Hey all!
I just recently acquired a Tales from the Crypt and I am currently having an issue where when I hit the flipper buttons, the back right VUK under the playfield fires. The flippers are super sluggish and that VUK coil is, too. The outlet plug seems to be slightly damaged and the same VUK coil was damaged. The game was working fine until I started LEDing. The auto launch coil is inoperative, also. Any ideas? Thanks!
Quoted from LTG:I'd get an outlet checker and plug it into the service outlet. See if hot, common, and ground are all working right.
That would let you know from wall to service outlet is good.
LTG : )
Thanks! But I am leaning towards a bad driver. The game Boots okay! It just some coils are not working and the flippers are weak. Could it be outlet-based?!
For non working coils, you need to check fuses, test for voltage at coils. For weak coils, check the Coil Pulse Power setting in standard settings. Should be at least normal, not the lowest setting. Try hard and see if it makes any difference.
If flippers are making the VUK fire, the switch likely needs adjustment. Put the game into switch edges test and pound on the playfield with your fist to see if any switches trigger. VUK rebuild kits are available from the usual sources.
Quoted from phishrace:For non working coils, you need to check fuses, test for voltage at coils. For weak coils, check the Coil Pulse Power setting in standard settings. Should be at least normal, not the lowest setting. Try hard and see if it makes any difference.
If flippers are making the VUK fire, the switch likely needs adjustment. Put the game into switch edges test and pound on the playfield with your fist to see if any switches trigger. VUK rebuild kits are available from the usual sources.
Thanks, I will do this and get back to you.
If you added any LED light strips disconnect them. I've had a few Data East games have coil problems because of LED light strips. Disconnected them and the coil issues went away. Not saying this is the issue you're having but it's worth a shot.
Quoted from 1iblind:If you added any LED light strips disconnect them. I've had a few Data East games have coil problems because of LED light strips. Disconnected them and the coil issues went away. Not saying this is the issue you're having but it's worth a shot.
Hmm, interesting. I didn’t install any so I’m not sure 
I am confused to why there is little power to the flippers and multiple coils are dead and low power. Could it be the LEDs? I see people LED Tales all the time!
Okay, now I am getting closer! F5 fuse keeps blowing upon boot up. Anyone have the schematics handy and could tell me which larger driver (PPB) it could be? Thanks!
I can’t see which coil is holding because the fuse blows immediately. I disconnected that broken VUK coil and I am still getting the issue. Anyone know what fuses run off of F5? Thanks! I need to find the bad coil, replace it, and the drivers/pre drivers but I am just not sure which ones go to F5
Quoted from LTG:Check the big transistor on your board, it is likely bad.
LTG : )
Sounds good! How would I check one of those? Black lead on ground and red on Transistor? Thanks!
I have been putting a 1 amp fuse in place of the 5 amp fuse, is this a problem? I am not over-amping it but maybe this is why it keeps blowing?
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:I have been putting a 1 amp fuse in place of the 5 amp fuse, is this a problem?
Check manual - if it's supposed to be 5 amps, yes 1 amp would blow fast.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:How would I check one of those?
Youtube has lots of short videos to help you.
LTG : )
Quoted from LTG:Check manual - if it's supposed to be 5 amps, yes 1 amp would blow fast.
Youtube has lots of short videos to help you.
LTG : )
Okay, thanks! I will meter the big drivers!
So found out that disabling the auto-plunge coil stops the fuse from blowing. Should I replace this coil?
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:So found out that disabling the auto-plunge coil stops the fuse from blowing. Should I replace this coil?
Is your auto-plunge coil shorting out? Check and make sure that metal from the auto-plunge coil is not touching anything else that is metal near it. I had a similar problem with my TZ auto-plunge coil which was touching nearby metal and once I adjusted the coil bracket so that it was not touching any nearby metal the problem was resolved.
Gord
Quoted from GRB1959:Is your auto-plunge coil shorting out? Check and make sure that metal from the auto-plunge coil is not touching anything else that is metal near it. I had a similar problem with my TZ auto-plunge coil which was touching nearby metal and once I adjusted the coil bracket so that it was not touching any nearby metal the problem was resolved.
Gord
Thanks! So the back VUK coil is a mess. The plastic where the lugs are are all broken and rigged and I think that is what is blowing the fuse. I just ordered the new coil and fuses. I’ll let you all know. Thanks!
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:I just ordered the new coil and fuses.
Disassembling the VUK to replace the coil without damaging any parts is very difficult. As I mentioned about, VUK rebuild kits are available from multiple sources. With the kit, disassembly is much faster. Just cut the cup off that holds the ball with wire cutters and it all comes apart. Your pic above appears to show the original parts. I would not recommend trying to disassemble and reassemble those old parts.
Quoted from Da-Shaker:Are there any diodes on your coil. Maybe one is blown or loose. Also check that the plunger moves in and out of the coil freely. Any restrictions could blow a fuse.
It moves freely! But because the plastic part of the coil is broken, the diode is loose. So I think we are on to something!
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:It moves freely! But because the plastic part of the coil is broken, the diode is loose. So I think we are on to something!
Make sure the diode doesn’t have a broken leg and that both ends are attached. If it’s just wobbly from the broken plastic it’ll still work, but if one leg isn’t attached it’ll pop your fuse.
Quoted from Da-Shaker:Make sure the diode doesn’t have a broken leg and that both ends are attached. If it’s just wobbly from the broken plastic it’ll still work, but if one leg isn’t attached it’ll pop your fuse.
Very true! I just a bought a whole new coil just to be safe. It should be here this week.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:Very true! I just a bought a whole new coil just to be safe. It should be here this week.
A lot of times a new coil doesn’t come with a diode and you have to purchase separately. It would be best to just order a diode and not the coil, because the coil is probably fine. You can also just test the diode that is currently on it.
Quoted from Da-Shaker:A lot of times a new coil doesn’t come with a diode and you have to purchase separately. It would be best to just order a diode and not the coil, because the coil is probably fine. You can also just test the diode that is currently on it.
I ordered the coil and diode separately and they just came in 
Installed the coil and everything was working and then when the ball was in the VUK, the coil started smoking. Any ideas?
Quoted from LTG:Transistor failed. New coil and diode wired right ?
LTG : )
Hmm. Yes! I put it the same way is it was installed before
image (resized).jpgQuoted from Pinball-DOOD:Yes! I put it the same way is it was installed before
Diode is on right. Couldn't tell from your picture if wires were in correct spots.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:Could anyone confirm that it is supposed to be a 23-800 coil?
That wouldn't cause the coil to fry. It likely is, or close enough.
LTG : )
Here's a pdf of the manual, it will help a lot with part #s
https://www.ipdb.org/files/2493/Data_East_1993_Tales_from_the_Crypt_Manual.pdf
Quoted from miracleman:Here's a pdf of the manual, it will help a lot with part #s
https://www.ipdb.org/files/2493/Data_East_1993_Tales_from_the_Crypt_Manual.pdf
I think I was right!
I put the old coil back in and now it holds upon boot up. None of the drivers in the back test bad except for I get a beep on the VR1 driver on the power supply board. Is this supposed to be opened? For is this shorted?
frunch Hope you don’t mind jumping in!
Pinball-DOOD reached out to me for a bit of assistance with this, figured I'd post up here what I suggested. If I have anything wrong here, please correct me:
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I think the manual calls it the "Top VUK". Based on that, here would be the transistors to check:
PPB board: Q2 TIP36
CPU board: Q40 TIP 122 or TIP102 (both are suitable replacements)
Also on CPU board: Q32 2N4401
It's recommended in cases like this to replace all 3 of the transistors in the circuit (1 on PPB and 2 on CPU) even if they don't all test bad. Make sure to orient all the parts correctly on the board when replacing them! Make sure to wire up coil correctly too.
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The TIP36C you posted from jameco should be correct. Get at least an extra or 2 as backups...
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