First Pachinko!Help needed...

[squig]

Hello Pachitalk!

I found a Neon Genesis Evangelion pachinko machine at a yard sale today and picked it up for $50, which seemed like a pretty good price. From my bit of googling tonight I found out there are several versions, mine has white robotic plates around the screen that move and a purple robot on the right side that opens his jaw. After firing it up tonight it seems like there is something wrong but I have no idea what and I was hoping that someone can help point me in the right direction.

Heres the symptoms: After starting it up initially I heard music and sound from the speakers and a sort of intro movie played on the screen, when it was finished it showed rows of numbered characters like a slot machine. Turning the dial shoots balls into the machine but nothing really happens, no sound effects, nothing, the balls just fall to the tray end up in the tray or dump out a hole in the bottom of the machine. It just seems like everything is dead and inactive.There is a digital readout on the top that reads --:--:-- which I'm assuming is supposed to show your winnings? The lady I bought it from was telling me how the characters talk to each other and theres all kinds of crazy sounds and activity, but i'm not seeing any of that. I got the machine open and inside there is a digital readout showing a 7.

What I've tried: Searching around the net (mostly this site, lol) I found a couple of tips that could be helpful. One was to check to see if the flap is closed that prevents the payout of the balls and it was indeed closed. Opening the flap just caused all the balls to run through the machine and dump out the bottom and it did not resolve the problem. The other bit of info I found was about the reset switch, I tried pressing it while plugging the machine in with the other hand and holding it down for 10 seconds but that didnt seem to do anything.

I could really use some help here, the wife was already saying "you bought a WHAT??" when I got home and then I had to let on that it's not working, not a good spot to be in! lol. Thanks much for any help!

Andy

[owennewton]

First, welcome!

It sounds like you have the first one or "Second impact". the first one has Eva 1 holding the display on the right side and Second Impact has a ball with the nerv logo in the center at the top. I would guess you have the 2nd one as you said the number display was at the top. Troubleshooting is the same as they are close to the same age and use the same frame.
Some things to try are hold in the reset button and turn off the power switch above it and then turn it back on while holding the reset button. It will only play the music when it has been reset, rather with the button or when it has sat unplugged long enough to drain the capacitor. that will clear the memory and allow you to fill the reward hopper in back without it dumping them to the payout tray trying to catch up on payouts. With the tray full it should also clear the error on the display on the back.

Next open the door with the lever half way down on the left side when looking at the back. drop a ball into the center pocket (the big white one near the bottom or if you have the second version of the machine it will be gold colored) that will make it play music and the reels will spin. If you don't have that happen then carefully undo and reset every connector on the back as something may have worked lose or there may be a little corrosion making a bad connection.

If that can't get it going feel free to PM me as I have the first 3 Evangelion machines and know them as good as the back of my hand and can help with troubleshooting.

the buttons on the front tray will not do anything and the display above them will not work unless you get a Daverob emulator dongle (a must get if you end up hooked on the machine) so don't worry about them at this time. The display in the cell will just have the dashes most of the time but there are some timed game modes where it will do a 3 or 5 minute countdown.

[owennewton]

here is a video of startup from a reset and some gameplay of the first one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ-lETRAcT4 and a pic 1 eva 1.jpg

and here is a video of a rare mode on the 2nd model

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ7ohenPVO4 and a pic 2 eva 2.jpg

this will help to tell them apart (don't worry about frame color, it has nothing to do with the game in it)

[Moparformances]

Welcome to Pachitalk

how many pachinko balls do ya have??? the back top hopper should hold about 1000 balls if filled to the level top...

[Drunkenclam]

Welcome Aboard

When you say. You opened the payout flap and all the balls fell through. Did they fall out the back of the machine under the circuit boards or out of the front of the machine.
If the back. Then make sure your ball dump valve is closed. I think its a white knob on the right hand side. If you can. Look at the lumina frame manual for the location, if you are unsure.

[squig]

Thank you all for responding! After looking at the videos it seems I have the first version of Evangelion.

>>>Some things to try are hold in the reset button and turn off the power switch above it and then turn it back on while holding the reset button.

I did try to do a reset but it didnt seem to do anything, meaning the machine just brought up the same screen with the chaaracters instead of playing the intro music and stuff. I didnt see a power switch though, I was plugging the power cord into a power strip while holding the button down.

>>>Next open the door with the lever half way down on the left side when looking at the back. drop a ball into the center pocket (the big white one near the bottom or if you have the second version of the machine it will be gold colored) that will make it play music and the reels will spin.

I'm not sure how to do this because i don't have the key to the machine, I am able to reach into the back and lift the lock so I can open the whole front but I don't know how to get into the area that's covered in glass. As for making the reels spin, my little daughter was just playing with it and got a ball in the center area and there was sound and animation for that.

>>>how many pachinko balls do ya have??? the back top hopper should hold about 1000 balls if filled to the level top...

Not sure how many I have but the holding area at the top was full to the brim

>>>When you say. You opened the payout flap and all the balls fell through. Did they fall out the back of the machine under the circuit boards or out of the front of the machine. If the back, then make sure your ball dump valve is closed.

They fell out the back and through a hole in the bottom of the housing. I found the large white knob on the right and after turning it the balls stayed at the top

Ok so after the help heres what I have now:

There is no background music while the game is idle
The game does not give any kind of feedback when the ball is in play unless it goes in the center catch (normal?)
the error code has changed from a 7 to a 4

Thanks again for all your help!

[luckydog]

no music or any screenplay unless a ball goes in center pocket

[Drunkenclam]

error 4 is payout motor fault. There might be a jam or oversized ball in the motor. Or the balls aren't reaching the motor.
So lets confirm. The gate at the top is open and the ball dump is closed.

You should be able to open the glass from behind, by moving the brass coloured rod on the left up or down. Sorry I can't get to my lumina framed machine at the moment,
Once you get the glass open. Drop a ball into the start pocket. The character reels should spin, You should get music and also you should get a payout of 3 or 4 balls.

[Moparformances]

[owennewton]

here are some pics with locations of the resat and power switches, they are on the lower left side when looking at the back

100_2544.jpg100_2545.jpg

And the door release also in the left when looking at the back, it is the small brass tab set sorta deep in there half way down and you press down to open the glass door

100_2546.jpg100_2547.jpg

it sounds like the machine is working right other than the payout error and I will give some pointers for that in the next post

[owennewton]

sounds like you have figured out the ball dump but to check out the payout motor and clear a possible jam you will need to clear the balls out from above it. First close the little spiked jaw as seen in the first two pics.



Then you will need to activate the ball dump to clear out above the payout motor. First pic is the normal position and second pic is in dump position.



after dumping the balls switch it back to the up down direction and press up on the tab my thumb is on in the next pic and pull the cover out and up, it will latch in the open possition



Now you can see the payout motor. unplug the wires, press in the tab my finger is on and you can slide it about a 1/4 inch to the right and then pull it out.



clear the balls out of it (one or two may stay inside) and look to see if there is something in it that should not be (screw, hair, dead bug...) and while you have it out you should clean any crud you can get to with glass cleaner on a q-tip. before putting things back together press up on the metal tab to remove any balls that may still be over the payout



it goes back together as easy as it comes apart, just make sure to plug the wires back in.

Hope this helps you get it running, This was also my first modern pachinko ans the Eva machines are still my favorites

[Moparformances]

great "pachinko 101" Owen

[squig]

Wow you guys are the best here!! Ok so I followed owennewton's EXCELLENT instructions and cleaned the motor out and put it back together and the 4 code is gone and there is now a - there, which apparently means all is good. The weird thing is that I finally got a ball in the center but no balls "paid out" into the tray, is that normal? Thank you all so much for the help, I feel like the machine is pretty much working now and I'm feeling like I got a pretty good score for $50.

[owennewton]

As long as you remembered to open the metal gate it should be paying off with the door open drop a ball in each pocket, the center one should pay out 3, the 4 along the bottom should pay out 10 and if you open the wide flap at the bottom center and drop a ball in it should set of an alarm that will run for about two minutes but that will check the sensors for payouts. If it is still not paying out then it is back to checking connectors (double check pink ones at the bottom as they connect the cell to the payout computer)

[squig]

Ok thanks, I will check it out further tomorrow, I think I would probably wake up the little one if I messed with it now, this thing is LOUD! =)

[owennewton]

Ok thanks, I will check it out further tomorrow, I think I would probably wake up the little one if I messed with it now, this thing is LOUD! =)

read up on volume controls, I like the little ones that can be placed inline next to the speakers, harder to adjust but they are the only ones that I have not had failures with

[squig]

Ok so I think everything is working great with the pachinko now. I think the biggest issue was that I was looking at it in context of western type things I am familiar with. For example I thought the machine was broken because it was unresponsive when a ball is in play but that's because I was thinking of it like a pinball machine where something happens every time the ball hits anything. The other issue was with the payout, I thought that was broken too but it turns out I've been waiting for balls to drop into the bottom tray like a slot machine. I didn't notice that they were actually going into the launch area!

I want to thank all of you again for your help, I have learned alot about the machine in just a couple of days and I'm looking forward to playing with the machine and figuring out how to play it. Speaking of that, does anyone know where I can get some information about the gameplay on the game? I finally kinda figured out that I'm supposed to keep shooting while the wheels are spinning and that I get some kind of bonus, but I'm still not sure what to do with the "chance" button or how you get the flap at the bottom to open.

[luckydog]

when the chance button lights up , you press it to up your chances

the little door that won't open will open when you get a fever, then you must get some balls in it every time it opens during the 15 round fever to continue

[owennewton]

Sounds like you have it figured out Just wait til you get 3 of the same number or when it hits "Berserker mode" very fun machine and I am glad you got everything sorted