Ball shooter stopped working

[GoldenJeff]

I have a Sankyo Mega Fever and everything still works except the ball shooter. Nothing. No response. There’s a large round sensor enclosure on the ball shooter control in the back with “PLS56-048 on it - could that have died? I want to give this to my grandkids so any repair help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Drunkenclam]

Not sure of age of that machine. First if it's a CR. Check the dongle and the 1A fuse on the CR board. It's also worth trying, for testing purpose. Turn and hold the shooter whist touching a piece of metal on the back of the machine like the door lock. (Obviously nothing with power on it like the transformer.

[GoldenJeff]

[QUOTE=Drunkenclam;615172]Not sure of age of that machine. First if it's a CR. Check the dongle and the 1A fuse on the CR board. It's also worth trying, for testing purpose. Turn and hold the shooter whist touching a piece of metal on the back of the machine like the door lock. (Obviously nothing with power on it like the transformer.[/QUOTE

Thanks for the suggestions. It’ll be a couple of hours until I can get back to it but I’ll give it a try and let you know what happens. 👍

[takethecastle57]

First




Could you please post nice, Clear photos of your Pachinko Machine (Front and Back) and a close up on the back lower right side of that input that looks like a computer interface port?

Photos will help us help you. Many thanks.

[GoldenJeff]

First




Could you please post nice, Clear photos of your Pachinko Machine (Front and Back) and a close up on the back lower right side of that input that looks like a computer interface port?

Photos will help us help you. Many thanks.

Hi takethecastle57. Thank you for your email. I will try to figure out how to do this (attach pictures) with my iPhone. Hope to get it to work. I appreciate any help you can give me!

[GoldenJeff]

[GoldenJeff]

I have the photos but can’t figure out how to attach and send them from my phone. Drag and drop not possible. I may have to wait until I’m home in a few days to use my Mac. I’ll try again then. Sorry I couldn’t get you the photos tonight but, hopefully, you’ll be able to see them in a few days. Thanks!

[GoldenJeff]

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[GoldenJeff]

Figured it out! (Not bad for an old guy…)

[MrGneiss]

It looks to me in the 5th pic like you're missing a dongle.. Thats most likely why it won't shoot!!

[Drunkenclam]

Well it is a CR machine. But I don't see a dongle. Can you find the 25 pin d socket on the back. Looks like an old printer port. There should be a small device plugged into it.

[takethecastle57]

Here's how to make a dongle from the guy who reversed engineered the dongle to work the ball loan buttons on the front top tray

https://www.pinballdave.com

F.A.Q.s then


Pre-pay card & card reader FAQ

[Drunkenclam]

The thread is called "stopped working" so I guess you have had this machine a while. Has it worked fine in the past? Have you recently moved it to a different location?

[GoldenJeff]

I’ve had it for 20 years but haven’t used it in several years. Just loaded it into the car and took it on a 7-hour drive to give it to my granddaughters… and the ball shooter isn’t working for the first time. The kids were very disappointed. I do see where a dongle could be missing but I will have to wait a few days until I’m home to look for it. A big “thank you!” to Drunkenclam, MrGneiss and takethecastle57 for your interest in my predicament and analysis. If I can’t find the dongle, are appropriate ones available for sale anywhere?

[Drunkenclam]

Its probably in the back of the car ��
As for replacements. As mentioned above. The Daverob dongle above is a good investment as it activates the 2 buttons on the front and will payout balls to play with from the rear tank. And keep track of how many times you did it. But if you just want one to enable the shooter. If your good with a soldering iron you can make your own. Daverob also put the circuit diagram on his website

https://www.pinballdave.com/pachinko...er.html#pinout

[GoldenJeff]

I looked in the car - no luck. It’s probably gone to that great Pachinko Parlor in the sky. Since I’m not good with circuits or a soldering iron, I’m looking for an appropriate dongle to purchase and plug in. I just emailed Dave (have not heard back yet) but am wondering if all “Fever” machines have identical dongles or are they specific to each model. And if you have any sources for the specific dongle I need. Thanks.

[MrGneiss]

All dongles will work on all machines!!

[Drunkenclam]

Dave is here in the UK so probably asleep.

The 25 pin is a standard configuration to connect to the parlour credit loan system. So all dongles should work in any machine.

[GoldenJeff]

Dave is here in the UK so probably asleep.

The 25 pin is a standard configuration to connect to the parlour credit loan system. So all dongles should work in any machine.

I emailed Dave and got a very detailed response about dongles, but also said that some machines were modified to not need one - the ball shooter is always active. That got me thinking that I don’t recall having ever seen a dongle on mine. Granted I haven’t looked at the back in probably 10 years and I could be wrong, but I think that might be the case and I also don’t see how a locked 25-pin connector could just come undone. Assuming he’s correct, I think I probably have one of those machines. So, it might be the sensor or motor that has failed and not a missing dongle.

[GoldenJeff]

Dave is here in the UK so probably asleep.

The 25 pin is a standard configuration to connect to the parlour credit loan system. So all dongles should work in any machine.

(I replied earlier but don’t see it posted, so I’m doing it again.)
I had an email exchange with Dave and in it he mentioned that some machines were modified to not need a dongle to activate the ball shooter. I haven’t looked at the back of mine in probably 10 years or more and so I could be wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing a dongle there. (Sorry I couldn’t provide more definitive information about that at the beginning.) It’s possible that my machine is one of those, in which case it could be the sensor or shooter motor that failed. The 25-pin connector is also evenly corroded so it might have not been used in a long time even while the machine was working. Has anyone seen that issue before? If so, it might be more difficult to repair. Are there replacements available for the large cylindrical sensor or shooter mechanism?