Strike cycle confusion.

I have 82-70's with Accuscore Plus. The problem happens when I cycle the machine fron the mechanics panel, or rerack it from the bowlers console.

If the machine is on first ball and I press the cycle button, the sweep drops, table feels for pins, takes them up, sweep takes away dead wood, then when the table gets to the top with the pins in the fingers, the machine goes into strike cycle and trys to set a full rack on top of the pins that are already in the fingers. As you can imagine this results in some very nasty things.

I'm lost. I can't understand where the machine is getting strike cycle info from. If the bowler throws a ball all is fine, but not from the mechanics panel. Also does the same thing from the bowlers console. Pin falls over during spotting, rerack left lane, big mess. Push the reset button and all is well.

help.
keeks.

[8270 pinspotter]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Wow, that is confusing. The only thing I can think of is that you have a bad or broken respot cell wire, either from the table to the plug, or from the plug to the chassis. I'm sure you've already checked all these things though. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I've never seen this before, Good Luck.

[Kat]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

keeks:

To clarify your questions:

With AMF AccuScore Plus, there are 2 types of cycles....an RPO (Respot Pins Only) and a Scoring Cycle. There are only 3 ways to issue an RPO command to an AMF 82/70 SS or MP. They are: The mechanics cycle button on the BE Control Box, the Front Desk Cycle Option thru Advantage, and the Re-Rack from the BT. If the machine is cycled from those points, the CWC tells the scanner/camera to ignore any pincount...thereby relying on the wires on your respot cells for info to the chassis. So, if any or all of your wires have been bypassed improperly, you will have this problem. On the other hand, if the pinsetter is cycled using the Cushion Start Switch, Ball return button, ball detector ass'y, or the cycle button on the MP Chassis, the CWC will utilize the camera for pinfall and tell the Pinsetter chassis how to respond; i.e. Shortened Strike cycle, 7/10 pickoff, etc.

Hope this helps and is not too confusing...post again if your need more help.

Kat

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Kat nailed it....sounds like you have MP chassis. and when a non-scoring cycle button is used the machine relies on the wires in the table to detect pins. the easy way out is to use a terminal chair with the ground wire in the wire way between the capacitors and perminately ground one respot cell. yes when a non scoring cycle button is used the machine will go through a complete first ball cycle whether or not pins are there.....but it beats the alternative

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

at a seperate house i worked at.....i removed all wiring...including the table cable...and used a little jumper wire from the ground to the #1 cell on all lanes.

[Kat]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Coors: Good point. In fact, the new chassis that I am running now which are the Ultra 98 Plus from Creative (Same as AMF Superstar) have the circuits for Respot cells automatically grounded in the chassis. So on any RPO Strike cycle, the pinsetter will go to second ball with a phantom rack. Only circuit used in table wiring is GP switch.

Keeks: Make sure if you do decide to by-pass your table wiring, your ground out at least 1 circuit in your WIREWAY or MP Chassis.

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

WOW....ultra 98 plus...im jealous

At my current house im still usin 6700 elco's...sometimes the little hampster in side it quits running. Im almost out of spare hampsters...lol

[GPS]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Hey Coors, don't feel bad. If you remember I have a relay chassis with a stepper relay running the show. Fortunatly it runs a 70 machine and not a 30. The side of the chassis reads "assembled by Thomas Edis " I couldn't make out the rest.

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Hey GPS...Have ya ever considered converting the chassis to use an Omega-Tek board. If so what all is involved in allowing the board to run the show. and if memory serves....the mask plug on the B's isnt it a C1 plug which faces forward toward the masking unit?...just curious. I wouldnt mind havin a workin B chassis just for novelty...lol

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

speakin of chassis headaches...lane 14 has had a few "fake out of ranges"...about one a week...nothin to get too concerned over yet. well i grounded the GP in the wireway to rule it out and still had another one tonight.

so between shifts i swapped chassis with 15....well after practice for late shift...15 isnt scoring second ball...every chassis i put on 15 wouldnt score second ball...yet they did work when put on another lane...naturally it has to be somethin in the plugs...but i cant see anything obvious.

long story short drank a few extra tonight after work rewirin the Chassis plugs...with my cheapo crimpers...lol and WaLah it works...

i hate it when ya try to solve one mystery and create several more while tryin'....lol

night all

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

just to clarify...by fake out of range i mean...1st ball....sweep drops and table does not run...naturally they call back OOR when its really not.

[Kat]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Coors:

Had this problem on lane 1 last week. "B" Mechanic made a mess of my table wiring jumping wires all over the place...any my poor GP switch, well let's not go there.

Anyway, I got called in and discovered a bad CTM-1. Just in case it happens again on same lane with you.

Kat

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

swapped omega-tek boards yesterday...no false out of ranges last night..knock on wood

[vinson]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

Why do you guys even have the gripper protection switches hook up,, you don't have aluminum fingers do you? By pass them!

[Coors]

Re: Strike cycle confusion.

for the most part my GP's are by-passed.....but on several of them i still have them hooked up for novelty reasons...at a house i worked at which had MP chassis...i removed all wiring including the GP switch.

at my present house i've got SS's...a few have expander cards...but all tables have all wiring...so whats the big deal with two more wires? all my GP's are adjusted to not actuate until fingers are over halfway closed anyhow (incase there is a pin in table/broken finger/cup locking the fingers closed) so its not that big a deal