Electromechanical and Solid State Pinball Solenoid Coil Charts
The
majority of coil part numbers indicate the construction method of the coil. The first letter or two indicates the type of sleeve or the position of the wire terminal lugs.
Example of a coil part number AE-23-800 In our example; 23=wire gauge; 800=number of turns of wire.
Bally/Williams pinball solenoid coils have places for three terminal lugs; left edge, middle, and right edge of the coil's plastic base. The positions are as viewed with the lug end of the coil facing you and the lugs on top of the plastic
coil base.
The 'AL' and 'AR' coils are used when the lugs on an 'AE' coil would be in the way of a metal coil mounting bracket or any other close mechanical device.
AL has lugs on the left and middle. AE has lugs on left and right (both corners) AR has lugs on the right and middle of the coil base.
Part number suffix(or numbers following a coil part number, AE-23-800-04) and letter prefixes (SA3-23-850DC) indicate the coil sleeve type used (metal or plastic sleeve and length), diode polarity, wire lug placement, length of the wire lug at the base of the coil or the length of the mounting
insulator or coil base (EX. AE-23-800-01).
The first digits in the coil part number (Ex. 23-550) indicate the American wire gauge.
Wire Gauge: The higher the American Wire Gauge number, the smaller the diameter of wire. A small diameter wire has more resistance then a large diameter one and will take fewer turns of wire for a given coil operational voltage. This makes the coil cheaper to manufacture because wire is sold by the pound and not by the length of the spool of wire . This can also lead to a coil that is easy to burn because small sized wires heat up faster then large diameter wires.
The last digits (Ex. 23-550) indicate the number of turns of wire on the coil.
Number of Wire Turns Rule: The more turns of wire the weaker the coil. The fewer the number of wire turns equates to a stronger pull-in strength of the solenoid coil.
Weaker coils (large number of turns of wire, Example a 27-1100 coil) can withstand long activation times. If a coil is built with enough turns it can be activated indefinitely without coil destruction.
Our example solenoid coil (23-550) would be a very strong coil. A typical use for a coil this strong would be in an outhole ball eject mechanism. An outhole ball eject device is only activated for a short period of time but must push a heavy game ball up a steep slope or lift it out of a hole to move the ball into the ball shooter lane.
Coils that may be activated for a long time (either by design or by a faulty/shorted playfield switch (EM pinball only) usually have at least a 1000 or more turns of a large diameter wire. Score reel, chime, 'lock' relay and the 'hold' coil on most early flipper coils are examples of a coil designed to be activated for a long time without overheating.
Flipper coils usually have two sets of part numbers (Ex. 21-550/26-1200) because they have two coil windings on the same coil body. The first set of part numbers (21-550 in example) indicate the strength of the flipper (pull in coil used to raise the flipper). The last set of numbers (26-1200) indicate the coil
strength used to hold the flipper fully upright (hold in coil). The number of wire turns on the second set of the flipper coil part number is always larger then the first number of wire turns because the coil does not need to be strong when holding the flipper
upright. The second coil also has to be able to be held in (coil activated) permanently without burning up the coil.
Flippers on the most modern pinballs use only one coil winding. One winding flipper coils are supplied with two different voltages at different times in the operation of the flipper (These kinds of flippers are sometimes referred to as "sold state" flippers even though they are still operated by a solenoid coil). A higher
voltage (usually 50 volts) is used to move the flipper and a lower voltage is used on the same flipper coil winding to hold the flipper upright. This new type of coil doesn't have two sets of coil winding numbers in its part number. In fact, single winding flipper coils usually have only an arbitrary, non-specific
part number on them. This part number doesn't indicate anything about how the coil was constructed. For example; 090-5020-20.
Coil Voltages - Early EM pinball and late model electronic games use a relatively high 50 volt solenoid coil voltage. This higher drive voltage produced coils with very strong pull in strengths and a wider range of coil strength adjustment then the much lower voltage 24 volt solenoid coils. Higher coil voltage speeds up the game play and allows for mechanisms that have to physically lift a game ball and plunge it back onto the playfield such as a Vertical Up Kicker (V.U.K.).
The 50 volt source was abandoned during the "middle ages" of pinball (late 70's to 80's games) because of the shock potential of this high a voltage. Players could receive painful shocks if the game was not properly grounded either by the grounding lug on the power cord or by a missing ground wire on a metal game part.
If a 24 volt coil needed more strength or a slightly faster plunger pull in speed, then the 24 volt Alternating Current supply was converted to Direct Current for only a few coils inside of the game. This current type conversion (AC to DC, converted by bridge rectifier) was done mostly on Pop Bumpers and Sling Shot coils during the middle ages of pinball.
The higher 50 volt supply (DC current this time) was reintroduced in late model pinball games because grounding methods slightly improved and the typical game player demanded higher game speeds and stronger flippers were needed for the steeper sloped ramps and playfields of the modern pinball game. Also, greater playfield mechanism complexity began to be used on modern pinball games requiring very strong solenoid coils.
Coil Voltages by Game Manufacturer See coil voltage note. This coil voltage information is from a R.G.P. post and has not been 100% verified.
Gottlieb 1947 to 1989: 28 volts, Gottlieb 1989 (system3) to 1996: 50 volts
Williams 1947 to 1963: 50 volts, Williams 1963 to 1986: 28 volts, Williams 1986 to 1989: 28 or 50 volts, Williams 1989 to 1999: 50 volts
Bally 1947 to 1977: 50 volts, Bally 1977 to 1988: 43 volts, Bally 1988 to 1999: 50 volts Zaccaria: 39 volts
Coil Voltage Note: Because voltage mesurements are affected by the method of measurement and the condision of the circuit (loaded or unloaded circuit, Peak versus RMS versus Adverage voltage readings) and it is commonplace to indicate a standard supply voltage when presenting a coil voltage (24 volts instead of 28 volts - 50 instead of 60 volts), all voltages listed on this page are the adverage or most common voltage measurement. Voltage readings in the real world may very slightly from what has been presented on this arcade coil charts page.
Coil Part Number Substitutions: It is always best to use a coil with a small wire gauge number (large diameter wire) and same number of wire turns as the original coil only if the exact part number can not be found. For example; a 23-800 coil will have the same pull in strength as a 26-800 coil, however, the larger wire used in the 23-800 will take a longer time to heat up and therefor the coil should last longer without overheating inside of a game.
It is usually the case that the original coil part number can be bought new and a coil part number substitution should only be considered when a new replacement coil is not available.
Pinball game coils have been specifically designed to operate the mechanism they are installed in. If a coil is no longer available and two potential substitute coils are manufactured then install the coil with the lower wire gauge number and the same wire turns number. This all assumes there is no difference in the construction of the original and the substitution coils except for their wire diameter. For additional information on coils see the Coil Body Differences by coil manufacturer section on this page and our Tech Tips and the additional Tech Tips pages.
Gottlieb is always the exception to any industrial coin op coil or part number scheme. Their coil part numbers do not provide any useful information and usually start with the letter "A".
A substitute for Gottlieb coils can be found by matching a known good Gottlieb coil's ohmage with the ohmage of a Bally coil or by matching a typical coil's function.
Coil Body Differences - Bally and Gottlieb use the same coil body. A typical Williams or Data East coil uses a 1/16 of an inch shorter coil body.
Vast differences exist for coil stops between pinball manufacturers. These differences include stop height, width and mounting hole spacing.
Other pinball game and coin-op arcade technical info can be found on Pinball Medic's Tech Tips or Tech Tips Two pages.
Pinball Type Abbreviations: EM = Electromechanical (score reels, relays) SS = Solid State (digital score displays, chips (integrated circuits)) VUK=Vertical Up Kicker G. P.=General Purpose Application
The charts below show solenoid coil numbers and typical application. They do not indicate Pinball Medic's current solenoid coil inventory. Pinball Medic Amusements does not have any Atari or Zaccaria pinball coils and will not repair these brands of pinball.
Pinball Coil Charts by Manufacture Index Chicago CoinZaccariaWilliams EM Pinball Solenoid Coils Chart
Coil Number
Typical Application
Late Model Solid State Pinball Game Flipper Coils (1990-Later)
A-22-550
Ball Release, Unit Step-up
FL11753 used for small flippers, parallel wound, "weak" flipper strength
(Yellow coil wrapper) - power 9.8 ohms; hold 165 ohms
FL24/600-30/2600 same as FL11722 except series wound
A2-26-1025
Chime
FL11630 "standard" flipper strength, parallel wound, used on nearly all system 11 games
(Red Coil Wrapper Color) - power 4.7 ohms; hold 160 ohms
A2-26-1300
Chime
FL23/600-30/2600 same as FL11630 except series wound
B-26-800
Score Drum, Unit Reset
FL15411 strong flipper, parallel wound, used for main flippers on Addam's Family,
Twilight Zone, etc. (Orange Coil
Wrapper Color) - power 4.2 ohms; hold 145 ohms
B-27-1100
Reset
FL11629 strongest Williams flipper, parallel wound, Used on most of the newest
WPC system games (Blue Coil Wrapper Color) - power 4 ohms; hold 132 ohms
B-28-1450
Score Drum Unit
B1-26-800
Score Drum, Unit Reset
Williams Old Coil Number to New Coil Cross-Reference Chart
C2-26-800
Bell, Chime
DC designates the coil is made for Direct Current instead of the 24 volt Alternating Current used in most EM Pinballs.
Coils made for DC have a diode across its terminals. Coil polarity must be observed for DC coils.
Typical Application Coil Body Differences - Bally and Gottlieb use the same coil body.
A typical Williams or Data East coil uses a 1/16" shorter coil body.
Catalog Number
Typical Application
Coil Resistance
(Ohms)
Wire Gauge-
Number of Turns
Coil Wrapper Color
A-489
gate
A-1496
General Purpose
2.95
23-635
YELLOW
A-1084
A-4893
G. P.
2.1
22-535
RED
A-1118
bank relay, bonus control
A-5194
G. P.
4.5
24-780
BLUE
A-1119
rollover relay
A-5195
G. P.
12.3
26-1305
WHITE
A-1496
replay unit step up, stepping unit step-up,
hole kicker, bonus step-up (advance coil),
player unit step-up, ball return
Zaccaria coils numbers specify the diameter of the wire and the number of turns. Example: D. 50 - S. 1600
The D. in the coil part number is the diameter of the wire in the coil in millimeters multiplied by 100.
The S. number is the number of turns of wire in the coil.
i.e. D=50 & S=1600 then a coil with .5mm diameter wire or approximately a 24 Gauge wire size with 1600 turns of wire should be used.
Flipper coils usually have two sets of coil numbers because they contain two coils of wire on the same solenoid coil form.
When substituting another brand of coil for a Zaccaria pinball coil, it is better to go down on the gauge of wire (larger sized wire) then change the number to turns on a coil. i.e. coil calls for 27 Gauge wire. However, a 26 gauge wire is the more common
size, then a 26 Gauge wire should be used instead of a 28 or higher gauge wire. A large diameter wire can take more current flow without heating up then a small diameter wire. The number of turns on a coil (S value) dictates the strength of the pull in
force of the coil (lower number of turns = stronger pull in or coil strength).
To find a Williams substitute coil number use the AWG spec from the National Bureau of Standards Chart below:
Solenoid Coil Sleeve Chart
All new replacement solenoid coils are shipped with the proper length and style of coil sleeve. Replacing old dirty coil sleeves and cleaning the coil plunger are the least expensive ways to cure sluggish solenoids.
Replacement of metal coil sleeves with plastic sleeves is mandatory as the nylon plastic sleeves perform better and last longer.
1-3/4"
This 1-3/4" nylon coil sleeve is the most commonly used length on all brands of pinball machines.
Typically found on pop bumpers, slingshots, kickers, and early solid state and electromechanical flipper assemblies. Reference Part Numbers: Williams/Bally 03-7066.
Stern/Sega/Data East 545-5411-00.
2-3/16" This nylon sleeve is used on Williams post- 1980, Bally post- 1988, Stern post- 1999, Data East, and Sega flipper assemblies.
This is the standard flipper coil sleeve replacement for all newer model solid state pinball machines.
Reference Part Numbers: Williams/Bally 03-7066-5.
2-1/4" This is the proper nylon coil sleeve for Williams System 6 and System 7 flipper assemblies.
This coil sleeve is slightly longer than the much more common 2-3/16" sleeve. The extra 1/16 inch is needed to keep the flipper plunger return spring from getting wedged between the plunger and coil.
2-1/16" nylon coil sleeve with a 3/16" flange.
Williams/Bally Reference Part Number 03-7067-3.
Flipper Shaft Bushings
These are not coil sleeves. We simply don't have another place to put this info.
Stern/Sega &
Data East #545-5070-00.
03-7568 Flipper Bushing
Used on all Williams pinball machines from 1980 to 1999.
Used on all Bally pinball machines from 1989 to 1999.
Williams/Bally reference #03-7568.
03-6014 and A-2408 Flipper Bushing
Williams nylon flipper bushing used on all games from
Post Time (04/69) to Laser Ball (12/79).
Williams Reference #03-6014.
Gottlieb Reference Number - Gottlieb A-2408.
The following info has not been completely verified. Check the length of your bushing before ordering.
1969-04 Post Time, 1969-05 Suspense, 1969-06 Smart Set, 1969-09 Paddock, 1969-10 Expo, 1969-10 Roto, 1969-12 Set Up, 1969-12 Seven Up, 1970-01 Gay 90's, 1970-03 4 Aces, 1970-04 Jive Time, 1970-04 Rock 'N Roll, 1970-06 Aces & Kings, 1970-09 Strike Zone, 1970-10 Straight Flush, 1970-11 3 Jokers, 1970-12 Dipsy Doodle, 1971-02 Solids N Stripes, 1971-03 Doodle Bug, 1971-03 Love Bug, 1971-04 Gold Rush,
1971-04 Jackpot, 1971-08 Klondike, 1971-08 Planets, 1971-08 Yukon, 1971-08 Zodiac, 1971-10 Stardust, 1971-10 Yukon Special, 1972-01 Olympic Hockey, 1972-03 Granada, 1972-03 Spanish Eyes, 1972-05 Honey, 1972-05 Winner, 1972-08 Super Star,
1972-09 Big Star, 1972-09 Fan-Tas-Tic, 1972-12 Swinger, 1973-01 Travel Time, 1973-02 Fun-Fest, 1973-02 Summer Time, 1973-03 Match Race, 1973-05 Gulfstream, 1973-05 Tropic Fun, 1973-06 Jubilee, 1973-06 Skee Skill, 1973-09 Darling, 1973-10 OXO, 1974-01 Star Action, 1974-01 Tramway, 1974-02 Triple Action, 1974-03 Dealer's Choice, 1974-05 Skylab, 1974-07 Spacelab, 1974-07 Strato-Flite,
1974-10 Super-Flite, 1974-11 High Ace, 1974-11 Lucky Ace, 1974-12 Star Pool, 1975-03 Satin Doll, 1975-04 Big Ben, 1975-05 Pat Hand, 1975-07 Valencia, 1975-08 Triple Strike, 1975-09 Black Gold, 1975-09 Little Chief, 1975-12 Toledo, 1976-01 Space Mission,
1976-06 Space Odyssey, 1976-07 Aztec, 1976-11 Aztec, 1976-12 Blue Chip, 1976-12 Grand Prix, 1977-04 Liberty Bell, 1977-05 Big Deal, 1977-06 Hot Tip, 1977-07 Lucky Seven, 1977-08 Rancho, 1977-09 Argosy, 1977-10 Wild Card, 1977-11 Hot Tip, 1977-12 Road Champion,
1978-03 Lucky Seven, 1978-05 Contact, 1978-05 World Cup, 1978-08 Disco Fever, 1978-10 Pokerino, 1978-11 Phoenix, 1979-01 Flash, 1979-03 Stellar Wars, 1979-06 Rock 'N Roll, 1979-07 Tri Zone, 1979-09 Time Warp, 1979-12 Gorgar, 1979-12 Laser Ball
Important Note on Flipper Bushings:
Worn out or wrong type of Flipper bushings cause "flipper scrapes".
Check to see if your flippers ever contact the playfield. If they do then replace both flipper bushings immediately. Scrapes caused by the plastic flipper or its metal
mounting bracket can't be refurbished.
Often route people and other repair shops install the wrong bushing type for the pinball they are working on. Check and double check the flippers to make sure they have enough clearance between the flipper and the playfield. Playfield damage caused by flipper
movement can be prevented, but not restored.
Electro-Magnetic Coils
20-10179
Magnet coil used on Tales of the Arabian Nights and Theatre of Magic.
Williams/Bally reference #20-10179.
Williams/Bally Magnet Coil 20-10197
This is the magnet coil used on:
Theatre Of Magic, Champion Pub, No Fear, Tales of the Arabia Nights, Cirques Voltaire, Star Wars Episode 1
20-9247
Magnet coil used on many machines such as The Addams Family, Theatre of Magic, World Cup Soccer, and Twilight Zone.
Williams/Bally reference #20-9247.
A-15685
Magnet coil used on Williams High Speed II - The Getaway supercharger ramp.
Coil Voltages by
Game Manufacturer
Gottlieb 1947 to 1989: 28 volts
Gottlieb 1989 (system3) to 1996: 50 volts
Williams 1947 to 1963: 50 volts
Williams 1963 to 1986: 28 volts
Williams 1986 to 1989: 28 or 50 volts
Williams 1989 to 1999: 50 volts
Bally 1947 to 1977: 50 volts
Bally 1977 to 1988: 43 volts
Bally 1988 to 1999: 50 volts Zaccaria: 39 volts