Bally 931 Circus (Australian)

[Rod71]

Hi there.  I'm Rod from Australia, and I've just picked up a 1973 Circus that kind of works.


It's my first Bally EM, so I need to do some research which will let me communicate better with those in the know


I'm a pinball guy with experience in early Solid State Bally (not much help with this lol) and I know the basics of how EM pinballs operate.  I also have a late 60s Australian Aristocrat mechanical slot with payout slides.


OK so I will make a list of what I believe are my issues, and once I get a little more knowledge under my belt, I will come back and sort through them


* Reel symbols seem to be sitting a little high. - Fixed
* Reel bundle seems to have a lot of slop in the shaft, like there's a locking tab on each side which may not be engaged properly. - Fixed
* Hold and draw feature does not work. There are 3 wires cut from the dashpot switch that lead to a relay. - Fixed
* Bell wires have been cut
* Random underpaying of coins (see below)
* After a win, the next few pulls you can hear a 2 second buzz from the rear of the hopper as soon as the reels kick.  If you get another win while it's in "buzz mode" it will underpay. 1 coin for a cherry, 3 or 4 coins instead of 5.  8 instead of 10 etc. - Fixed
If you play a few times without winning and it stops buzzing, the next pay will be correct.


Thats all I can think of at the moment.  The tunnel target feature works. But underpays because of the above mentioned issue I'm thinking.


OK, better start studying

[wolftalk]

paperwork and bally manuals can be downloaded from http://bingo.cdyn.com/slots/


the w-1046-1160* file in the 931-A directory is the schematic.  My listing says the model number is 931-A for thr 1160 schem.  The schem just says 931 on it.  What's on your serial number plate below the handle?


if you get a chance, please email to slotpics@cdyn.com (or stick someplace for download) highest possible resolution pictures of top glass, reel glass and as many internal pics as you like.  The size limits on this forum are inconvenient.


1] reel symbols sitting high and reel bundle loose


make sure the reels are in right first.  Lift up the locking tabs on the shafts and stick the shaft in.  The tabs sit above the center line of the shaft when let go and push the shaft forward/down into the notch.


2] draw buttons


see schem.  Yell if you aren't familiar with the bally EM schems.  They are the same style as the pinball ones.


3] bell wires


looks like the bell rings the entire duration of the larger top glass payouts and any payout with target on reel 3.  I'd at least put in a quick disconnect or a switch so the bell can be enabled if you want.


4] underpay


make sure the payout counter unit on the hopper resets the wipers all the way.  If the unit is cruddy, the wipers may be sticking and you are hearing the reset coil powering and holding too long because the "0" switch on the unit isn't opening.  The wipers should whizz back to reset position without dragging.  Clean the contact plate with green scrub pad and alcohol and see if that's good enough.  If the white ratchet is gummed up with dried lube, you'll need to take things apart and clean all that off.  No lube needed on the ratchet.

[Rod71]

Thanks mate, really appreciate the link and info.


I'll certainly take a bunch of pics and forward them on to you.  Not a problem.


Here's a pic of the serial plate under the handle.  I'll start looking into issues within the next few days

[wolftalk]

interesting serial number plate ... usually the top box has the model number and the lower box the serial number. 


if that's the only plate you have on the cabinet, it looks like bally had a different scheme for the ireland plates.


I have info on a 931-A and 931-B, and schem for -A.  Whether you have one of those or a different variation depends on the symbols on reel tapes 1 and 3.  The payout counter and reel wipers are the same for the -A and -B, the difference was the glass, reel tapes and slotted reel index discs (they match the tapes).

[Rod71]

Interesting with the A and B models.  I will make a list of reels 1 and 3 to see what we have


OK, so reel hub is now locked in correctly.  The 2 locking tabs were floating above the hub, so that explains a lot as far as sloppiness and poor spinning goes.  But it didn't solve the reels sitting a little high off the centre line.  If you look at the pics below, it appears that the reel or reel strips are not in alignment with the latching wheel grooves.


I've also included a pic of my late 60s Aristocrat Money Tree.  Not sure if these made it to the USA back in the day or not.

[Rod71]

Great success!  After my last post I was reading down the list of threads and found a tip on the 809 N thread.  basically I slowly and carefully manipulated the reel strips themselves until they slid down into position. Much better.

[wolftalk]

Great success!  After my last post I was reading down the list of threads and found a tip on the 809 N thread.  basically I slowly and carefully manipulated the reel strips themselves until they slid down into position. Much better.

snug down a few of the crimps and the tapes will stay put.  Grab the reel tin and slotted index disc and make sure they can't move relative to each other.  If they do, the screws are loose.


is the aristocrat mechanical?  I don't have any paperwork on them, but recall some were purely mechanical (except lighting) and some had hoppers even though they were all regal 22 models.

[Rod71]

Yeah the Aristocrat is mechanical.  The hopper versions are considered boat anchors as they run on some kind of 24V relay boards that nobody knows how to fix.  So you see them being sold around and around in circles to people with high hopes of getting them running


OK, great tip regarding the reel tapes and crimps, I will address that.


I have made a list of the reel symbals so we can figure out what model it is.  Looking at the list, you can see that the odds of getting 3 Bally's are the same as getting 3 horses, tigers or monkeys, but the payouts are different.  Man, thats a bit rude!

[wolftalk]

you have a 931-A ... or -B :-)


the -A was an 81.43% payback machine.  The -B had a version with the same payback as well as a 78.60% version. 


the -B may have some extra stuff for danish coins and had different glasses, but otherwise the rest of the stuff is the same.


the top glass in the -A was G-389-2-c, and the -B was G-389-3.  Sometimes those numbers are screened onto the back side of the glass.

[Rod71]

Ah there ya go.  Interesting that it's dated 1971.  Figured the game was from 1973, hmmm

[Rod71]

OK, moving on to the hopper pay board.  The green wheel is spring loaded. If you advance it by hand counter clockwise, should it snap right back?  Mine doesn't, it's very sluggish.


I cleaned the tracks with rubbing alcohol and cue tips which helped a little, as it seems to return home a little quicker now.  Do I need to use something more aggressive, or is it gummed up behind the wheel.


Hmm, so just did some trials.  Forced a 50 coin pay, and looked at the pay wheel. Wipers were in correct position. installed hopper and spun it up. Coil buzzed for a couple of seconds.  Inspected hopper again and wipers were almost home.  It took a couple more spins for it to stop buzzing, so it appears it's just falling short from getting back to home even after a 50 coin win.

[wolftalk]

get a little more aggressive.  I green scrub pad (or 0000 synthetic steel wool) and alcohol works.  Pretty much anything that doesn't scratch the trace but removes the black track marks.


if that's not good enough, the other things that slow down the reset:


1] dried grease in various places.  More disassembly is needed to clean it off.    If you wind up removing the white nylon ratchet/gear, clean the gear shaft and hole.  No lube is needed on it.


2] the torsion spring that resets the ratchet can be gummed up.  Alcohol is good to decrud so the coils don't stick to each other


3] if it's whizzing back to reset ok, but stopping a little short of the zero stop bumper (what the grey trangular thing hits), see if the zero switches have too much tension.  Especially the upper one.


4] the wipers are pressing onto the traces too hard.  You have to remove the wipers and bend them all up to a consistent height.  Too light a pressure and you'll have underpay problems tho.


while practically any lube on the metal-on-metal interfaces works, some will gum up faster than others.  I usually use a teflon-impregnated lube like Tri-flow and stay away from thicker greases on things you don't want to bog down.


if you do remove the torsion spring, reset the unit and count how many turns of tension are on it.  Too loose and the unit won't reset all the way.  Too tight and it can't step up all the way.  Factory set it to 2 turns.

if nothing else works, you can put a thin film of lubricant on the traces.  Many contact cleaner/lubes use a pure mineral oil as the lube.  Wet finger and smear on is usually good enough to make the wipers whizz back to reset from any position if the other possible issues are taken care of.  Originally bally said not to lube the traces, then the 2600 manual in 1975 said "a very small amount of lubrication is recommended.  A drop of fine oil on your finger, wipe around, then wipe off with clean cloth ... ".


I guess you have the -A model.  One of the few times having info on the glass actually helped.  Apparently a lot of earlier glass doesn't have the part number on it - or it's harder to find.

[Rod71]

Fantastic tips!  Thank you so much


So I hit the tracks with a green pad and rubbing alcohol.  I also adjusted the zero switches, and it's working MUCH better.  Not perfect, but another little switch tweak and I reckon it'll be good. 


I'd still like to give the mech a little clean at the rear though.  Is there a way to access the rear of it without actually pulling it apart?


On another note.  I managed to spin up 3 tigers which should have paid 100 coins but didn't do anything.  I figured I'd better test the next 2 highest pays. (Monkeys 150 and Bally 200) and they didn't pay either.  Do you need a certain amount of coins in the hopper to allow the higher pays to work?.  What is the purpose of the ball on the end of the rod with a microswitch?. 

[wolftalk]

I'd still like to give the mech a little clean at the rear though.  Is there a way to access the rear of it without actually pulling it apart?

not sure what you mean.  To get to the coil side, remove the top nut/screw on the right of the unit frame and loosen the bottom one, then you can pivot the unit down to get to the back.


if you aren't happy with the wiper motion yet, I'll remove the torsion spring on the back, then remove the outboard wiper carriage on the front.  Clean the old grease off the pegs and carriage surfaces, and also remove the grey triangular stop piece and clean the peg and hole.  No lube needed on plastic->metal parts, tho some people use a little.  Also clean the crud off the payout counter wiper contacts.


with the carriage off, you can spin the wipers and see how easily they turn.   If still seems sticky, then remove the center screw and take off the wipers.  Spin the ratchet...it that seems sticky, time to remove it.  You may have to remove a switch stack if it's blocking you.


the golf ball float rod and microswitch in the hopper control the coin diverter mechanism on the coin door.  When the coin level in the hopper gets high enough, the microswitch toggles and the diverter sends coins directly to the overflow chute instead of into the hopper.


if you don't have enough coins in the hopper for a pay, eventually the safety circuit will time out because the payout counter isn't stepping (no coins being ejected).  When time-out happens, the mains power to the transformer is turned off and only a red light behind the hopper will be on.    You have to push the flat bar that is under the hopper unit to reset the safety timer.  You know the win is detected if the hopper turns on.


some wins not detecting could either be a problem with wiper->trace contact on the payout counter, or wiper-> rivet contact on the reel wiper boards.  The alcohol and scrub pad will clean the wiper board rivets.  Check wiper alignment on the rivets and adjust as best you can by loosening the wiper assembly and shifting it around on the arm.   Could also be cruddy pins on the reel mech or hopper plugs.


if still not detecting some wins, it's easiest to yank the hopper (oops) reel mech and use an ohmeter on the plug pins and the chart on the schematic ... once you figure out the orientation of the plugs vs. the chart by looking at wire colors.  E.g.  look for red/green wire 14 on a corner pin and that's pin 1.   Pins 18-14 not used on one of the reel plugs also makes it easier :-)


anyway, looking at the schem  you see the 100 trace on the payout counter is wire 81.   The 50V power is wire 90.  Set up your 3 tiger win and use the ohmeter on plug pins with wires 90 and 81.  If you don't see almost zero ohms, you've got a problem on the reel mech.  If you do see almost zero ohms, problem is in the plug sockets or on the hopper/payout counter.


make sense?

[Rod71]

not sure what you mean.  To get to the coil side, remove the top nut/screw on the right of the unit frame and loosen the bottom one, then you can pivot the unit down to get to the back.

Yeah thats what I read in my studies so far.  But the bar with spring that steps up the wheel won't allow it to pivot forward?. (see attached pic) I feel I'm missing something simple, but I'd rather look like a rookie than dive in and screw it up lol.


As for the payout issues.  Yes I understand the process.  I will check out the mech shortly.  So far I have confirmed continuity from the 100 coin position on the payout wheel to the associated connector pin on the back of the hopper.

[wolftalk]

oops. 


pull down the spring and you can detach the linkage bar from the roller pivot shaft.  The spring is all that's holding those two pieces together.


also fixed another word in previous post.


if the hopper to plug pin looks good, and the circuit between two reel mech pins look good, that just leaves the plug connections and the wires between them.   I usually leave a probe clipped to a reel contact plate lug and stick the reel mech back in, then probe the female hopper socket or the payout counter trace if I can reach it.


anyway, sounds like you have the right idea.

[Rod71]

oops. 


pull down the spring and you can detach the linkage bar from the roller pivot shaft.  The spring is all that's holding those two pieces together.


also fixed another word in previous post.


if the hopper to plug pin looks good, and the circuit between two reel mech pins look good, that just leaves the plug connections and the wires between them.   I usually leave a probe clipped to a reel contact plate lug and stick the reel mech back in, then probe the female hopper socket or the payout counter trace if I can reach it.


anyway, sounds like you have the right idea.

Ha! I knew it was something simple with the linkage bar


OK. so with the 3 tigers payout of 100.  I have verified the mech is good. All 3 wipers and rivets buzz out to the right side connector pin 22.
Pin 22 on the right and pin 14 on the left show zero ohms
Removing both mechs we have continuity between Pin 22 om the female reel socket and pin 28 on the hopper female socket.
On the hopper I have continuity between the 100 coin trace and pin 28 on the hopper connector.  So that all looks good.

Now it starts getting interesting.  I haven't verified the mech as far as the non working monkeys and Bally pays of 150 and 200.  But I did start at the hopper, and found that the 150 track buzzed out fine with pin 13 on the back of the hopper.  Then I tried the 200 track with pin 19 and there was nothing!.  So thats an issue.

I'm wondering if the 200 pay not working will stop the 150 and 100 pays from working when they verify as complete circuits.  The 3 highest pays seem to be seperated from the regular pays on the schematic, but I'm not sure what the relationship is.  hmmm

[wolftalk]

Now it starts getting interesting.  I haven't verified the mech as far as the non working monkeys and Bally pays of 150 and 200.  But I did start at the hopper, and found that the 150 track buzzed out fine with pin 13 on the back of the hopper.  Then I tried the 200 track with pin 19 and there was nothing!.  So thats an issue.

I'm wondering if the 200 pay not working will stop the 150 and 100 pays from working when they verify as complete circuits.  The 3 highest pays seem to be seperated from the regular pays on the schematic, but I'm not sure what the relationship is.  hmmm

if you are probing on the trace surface where the wiper touches, then a light touch of the probe should work.  If poking the solder/wire or pad area around the solder blob, then you may need to dig the probe in a little to get thru any surface oxidation.


when checking the hopper with an ohmeter, go from the plug pin to the F trace on the payout counter disc.  e.g. for the tiger pay, wire 81 (pin 28) to wire 93 on the F trace.  That will check the wiper connection also.


the schematic is graphically correct on how the payout counter works, so nope, an issue with the 200 trace/wiper/wire won't affect any other payout.  However, if the outboard carriage wiper finger that is running on the F trace isn't making good contact (bottom finger in top pair), none of the pays using the outboard wipers will work (100, 150, 200)


wires do break off the plug end, and cold solder joints happen.  Tug on the wire and reflow the solder if there appears to be a crack around the joint.


tmi below
-----------


the large pays use the outboard wipers because they move more slowly than the main wiper span as the payout counter is stepped.   The payout counter can step 100 times before the main wipers have gone 360 degrees and are back where they started, so the unit can't pay 100+ coins using the main wipers.    The spiral and outboard carriage wipers can track more than 900 degrees of main wiper rotation, but there's a gotcha.


since the outboard wipers move slowly and a bit sloppily, they cannot be used the end the payout at exactly the right amount.  Instead, the outboard wipers keep payout going until it's close to the end, then the carry-over (C.O.) trace on the main wipers takes over to finish the pay to the correct amount.


e.g. for a 100 pay, the outboard wiper finger should step off the 100 trace at around step 85 of the unit - +/- a few steps - the wiper on the CO trace will keep the circuit active unit it steps off the CO trace at exactly the 100th step of the payout counter.


if you ever needed to adjust the outboard wipers, you position them to step off the pay trace around 15 steps early.  Step payout counter to exact pay amount, grab the carriage and shift it back-n-forth to make sure the outboard wiper finger cannot touch the pay trace.

[Rod71]

Success!  All 3 missing pays now working!


The top set of contacts that attach to the 100 coin track were ever so slightly floating off the track.  So there was no continuity between those 2 contacts and the lower 2 contacts for the 150 and 200 coin tracks linked via the white wire.  Happy days!


Mate, Thank you so much for all your amazing advice so far, I really appreciate it


Next up is the dreaded hold and draw with cut wires.  Might have a look at this one over the weekend.  Better get some fuses handy lol.

[wolftalk]

the white wire connects all the outboard fingers together.  The most important wiper finger is the second one down from the top ... that's on the (F)eed trace that goes to the payout relay.  If that isn't contacting the trace, none of the 100, 150 or 200 pays will detect.


the hold-and-draw is surprisingly simple.  Hopefully all the pieces are still on the reel mech and you just need to reconnect the button wires.  There's exploded parts diagrams for the hold-n-draw in the bally 2600 manual, but how it actually locks the reels I don't remember.