Wireway maintaince.

[pat]

I have a couple of wire ways that are giving me some problems. We still use our respot wires so I need to leave everything in tact. What the problem is is that some of them are “sagging” so to speak. When they do this it can cause many problems most ending up that the cells cannot lock onto the pin during respotting .

I know I cannot be the first top experience this what mods are some of you doing to take care of this issue? It just looks like where the wire ways connect there could be a more solid setup than what we have.

Just looking for ideas
Thanks all.

[MCSS]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

I am assuming you mean the 5 links on the table that control the respot cells and have the wires in them.

What I am doing is buying angle iron and just matching them up to a new set of links. I don't run the wires anymore, but you could buy some wire holders and mount them to the iron.

Have not had an angle iron bend yet.

Mike

[TheGMan143]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

Those stringers are pretty tough... Our machines were purchased used (and used hard) years ago, and today most of the stringers are still the originals.

If they are "sagging" or have some downward bends in them, they were probably bent by pins getting caught between the table/cups and the bin. We have been able to straighten them, not "perfectly", but to the point where they cause no problem with respotting.

In the actual respotting operation, there isn't all that much force applied to the stringers unless the machine is way out of adjustment (locking down too hard on standing pins). Normal, correct operation puts very little strain on the respot assembly.

After straightening out any excessively bent or twisted stringers, one of the biggest things to get rid of are those cheap, weak little spring clips that the carblink ball mounts to... they come loose, allowing excessive play in the linkage, causing further wear, egging out of the mounting holes, and erratic respot problems. Replace them with 14/-20 Stover nuts (or regular nuts with medium-strength Loctite) and much of those problems will be eliminated.

[8270king]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

GMan is right again.

[BowlEquip]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

The 82-90 style links are 1" angle aluminum. I went to 3/4" (much slimmer & trimmer) for the 3-5-8, 6-9, and 10 links. But for the 1-2-4-7, which bends the worst when you get a false strike (spotting over pins in the grippers), I got the 1" angle iron. Never bent one.

For wire use, when I converted to these at a center other than mine, I drilled smallholes in the vertical side of each angle, and ty-rapped the wires that way.

Once you go no wires, you can also eliminate the fifth link: 1-3-6-10.

One more tip: for more clearance at the cells, you can use the taller 82-90 pins at each end of the links. Sorry, I don't have the part # right now. I'll get back on ASAP with it, if anyone is interested.

[pat]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

What I am talking about is where the wireways hook onto that 6th link. Where these connect seems to be our weak link.

IE where the stringer goes from the 6-8 and connects onto the 6th link it just looks weak. I mean it just seems like small piece of sheet metal or something.

I hope I am explaining this one right. We need our wires at this point "B" chassis and all.

[TheGMan143]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

I think I see what you're saying now... that little piece of strap metal that connects the stringers together is bending... BowlEquip is on the right track.

Again, make sure that you don't have any tight or hanging cells in there... when the respot system is operating correctly, very little force is needed to open and close the cells. If something is hanging up, the torque needs to go somewhere... it bends whatever is the weakest point. Usually all the pivoting is handled by the boomerangs and the steel stringer that connects them together... the rail that carries the wires down the 6-3-1 side should only be carrying wires, not pivoting the cells. If that is the area where it's bending, there may be some force getting applied to it, like a boomerang with a broken-off stud (instead of the boomerang pushing on the stringer ahead of the wire channel, the other stringers are carrying it along, with the force being applied to the little sheet metal attachment).

As was mentioned, you can strengthen the wireway attachments with some 1/2" or 3/4" wide 3/16" strap iron, bent to the correct angle and drilled at the ends (to replace the sheet metal bracket). Attach it to the stringers with 10-32 screws, washers, and nylock nuts... instead of the self-tappers some of the machines have.

To protect the wires where they bend around the aluminum corners, make sure the plastic spi-wrap is in place, even adding some additional electrical tape wrapping on top to keep the insulation from chafing off on the aluminum corners.

If there is a problem with the driving mechanism of the respot assembly, this won't fix it, but it will make the stringer assembly stiffer and prevent the straps from bending or breaking (and also keeping the wiring from getting flexed and broken as well).

[pat]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

Thanks all! I appreciate the help.

[pat]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

OK here is another twist. What could cause the “5th wireway” to rub on the respot assy link 070-002-671? I guess what I am asking is it seems as though the respot cells travel a long way to lock, on this lane and the wireway runs into the respot link.

Thanks for all the advice on the wireway and its maintaince.

[Dutch]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

Question #1 - I've had to straighten a lot of those little connecting straps. I remove them to do it if I can't force the issue on the machine. Usually it's caused by pins jammed in the table from double shuttling.

Question #2 - It sounds like you need to do RSC adj's from scratch. Start with the pawl & shifter adj's. I've had a few lanes that I had to do that on. What a difference it made for doing the individual cell adj's!

[BowlEquip]

Re: Wireway maintaince.

Pat: Very possibly your carb link connecting the bell crank to the first long link is not at 3-1/16" in length. If it is too long or short, that will change the pivoting degrees of the boomerangs, causing the 1-3-6-10 link to hit the respot connecting link. Like Dutch sez, start from scratch, setting the original carb link to this length.

The part # fir that higher pin is 090 005 571. You'll need to use a different X-washer because the groove is different (963 400 002). It also helps to put a 1/8" thick flat washer under each of the 7 boomerang/rear lever pivot pins.