Black Hole
Click to go back to the 1980-1989 Gottlieb® System 80/80A/80B repair guide.
1 Black Hole Solenoid Manual Solenoid Listing Incorrect
Errors in game manuals are fairly prevalent. One such error in the Gottlieb® Black Hole manual lists the solenoid numbers and solenoids pulsed during solenoid test incorrectly. The order shown in the manual vs the actual test order follows.
| Solenoid | Game Manual | Actual |
|---|---|---|
2 Replacing Black Hole Lower Playfield Illumination Lamps with #44 Lamps
This modification developed by Steve Charland.
When Gottlieb® designed Black Hole and Haunted House, the designers chose to illuminate the lower playfield with 313 lamps, which are 28 volt lamps. Coil power could be used as a power source, and the lamps are slightly brighter than #44 lamps. However, #313 bulbs are triple the price of #44 lamps and are a unique part to stock.
Converting the power circuit that drives these lamps to 6VDC makes sense and allows the use of the more common #44 lamps.
The big picture...
Here's what the final "hack" will look like, just to get you oriented.
Note the use of red wire to indicate this is an "aftermarket" implementation. You may use black-slate-slate wire to have that "factory" look.
L relay mods...
Remove the orange-slate-slate wires from the switch stack located on the L relay under the lower playfield. Be sure to cap the wires off so they can't short to anything. In the picture at left, heat shrink tubing was used to cap the wires which were twisted together.
Solder a new 16 gauge wire to the vacant solder tab where you removed the orange-slate-slate wires.
Attaching to the power bus...
Solder the other end of the new wire to the black-slate-slate wire that connects to all of the controlled lights on the lower playfield (pictured left).
Use "zip ties" to secure the new wire to the factory wire bundle. You can feed the wire through the factory "tie downs".
Let there be light...
All finished with the mod. The bulbs now will light on 6VDC instead of 24VDC. Swap out all of those #313s with #44s or #47s and never worry about looking for the correct bulb again.
3 Replacing the Black Hole "Spinning Disk" Motor
Initial parts list and this particular motor suggestion provided by Ken Huber
Black Hole back box spinning disk motors, having run continuously since 1981 while the game is powered on, often fail.
Various replacement motor options have been used over the years including the Radio Shack hobby motor and the Granger heavy duty motor.
Another simple and inexpensive option is the DC motor sold by Servo City at: http://www.servocity.com/
Parts required:
- Quantity 1 - 638158 3RPM geared motor - $24.99
- Quantity 1 - 545576 6mm set screw aluminum hub - $4.99
- Quantity 2 - 92005A116 3mm x 6mm pan head phillips screws - $0.15 each, minimum quantity 4 (for mounting the new motor to the original mounting bracket.)
Feedback is needed for the use of this hub adapter.
- Quantity 1 - 545456 aluminum hub adapter - $2.99 Although this has not been used in an install, a hub adapter may work better than drilling and tapping the aluminum hub.
- Quantity 1pk. - 632110 6-32 x 3/8" (estimated length needed) long socket head screws - $1.89 pk. of 25. 4pcs. are used to mount the hub adapter to the hub.
The following item is no longer available, and the suggested screws are no longer needed.
3472H 6mm (the motor shaft size) bore aluminum hub with 5-40 tapped mount holes
91771A125 5-40 Flat Head Phillips Machine Screws, 5/16" long - $0.23 each, minimum quantity 4 (for mounting the spinning disk to the new hub)
The 638154 2 RPM Servo City motor - $24.99 may also be used . The mounting holes on the motor face are slightly wider apart, allowing two additional screws with washers to "clamp" the motor to the mounting bracket without elongating holes. The motor will, of course, turn 1/3 slower than the 3 RPM motor.
This 3 RPM motor, which is spec'd to run on DC voltages from 3 to 12V, is driven by 6VDC in the game. Since it is not powered at the full 12VDC, it runs slower than the rated 3 RPM at about 1.5 RPM, which looks good and matches the OEM motor speed closely. The shaft of the motor is also the perfect length. When assembled as described below, the spinning disk rides above the #455 flasher bulbs by about 1/4 inch and also about 1/4 inch behind the inner backglass.
Installation:
- Remove the spinning disk face and the old motor assembly.
- Remove the 3 screws that attach the OEM motor to the mounting bracket.
- Use one of the new 3mm x 6mm screws to mount the new motor to the mounting bracket. Optionally, you may "elongate" one of the holes in the mounting bracket so that another screw may be used, but one screw is probably enough since the motor center protrudes through the bracket.
- Drill two 7/64" holes perpendicular to the set screw on the new hub. Take caution when drilling these holes, as the hub does not have much meat. Drill the holes as close to the raised center of the hub as possible.
- Tap the newly drilled holes with a 6-32 tap.
- Mount the new hub to the motor shaft so that it is flush with the end of the shaft. Tighten the set screw with a 3/32" Allen wrench (hex key).
- Mount the motor and bracket assembly to the lamp insert board using the two original hex head screws.
- Ensure that only #455 blinking lamps are used in the area behind the spinning disk. #44/47 lamps protrude too far and will scratch the back of the spinning disk.
- Mount the spinning disk to the hub using two 6-32 black screws that were used to mount the disc to the old motor hub.
- Solder the power wires to the solder tabs on the motor. Connecting the Green/Yellow wire to the positive side of the motor causes it to spin counter-clockwise. Connecting the Green/Yellow wire to the negative side of the motor causes it to spin clockwise. You be the judge of the age-old debate as to which direction is correct. Use heatshrink to cover the solder joint and motor solder tabs.
- Install a 2-pin .156" ramped housing on the motor pigtails.
- Install a 2-pin Z-connector to the .156" connector on the motor, and attach the other end to the old motor connector housing.
- Optional: insert a 2-pin Molex connector inline with the power connections.
- Optional: If more clearance is needed because the disc is warped, replace the 455 bulbs with LED blinkers from Marco or Cointaker. The LED blinkers allow an additional 3/8" clearance behind the disc. To mount the disc further back, either cut the shaft shorter, or secure the motor to the mount with washers (use 3mm X 8mm screws).
- Black Hole Spinning Disk Motor Replacement
Front view of the motor assembly. Note the single screw attaching the motor to the bracket. Also note that this style of round hub is no longer available from Servo City 
The only available 6mm hub from Servo City. The hub pictured on the left is an unmodified hub. The hub on the right has been drilled (2 additional holes) and tapped to accept the spinning disc screws. 
Rear view of the motor assembly. A 2-pin .156 housing was attached to the pigtails that were soldered onto the motor. A 2-pin Z-connector is used to mate the motor to the existing connection. 
Rear view of the motor assembly. An optional inline 2-pin molex connector was used in this example. 
455 Lamp Clearance. Nice... 
The Completed Job 
The OEM Motor Assembly after detaching the mounting bracket 
Replacement Parts Acquired from Servo City. Note: 5-40 Flat Head Screws not shown Also note that the round hub is no longer available from Servo City.
If the spinning disc plastic is slightly warped, do not attempt to flatten it out via the oven method. The plastic is not the same as typical light shield plastics on a playfield. Even after pressing the disc between two sheets of playfield glass while the disc plastic was still warm, the plastic chose to curl up as shown in the picture. The plastic disc in the picture is now unusable.
4 Black Hole Auto Spin Disc Circuit
This modification developed by Ken Huber.
By implementing this modification, the backbox spinning disc
can be set to spin at all times (bypass on) or to only spin
while a game is being played (bypass off).
| Parts List | |
| Active Circuit | Passive Circuit (optional) |
|---|---|
|
|
- Illustrated Instructions for Black Hole Auto Spin Disc Circuit
The Active Circuit uses a PNP transistor to drive an NPN transistor into saturation. Since the NPN is in saturation, the circuit has only about 0.5V loss. This circuit is the best choice for nearly lossless switching of the disc motor. Although there are a few more components than the Passive Circuit, it takes about the same time to build.
Optional Passive Circuit. The diode at the base of the PNP transistor prevents the higher voltage upstream from grounding the Game Over relay. The diode also prevents the PNP transistor from saturating, so there is about a 1.5V loss using this circuit. If you want your motor to spin at maximum speed, avoid using this circuit.
The following instructions show construction and wiring for the Active Circuit. The wire colors are shown in (parentheses). If you choose to use the Passive Circuit, adjust your wiring accordingly.
Optional: You can use terminal blocks instead of .100" headers & connectors.
Active Circuit Stripboard Layout 
Locate the rear third wire from the right, on the A3J3 connector. Connect a 1 foot length of wire to it. This wire is the Control Line (white).
Locate the A10J10 2-pin connector for the motor. Remove the wires from the connector, and save the connector in your spare parts box. It will not be needed for this modification.
Use a 3-pin male Molex connector and configure the pins as follows:
1. +V Motor (to mate with 6V wire on female side).
2. -V Motor (to mate with Motor Ground on female side).
3. No pin (this does not connect to the female side).Use a 3-pin female Molex connector and configure the pins as follows:
1. Combine the game's 6V wire (white/orange) with a 1 foot length of wire (red).
2. Pin 2 is a 1 foot length of wire (blue) for the Motor Ground.
3. Combine the game's ground wire (green/yellow) with a 1 foot length of wire (green). This pin will not connect to the male side.
Run a wire (black) from the circuit board location to the front of cabinet to a SPST switch that can be accessed from inside the coin door. When the bypass switch is ON, the disc will spin continuously. When the bypass switch is OFF, the disc will only spin during a game.
Connect the other side of the bypass switch to a convenient ground connection.
For the Active Circuit make the following connections to the circuit board:
1. 6v (red) to circuit 6v.
2. Control line (white) to diode leading to PN2907 base.
3. Motor ground (blue) & bypass (black) to TIP 102 collector.
4. Ground (green) to circuit ground.
The circuit board fits installed (with a stand off and longer screw) on the bottom cable tie. Test the operation by starting and ending a game.
5 Pull Up Resistors Added to Remote Transistors (Centrally Located) on Lower Playfield
Because Black Hole has a total of 3 under remote transistors located on the lower playfield, centrally locating the added pull up resistors is recommended for a cleaner look, but it is not totally necessary. In the case shown here, a switch diode board was repurposed for the 4.7k pull up resistors. The practice of using these boards for pull up resistors is commonplace with System 80B games.
Review the pull up resistor circuitry here. The addition of wires include a red wire tied to the +24v solenoid bus, as seen attached to the non-fused side of the fuse block in the pic on the right, and then connected to 3 parallel mounted 4.7K 1/4 watt resistors. The lines on the opposite side of the resistors are then tied to the base of each one of the remote transistors with red wires. Any color of wire is acceptable. Red wire was used in this application so the modification would stand out.
6 Black Hole Ball Lift Kicker Mod
This modification developed by Steve Charland.
From an engineering standpoint, the upkicker for BH is a simple and direct design but it does have its faults. The first being that there is no way to adjust the power of the "kick" from the lower playfield to the upper playfield. The second is the problem of the ball lift coil getting fried. This happens all too often due to shorted transistors, or failing transistors that provide "trickle" power to the coil, heating it up over time and eventually causing it to short.
The solution(s)
The first problem was to be able to control the speed that the ball would travel up the tube. The simple solution is to add an end of stroke switch and use a flipper coil. Since the switch can be adjusted to open at various "throw" points of the coil plunger, you can control the force of the plunger strike to the ball. Open the switch early, and the ball travel will be slower. Open the switch later and the ball travel is faster. Making the end of stroke switch bracket isn't too difficult to do. Contact Cliffy at Passion for Pinball, and hopefully he'll have them for sale soon.
Now, on to the A-4893 coil getting fried. There is something to note here. The schematic calls for a 6 1/4 amp Slo-Blo fuse for F17. A 6 1/4 amp Slo-Blo passes way too much current to protect the ball lift coil should either the pre-drive transistor or the under-playfield drive transistor short on. No wonder it cooks so often. This coil needs to be protected with a 2.5 amp Slo-Blo fuse, just like the pop bumper coils (so in theory the fuse will blow before the coil cooks).
For this mod, I used a A-20095 flipper coil instead of the stock coil, and an end of stroke switch to turn off the power-stroke winding of the flipper coil. By using an end of stroke switch, if either drive transistors short on, only the hold portion of the flipper coil will be energized, in exactly the same way as a flipper operates.
- Black Hole Upkicker Modification
Measuring for hole placement on the new bracket. 
Trial fitting some sheet steel to the new holes. This sheet steel will eventually become the EOS bracket. 
The new bracket and switch. 
Another view of the new bracket and switch. 
The bracket and switch in place. 
Completed work, flipper coil installed.
7 Black Hole Lower Playfield Ball Gate Wireform
The design of the lower playfield ball gate wireform (part # 21161) is specific to Black Hole, and no other game. The ball gate wireform (part # 20604) used on all Gottlieb® multiball games is shown for reference purposes, and will not work for this application. The difference between the two is the extra dogleg, which is needed to "nudge" the ball towards the lower playfield upkicker, after the ball release coil enables.
If the lower gate wireform is missing, and both balls on the lower playfield drain at the same time, the ball release will allow both balls to pass to the upkicker. When this happends, the game will never see the second switch close like it should, and it will never enable the upkicker. Hence, the balls will remain on the lower playfield until the game is turned off, turned back on, and the credit button is pressed to start a new game.
As of this writing (4-4-16), the 21161 ball gate wireform is not available from any typical parts vendors. For what it's worth, the 20604 is not available either.
- Black Hole Lower Playfield Ball Gate Wireform
Replacement ball gate wireform, 21161, fabricated from brass rod. 
Top down picture of the 20604 (top) and 21161 (bottom) ball gate wireforms. 
Pic of the same wireforms using a different positioning.
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