A kickout coil burns out within minutes of switching the game on, while it just sits in attract mode with nobody playing. A new coil fails the same way.

Kickout coil burns up in attract mode: driver transistor, resistor and the CA3081 at U3

Cause: The coil's drive circuit on the solenoid driver board is stuck on, so the coil is energized continuously. Here the drive transistor, a cooked 330 ohm resistor in the same circuit and the upstream CA3081 transistor array at U3 were all involved.

Checks

• Check that the kickout switch is not stuck closed and the kicker moves freely (a seized kicker spring can also cook a coil).
• On the driver board, test the transistor for that coil and the resistors around it.
• Probe the logic input feeding the CA3081 at U3 (U2 pin 7 in this case) and check U3 itself: one bad element of the array can keep a solenoid locked on.

Fix

• Replace the failed drive transistor (a TIP102 was used here) and the burned 330 ohm resistor.
• Replace the CA3081 at U3; an NTE916 is an accepted substitute, or it can be replaced with discrete transistors.
• Fit a new coil and sleeve. Keep the diode on the coil: Bally games need the coil diodes, unlike WPC.

Turn the game off at once if a coil stays energized, or the coil and driver parts will burn.

Systems

• Bally MPU AS-2518-35

Games

• Six Million Dollar Man

Related tips

• Solenoid driver transistor types
• Test the CA3081 pre-driver array
• TIP102 is a good substitute for SE9302 coil drivers
• Replace SE9302 drivers with TIP102, and renew the parts around them
• STNG: diverter coils lock on during play
• Gottlieb pop bumper driver transistor keeps burning out: check the coil's diode
• 20-second test for shorted coil driver transistors
• Where the WPC coil and lamp drivers sit

Source: Pinball Repair help group!! (Facebook group)