Symptom: Blows fuse
Location: Parker, CO

Sometimes things are not what they seem. There are many fuses inside a typical pinball machine. Generally the more modern machines have more fuses. When a fuse blows, the assumption is there is an overload condition downstream that needs repair.

Usually when a fuse blows, it burns in the middle of the glass tube. This fuse was odd because it kept blowing on the end. The current measured about 4.8 amps and the fuse was rated at 6 amps, so it shouldn’t have been blowing. It turned out that the fuse holder had some corrosion on the clips, which was causing the connection between the fuse and the fuse clips to heat up. It got so hot, it melted the solder inside the end cap of the fuse.

The fuse holder was replaced and the issue was resolved.