GETAWAY weak flippers

[tinman]

Hi Guys, my Getaway is flaking out a bit - with all flippers barely responding. Any tips? Is it just a loose connection somewhere?

 

[69er]

generally on most pinballs not just GETAWAY and similar .......... try.... and just in case any reader is new to pinball ?? multi readers here......... ??

firstly check that both windings are soldered firmly at the coil and that the end of stroke EOS switch contacts are tensioned enough to conduct and are clean ( check that multi strand wiring is not frayed near the solder tabs with vibration as the whole wire needs to conduct the current if its reduced to less or even fa ew strands its like putting a restrictive fuse in series and weakens the power , eventually breaking away if ignored) ) if only the holding winding is conducting the flipper will be very weak as its designed just to hold at full travel stroke and can be held by finger without causing it to grossly overheat .. the EOS breaks the stronger current at max travel, which gives the flip coil its initial 'whack' power ..

only use recommended electrical contact cleaner and a pinball contact tool to clean the EOS switch as the gold plated surface can wear off and reduce conductivity as with pcb edge connectors the same

also look at the button contacts at the cabinet sides , too wide spaced maybe and poor contact when pressed leads to some arcing and a build up of spark residue... some tables use a flipper interface pcb too and these are subject to a degree of power loss on the connectors where applicable

Also where additional second flippers are used from one cabinet button often the EOS switch transfers the power onward to the flippers further up the table bed

all else if the soldering is ok and efficiently heated to hold the wiring close to the coil tabs and all contacts appear ok it may just be the coils have become weaker over time and may be worth getting them replaced though if they look tidy and not showing overheating or sloppiness they should be fine

finally check the solenoid shaft is flush to the coil sleeve liner without being tight either if tight then that's a sign of overheating , if sloppy the liner is perhaps worn and the magnetism effect is then reduced a bit .. also for wear just check the free movement of the paddle pivot though the playfield again not tight and not sloppy ( sloppy leads to artwork scratching in the flipper movement zone ) and just check the coil clamp ends are screwed tight as vibration can loosen them and the coil mount goes sloppy too making a reduction in positive movement..... see how that starter advice goes

 

[pooman2084]

Good advice above.

Start with mechanical issues then move onto electronics.

Most flipper issues can be addressed with a rebuild kit. If it hasn’t had cool sleeves and stops changing for a while it is a good idea anyway.

 

[tinman]

generally on most pinballs not just GETAWAY and similar .......... try.... and just in case any reader is new to pinball ?? multi readers here......... ??

firstly check that both windings are soldered firmly at the coil and that the end of stroke EOS switch contacts are tensioned enough to conduct and are clean ( check that multi strand wiring is not frayed near the solder tabs with vibration as the whole wire needs to conduct the current if its reduced to less or even fa ew strands its like putting a restrictive fuse in series and weakens the power , eventually breaking away if ignored) ) if only the holding winding is conducting the flipper will be very weak as its designed just to hold at full travel stroke and can be held by finger without causing it to grossly overheat .. the EOS breaks the stronger current at max travel, which gives the flip coil its initial 'whack' power ..

only use recommended electrical contact cleaner and a pinball contact tool to clean the EOS switch as the gold plated surface can wear off and reduce conductivity as with pcb edge connectors the same

also look at the button contacts at the cabinet sides , too wide spaced maybe and poor contact when pressed leads to some arcing and a build up of spark residue... some tables use a flipper interface pcb too and these are subject to a degree of power loss on the connectors where applicable

Also where additional second flippers are used from one cabinet button often the EOS switch transfers the power onward to the flippers further up the table bed

all else if the soldering is ok and efficiently heated to hold the wiring close to the coil tabs and all contacts appear ok it may just be the coils have become weaker over time and may be worth getting them replaced though if they look tidy and not showing overheating or sloppiness they should be fine

finally check the solenoid shaft is flush to the coil sleeve liner without being tight either if tight then that's a sign of overheating , if sloppy the liner is perhaps worn and the magnetism effect is then reduced a bit .. also for wear just check the free movement of the paddle pivot though the playfield again not tight and not sloppy ( sloppy leads to artwork scratching in the flipper movement zone ) and just check the coil clamp ends are screwed tight as vibration can loosen them and the coil mount goes sloppy too making a reduction in positive movement..... see how that starter advice goes

Amazing, thank you!! Will work through that advice over the weekend

 

[tinman]

Got it working, thanks guys. Just posting here for anyone else experiencing the issue in the future.

Basically, it was just bad connections to the Fliptronic board (the very first board in the top left of the back cabinet). I took them all off, sprayed each with contact cleaner and put back... et voila.

Also has an issue with the back ramp clicking (apparently common) which was just about bending the little metal arm on the switch that detects whether it is open / closed; just enough so that it pushed it far enough to switch properly.