First post of 2026!
So the other day I wanted to play Upper Deck...
I got this game in 2019 and since I've first gotten it working. It's been very reliable.
So I start a game, press the pitch button. The game serves the ball. Press the bat button... nothing happens.
The bat is dead!?
Re start the game, press the pitch button. The game serves the ball. Press the bat button, the bat works.
Pitch the next ball, bat. all good.
Another pitch, press the bat button. Bat is dead again.
What's happening?
So I open up the game.
I start with the obvious stuff: (I.e. Bullshitting my way through the repair)
Clean the end of stroke switch on the bat unit.
Clean the switch points on the Pitch Relay, the Bat Relay and the Bat Button Relay.
Close up the game. Try a new game... and the game behaves exactly the same as before.
But I also notice a pattern:
When the bat was inoperative, if I kept pitching balls, after the 3rd strike, an out would register and the bat would work again for a couple of pitches... interesting.
Time to look at some documentation:
I had a PDF copy of Upper Deck's manual but no schematic.
The sequence of operation of the Pitch Unit, Bat Re. Bat Button Re. and Bat Unit coil is clearly explained:
I check the Pitch Unit:
Everything checks out good but still the bug remains.
I look on IPDB.org for a similar Williams pitch and bat game that might have the schematic.
1971 Williams Action Baseball had the schematic and close enough features so I can use it to aid my troubleshooting.
The bat coil is a 110 Volt coil.
It is energized by way of 2 switches on the Bat Relay, then by a switch on the Bat Button Relay. Then through a large variable resistor (for bat power operator adjustment). Then the circuit goes parallel through a 4 Ohm 10W resistor and a Mix unit switch. An finally through a fuse before reaching the coil.
So I start checking:
All the relay malarkey has been checked already. All good.
The variable resistor and the fuse are good. Connections are solid.
The Mix Unis is a bit gummed up, it didn't actuate smoothly. So I cleaned it and changed the coil sleeve.
Then I check the 4 Ohm 10W resistor and the resistor is bad. Open circuit.
That explains the intermittent failure of the bat. The mixer's role is to vary the power of the bat coil on a pseudo-random basis. By opening and closing the Mix Unit switch parallel to the 4 Ohm resistor, the circuit either goes through both the mixer switch and resistor (making the resistance practically zero) or through the resistor only, in the later case with the blown resistor, the circuit couldn't complete to the coil.
I didn't have a 4 Ohm resistor on hand so I had to order one. In the meantime I temporarily bodged a 3 Ohm resistor, just to be able to play the game until I fix it properly.
I like Upper Deck. It was William's last Electro-mechanical Pitch & Bat game. It has the running man unit, electronic sound AND bells, two rows of targets, pseudo-random curve balls and a cool back box light animation for home runs.
My example is a bit of a rough. The head is missing the neck and the cabinet is pretty poor. But it's a keeper. I have fond memories of playing another Upper Deck at a pinball show against someone else. I was in the moment, just enjoying it.
