Ball Detectors

[jandlcox]

I just installed some ball detectors on my machines and some will cycle when a ball is thrown down the other lane. I ran a string line from lane 1 to 10 and put the reflector in the same spot and then put the detectors right in line also. I have one machine that is real bad if you throw it down the middle of lane on 8 it will cycle 7 about 75% of the time. Any idea where i am suppose to line the detector with according to the center of the reflector???

[willey]

Re: Ball Detectors

You may need a bigger reflector.
willey.

[maister]

Re: Ball Detectors

Depends on the detectors , but the eye in the unit is normally 1/2 inch back from the front of the cover.Also it may be looking up and the reflection is bouncing.If it is amf ball triggers you have... ensure the centre of the reflector lines up with the centre of the unit. As i say this is 1/2" from the front (approach side of unit.)
Good luck.
Laurie Scotland

[wb8yjf]

Re: Ball Detectors

The reflectors aren't angled up or down a bit are they? Or maybe the detector itself is a bit cockeyed. Sounds like you are getting a wild reflection somehow... [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif[/img] What type are they?

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: Ball Detectors

I had this same problem in one of our 70's houses. We ended up isolating the detectors from the kickbacks and cribbing by mounting them to a 2 X 4 setup that went to the concrete under the cribbing. Completely eliminated the problem. I have installed 4 other houses having them mounted directly to the kickbacks and have had no problems with them cycling from impact of pins against the kickbacks. I never did figure out why that one center had that problem.

[2424pepsi]

Re: Ball Detectors

Steve- Doug in Minn.-Depending on what kind of detecting you have and scoring system it will make a difference. The old style that AMF Accuscore XL used--I had problems with reflectors and the zero sweep switch. Make sure you can get a rapid pulse on the LED's and make them as close as possible. The new style--cut a piece of card board-like from a cereal box, make a hole in it the size of a quarter-center it on the reflector and adjust it. The new style detects have to be as tight as possible--I like your idea to eliminate vibration!!! Good Luck!!

[Dutch]

Re: Ball Detectors

It sounds like your emitters are reading off of each other instead of off the reflector.

Cover the reflector with a rag & put a cardboard box on the lane BEHIND the reflector. Take another reflector & hold it in front of the mounted reflector. Move it up & down, forward & back, until you have found the outer limits of the emitters range. This will show you how accurately the emitter is aimed.

[Dutch]

Re: Ball Detectors

Almost forgot...

If you have Brunswick scoring, don't mount the triggers too close to the ball detects. I've heard stories about them interfering with each other.

[TheGMan143]

Re: Ball Detectors

Always make sure that the reflectors and emitters are adjusted correctly first, but if you're still having trouble, there's a fairly easy 'fix' for IR cross-reading on the lanes:

Pick up some thin rigid plastic or laminate scraps (like masonite, etc... Try to get fairly dull stuff... high gloss can cause other reflectance issues), cut them into blocks that are about 2" wider/higher than your reflector area (IE, if your reflector is 1.5" round, the 'block' would be 6.5" wide and 3.5" high. Drill and mount it behind/in between the reflectors (usually you can use the reflector mounting screws to attach it) on the narrow cap, with the bottom butted right down to the capping. It will cause a much larger 'shadow' area that will keep reflected IR and crossreads to a minimum. The thin 1/16" laminate is small enough that it's barely noticeable from the front, but it'll usually stop a lot of misread problems.

[Kat]

Re: Ball Detectors

Before I moved my detects to behind the downsweep for instant drop, I used to ensure no crosstalk by installing the heads in line with the masking unit uprights. Then remove the reflector from the mounting bracket and fasten reflector disc directly to the wooden upright (Brunswick 2000, AMF Concept 90, Brunswick Starshields, etc). This way you had the entire width of the upright to prevent cross-talk. If you still get cross talk this way, you've got bigger problems then mis-alignment.

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: Ball Detectors

The problem I had in that one center I spoke of was NOT cross talk. I could take a pin while inside lane 6...smack the kickback and lane 5 would cycle. (Yes...lane 6 was off) hhmmmmm...no cross talk there. I did not move the equipment. I removed the brace I mounted the ball detects on, placed 2 X 4 setup directly underneath where the brace was and mounted the ball detects to it. Problems went away. Did not move the reflectors or the alignment of the ball detects. Dustin...you can chime in here if you would like.

AMF ball detects with BOSS scoring. (In case anybody wondered) Strange problem...very strange. I know what jandlcox is going through. Let us know what you find...

[JimDorsin]

Re: Ball Detectors

I had some monor cross talk problems with ET2001's in vermont, I just increased the space between the emiters and moved the recievers to compinsate.

[Clutch Plate]

Re: Ball Detectors

I had the same problem, Throw a ball down lane 1 and lane 2 would cycle. I had to adjust the dip switches to delay when the sweep would drop. For some reason when there is not a delay both lanes would cycle.

[jandlcox]

Re: Ball Detectors

Well building the brace between the kickbacks seem to fix it for now. It is crazy that a little bit of vibration will set them off, but it does. Anybody know of anyway to tighten them up so they are not that sensitive? And yes it is BOSS scoring how did you know that JBEES

[Steve Stafford (JBEES)]

Re: Ball Detectors

There are 2 screws that hold the ball detect to the mounting bracket. Remove the 2 screws and pull the ball detect away fron the bracket. You will now see 4 screws that hold the internal tranceivers to the ball detect housing. Tighten the screws. If the screws move while tightening them, then this may have been your problem. I forgot to mention this in the previous post...sorry. I did try this with that house I had the problem with...and it didn't help. But this is one thing to check. Let us know what you find...

As far as how did I know you had BOSS...I didn't. Just thought I would throw that out as to what we had and see if thats what you had. Coincedence? Maybe the MI causes it to be more sensitive...but I have 4 other centers with the same setup and they don't have the problem. Wish I knew what causes this...