Newbi Fever Queen owner with Reel problems

[kidpaul]

Hi,
I'm new to this game and I have poured over all of these posts. Seems like a great community!

I now have a Fever Queen machine that looks like it was from 1994. I brought it to a local arcade "Pinball Wizard Arcade" in Pelham, NH. Amazing place! The owner, Sarah, refurbished the machine and it was working great for about an hour. I soon realized that the "start" pocket would no longer spin the reels. The back light for the reels would also flash. All pockets would still pay out. I brought it back to the arcade and Sarah determined that the sensor that the ball drops through likely has malfunctioned. This is proving to be a hard to find part but I get the feeling that the problem has something to do with the machine being stuck in some sort of mode because of the flashing backlight. I never hit a jackpot. I can't seem to find good "reset" directions. There are no buttons or switches anywhere. There is a round keyhole in the front and I think I have a key that works for it. I can make a 40 degree turn with the key and I get a "click" like it is actually working but I don't get any different reaction from the machine.

Any idea was is going on here? It seems like the ball sensor would be the most reliable part of this machine!

Thanks,
Paul

[MrGneiss]

WELCOME!!!


I don't think I'll be much help but one thing that is always helpful is posting some pics of your machine..front and back and close ups of ay problem areas..

How to Post Pictures!!


The only key usually on a pachinko is for the lock on the front..Turning it one way allows the machine to swing out of the frame and turning it the other way just opens the front window..

[kidpaul]

Thanks!

After further inspection, it does appear that the ball sensor is broken. I'm not sure how these things are supposed to work. See posted picture. I'm guessing the ball pulls a magnet inside the component that shorts the leads. If I lightly tap the ball on the soldered leads (back side, not shown in pic), will trigger the reels but passing the ball through the hole does nothing. This is an Omron TL-PP93. I found myself on a omron-amusem.jp website (all japanese even with Google translation) and found the same component listed at TL-PP153 with a short description "Pachinko Ball Detector". I still have a call out to Omron to get this part. I was thinking of just soldering two small wires to the leads and putting them in the hole so that the ball shorts the leads as it passes through.
2011-05-04_07-38-32_429.jpg

[owennewton]

it works more like the loop in the road at a traffic light, when the ball passes through it makes a small electric field in the coil of wire. The only time I have ever seen one of those fail was from mechanical damage that was very noticeable. the circuit is normally closed and causing a quick open state will trigger a spin most of the time. It sounds like yours has a break in the coil, that is older than the one they use in most of them now but you should be able to find one from someone that has a parts machine, if Subdude still has his stack of parts he may have one...

[Drunkenclam]

i few member may have one from a parts machine, or
hunt the web
Although most supplies want a minimum order
or
A proximity switch will have the same effect.

[kidpaul]

Hi,

I have pretty much run out of leads finding that part. I clipped off the wires and stripped them out so they are lightly hanging over the hole. When the ball drops through, it shorts the circuit and properly registers. I hope I don't create problems doing this. Any objections? The machine is running like a champ now! Still haven't seen the jackpot mode, however.

Thanks,
Paul

[owennewton]

can you post a pic of where it mounts? I think the one I have in my parts drawer is too big but it may help others that see the thread know if they have one that would fit

[owennewton]

If you think this one will work 100_1884.jpg100_1885.jpg PM me your address and I will send it out to you. It is from my Cutie Honey and as she will never work with anything other than a button again she won't be needing it.

[Drunkenclam]

You cut out Honey's special hole...You monster

[owennewton]

that was bad, even for you

The first time I plugged Honey in and turned the shooter knob it popped- sizzled and got hot enough to set a cover on fire. (refer to my very first post) toasted the card interface board and the payout board. I got my money refunded and got to keep it so I started digging around. I wired the ball loan buttons to the start gate and fever gate ports on the main board and removed all the ball handling parts (including the clear cell with the nails) so now she is a press to play video slot.

This thread has been bugging me as I thought I had an older style than the omron they use in lumina cells and the newer frames so I went through my parts box and found the trigger for kidpaul.

[Drunkenclam]

that was bad, even for you

My count has been stationary for a while

[kidpaul]

Owen, you rock! My hacky solution would only work well for about an hour at a time. I had to adjust the wires twice since posting!

[owennewton]

Part went out on Saturday so look for the letter soon small enough to tape in 2 index cards and go in a stamped envelope

[TheWhiteQuacker]

Did a new ball sensor do the trick? I have having a similar problem with my fever queen.

[Spyder138]

Did a new ball sensor do the trick? I have having a similar problem with my fever queen.

This thread is 10 years old and the person that started it hasn't logged on since 5/17/2011 so you are probably not going to get a response from him. Good luck with your issue.

[rockston]

Check and see if its the ball sensor, if it is, you can borrow one from one of the other pockets. Its more important that your center feature work!

[Drunkenclam]

Machines of this vintage. Don't have a sensor on every hole. Instead they rely on a pocket sensor for the centre feature. Then there is a separate payout sensor that all the pockets lead to. That's why. The payout is always one or two values. Rather than the more modern of.3 or 4 payout variables. I believe Peteybob has already supplied a spare pocket sensor for this machine.

[Peteybob]

Machines of this vintage. Don't have a sensor on every hole. Instead they rely on a pocket sensor for the centre feature. Then there is a separate payout sensor that all the pockets lead to. That's why. The payout is always one or two values. Rather than the more modern of.3 or 4 payout variables. I believe Peteybob has already supplied a spare pocket sensor for this machine.

Yes the replacement sensor fixed it.

[Spyder138]

Yes the replacement sensor fixed it.

Awesome!