal cut to the same size as the male pins.
Inserting it a few times should expose the internal surface.

Or a slight twist of the male pin will exert pressure on the female receptor.
Caution, this would be an extreme response to a connectivity problem.