Arcade Collecting > Pinball

Black Knight Magna Save issue

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More Cowbell:
I was about to pull the trigger on ordering the solenoid from Marco ($8.50 plus $8.50 shipping, ouch! I need to find more to buy) when I started thinking about whether the solenoid was repairable. Do they really go bad? What goes bad? Aren't they just wound wire that produce a magnetic field? All this one does is pull a metal flap down when it magnetizes. The flap completes the big magna save magnet circuit. The wiring is all intact. I guess I'll just get a new one regardless.

More Cowbell:
I tested the coils through the diagnostic setting on the machine. It fires each one in succession and I can stop it on any of them. When it got to #9 I could measure the electricity pulsing with my multimeter, but no firing of the coil occurred. Same goes with the coin door lockout, measured the pulsing but no firing. I'll do a visual to see if I notice any breaks in either one. Thanks for the insight.

More Cowbell:
I received the replacement coil in the mail yesterday (highly recommend Marco for their prompt shipping, prices are up there compared to some places but the selection is excellent). It was easy to replace, two solder points and one screw holding the small coil in place. 5 minutes later I fired it up and hoped for the best. I hate this part because if it doesn't work, I'm back to square one. I put it into the solenoid test mode and waited for #9 to cycle through. Nothing. Crap! I took another look and wiggled it around a bit. It turns out I placed it in slightly off kilter and when I wiggled it, it popped into place so I could tighten the screw some more. Cycled again and got a click! Started a game and hit Magna Save and the ball stopped in its tracks. Success! I took some pics of the area that I replaced but forgot to bring them with me today. I'll post them tomorrow for anyone else who ever has this issue. I took a good, hard look at the broken coil and didn't see any sign of burn or broken wires. I didn't unwind it so the break must be there somewhere. I don't doubt that one of the many kids (my own and their friends) that played it at some point found a way to burn it out. But, hey, all's well that ends well. A relatively cheap fix.
I also finally got around to putting the knight stickers on the drop targets. They were gone when I bought the machine and I found a file to print them on sticker paper. I got some mylar from Marco along with the coil and stuck them together. Looks great now and a lot more complete.

More Cowbell:
Here are some pics for posterity.

More Cowbell:
No I didn't. That probably would have been a good thing to do, huh?  :banghead:

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