From: cafer@etek.chalmers.se (Tommy Vaske)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: TAFFAQ and Time Line
Keywords: TIME LINE Gottlieb system 80
Date: 17 Aug 92 11:09:58 GMT
Reply-To: cafer@etek.chalmers.se (Tommy Vaske)
Organization: Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SWEDEN

In article <1992Aug15.190453.25922@engage.pko.dec.com>, adoerfer@lndrfr.enet.dec.com (_bill) writes:
|> 
|> In article <1992Aug15.120440.18577@etek.chalmers.se>, cafer@etek.chalmers.se (Tommy Vaske) writes...
|>>2) Me and a friend of mine have some problems with a Time Line
(etc.) 
|>>   Any tips/hints/manuals/schematics/total service sessions
|>>   gladly appreciated... ::-)
|>> 

|> "Primitive kick-out"?  Do you mean the solenoid in the lower left
|> to kick back into play a ball headed for the leftmost outline?
|> I don't see a kick-out, as from a hole anywhere....

Yes, that's what I meant. Bad choice of word from my side. Sorry.
 
|> Anyway, to the point of this post, the typical start-up for those
|> types of games is...
|>
(edited)
|> 
|>Hmm, it even goes on, but this part gets more game specific...
|>Insert coin
|>Coin chute tune is played (depending on switch 27)
|>Total credits are displayed (depending on switch 28)
|> 
|>Press credit button
|>Credit tune or voice is played  (TIME LINE doesn't have speech)
|>Total credits decreased by 1

Up to here, everything works fine. The settings we use, are all
but factory settings, of course, but that hasn't caused (??) any
trouble in the past.

|>All playfield features reset
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...Not! 

|>First player score display flashed a single zero
|>The other players displays are blank
|>Bonus(s) added when ball enters outhole
|>All captured balls will be ejected (TIME LINE doesn't have that, either)
|>when ball is released to the shooter
|>Playfield controlled lamps flash
|>High Score to Date is displayed in all score displays

Ok! Also, all "scoring" switches on the playfield work.
 
|>Other things
|>Additional players can only be added while the first players first ball
|>is in play.  If the credit button is pushed after the first ball goes into
|>the outhole, the game resets to a new single player game(if credits were
|>on the game).
|>Only one extra ball per ball in play is given.
|>Tilt gives a penalty depending on switch 29
|>When slamed, the game is over for all players
|>the switch matrix goes inactive for three seconds(coins put down the chute 
|>          would be returned during the three seconds)
|>You can match after a slam, if matching is on (depending on switch 18)
|>SOME games reset drop target banks on game over.
|>On most games, scoring for features (and bonus maximums, on games that
|>have them) is LOWER on games set of 5 ball play then 3 ball play.  
|>Some games adjust the rules (like scoring) just a bit depending on 3 onball play.

Mostly not checked, but TILT is disabled... Neither can I check it -
the game and I are 120 miles apart at the present.
 
|>So I guess the drop target resets happen at the start of every ball.  
|>On TIME LINE, that would probably be a soon to be familiar CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK...
|>Note that on many games of that era, solenoids WOULD pull in, actaully
|>a lot of Gottlieb games seem to go beserk(I know, technical term :-)
|>on power up.  That problem seems to have been solved in later years
|>with the addition of a (functioning) reset board.  I don't believe
|>TIME LINE had that reset board yet, but what I think that does is
|>keeps the coils and stuff out of the circuit until the cpu has completly 
|>powered up and is running.  I suspect, before that came along, a lot of
|>coils were burned out when they energized, but the cpu DIDN'T come up.
|>It's one of the things I check for when buying Gottlieb games - does
|>it have the reset board (does it work) and have the pop bumper board
|>modifications been done. (that's sys 80 or later, sys I didn't have
|>a reset board as far as I know)

Owing everyone great apologies, I don't think the game ever did the
solenoid pull at power up - I'll have to ask my friend about that, tho,
but I suspect it to be a product of my lousy memory. It sounds more
reasonable as you write, the sol:s firing at the beginning of a game.

Do you have any actual suggestions on where to search for the fault
and how to fix it?

--tommy 
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