This did it! Was thinking eos but didn’t think to clean and tighten it up. Thank you sir!!!

Ugh. Got my repaired boards back today, looks like I have the same, and also some new, issues. Time to go coil hunting I guess.

It's now popping the solenoid fuse on boot. Thinking maybe I put the wires backwards on the outhole coil I unhooked the solenoid entirely and got it to boot and kinda function (IE didn't pop that 3A fuse--slings worked, pops worked, etc), until the game reset with left flipper (the stack is MANGLED, so I probably need to just replace that entirely). Now it's back to popping the fuse every time on boot. The red base outhole coil was torched when I picked it up, still didn't fire even with a new coil (when the fuse didn't pop).

This thing is so grumpy.

Screenshot_20230715_185134_Video Player (resized).jpg

Did you try disconnecting them all and just powering up the game first to make sure it’s nothing else? Then try one set at a time….

These really are fairly easy to diag. I would unplug the two major solenoid connectors on the lower left of the MPU to start to isolate them. They fire the controlled coils by grounding.

MPU/driver back a second time. Replaced diodes on a bunch of coils and made sure to wire them correctly in red/yellow bases. Replaced the 23-840 coil with a new 23-850 coil (and then replaced the diode on the 840 that was there, to go back into the toolbox.

Red and yellow bases, and the outhole are all now good. I need to adjust pop switches (they're not even close) and figure out my left flipper. I'm pretty stumped on that one. I've got a sfl-19-400/30-750 on the left, fl-23-600/30-2600 on the right. Right side works fine. Left.....resets the game. It also looks really bad on this stack. Barf.

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Coils for red/blue bases were shorted, wired backwards, who knows. I went through and replaced coils and verified proper resistance and then made sure to not screw up the wiring process this time. The outhole solenoid came to me all messed up (as did blue base) and didn't get properly addressed before my repaired board went back in. Basically, I pulled my head out of my ass this time around.

There is one diode on *both* coils.

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Looks like there is a burnt spot where these wires are touching... I would investigate that and separate them a bit or insulate just to make sure. This could cause the game to crash.

Screen Shot 2023-07-28 at 10.16.46 AM (resized).png

Good catch, I'll check that.

That's my right flipper though, and that's the one that works seemingly without issue.

These are serial (versus parallel) wound flipper solenoids. You should double check your wiring and resistances.

Aside from needing to redo wiring is there any reason I couldn't/shouldn't just put 11630 coils in it? These coils aren't the correct 22-750/30-2600 coils that the service bulletin calls for anyway, and I have some extra 11630s laying around.

The manual shows that the flipper should be a serial wound solenoid.

laser_war_flipper_wiring_diagram.jpg

FL-11630 has a power winding about 4.5 Ohms and a hold winding about 150 Ohms. I think that 23-600 is going to be around 4 Ohms and that 30-2600 is going to be around 150 Ohms. Measure the resistance to be sure. The 19-400 is going to be MUCH less. Probably around 3 Ohms I'd guess. I think that kind of power winding was used with 25V flippers instead of 50V flippers. The 30-750 I'm not sure about but definitely less than 150 Ohms. I think 23-600/30-2600 is going to be comparable to FL-11630.

In the end, it doesn't matter if it's serial or parallel. As long as it's wired correctly and of comparable power and winding resistance.

My Laser War came with (and still has) parallel wound flipper solenoids installed.

Sorry, this was the SB I was referencing, in case it's helpful in any way:

https://arcarc.xmission.com/Pinball/Stern%20Service%20Bulletins/sb/sb62.pdf

Clipped the coils out and this is what I measure:

23-600/30-2600 94.5, 2.4
19-400/30-750 25.6, 0.6
11630 172.2, 4.3

One thing is likely IMO, that 19-400 coil is junk. No change after clipping the diode either. As for whether or not the 11630 would be acceptable..... I'm not sure.

That bulletin lists an upper flipper for Laser War but it doesn't have one. Don't trust what you read there simply because that could be one of a few other errors. Whenever I assess a document I look for consistency with expected. If I find an inconsistency then that casts doubt on the trustworthiness of the document.

I always thought that FL-11630 is the same as 23-600/30-2600 but since don't have (and have never used) a 23-600/30-2600 I can't say for sure. Reference: https://www.flippers.com/coil-resistance.html for another source of information.

Play the game with one. I have the FL-11630 installed in mine and I get airballs hitting the glass from the yellow standup targets so it's plenty strong. I also get airballs when it bounces off the ramp. Then again, I rebuilt the flipper assembly and have a cleared PF that still shines even after about 1,000 plays from the local show over the years.

That reading of 2.4/94.5 seems off to me. That seems even stronger than a FL-11629 which is going to be far too much power for Laser War.

Good point on doubting the overall credibility of the bulletin, I noticed the upper as well and had to scratch my head on what kind of sense that made.

Do you mind showing me your wiring with your 11630s? Obviously I can just look at the guide from Vid, but if you don't mind just sharing your pictures that'll eliminate any possibility for confusion on my part, I think. My game has factory mylar and while I'm polishing it up, I certainly do not expect the sort of glide you're getting from a clearcoated playfield. I might be okay.

Thanks!

If you learn to read the wiring diagram you won't need anybody sharing any images with you. The skill translates to being to read any other wiring diagram in any other manual for any other game.

Here is the wiring diagram for a parallel wound flipper solenoid.

parallel_wound_flipper_solenoid_wiring.jpg

It is the same for ANY Williams System 11A/B/C game. Since Data East moved away from parallel wound flipper solenoids to a single winding under the Deger board control, you can't use most of the Data East manuals.

If you still can't figure it out then I will have to go to where the machine is located to get an image. This is why learning to read the manual and wiring diagram will give you the ability to "help yourself" instead of relying on others.

I often forget that not everyone has their games right next to them to reference so my apology for assuming.

As mentioned I'm fairly certain vid's guide would have been enough, I'm sure I'll be fine.

Thanks for the diagram. No picture necessary.

If your collection is accurate then you can look at your Taxi. It is a parallel wound flipper solenoid. The wiring for the serial wound flipper solenoid is the same as the wiring for the parallel wound flipper solenoid. Voltage (power) goes to the lug at the banded end of the diode. Drive (ground) goes to the lug at the non-banded end of the diode. The capacitor is connected between the center lug and the non-banded end of the diode.

Has anyone been able to file or sand down the grooves that form in DE ball troughs? I have one that the ball keeps getting stuck on a divot that prevents the ball from rolling into the last position to kick the ball out. Surely there must be a fix out there for this...sanding down the divot hasn't helped yet.

One pic shows the balls stuck (not hung up on a switch, I have the opto board installed). The other pic shows the divots I'm referring to. I guess these form over time?

TFTC ball trough - Imgur (1) (resized).jpg

TFTC ball trough - Imgur (resized).jpg

If there’s enough room, there are plastic pieces that sit on top of the trough that takes the divots out of play. They are advertised as being for Indiana Jones, but may work here.

Just make sure the balls will roll freely once installed. You may need to put washers under the trough to get clearance.

After going through this thread I got wierded out by users having issues with the 520-5003-04 replacement rottendog MPU. All kinds of strange stuff from DMD to pinsound issues. Any chance things have gotten better or is it best to steer clear of the dog?

Also I have the chad 4.0 roms on order and one day in the future I might want a colordmd for my tftc. I know there is a updated dmd rom in the chad set so was curious if this is an issue with colordmd.

I have a rottendog in my TFTC and also Pinsound and Pin2dmd without issues. it seems like luck of the draw with those boards.

My board doesn't have acid damage just some lamps that have been out for a long time and I've been dragging my feet. Just weighing my options because I have a lot of other hobby repairs to do on the arcade side of things and the time void to doing all the work is a bit much sometimes.

Just did a lamp test and the following are out. I'm thinking just replace the transistor at Q70 and the other randoms are hopefully just some dead bulbs. What I can't find is the type of transistors to order in the manual.

ttfx_matrix (resized).PNG

Thanks for that info. Your pinsound sound package is what's motivating me to fix my lamps as it has breathed some new life into my ttfc. For anyone on the fence it's very well done IMO and if there are some sounds you don't aggrege with just drop new sounds in the folders on the usb drive. It's a breeze to do.

As far as pin2dmd is concerned I've owned 3 in the past and they are cool but a real PITA to deal with. Especially when the community members go dark on communication. Again IMO.

If anyone has a colordmd and the chad 4.0 roms working together I'd love to hear from you.

All games (including TFTC) with "Chad" Rom's work great with ColorDMD.

Stumped with my The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard

Replaced the original MPU with a Rottendog MPU004.

Moved over the Tommy 5.0 rom and the chip in U_3D. J5 is the selected RAM.

Everything works on the game, except the settings. Unable to access the settings menu via inside the coin door. It’s almost as if it’s dead. Where/how does this tie into the MPU? Game works perfect with coin play.

TIA
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Thank you. Replaced the board due to battery corrosion, but sending it out for repairs. Wanted to keep the game alive while it was out. Got this one from PBL; I’ll reach out.

Posted this in the Laser War Club but thought I'd try for a wider knowledge base:

Could someone take pictures of their flipper wiring set up? I recently bought a Laser War that had flipper issues (melted lane change switch, melted sleeve, extra diodes randomly). I bought flipper rebuild kits and new coils, took pictures and labeled everything to put it back together. I can get a few right flips but every left flip blows the fuse on the flipper power supply board.

Checked rectifier bridge with multimeter and the nothing else looks fried or like cold solder. I've seen some pics of other early Data East flipper wiring and it's clearly different than mine, but I'm not sure if the first Alpha Numeric DE's have the exact same wiring. I'm pretty schematics illiterate so pics would be a big help!

Hey DE fans,

So I'm working on a restoration of a Secret Service, and two of the topper lenses are broken and were cruddily replaced. I'd like to just replace the whole row, so if I can't find a match for the original prismatic plastic I can use 5 that are the same of whatever replacement material I find.

I've been having a hard time sleuthing out colored prismatic plexi or acrylic aside from large industrial suppliers. I know that I can get translucent panels easily, and that may be how it goes, but I'm trying one more time to find the textured stuff, in small sheets. Anyone else had to grapple with this and come up with something?

Someone just posted on the board they had topper plastics they were selling.

Parts - Wanted

DE Time Machine: Looking for 2 plastics Archived

Wanted! - “I'm trying to scare up a couple of plastics for my Data East Time Machine. One is the left slingshot plastic and the other is in the upper left area of the playfield. See pic bel...”

2024-01-23

Jarrettsville, MD

Alan_L

Wanted

Archived after: 38 days

Viewed: 242 times

Status: Not sold

Still looking for these two plastics, any luck?

Can someone take a pic of the lock cylinder and locking mechanism...somehow I lost it during my machine rebuild....If you happen to have a spare reach out I may need it...

its in the head...on top actually (worst place ever)

I don't have a picture, but the parts are in the manual.

From Jurassic Park:
Lock and cam - https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/LKA78
Lock plate - https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/535-5860-00

Or...they sell a kit:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/535-5860-KIT

nope...whole different animal....fits in a round hole and has a linkage of sorts to lock the glass in...(I think as I haven't seen it in years)

Which title?

My apologies, I thought I posted that...Secret Service...so that era...

Gotcha. I'd suggest posting in the secret service club then.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/secret-service-owners-club-all-are-welcome/page/7

I have one in garage, if I have time I'll take pics in the morning.

ty..

Here you go.

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thanks gdonovan ! that helps...is that a two bladed key type lock?

Yes.

If anyone in the Midwest is looking for a beautiful restored GnR, I just put mine up for sale ...

SOLD!

Machine - For Sale

Gorgeous - Fully Restored - DE Guns N' Roses Archived

Fully restored (full original status) - “This is the one you've been waiting for! The game has been fully restored inside and out. The cabinet and backbox were stripped, filled, sanded, painted, and then new decals were a...”

2024-04-16

Glenview, IL

gweempose

8,000 (OBO)

Archived after: 6 days

Viewed: 1895 times

Status: Sold (amount private)

Contributed to Pinside

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