tech: Star Wars Trilogy Cannon Problem

[Mike O.]

I have a Sega SWT which is giving me fits. When I got the game the
ball would never make it to the ramp that feeds the x-wing fighter.
It looked like the magnet was holding the ball in an offset position
such that the ball hit the side of the main ramp before it could
transfer to the left ramp to feed the x-wing fighter. On inspection I
found that the core in the magnet was all chewed up. Also, the welds
holding the collar that held the magnet core had broken.

There was enough going wrong here that I inquired and was able to
purchase a new magnet core and the carriage that has the collar that
holds the magnet core. I figured proper alignment with the proper
parts would do the trick.

Well, I have basically the same results. But this time the ball does
not hit the side of the ramp. But..... the magnet seems to release
the ball before it transfers all the way to the left ramp and drops it
in the main ramp. This game is no fun unless you get the transfer to
make here properly.

The only thing I can think of is that there is too much resistance in
the carriage assembly to actuate fast enough such that the ball is
positioned over the left ramp by the time the magnet is ready to
release. Do I need to replace the shafts that the carriage rides on?
Do I need the proper lube on it (I used Tri-Flow)? Do I need a
revised version of the game code that lets me adjust the dwell time
for when the magnet should release the ball?

I know I can not be the first to experience this with this game. What
did you do to get yours to work properly?

Thanks for any input.

Mike O.

[Mike O.]

For those that are interested in this problem, I got an excellent
solution from Chas at Stern Pinball's Tech Support line. He
recommended installing a small rubber ring on each of the shafts that
the gun assembly moves on. The rings get installed at the end where
the carriage rests between the carriage and the frame. This positions
the carriage that much closer to the left ramp making the ball
transfer reliable. My game hasn't missed a beat since I made the
change and was extremely simple.

Thanks to Chas and Stern Pinball's tech support group.

Mike O.

mi...@dmwcc.com (Mike O.) wrote in message news:<acddf93a.03073...@posting.google.com>...