Planet of the Apes Animatronic does not work

[tc_hook]

Hi Everyone,

I've had this machine for 8 months now and even though I haven't hit triple 7s I would've expected to see the Animatronic ape do something by now.
Does anyone know how to troubleshoot this so I can see what might be wrong?
I don't see any loose wires, and don't see any obvious fuse box.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[pachiwall]

Bummer! Even if it is not broken...and this is normal, you want it to at least tease you! Now stop teasing us...post some pics!

[hanabi]

Hello

Sorry it's not a machine I have ever owned or played,

But I'm wondering if it does a self-test sequence when it's first switched on??

I know my Star Wars does the check thing, and the little animatronic R2D2 moves about at start up, like a test and cycles the lights etc etc

Just a thought, but have you watched to see if it moves or looks like it's struggling to move at first switch on??

Hopefully someone with this model can offer specific trouble shooting advice for you

[hanabi]

Ok I looked for the Promo Video on Youtube for this model and it does show the head moving, mouth opening

Not sure when this is supposed to happen, as the play will probably be edited for video, but perhaps you could compare the screen action to what is happening with yours?

Planet of the Apes Pachinko Promotional Video - YouTube

[tc_hook]

I saw that video which made me believe it was not working. Thank you. The ape doesn't move when it is turned on at all. I was really hoping something might be un-plugged or a fuse might be blown, etc.

[luckydog]

check all your wiring and fuses

[portercbl]

Check ALL of the wiring and unplug and re-plug everything. Check all of the small prongs in the plug to make sure none are bent also. There is no reason your machine shouldn't work. These are very reliable machines. Just be patient and you will figure it out.

Jerry

[tc_hook]

Are there standard fuses in these machines that I have not seen yet. While I've ripped through Pachislos before, I've never taken a screw driver to a Pachinko yet.

Thanks for the advice to unplug-plug everything - I will try that when I get home from work

[Drunkenclam]

Something has probably become unseated in transit, Most moderns have a varity of fuses in them doing different things, One of my machines the trap door didn't open on fever, The solenoid plunger had come out of its mounting so couldn't push it open, Easy fix, But did have to remove the circuit boards fro the back of the cel. You might have to do a little unscrewing

[rubberratt]

Sounds like the stepper motor/gears/plunger may be out of sync, but likely mechanical in nature just as Drunkenclam says. Every time I have had to repair animatronics... it's been a major deal. I usually measure my success by the number of leftover screws I have (OH and a successful repair - of course)

Take a ton of pictures while you take it apart, or you'll be doing some guessing on re-assembly

[tc_hook]

apes1.jpg
After a holiday feast and a couple of cold ones, I decided to try unplugging and then plugging in every plug in the back of my machine as was suggested.
I turned the machine on and SUCCESS - the Ape opened his mouth and gawked at myself and my daughter.
We played it for a while today and during some of the spins the ape now opens his mouth as if to roar when the on-screen animation does the same.
Thanks for all the tips and glad it was yet another easy fix given to me by all of you!
Happy 4th!

[luckydog]

my motto is always try the easy fixes first

[hanabi]

Yay!!

That's great news!!

Glad it was an easy fix for you, sometimes the simplest things can be the most elusive

[rubberratt]

my motto is always try the easy fixes first

I admire that motto, but I am the adventurous type - so I usually ignore sage advice such as this

My motto - Damn the torpedoes - disassemble EVERYTHING