YIPE!!!!

[Rizash]

End of the night... Lane 1 .... 1st ball. sweep drops, table starts to go down... machine dies,
no juice (no lights, etc...) . Breaker not tripped [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif[/img] leave machine off/unplug it... chassis smells like something is "cooked" (that electrical smell-- the one we ALL know from when a wire/something electrical burns out) call chief mechanic... he has me change out chassis... still no go!!! no lights, no movement, nothing.... He's there now working on it... any guesses as to what it could be? (Just for my curiocity, OR in case he doesnt know by afternoon when I get there)

[felix]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Easy; C1 Plug Or Gass Relay in Mp Chassis.

[Rizash]

Re: YIPE!!!!

C1 plug... I had an idea it was one of the plugs, but... thats a mess to change, isnt it? I've never changed one, and it doesnt look fun....

[Rep]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Last time I had the problem as you described it was the C1 plug that blew, melted plastic and pins, yick Not too labor intensive but timely and rather unfun to say the least

[toon30s]

Re: YIPE!!!!

I had one go one time. I was in the back, lights out, just whatever lights were on out over the lanes. When the wires arced, it looked like someone was welding!!

[Rizash]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Was the plug... Weird thing is the chassis plugs smelled "burned" ... so I figured it was the chassis plugs... I could have guessed it was one of the cables/plugs, but it would have taken ages to find what wires it was [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif[/img] And I'm STILL confused how it did that without tripping the machine breaker, or arcing....

[TheGMan143]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Those AMP plugs are strange... once they get a little bit of dirt or gunk between them and the contacts arc once, it seems like they get a 'path' burned into the plug body that arcs/shorts every time after that. No matter how much you clean them, they will still arc. The only way to fix it is to replace the plug body (and whatever pins melted).

[TheLegend]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Originally posted by TheGMan143:
Those AMP plugs are strange... once they get a little bit of dirt or gunk between them and the contacts arc once, it seems like they get a 'path' burned into the plug body that arcs/shorts every time after that. No matter how much you clean them, they will still arc. The only way to fix it is to replace the plug body (and whatever pins melted).

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Amen....

I've seen holes burned down inbetween the pin slots of the block.

One note... after replacing the blocks and pins a few times the wires become short to the point where you have to add more onto the cable.

Never.... ever..... use butt connectors to splice the wires together. Solder the wires together and cover the joints with shrinkable tubing. Mechanical splices have too much resistance and will cause the wires to heat up and eventually blow the block up again.

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Originally posted by TheGMan143:
Those AMP plugs are strange... once they get a little bit of dirt or gunk between them and the contacts arc once, it seems like they get a 'path' burned into the plug body that arcs/shorts every time after that. No matter how much you clean them, they will still arc. The only way to fix it is to replace the plug body (and whatever pins melted).

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It leaves a carbon track that conducts afterwards. Distributors in cars can develop the same problem and flyback transformers in monitors (TV's) can also do it. Just no way of getting rid of that carbon that I know of.

[LancerLanesMech]

Re: YIPE!!!!

Not cheap (around $225.00 from Vantage), but necessary, get an AMP crimping tool to make changing those pins &amp; sockets easier. I have been changing many this year, and that tool made it a thousand times easier. I wouldn't even think of trying to mess with them without it now.

[TheGMan143]

Re: YIPE!!!!

I take the 'long, safe way' with them... strip the wire, insert it into the pin, crimp with needlenose pliers, then solder the tab to the wire. Takes longer, but wires pulling out of the crimps is absolutely unheard of.

[RGP]

Re: YIPE!!!!

If anyone is interested, I found a great place to get the shrink tube, 25 cents a foot, many sizes. Email me and I will pick up and ship. [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif[/img]