A flipper lacks power or buzzes after the coil, button switch, EOS and spring have been checked.
Flipper weak: worn plunger, coil stop or sleeve
Cause: A mushroomed or burred plunger end, a burred coil stop, or a worn, dirty sleeve dragging on the plunger.
Checks
- Remove the plunger and look at its back end for a lip or burr.
- Look at the coil stop face for a sharp edge.
- Slide the sleeve out and look for wear.
Fix
- Clean the plunger with alcohol; remove rust with steel wool or crocus cloth. Never lubricate it.
- File the plunger end and coil stop smooth (a grinder if needed), since these parts are hard to replace.
- Fit a new plastic sleeve; on 1950s and older coils the sleeve is built in, so the coil must be replaced.
Systems
- Williams System 3
- Williams System 4
- Williams System 6 / 6A
- Williams System 7
- Williams System 9
- Williams System 11
- Williams System 11A
- Williams System 11B
- Williams System 11C
- WPC Alpha-Numeric
- WPC Dot Matrix
- WPC Fliptronics
- WPC DCS
- WPC-Security (WPC-S)
- WPC-95
- Bally MPU AS-2518-17
- Bally MPU AS-2518-35
- Stern MPU-100
- Stern MPU-200
- Bally 6803
- Gottlieb System 1
- Gottlieb System 80
- Gottlieb System 80A
- Gottlieb System 80B
- Gottlieb System 3
- Data East CPU Version 1/2
- Data East CPU Version 3
- Data East/Sega CPU Version 3b
- Capcom
- Electro-mechanical
Related tips
- Flipper weak or noisy: worn fibre link
- Weak, chattering or buzzing flipper: end-of-stroke switch
- Flipper buzzes when held up
- Replacing a flipper coil
- Weak flipper: worn mechanism
- Flipper coil numbers carry two windings
- Cleaning and adjusting the cabinet flipper switch
- Weak flipper slow to drop back, coil cooked: worn EOS switch
Source: Pinball Machine Care & Maintenance, Bernard B. Kamoroff (Bell Springs Pinball Alley)