In March 2013, I picked up a Monte Carlo. Nominally, it was working. But it needs some work. Here’s a rundown so far.
The head glass was cracked in two pieces, held together by the trim — just barely. I got a new one through a friend who got it cheap, but we got it cut just a little too small.
Next, the mezzanine board on the MPU was cracked. All System 80B games self destruct because of this damn board. Because it is single-sided, and all single-sided boards on a pinball get cracked header pins, it causes the computer to become unreliable, if it boots at all. Someone had “fixed” mine by jamming packing peanuts in it. I fixed it by desoldering it, removing solder, adding fresh solder, and putting it back.
Fortunately, this game shipped with one of the cordless phone-style batteries and had not leaked. Unfortunately I got a little ahead of myself when removing it and I lifted a trace. I replaced it with a memory cap and did an OK job, but the lifted trace still annoys me. It was otherwise a perfect MPU.
The right flipper was weak, so I couldn’t get multiball started, because I couldn’t make the Firepower top-capture shot. But worst of all, the roulette wheel had dirty switches, which meant that there was no way to win roulette and the game would have to time-out every roulette spin. Terrible!
I did immediately start looking for a topper, and found one locally. I cleaned and reinstalled it and it looks great, or at least as good as that topper ever looked.
Around this time, I bought my Spring Break and got sidetracked, since I’d never even played Spring Break.
After almost a year, I’m back trying to play Monte Carlo. First order of business was the roulette wheel.
The spinning bit is held on with a set screw that might be accessible without removing the assembly. Removing the whole assembly is a good idea to clean it. But if you remove the six screws holding the window on, then take the set screw out, you can probably lift the wheel out.
The wheel has twelve switches and I guarantee they’re all dirty. I cleaned them with whatever scrap of paper was in my pocket and now it works pretty well.
I also put new foam washers to hold the window on. Now, the window is much closer to level with the playfield.
Now, I went to play it, and the game wouldn’t kick out the third ball to start multiball. I noticed while in test mode (testing the wheel) that switch 42 was stuck closed. The manual says that’s the trough. How can the trough have only one switch? I have no idea, but that’s all it has. On that one switch, the backing blade was bent against the playfield-touching blade. I adjusted it, and now I have multiball.
Still to go:
- Right flipper too weak. Left flipper too, perhaps, but we’ll see.
- A couple light sockets are bad. Target #5 is burned out, and the bulb is the most inaccessible light I’ve ever seen on a playfield.
- +5V filter cap hack on transformer panel should be cleaned up
- add redundant +5V/ground lines on MPU-driver cable
- blown transistor for the flash lamp on the roulette wheel; lamps are missing from their sockets because they’re locked on (and burned the playfield!)