Hacking a Gottlieb Lucky Hand

Hacking a Gottlieb Lucky Hand
by Steve Charland, parts by Tim Meighan

Gottlieb used the same playfield layout for two great games in 1977, Jacks Open and Lucky Hand. Jacks Open is the replay version of the game while Lucky Hand is the Add-A-Ball version of the game. Lucky Hand could be set so that the "WOW" feature awarded either an extra ball or 50,000 points (novelty setting). On novelty setting, players could accumulate much higher scores which were indicated by "lightbox" type scoring in addition to the normal score reels.

On an RGP challenge by Mike Ostradick on June 18, 2007 (link), armed with a Lucky Hand to work with and an extensive background in EM pins, Steve Charland developed the following "hack" which modifies Lucky Hand so that the lightbox advance feature unit is split, awarding extra balls (WOW's) AND counting scores over 199,990 points instead of one or the other.

A player could now score up to 1,999,990 points while accumulating extra balls during add-a-ball play. Nice.

Hacking a Gottlieb Lucky Hand

by

Steve Charland

WARNING: I suggest reading all of what needs to be done before jumping in on this hack. You might be in over your head and should stop before you kill your game (or not, if you do it the easy way). This is something that should only be done if you have a good grasp of EM function and the ability to read a schematic so you don't get lost.

Our Objective, shown here is to enable both the Add-A-Ball feature and "novelty" scoring. Note how the picture shows 1,999,990 points scored plus 5 extra balls (the 5 "WOW"s that are illuminated).
Note: Clicking on any of the small pictures will open a larger picture in a new browser window.

SELECTING THE BEST DISK AND WIPER SET FOR THIS HACK

I picked a bonus unit disk set for this hack because it has just about everything you need to make it work. You will have to add 3 wipers to the wiper disk to make all 5 WOW's light when won. It looks a lot nicer when you use the correct parts and wire in to the same harness for the hack. My good friend Tim Meighan was kind enough to make a matching disk/wiper set for this hack to make my game look correct. He can be contacted at TimMeighan@msn.com if you would like to purchase a set of ready-made disks from him, or have him add more rivets to yours. Also thanks to Tim for contributing to this article.

Here are some pics of Tim's work, used in the implementation of this "hack".

Left to right:
a. back of custom disk,
b. Both custom disk and wiper,
c. back of custom wiper,
d. front of custom wiper,
e. Custom disk and wiper installed.

SPLITTING THE WOW/100,000 UNIT

Gottlieb wasn't one to waste space or money on lots of extra parts. In the case of some of their later add-a-ball games, they took this philosophy to the extreme, allowing two completely different features to operate from one stepper unit. Of course, only one of these two features could be functional on location at a time and the one you got depended on whether the game was set to add-a-ball or novelty play.

One of these features was to keep track of "add-a-balls" (accumulated extra balls) earned through WOW's. On Gottlieb EM's, a WOW is the add-a-ball equivalent of a SPECIAL on a replay game. The other feature was to provide lightbox bulb-scoring of multiple 100,000's beyond what the score reels could hold, since the reels simply rolled back over to zero after 99,990.

It's easy to see that both of these features are desirable, so our objective with this hack is to split this unit and activate BOTH features at the same time during normal game play. There are two ways to complete this objective. Remove the "WOW" portion from the "lightbox advance" unit, or remove the "100,000" count from it. I chose the WOW to start because it *seemed* simpler but after it was done, really isn't, I'm always doing things the hard way. Both methods move about the same amount of wires but there is very little switch adjustment to do in the second hack. Would I do the hack again this way? NO, I'd go the other route but nothing is learned that way (especially by me). We'll go over doing the easy hack too. (make sure the wire used to run the coils is at least 18 gauge, 20 gauge for any lights minimum) The neat part about both hacks that the game can be converted back to original since you don't have to cut any wires. :)

MOVING THE "WOW" FEATURE TO A SEPARATE UNIT

1. Install another stepper unit in head (ball count stepper is best choice, we'll call it the "WOW" unit now). Make sure it doesn't touch any wires or light busses where installed (any wiring that can touch the chassis will have to be moved). Add the modified disk set to it.

2. Add a male Jones plug to novelty plug location in the head. This is optional but I like to do it when working out a new hack as an additional point of reference.

3. Remove the wire (white-red on Lucky Hand) from the add-a-ball Jones plug that runs to the 100,000 relay and jumper it over to the added novelty plug to it's opposite correct pin location. This disables the 100,000 relay ("JX" relay on Lucky Hand, possibly other games as well) and allows the "lightbox advance" unit to step up to 1,900,000 (in Lucky Hand).

4. Remove the lead wire (black-white wire on Lucky Hand) from the 5th position cam limiting switch on the "lightbox advance" unit disk and leave it loose for now. This switch is no longer needed on this unit and will be moved to the added "WOW" unit later.

5. Install a jumper on the added "WOW" unit from one coil solder lug to the other, then run one black wire from one of the leads to any coil black return lead. We'll visit these coils again in a later step. Be sure to leave enough room in *all* of the "WOW" unit wiring you install so you can still open it and work on the backside.

6. Run a new wire from the added "novelty" Jones plug hot lead for the 100,000 feature lights up to the added "WOW" unit light tab on the chassis. (WOW and 100,000 counting lights) so both features light up at the same time. Another place to add this jumper that seems easier is on the "lightbox advance" unit itself at the end of the same leads as on the Jones plugs. (wire colors are maroon-yellow and maroon-orange on Lucky Hand)

7. Remove all 5 WOW light wires (wire colors are blue-black, orange-black, brown-black, green-black & slate-black on Lucky Hand) from the "lightbox advance" unit disk and jumper them down to the added "WOW" unit disk in their proper positions. Now the easy work is done, both features should now be lit and the "lightbox advance" unit should now work properly. NOTE: One problem that will fix itself later as we move switches is that at this point, the through switch will take off 100,000 points each time a ball rolls over it. However, the added "WOW" unit should step up and down manually. From now on, we'll call the "lightbox advance" unit the "100,000 unit.

MAKING THE WOW UNIT STEP UP

8. This is one of 3 new switches that must be added to the backside of the added "WOW" unit runout post. Remember the wire (black-white wire on Lucky Hand) you removed from the "100,000" unit cam switch on step 4 above? Splice a wire to it and run it down to the added "WOW" unit switch on the backside of the unit. After stepping up, this switch must open when the post on the stepper gear touches it (just like a ball count unit).

9. Add a jumper wire from the run out switch to the step up coil. If done correctly, the "WOW" unit will now step up.

MAKING THE KNOCKER POP AT STEP UP OF THE "WOW" UNIT

Gotta have that POP when you win an extra ball!

10. Remove the wire (red-green on Lucky Hand) from the add-a-ball Jones plug that connects up the knocker to the female portion of the plug. Cap it off since you won't be needing it. Add a wire to the solder lug and then run it up to the step up coil on the "WOW" unit. The knocker will now fire every time you win an extra ball.

MAKING BOTH UNITS RESET AND THE "WOW" UNIT STEP DOWN WITH THE "BALL COUNT" UNIT

We'll deal with reset completed runout switches first. Right now, there are two, one on the "ball count" unit and one on the "100,000" unit. Another switch needs to be added in line with these two and installed on the added "WOW" unit. I chose to put the new switch between the zero position ball count and "100,000" reset completed switches. This switch will tell the game that the "WOW" unit has reset along with everything else and to then stop the reset.

11. Remove the reset runout wire off of the switch on the "100,000" unit. It should be the switch closest to the stepper post (brown-white-red wire on Lucky Hand). Add a wire to this wire and run it to the new runout switch (second added switch) on the "WOW" unit. From there, add another wire to the other side of the new switch and run it back to the place you removed the original wire (brown-white-red wire on Lucky Hand) from the "100,000" unit. This switch should close when the "WOW" unit is at zero and the AXR relay will now trip when all of the resets are completed on the game.

Now on to the reset of the "WOW" unit. Right now, you should have a problem with the through switch resetting the 100,000 unit since it's set up to step down the WOW count instead. This needs to be corrected and moved to the "WOW" unit instead. Also, there is a zero position game over switch on the "100,000" unit that needs to be moved down to the "WOW" unit. This switch turns off the "ball count" unit when a extra ball is won and allows the "ball count" unit to advance to game over when you don't have any more extra balls to play (we'll start here). then we need to make the "100,000" unit reset.

12. Remove the 2 wires (red and green-red wires on Lucky Hand) on the "100,000" unit zero position runout switch and splice wires to both. Add a new zero position runout switch (third added switch, or just move the old one to this unit) to the backside of the "WOW" unit. This switch needs to be closed when you have no extra WOW's (zero position). Connect the added wires to this switch.

This next step is important, it involves the game over portion of the hack (mentioned above). If ignored, "game over" won't work correctly. It will only go to game over after the last ball is played and it gets kicked back to the plunger lane via the through switch. We want it to turn the game off before doing so.

13. Locate the game over zero position switch on the "100,000" unit backside that controls reset (blue-red center wire on Lucky Hand) that comes from the AX reset relay. Remove the game over zero position switch (on-on) from the "100,000" unit and transplant it to the "WOW" unit. Take the center wire (blue-red on Lucky Hand), splice a wire to it and connect it to the transplanted game over zero position switch on the "WOW" unit. This wire should now be in the center of the 3 lug switch. Splice a wire to the other removed wire (orange-red on Lucky hand) from the old position on the "100,000" unit and run it over to the transplanted game over zero position switch on the "WOW" unit. This switch should be closed when the "WOW" unit is reset to zero.

14. Now take a jumper wire and connect one end to the reset coil on the "WOW" unit. Take the other end of that jumper wire and connect it to the last solder lug on the transplanted game over zero position switch. This switch should be open when the "WOW" unit is reset to zero. Make sure all switches do what they used to do when they were on the old "lightbox advance" unit and the game over will work correctly.

15. Abandon the wire (brown-red on Lucky Hand) on the "100,000" unit reset coil and run a new wire from the coil to the reset coil on the "ball count" unit. Connect the wire to the wire (slate-yellow on Lucky Hand) that isn't black on that coil. You should now be finished and ready to test the game for adjustments and a little fine tuning. At this point, your game should be working like mine, with both features.

16. All done. A complete view of the backbox with additional stepper and wiring included. Now go rack up some points and some extra balls.

An Alternative Method: MOVING THE 100,000 FEATURE TO A SEPARATE UNIT

For those that want to do this the easy way ;-) , I'll explore this hack (since my game is working the other way and I have no plans to change it now). I'll be doing the shortened version to save time (without extra comments or optional connections like Jones plugs). What will be needed is a bonus stepper unit with matching disks and a stepper gear from a credit unit. The reason for the gear change is that a credit unit gear allows for advancing past position 15, a bonus unit stepper unit gear does not. 4 more rivets will need to be added to the disk so the counter can go up to 1,900,000 like it originally does in novelty mode. The easiest way to do this is to send the disk to Tim Meghan for modification or have a new one made. Nothing should change on the wiper disk if it came from a bonus unit.

1b. Install the stepper unit ("100,000" unit) in the same place as step 1 above.

2b. Add 4 rivets to the disk and wire up the backside to work correctly during advance. Note: If you do nothing to the disk, it will only count to 1,500,000 which is more than enough.

3b. Move all ten of the 100,000 light wires from the "lightbox advance" unit disk and install them on the new "100,000" unit disk in their proper positions.

4b. Jumper a wire from the "lightbox advance" unit chassis lug to the added "100,000" unit chassis lug.

5b. Run a black wire from an existing coil up to the two coils on the added "100,000" unit for ground.

6b. Remove the wire (blue-white-red on Lucky Hand) from the 100,000 relay and run it to an added run out switch on the "100,000" unit. This switch is to limit the step up to 19. Connect the other side of this switch to the other lug on the added "100,000" unit step up coil.

7b. Run a reset wire from the reset coil (slate-yellow on Lucky Hand) on the ball count unit up to a zero position switch on the added "100,000" unit. From the other side of that switch, jumper a wire to the reset coil on the added "100,000" unit for AX reset.

8b. Splice a zero position switch into the line (brown-white-red on Lucky Hand) for the AX reset relay and install it in the same place mentioned in step 12 above for reset completed.

That should do it. It's easier, with less switch adjustments to make. I don't think I missed anything.

Anyone wanting to try this can contact me at ccharland@comcast.net if you need assistance.
Or, ask Team-EM on RGP.

	3. Remove the wire (white-red on Lucky Hand) from the add-a-ball Jones plug that runs to the 100,000 relay and jumper it over to the added novelty plug to it's opposite correct pin location. This disables the 100,000 relay ("JX" relay on Lucky Hand, possibly other games as well) and allows the "lightbox advance" unit to step up to 1,900,000 (in Lucky Hand).
	4. Remove the lead wire (black-white wire on Lucky Hand) from the 5th position cam limiting switch on the "lightbox advance" unit disk and leave it loose for now. This switch is no longer needed on this unit and will be moved to the added "WOW" unit later.
	5. Install a jumper on the added "WOW" unit from one coil solder lug to the other, then run one black wire from one of the leads to any coil black return lead. We'll visit these coils again in a later step. Be sure to leave enough room in all of the "WOW" unit wiring you install so you can still open it and work on the backside.
	6. Run a new wire from the added "novelty" Jones plug hot lead for the 100,000 feature lights up to the added "WOW" unit light tab on the chassis. (WOW and 100,000 counting lights) so both features light up at the same time. Another place to add this jumper that seems easier is on the "lightbox advance" unit itself at the end of the same leads as on the Jones plugs. (wire colors are maroon-yellow and maroon-orange on Lucky Hand)
	7. Remove all 5 WOW light wires (wire colors are blue-black, orange-black, brown-black, green-black & slate-black on Lucky Hand) from the "lightbox advance" unit disk and jumper them down to the added "WOW" unit disk in their proper positions. Now the easy work is done, both features should now be lit and the "lightbox advance" unit should now work properly. NOTE: One problem that will fix itself later as we move switches is that at this point, the through switch will take off 100,000 points each time a ball rolls over it. However, the added "WOW" unit should step up and down manually. From now on, we'll call the "lightbox advance" unit the "100,000 unit.