They Tore The HEAD Off This Bally Black Pyramid Pinball Machine!!!!

[@wire-bot]

Thanks for the nice comments, Ron. Keep up the great videos.

[@LyonsArcade]

I try

[@toolsarecool]

@@LyonsArcade Try not! Do or do not. There is no try. 😛

[@LyonsArcade]

@@toolsarecool Thanks Pop

[@oldcoot3459]

My orange cat went through the coin door and got under the playfield of my Midway Little League pitch and bat game. Furry little monster did some damage and I thought to myself, "What would Ron do?" So, out came the multimeter and after a short while, I found the two magnetic reed switches under the playfield were broke. Got some new ones on the way and it should be back up and running for the family Christmas party. Thanks Ron for teaching me how to read the schematics for these old games and do some troubleshooting. Next project is Asteroids Deluxe...

[@davidhollfelder9940]

For reflowing: you may want to get a powered vacuum pump desolderer to remove the old/bad solder. Also using NC-559-ASM flux before resoldering. It’s cheap and works wonders.

[@DavidWilliams-rn6uq]

7:33 - “This is glue. Strong stuff.” LOL. Are you Jake?

[@williamgottlieb8723]

I never found this pinball machine on location to play it, but I sure did love the magazine ad for it back in the day.

[@AllanSitte]

whoa... I have played many pinball machines in my 56 years... Never seen this one before. This will be a treat!! Thank you for sharing Ron.

[@garb7477]

I appreciate you breaking down how to work on any machine and debug it.

[@richardsensabaugh1312]

Good show, love the tips. Really good examples of cracked solder joints that you showed. I need to go through all the boards in my machines to make them reliable again. So many problems fixed with just resoldering joints! Thanks for the parts connection too...

[@richardbrobeck2384]

great video Ron and even in old tvs those plugs the solder joints were the weak spot !

[@cheeseparis1]

Congrats on the soldering, these displays look so nice.

[@frankgagliano9677]

Great video Ronnie, from wood working, lamps, and sound board. This video covered the whole thing. I am always amazed how you work on the machine and do the camera work at the same time. Thanks for filming Ronnie, see you on the next video.

[@LyonsArcade]

Thanks again!

[@Glassia9]

This was in the college union my freshman year (1984) and I love this game. I'm glad to see it back and working and I agree with you that it's a really cool game and this one that looks like it's in great shape! Thanks for the video!

[@FishDS9]

Great pin! Thanks for the video Ron

[@Erwinhooi]

Awesome pinball, awesome video! Thanks! This one has nice sound and is not too disturbing.

[@simondempsey1]

Nice job Ron, good machine.

[@SolidStatePinballer]

I just restored one of these over the summer. The attract mode with sound is activated by self test 19 (I think). The moving target is noisy with the glass off but fine during game play. If you can find a small subwoofer and add it, it's worth it as the drum sound really kicks

[@Oddzball3]

Thanks for the video! Hopefully bingo machine soon! Looking forward to it when you have time.

[@williamnutley5509]

Another great one, Ron! Thank you. Catch you Friday!

[@Cool_Retro]

Cool game. Thanks for the video!

[@Claes_Isacson]

Very cool game! Good job as always! 👍

[@JamesUK-je4ew]

You can never have enough glue on anything…! Thanks for sharing Ron. Not seen this game so looking forward it revealing all its glory. 😉 Regards

[@Synthetech]

The diodes on the coils are Flyback Diodes. When the coils de-energizes all of a sudden, the magnetic field it was producing collapses back into the coil and induces as much as 1000V back into the circuit. With the diodes in place and working, the 1000v gets shorted back into the coil until it completely dies down instead of unleashing it back out to damage other components. You had the basic idea, but thought maybe a more full explanation might help ;-)

[@rtcharger7484]

Helps With More, keeping more Energy in coil as well ..

[@Synthetech]

@@rtcharger7484 sorry but no. The diode has nothing to do with keeping more energy stored in the coil than the coil is capable of storing while energized. It merely gives a shorted path for the flyback voltage.. to force it to stay in the coil to collapse and not damage other components.

[@storm9c1]

@@Synthetech Good explanation. I was also taught that the spike of voltage caused by the coil collapse is called "back EMF". And let me tell you that touching a flipper coil terminal with a bad or missing diode at the wrong moment dang near stopped my heart 30 years ago. So I learned real quick how powerful this spike was. Lots of everyday things such as flyback and ignition coils and transformers use this to generate usable high voltage. Very good physics concepts to learn. Basically all DC coils being driven by semiconductors need this diode to prevent damage or instability. This includes relays and motors. In some cases, small capacitors are used as well. Especially on AC or bidirectional circuits. It also helps preserve switch contacts from arc damage.

[@merrychristmasvt]

I owned one once and mine didn't run the swinger target in attract mode - I suppose that might be a selectable option though. Seems like it would wear out if it ran all the time?

[@LyonsArcade]

I figured it out, the lightbulb that comes on when the signal is sent, has something to do with smoothing the power out. So the lightbulb wasn't in the socket very well under the playfield. I guess the strobe sends a little bit of power to it, and the bulb 'sucks it up', but if the bulb isn't installed or burnt out or loose in the socket as this one was, the 555? timer on the motor control board under the playfield constantly uses the strobe to turn the motor on and off, on and off. If the bulb is correctly in the socket (and off when the motor isn't turned on, and on when the motor is turned on) it stays off in attract mode.

[@neiltheplayer]

Thanks for posting

[@karennafry3022]

I love your work and passion for these machines and the format of your presentation in these videos is excellent so doent listen to the nay sayers they`re full of it. Merry Christmas to you and your families from NZ. 💜💜💜

[@kenlanier2131]

Gotta love that tape wire spilicing, thanks for cleaning her up Ron!

[@kevinrice3784]

Nice job!

[@LyonsArcade]

Glad you liked it!

[@jumpingeneral]

👍 great work

[@GHILLIESARCADEANDMORE]

Cool game looks pretty good with the lights off

[@Preacher77]

Great video !" what about Super Mario in the background :D we want that one :D

[@markjackson1444]

Great video Ronnie. …Lots of different stuff that needed attention. Very good looking backglass on this game. ….a pretty straight ahead game…a lot easier to understand the rules on this than on Flash Gordon..I lost interest in pinball a bit when I realized that you actually needed to study the rules on line in order to do well on the game. I’m from the old school when you understand the rules by just playing one or two games. Thanks for the continued education.

[@LyonsArcade]

Yeah I'm the same way, it should be more intuitive, I think....

[@markseeling1723]

Would like to see this one with a modern sound board with new -expanded sounds

[@saskia6750]

factory decals....i preffered the previous series with the sprayed sides n head....cost cutting !! Looking forward to this one,never seen one of these in the flesh or played one in an arcade,only emulated x

[@LyonsArcade]

Thank you Saskia, Merry Christmas!

[@saskia6750]

@@LyonsArcade Merry Christmas to you lovely guys too ! Thank you sooo much for your content over the years,you know i been hooked on your channel for a while now,its definitely a part of my life 🙏😇x

[@Mrpinbologist]

I had a Black Pyramid years ago that had had the same thing happen to it before i owned it (It's backglass also survived)! Was apparently transported in a trailer with the backbox up and it was torn off by a roller door. Previous owner before i got it bought it that way and had a cabinet maker build a new backbox.

[@Kolks_Pinball]

I actually have one on loan right now. The local arcade didnt have room for it, and I was asking where it went (my wife loves it) and he said its in storage if I wanna borrow for as long as want. LOL I play it a lot now.

[@mikmurphy1]

What was the diode type used on the CR2032 battery mod?

[@LyonsArcade]

1n4004

[@truthslayerone264]

I generally run a nice flow of flux on all those pin connectors because it will clean the pin for better flow for a good permanent connection.

[@irieman442]

Black Pyramid, how dare you accuse me of ripping off Indiana Jones? LOL I happened to see the left slingshot plastic moving during your second game. It's at the right place to have you fix the rubber while it's there. Nice work. Keep the videos coming!!

[@EsotericArctos]

Considering the limited glue, this still lasted a long time before the head ripped off / broke. If it lasts that long again, then it's doing well. I wonder if the motor failure was the cause of the fuse failing? That could be possible if the motor was jammed or faulty... Going to watch the rest of this now :)

[@waynegram8907]

What does the Solenoid Expander Motor Control boards do? , When the flipper Relays don't have any diodes it causes the pinball game board to RESET because it the Power Supply Rails to cause a Ripple on the +Vcc rails. I'm not sure why would a Flipper Coil without diodes cause ripples on the +Vcc power rails causing the game board to Reset?

[@jasonsteverson4609]

Hey Ron!!

[@RSTrigger003]

How does this machine know when the ball has passed the (closed) gate in the right outlane, so that it should open the gate again? I can only see a switch in the outlane (above the gate), and there is no switch in the inlane... Some sort of a timing thing perhaps? Great repair job and great video, btw!

[@senilyDeluxe]

Yes, it's timed. Harlem Globe Trotters from 1978 does the same thing. If the switch is sensed, it waits a little and then closes the gate. Evil, when you try to cradle the ball but the ball's too fast and goes UP the open gate, up the outlane, starts coming down and the gate closes.

[@RSTrigger003]

@@senilyDeluxe Thank you, that makes sense. And, as expected, such approach leads to some issues. :)

[@rickeymh]

I noticed that all these pinball cabinets from the early 70s going forward are made from particle board or MDF. I had a mid 70's Bally that used a hybrid wood laminate with particle board sandwiched in the middle. These cabinets do not survive well in the humid South. Nothing is worse than water damaged particle board or MDF.

[@ShawnBernard70]

Yeah, and we were swingin' (swingin') Yeah, just a-swinging (swingin') Little Charlotte she's as pretty as the angels when they sang I can't believe I'm out here on the front porch in the swing A-swingin' (swingin')

[@LyonsArcade]

a Classic

[@naytch2003]

Not familiar with that one

[@migda32]

I like my bumpers thin and Asian

[@storm9c1]

Nice work! I don't believe that swinging target is supposed to run like that in attract mode. That's a malfunction that will quickly wear it out.

[@LyonsArcade]

I figured it out, the lightbulb that comes on when the signal is sent, has something to do with smoothing the power out. So the lightbulb wasn't in the socket very well under the playfield. I guess the strobe sends a little bit of power to it, and the bulb 'sucks it up', but if the bulb isn't installed or burnt out or loose in the socket as this one was, the 555? timer on the motor control board under the playfield constantly uses the strobe to turn the motor on and off, on and off. If the bulb is correctly in the socket (and off when the motor isn't turned on, and on when the motor is turned on) it stays off in attract mode.

[@storm9c1]

@LyonsArcade Awesome! Thanks for the followup. I'm a former games mechanic from a local amusement park (30 years ago, lol). I appreciate the technical explanation. Never seen that failure mode! Thanks!

[@storm9c1]

Come to think of it, I have seen that failure mode when testing other light drivers. The bulb is needed to pull down the signal otherwise it can float and be unstable. Now it makes sense.

[@DavidWilliams-rn6uq]

Huh. It uses the same sounds as El Darado, one of my favorites.

[@truthslayerone264]

The bad connections on MPU board could have been sound problems and you fixed it then.

[@PlumGurly]

The "cathode" is the line on the symbol, but it is misleading. The + comes out there. So it is a cathode in regards to the diode, not the rest of the circuitry.

[@martywolfman]

Omg, did he transport it with the head upright?

[@smokeishungry6061]

Probably with the head and legs on it in the back of a pickup truck. Stop doing this people! They unbolt for a reason.

[@martywolfman]

@@smokeishungry6061 yeah, that's what i assumed too, can't see how else this would happen when being transported.

[@williamcooper2368]

He must of been talking to JOE.❤

[@nasicher6773]

Hey,wie immer ein klasse Video mit super Fehlerbeseitigung,ich würde so gerne wieder die Geräte aus den 80´ reparieren,nur sind die hier bei uns so rar und teuer.... ch habe den Flipper früher gespielt,da stand er in einer Jugeneinrichtung oder Freizeitclub.Soweit ich mich erinnern kann lief die "Medusa Zielscheibe" nicht wenn das Spiel ende war. Kann es sein das die irgendwoher Spannung bekommt,auch einige Lampen scheinen leicht zu glimmen,oder ist es das Licht von nebenan ? Gruß aus DE

[@LyonsArcade]

I figured it out, the lightbulb that comes on when the signal is sent, has something to do with smoothing the power out. So the lightbulb wasn't in the socket very well under the playfield. I guess the strobe sends a little bit of power to it, and the bulb 'sucks it up', but if the bulb isn't installed or burnt out or loose in the socket as this one was, the 555? timer on the motor control board under the playfield constantly uses the strobe to turn the motor on and off, on and off. If the bulb is correctly in the socket (and off when the motor isn't turned on, and on when the motor is turned on) it stays off in attract mode.

[@nasicher6773]

@@LyonsArcade Danke für deine Antwort

[@truthslayerone264]

Cathode is line, easy way to remember is anode looks like an A. Cathode always goes to B+ across a coil.

[@LyonsArcade]

Thank You

[@Mrpinbologist]

Swinging target should NOT be moving in attract mode, only during game play (and lamp test).

[@LyonsArcade]

I figured it out, the lightbulb that comes on when the signal is sent, has something to do with smoothing the power out. So the lightbulb wasn't in the socket very well under the playfield. I guess the strobe sends a little bit of power to it, and the bulb 'sucks it up', but if the bulb isn't installed or burnt out or loose in the socket as this one was, the 555? timer on the motor control board under the playfield constantly uses the strobe to turn the motor on and off, on and off. If the bulb is correctly in the socket (and off when the motor isn't turned on, and on when the motor is turned on) it stays off in attract mode.

[@KehHs-l8b]

U only charge half price cuz you only use one arm right

[@coldinspringfield7571]

some of the plastics down by the flippers seem loose

[@LyonsArcade]

they're supposed to be

[@atmony]

Give it back to him with his high score beaten lol

[@chrisSP0234]

Ngl I thought this was 8 Ball Champ.

[@doug5713]

Ouch no fly back diode.

[@douro20]

Must be a late production 6803 pinball.

[@Titanic4]

This game doesn't use Bally 6803 system. The first game using the system was Eight Ball Champ and the last one was Atlantis.

[@neiltheplayer]

looks like printed vinyl laminate applied with heat

[@Petri547]

You can get ridiculous amount of points by taking down the bonusX targets and then completing the BLACKPYRAMID letters over there.

[@Petri547]

What in the world has happened to that backbox? C'mon people!

[@Its-Broke]

It’s broke

[@davidhollfelder9940]

The swinger is a bit off center.

[@summerlaverdure]

why did they do that x___x

[@lileveretteyoakumiii]

Yodelayheehoo

[@T00LF00L]

Will you PLEASE stop using solder to reflow pins and buy a syringe of flux instead!! 😫

[@LyonsArcade]

Will you PLEASE go watch somebody else, thx

[@T00LF00L]

@ wow, ok.. Unsubscribed. 🖕🏻

[@weaselking1367]

see the burnt resistor

[@weaselking1367]

you an use and i prefer 1n4007 it has 1000 v reverse

[@brand-x7049]

There is no such thing as too much glue, only 'not enough' and 'wipe off the excess'. 😁 Also: forget the nails - screw it down. 🪛