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The pocket specialist for pinball maintenance and know‑how.

New chatSpacesHomeAFMGODBFShopHistoryWeak right flipperMonitor missing redCoin mech rejecting tokensReplace the rubbersAAlexPro plan

I'm having trouble with my right flipper. It has no strength.

Which machine are we talking about?

Batman Forever.

Got it: Sega's Batman Forever (1995). Its flippers are known for being weak, and the most common report is the right one not making the left ramp. Check in this order:

Anything binding or rubbing in the mechanism
The link and the pawl: on this game they wear early
The coil stop: make sure it hasn't come loose or mushroomed
The coil sleeve
The voltage: about 50 V at the coil
Last, the coil's resistance

Want me to go into detail on any of these steps?

Yes.

Let's go in order, starting with the mechanism. Turn the game off and unplug it. Lift the playfield and move the flipper slowly by hand: it should travel all the way and spring back on its own, with no tight spots. If it catches, check that the plunger slides freely in the sleeve, that the link isn't catching on the bracket, and that no screw or piece of rubber has fallen in. From the top, make sure the bat doesn't rub the playfield: it needs a little up-and-down play. Don't oil anything.

It moves freely, no rubbing.

Then on to the link and the pawl. Take the link off and look at its hole: if it's oval, or the pawl is worn where it meets the link, replace both. On this machine, they're the usual suspects.

Ask anything...

Batman ForeverGus 1

Generic guesses.
Gus gets it right.

Same question, very different answers.

Generic chatbotknows a bit of everything

Half the playfield lights on my Terminator 2 went out. What should I check?

General illumination usually runs on separate circuits, each protected by a fuse. Check the lighting fuses on the power board, see whether that board's connectors are corroded or burned, and check the bulbs and the wiring. If that doesn't fix it, look for a specialized technician.

Doesn't talk about the T2
No exact fuses or connectors
Ends with “find a technician”

Gusbench specialist

Half the playfield lights on my Terminator 2 went out. What should I check?

On an early WPC game like T2, one dead lighting string is almost always a fuse, a burned or loose connector, or even a broken wire somewhere. Let's check it step by step:

First, the fuse: with the game off, take the backglass out very carefully (backglasses are works of art 😉). On the power driver board, test the GI fuses, F106 to F110. How to test a fuse
If it's not that, on to connectors J120 and J121: if they're browned or loose, replace both the header pins and the housing.
Still nothing? With the game on, measure at the string's plug: about 6 VAC means the board is fine.

That leaves a broken wire under the playfield, or dead bulbs.

Goes straight to the cause
Step by step, in order
Says what to check if it doesn't work

Sample conversation.

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GhostbustersStern · 2016 · Premium · SPIKE · designed by John Trudeau

OverviewGame rulesCommon faultsService bulletinsPartsConversationsEaster eggs

Slimer won't move or sticks to one sideCogged pulleys out of line, the motor connector and Slimer's opto board.Ask Gus →

Coils firing on their ownThe left scoop flasher touching the metal rail: check the insulator behind its board.Ask Gus →

Flippers dead in play, fine in coil testThe cabinet switches' ground: node 8, connector 9, pin 7.Ask Gus →

Scoleri Brothers targets won't dropWeak knockdown springs in the target mechanism.Ask Gus →

Parts replaced most

Flipper coil090-5020-30-ND
Left flipper rebuild kit500-6307-10
Right flipper rebuild kit500-6307-00
Coil sleeve545-5388-00
Flipper rubber545-5277-00
Slimer motor041-5132-01
Slimer opto board520-6999-03

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