1977 Mata Hari Machine Needs Repairs *Newbie*

[morgonzodos]

Hello Everybody!

I am new to pinball repair as I won a machine in a raffle at an expo a couple of months ago. I was wondering if any of you could give me advice/help for this thing. Ok first thing is first, it is a 1977 SS Bally Mata Hari Machine. It was working perfectly until about 2 months ago when the flipper went out. I eagerly fixed the problem with a trip to the local hobby store and picked up a soldering iron and attempted to fix it. After completing the project I put everything back together and turned the machine on. When I did the machine only powered up. The lights were on and I could see the LCD display had its backlight on but the program never started. I've had this problem before and just by taking the connectors behind the backglass off and on it worked. This time it did nothing. I have an idea of whats wrong (might be the mother board!) and have been searching everywhere for some help but getting nothing in return. I want my machine up and running again!
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Opto]

Howdy - welcome to the board! Nice score on the Mata Hari - that's a hell of a raffle prize!

A good place to start is to see how many flashes are on your MPU board when you turn the game on. There should be a little LED light that flashes X number of times. 7 flashed means the game MPU is booting. Also, if wiggling the connectors "fixes" the problem, the connectors will probably need to be rebuilt. If you're not comfortable working on circuitboards, you can usually sent them out to be fixed for less than $100 - sometimes much less.

Eric has the best tech knowledge on this board - he may have a few ideas of simple places to start troubleshooting.

[Opto]

Also - rec.games.pinball on google is a great resource for pinball repair. Even better is http://www.pinrepair.com - pinrepair will give you step by step instructions on how to go through and troubleshoot your issue . . .

What were you fixing on the flipper? Was it just a wire that fell off a coil?

[morgonzodos]

Thanks for the welcome.
It sure was a surreal moment when I got a phone call saying I had won it. My girlfriend thought I was just messing around for a two days until I actually brought it home! I got it from the Pacific Pinball Expo last year and the fellow there gave me a bunch of tips and so far all of them have worked, except for this problem.
There is no doubt the connectors will, and probably should, be rebuilt soon. And as for the flipper, the wire just fell off, easy repair.
I just looked at the MPU LED light and when I turn it on it flashes only twice. Could it be the battery? How can I tell is a fuse has been burnt out?
I don't know if I will have the funds to send it out and have it repaired so I am up to for a challenge and will learn anything that will make the fix cheap.
I can post pics, even link to the manual.

[eric]

Missing third flash means the memory is not functioning properly. Could be the 5101 RAM, the socket, battery corrosion. Try re-seating the RAM at U8. If that fixes it, replace the socket.

Do you see any battery corrosion?

[morgonzodos]

Eric,

I do not see any battery corrosion at all, which is really lucky considering the age of the thing.
About the RAM, what I did was take the chip out of its socket and then put it back in. It did the exact some thing. A quick flash then two solid flashes. Maybe I am not doing things correctly.
Thanks.

[eric]

Sounds like the 5101 RAM and/or its socket are bad.

Memory:
http://greatplainselectronics.com/prodd ... ?prod=5101

Socket (buy 2 11-pin SIP sockets):
http://greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=44