Macross Frontier Knob/Shooter Issue

[Chef_McM]

Hey everybody!

I'm new to the site and just got my first pachinko machine (Sankyo Macross Frontier) yesterday from Akimono. I think I've got things on the machine mostly figured out, but I have a problem with the knob/shooter that I'm stumped on.

The amount that the knob is turned does not effect the velocity that the balls are launched at. No matter how far to the right it is turned, the balls go about half way up the side of the machine and never enter into the playing field. The button on the side of the knob appears to be functioning correctly. I've checked that everything is aligned correctly and that nothing is obstructing the path of the balls. The machine does not display an error code.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm not sure if this is a problem with the knob or with the shooter. I've contacted the seller as well, but I wanted to see if any one here had any insights. Thanks in advance!

[Drunkenclam]

Check to make sure it's only firing 1 ball at a time. Also if the cel has come misaligned from the frame. That can cause problems. Although never heard a Sankyo do that. It's also worth popping open the glass and the opening the front tray to see if anything is stuck there. Worth checking to make sure the shooter hammer is intact, some have a spring on them, as for the V trigger version, I don't know, it's just generic stuff to check, others with that frame will be more helpful.

[Chef_McM]

Thanks for the suggestions! I tried everything you mentioned as best I could. Their doesn't seem to be any misalignment with the frame. Nothing appears to be blocking the path of the balls either. It only launches one ball at a time and the shooter hammer looks good. It just doesn't increase its power like it should as the knob turns. I'll keep working on it.

[jmaclerran]

Make sure that you are grasping the metal grounding ring on the shooter knob.

Don't worry about the button on the side of the shooter knob, that is just there to pause the firing when you are in a reach so you don't lose your sweet spot on the shooter knob.
You won't need it to get the balls firing to begin with.

[Chef_McM]

Make sure that you are grasping the metal grounding ring on the shooter knob.

Don't worry about the button on the side of the shooter knob, that is just there to pause the firing when you are in a reach so you don't lose your sweet spot on the shooter knob.
You won't need it to get the balls firing to begin with.

Yeah, I am definitely making plenty of contact with the grounding ring. That part seems to be working correctly at least.

I was wondering when the little pause button was actually used in play, so that is good to know. Thanks!

[heima]

When you turn the knob clockwise, do you feel increasing resistance, or is it just "meh"?
Also this, is there a spring at the end of the shooter arm (inside the lower tray door)?

[luckydog]

you can open the lower front tray by just opening the glass part of the door, you will see a small latch that usually needs to be pressed down for access

[Chef_McM]

Aha! Discovered the problem. I opened up the front of the machine underneath where the knob is. The plastic gear that the knob hooks into has a large piece broken off. Because of this, the knob is unable to actually turn the gears to increase the velocity of the shooter. It must have broke from the knob getting bumped during shipping. If I replace that part, I should be good to go.

Thanks to everybody for the help!

[hanabi]

that's good news that you have located the problem, do keep us posted if you manage to locate a gear that can replace it or repair it