(Topic ID: 66172)
Linked Games
F-14 Tomcat
Williams, 1987
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3 weeks later
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3 weeks later
Quoted from Snux:I think all ROM versions support that. Take a look in the manual, page 15 which lists some of the feature adjustments. Look at 33,37 and 38 in particular which allow changing how hard the locks are to light.
But the latest ROM version awards you 2 locks when spelling TOMCAT by default right?
On mine it lites 1 lock for each time spelling TOMCAT. 3rd time it lites lock 3 and RELEASE.
HOWEVER, on ball 3 it will award TWO locks for spelling TOMCAT.
After multiball, each lock will have to be separately lit, as well as RELEASE.
Mine is an early production, probably with the oldest ROM's.
2 weeks later
4 months later
After playing my F14 for about a year without any major problems, something was bound to go wrong at some point. The fuse for the solenoids (rescue, ejects, yagov, kickout) had blown. I replaced it, and after a few games it was blown again. I measured all the coils, none of them seem to be shorted, and all affected coils fire fine in the coil test.
Does anyone have some insights? 
Thanks!
3 weeks later
Quoted from wayout440:Most of the time a solenoid fuse is not blown because of a bad coil, but often because of a switch problem (something in the game "telling" a momentary coil to stay on too long - which hopefully will blow the fuse before damaging the coil driving transistor or coil.)
Always run a good battery of switch tests, repeatedly - both the levels and edge tests - before assuming something else.
I think I may have found the culprit Someone "fixed" the kicker arm with a bolt, instead of the bus thats supposed to be on there, occasionally trapping the switch.
1 week later
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Quoted from heni1977:Suggestions on where to start?
I'd first clean it and try to get it working, then start worrying about aesthetics.
http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Post-Purchase_Checklist
2 months later
Sounds like the switch in the left-center lock is broken or misaligned. Then the game can't detect when a ball is in there, and diverts another ball there. Then one ball will be "lost", and the game will do a ball search after a while, releasing all the balls.
So put the game in switch test mode, and manually put a ball in the left center lock. See if the switch registers. Also try the switches in the other locks and in the ramps, the problem might be elsewhere.
1 week later
2 weeks later
Quoted from nerdygrrl:PPS has F-14 inserts FS again!!!!!
http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PPS-F14-INSERTSET&Store_Code=PP
Very nice, but the $50 shipping to The Netherlands kills it for me 
Guess I'm gonna have to stock up on some other parts as well!
6 months later
3 weeks later
Quoted from HughesDForce:Hi All,
When the third ball is locked, the top lights on my machine come on, but the spinners only work intermittently. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions of what the cause might be?
Thanks in advance!
On mine the gear on the drive shaft was worn (or the gear was slipping on the shaft, I don't remember). I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I believe I fixed it by taking the gear of the shaft with a small socket and a hammer, and putting it on the shaft upside down.
You'll see what i mean if you open up the gearbox on the motor
3 years later
Quoted from fisherdaman:I hate to be that guy but, where is the fuse located?
I wasn't at home to check, but I believe its fuse F2 on the power supply board. My F14 was blowing that fuse occasionally and the same thing happened
4 months later
Quoted from Pinhead306:Hey guys picked up a project tomcat a few months ago and have been picking away at some issues. I found some wires dangling under the playfield and I’m thinking they go to some flashers? I pushed them through the playfield and I can see where there used to be sockets screwed into the playfield. Any reason why these would have been taken out? I have an early version without the lamp boards under the playfield. Also are all 4 flippers supposed to be 11630? Or are the top two different?[quoted image][quoted image]
Yes there are supposed to be flashers there, but there was a service bulletin from Williams to disconnect them because they could cause a short with those standup targets.
I've put them back on mine and insulated the lamp sockets with some heat shrink tubing.
3 months later
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Quoted from raplaka75:Hello everyone! I've just notice on my F-14 Tomcat the light on my "C" from cat in the upper part of the playfield is not working. The pinball machine itself works, I tried putting in a new LED and it's still not working. Does anyone know why this is not working? Thanks!
[quoted image][quoted image]
Might be a bad diode on the other side of the board
Quoted from raplaka75:Oh ok I will test it, where is the diode for the lamp located? Thanks!
Its on the other side of the circuit board. If you follow the traces it should be easy to figure out which diode is connected to that lamp. Or you could simply test all of the diodes on the board
Put your multimeter in diode/continuity mode and check if it reads 0.5-0.7v in one direction, and open circuit when you switch the leads around. If you get no reading in both directions, the diode is bad
Quoted from raplaka75:Ok ok thanks! So I assume this is the circuit board I have to inspect, correct? Forgive me that I'm still learning how to correct issues on pinball machines. Thanks!
[quoted image]
Nonono, just the little circuit board with the lamps on it that you took the picture of. The diodes are on the backside.
Quoted from rvermeire:2 questions,
2)
I have 2 cables just hanging around... White/Violet. associated to a number of switches in the matrix but all switches seem to work fine...
Any idea how/where these should be connected to? or just to each other ?
Just near it I have 2 orange ones as well, soldered to each other...
[quoted image]
Those wires are for the flashers behind the standup targets. A Williams service bulletin (https://www.ipdb.org/files/804/Williams_1987_F_14_Tomcat_Service_Bulletin_41.pdf) said to disconnect those flashers because they could short out the switch matrix.
If you want you can reinstall them: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/returning-f14-flashers-to-original-design-vids-guide
1 month later
Quoted from FLASHBALL:So working on a friends F14 tomcat today. We stumbled across a strange one. When in coil test the top diverter works fine every time. But when in game the lower 2 will lock but when the third ball is ready to lock the top diverter never comes out.
Anyone have any ideas why this would happen?
Thanks.
Did you test the switches in the lock and wire ramp of the second diverter? It may not be registering that there is a ball in there
2 months later
Quoted from desertT1:Here’s an interesting one. My F14 is awarding bonus and going to the next ball when you plunge into a kickout. It always starts in the one on the far right side, right? Well these are going to the left (say on ball 1) and then right (on ball 2) kick outs that are in the center of the playfield.
Did you check fuses? I believe that happens when fuse F4(?) on the power supply board goes bad
3 weeks later
There's an H channel at the top and 2 metal standoffs for the display. And you'll need the speaker grilles. I've made my own a few years ago since I couldn't find them anywhere:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/home-made-speaker-grills
DSC_1188 (resized).JPGDSC_1189 (resized).JPGDSC_1190 (resized).JPG
1 month later
1 month later
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