(Topic ID: 330338)

Just Another Taxi GI-problem. Beginner.

By robped89

1 year ago


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  • Taxi Williams, 1988

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#1 1 year ago

Hi guys!

I have an old Williams Taxi pinballmachine in my basement. It works, but I have a couple of minor issues. Half of the GI-lamps on the playfield (right side) is not working. I traced some yellow cables to the interconnect-board in the backbox. At first, I didn’t see anything suspicious. I looked for something fried, but could find anything. Same thing under the playfield. I have also checked all the fuses, and everything seems ok. Relay-boards as well.

Then, decided to take out the interconnect-board for a closer look. I found something interesting. Ill post the picture, take a closer look inside the circles.

Is this the source of my problem? And, how do I fix this? Do I need a new interconnect-board? Btw, I have zero to nothing experience or knowledge when it comes to pinball-machines or electricity. But, I have good eyes, a multimeter and am willing to learn. Ive measured ohm at this area (between the pins it goes to), and it shows it not completely broken. This is the J9-connector

Thanks in advance. Best regards Robin from the cold Norway.

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#2 1 year ago

Reflow those and include above the circle. Can't hurt.

#3 1 year ago

Thanks for the reply. What about the card? It seems damaged.

#4 1 year ago

The solder masked is bubbled a little bit but probably not the issue. What do the actual connectors look like?

I would also take a look at the relay that is under the playfield that controls the GI flashing. Those are almost always an issue if original.

#5 1 year ago

The connectors seems fine. The same thing with the relay. I haven't checked it with the multimeter. But it looks fine, as do the connectors on it.

#6 1 year ago

might sound ridiculous, but have you checked the non working globes?

#7 1 year ago

that interconnect board looks fine.

is all the GI in the backbox working?
is the coin door lights working?

have you checked the fuses out of the board with a multimeter for continuity?
check the tension of the fuse holder clips and for any tarnish.

at 7J3 on the backbox interconnect board do get approximately 6 VAC across pins 1&4, noting that pins 1&2 are joined together as are pins 3&4, this is your AC input from the transformer.

from there check 2J9 pins 1&5 for about 6 VAC and pins 6&7 for about 6 VAC, these are the 2 strings for the GI to the playfield.

#8 1 year ago

Did you meter the fuses and not just visually looked at them?

Edit: Was beaten to it.

#9 1 year ago

I will double-check the fuses once I'm back from work. I recently got a set of all taxi-fuses in my mail. Ill try to replace them all. Its only the right side on the playfield. Rest of the GI is working. The coin-door as well. I will check the pins with my multimeter and post if I find something interesting.

Thanks for the help, folks! Really appreciate it! I love that Taxi-machine. Actually, I generally loves pinball-machines. But my wallet does not

#10 1 year ago

I get 4.1VAC between pin 1&4 on J3. On the J9 I have 0,8VAC between 1&5 and 0,5VAC between 6&7. BTW, why do you have 7 in front of J3 and a 2 in front of J6? (PS:sorry :p )

I might have found something interesting. On the J6-connecter, I have cables on pin 1 (white), 2 (yellow), 3 (white and purple stripes) and 7 purple. Is this correct? I found it strange that you want me to measure pins without cables on them. Ill post a picture. Its the white and yellow- side on the playfield that is not working.

EDIT: Forget about this post, The readings are wrong.

#11 1 year ago
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#12 1 year ago

Issue is more likely a relay.

I would turn game on and pop up pf.

CAREFULLY jiggle any relays that control the gi. I believe the one you wanna jiggle is way at the bottom of the raised pf, lower right. Picture at page 38 manual. See if you get intermittent lighting. There may be one on backbox board too (edit there is). Can’t recall
I’ve tracked down more gi issues this way ..

If that fails, I’ve found luck in pressing in the wires running to connectors on the interconnect for gi. Sometimes they just need pushed in better. Your board looks great tho.

#13 1 year ago

The GI circuit can also burn right where it comes out of the transformer, so check there for brown/crispy connectors. But I agree and like originally said, its likely the relay.

#14 1 year ago

looking at the schematics the GI comes straight from the transformer as a yellow and a yellow/white wires then splits into 2 yellow and 2 yellow/white wires joining at the interconnect board in the backbox at 2J6 where it splits into 4 of each which are fused, then out at J7 (Backbox), J10 (door) & J9 (Playfield).

the playfield GI is split into 2 circuits at J9

Pin 1 (white/violet) & Pin 5 (violet) = 1 circuit
Pin 6 (yellow) & Pin 7 (white/yellow) = 1 circuit

in the previous posts I was starting at the transformer asking for readings then working along to find where the possible break in the circuit is.

the GI is AC, so without the plug connected at J9 what voltage readings do you get at J9 pins 1&5 also pins 6&7 ?

my understanding of the number prefix is a reference to a board or transformer, 7J3 being the transformer and 2J9 being the interconnect board.

the relay (A/C) is on the auxiliary power driver board for switching flashers and solenoids.

#15 1 year ago

Fantastic post, Rikoshay. I get 6VAC on both 1&5 and 6&7 on my J9 (without the plug). The J9-plug looks fine. I tried to pull/push the cables on the plug as well, did not work. Under the playfield, I read 5.5VAC on the white/violet-violet circuit. And nothing on the yellow-white/yellow circuit.

#16 1 year ago

I don't think the relay is the issue. I tried to switched the relays (on backbox and under the playfield) but without success.

#17 1 year ago

Ok, so I thought I was slowly understanding things. And concluded that the problem is on the playfield, or between the playfield and the J9-plug on the interconnect-board.

But, the I tried to check the J6 again (as I have misread the multimeter earlier) and only got 1,5VAC between pin 1&4. I might do I wrong, as its a bit difficult to do the read when the plug is connected to the board.

#18 1 year ago
Quoted from robped89:

Ok, so I thought I was slowly understanding things. And concluded that the problem is on the playfield, or between the playfield and the J9-plug on the interconnect-board.

This is a solid conclusion based on the evidence. Use continuity testing to isolate/locate the problem.

Quoted from robped89:

Under the playfield, I read 5.5VAC on the white/violet-violet circuit. And nothing on the yellow-white/yellow circuit.

Where under the playfield? Keep following the YEL/YEL-WHT back to the backbox until you find the problem. The problem might be at the relay board if the GI string is switched. If you're uncertain then you can post images of the connector and the relay board.

Quoted from robped89:

But, the I tried to check the J6 again (as I have misread the multimeter earlier) and only got 1,5VAC between pin 1&4. I might do I wrong, as its a bit difficult to do the read when the plug is connected to the board.

VAC is measured point to point not point to reference.

s11_ict_2J6.jpgs11_ict_2J6.jpg

If you're measuring 2J6-1 to 2J6-4 you aren't measuring anything meaningful. Those two pins should be continuous with each other. You want to measure between YEL and YEL-WHT not YEL and YEL or YEL-WHT and YEL-WHT.

#19 1 year ago

if you are 100% sure you have 6VAC on the 2 pairs of pins on the interconnect board then this is good news and the problem is from the plug to the playfield.

although IDC's (insulation displacement connectors) you have may look like the wire is secure in there, the insulation may be, but the actual wire may not be making contact with the pin itself.

I'm curious which side is out on your playfield? the white/violet & violet, or the white/yellow & yellow? You did write that you got 5.5VAC on the white/violet & violet at the playfield......are you 100% sure on this, just checking is all.

if you are sure, next confirm continuity from the connector to the playfield for each of the white/yellow and yellow with the plug removed. I don't imagine you have a spare header lying around so you could use a needle or a nail to put in the connector, acting as a header pin, and make sure with one probe on the now inserted (whatever you used) in the plug and where it next terminates on the playfield.

Lifting the playfield up and back you should be able to see where these 2 pairs of wires join at the playfield. You can also measure for 6VAC here on the pair that don't work, maybe also try the pair that does work just so you can get more acquainted and confident with what you are doing and what is and isn't happening.

Also are you using LED's for GI or original incandescent globes? I ask this because an incandescent globe will act as a short when reading for continuity as there is a closed circuit from the base to the body of the globe, but not so in a LED. Ignore the following you have LEDs installed. With the game off and your meter on continuity, if you put your probes on both the wires you will get a beep, so if you tracing the yellow wire say, with one probe at where it comes in at the playfield (alligator clip is great for this freeing up your hands) and the other on the next yellow in the row it will (should) give a beep, but if you touch where the white/yellow joins the globe you will also get a beep due to the incandescent globe, so, as annoying as it is, should it go this far, you need to remove all the globes in that white & yellow/white string. There may be a faulty globe holder here and you won't get the correct readings, I hope all that made sense?

Also, have you checked the non working globes/LEDs themselves in other working GI sockets?

my understanding of the schematics is that there isn't a relay involved with the GI.

#20 1 year ago

Update! Solved! I traced the problem to the Relay under the playfield. I thought It looked fine. But when I took I closer look, one of the solder joint on the back--side looked off. I took my friends solder-tool and made my first solder-joint ever. And boom! It brightened the field up. Beautiful, fantastic!

Many thanks to everyone. The help have been massive, and without you I would given up days ago! Now, am gonna take my kids and play some Taxi Cheers!

#21 1 year ago

well done and sorry to have lead you astray saying there wasn't, and I couldn't see a relay involved with the GI when it was mentioned in post 4.

#22 1 year ago

Cold solder joints will usually reveal themselves with those relays w a little jiggle as the lights will flicker. Had this issue on a ww.

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