Lane will not turn off.

[Brunswickbmech19]

I have factory straight a machines. One of my lanes has taken to not turning off unless I flip the breaker off. When I turn the breaker back on, lane sits in "idle". Now all of my machines still have the three wire cannon plug from the front turn on boxes still connected due to our scoring being piggy backed through the original turn on wires (done waaay before my time). If I disconnect the cannon plug the lane turns off. Plug it back in and the machine is back to waiting to be turned on. Here is the kicker. When it is "stuck on" I have no back off switch, either black out switches, or masking unit. When the front control wire is disconnected I have use of all of my switches, and the machine turns on and off. Just looking to be pointed in the right direction. I'm trying not to touch the wires up front due to them being 64 years old.

[Wookie8662]

Most people disconnect the cannon plug going to the front desk, due to the scoring being wired into the electrical box.
Sounds like your scoring is tied into the old control desk switches, as everything works fine when you unplug the cannon plug.

If your scoring it tied into the electric box, and not up front, then disconnect the cannon plug and dont worry about it
If not, then I would start at the desk switches, and the connections where the scoring ties into the circuit.
Sounds like something is shorted/or grounded out.

Also, you state you cannot turn off the lane at the rear switch.
Even if the scoring is telling the machine to turn on, you should be able to shut it off at the rear switch.
This leads me to believe that your electric box wiring has been altered.
The rear switch is supposed to be in a series circuit to control the pinsetter, and something is bypassing it.

[mickeygm]

Agree with Wook, if you don't have the protection provided by the "Jam" switches, you need to look at that wiring ASAP. You can do a lot of damage to the gear box & turret without them. Check your schematic.The manager's control begins on TS2, terminal Forum Who knows where yours are wired. # 2-3 is the Deck Jam Switch and 3-5 is the Turret Jam Switch. Again, you can't trust any of the schematics. Each electrical box must be visually traced and verified. Be sure to turn off the main breaker and unplug the power cord BEFORE opening up the box.

[Brunswickbmech19]

I appreciate the responses. Final fix was our shoe caddy below the switches must have been touching wires down below. All I did was leaned the caddy out at the top about one inch and the lane shut off and everything works. Now when it turns on from the front all of my switches are working including jam switches. Never seen this issue. Had the opposite a few years ago. Same thing with the caddy, but had a whole bank of eight machines just turn off in the middle of bowling.

[mr.badwrench]

The only way I can think of that your problem at the front desk caused a circuit that bypassed your jam switches is if one side of the circuit came from another lane. Like a bank 8 problem, but might come from any other lane because they all come together at the desk. If you had turned the breakers for the other lanes off one at a time, you might have proved that.

The advice above about getting rid of the wiring to the front desk is the best way to prevent this if you don't need the manager switches.

[Quintecentbowl]

Shoe caddy? Heard of shoe horn and golf caddy, guess they must have tied one on going for the hole? With the older style start relays with exposed wires and contacts, the return spring can loose tension, sometimes helped by bending its mount to increase tension. The contacts can become scarred and will "spot weld" closed. With the power disconnected, a little emery cloth or nail file may clean it for operation.