Eight Ball Deluxe scoring reels not advancing on certain players
My 1981 Bally Eight Ball Deluxe has scoring issues with the player 2 and player 4 score reels. Player 1 and player 3 score just fine — the reels click over correctly and everything registers. But player 2 and player 4 score reels don't advance at all. They just stay at zero no matter what scoring switches are hit during those players' turns.
The score reels for P2 and P4 look mechanically fine — I can spin them by hand and they move freely with no binding. The score motor runs and I can hear clicking during scoring events on all players, but only P1 and P3 actually advance.
I know this is a classic Bally era machine with AS-2518 boards. Is this likely a board issue or something in the reel mechanism?
yemons·3/21/2026★ 1 Answer
On early Bally games like Eight Ball Deluxe with the AS-2518 board set, the player selection for score reels is handled by the MPU board and driven through transistors on the solenoid driver board. The fact that P2 and P4 fail while P1 and P3 work points to a pattern — these player pairs often share circuitry in the multiplexing logic.
Start by checking the connector pins on the solenoid driver board that correspond to the P2 and P4 score reel drivers. Look for corroded, burnt, or loose pins in the Molex connectors — Bally machines of this era are notorious for connector problems. Remove each connector, clean the pins with DeoxIT or a fine abrasive, and re-crimp any loose pins. While you're there, check the driver transistors for P2 and P4 on the solenoid board — test them with a multimeter for shorts or opens. These are typically 2N5875 or TIP102 type transistors depending on the board revision. Replacements are available at Marco Specialties.
If the driver transistors test good and connectors are clean, the issue may be on the MPU board itself. Check the 5101 RAM chip — if it's losing data for P2/P4 scoring positions, it could cause this selective failure. Also inspect the IC sockets on the MPU board for corrosion, especially if this board has had any battery leak damage (a very common problem on these early Bally boards). A board repair kit with new sockets and battery holder is available from Pinball Life. Many owners also opt for an aftermarket replacement MPU board to avoid ongoing reliability issues with the 40+ year old originals.
yemons·3/21/2026