(Topic ID: 222658)

Lower right flipper dead!

By Rdoyle1978

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 15 posts
  • 6 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by Pin_Guy
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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#1 5 years ago

I’m stumped on this TZ issue.

Lower right flipper is not firing. Buttons are recognized in switch test. Neither the power nor the hold seems to work in flipper coil test, but all other flippers work completely.

Upper right flipper fires when hitting button and in coil test. I Swapped the coil in the non-working flipper for a new one - it does not work either.

I Changed the fuse 906 (lower left of fuse block on fliptronics board) which is for this flipper. No dice.

So where do I test next? The Fliptronics transistor? Q4 (I think?). This has got to be a simple issue. Not sure where to poke next. I don’t believe Wiring is an issue; this flipper died in the middle of a game. The only thing I remember is hearing an unusual buzz from the flipper a few times (when flipping) before it finally died

#2 5 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

So where do I test next?

Continuity of wiring from flipper coil lugs to fliptronics board.

LTG : )

#3 5 years ago

Fixed! I was not as systematic as I thought - I replaced a bad fuse with another one, and had to do some re-soldering. All is well! Thank you!!

#4 5 years ago

This thread is back from the dead (and yes I double posted this in the TZ owner’s thread, but it’s really more of a general question)

the right flipper is dead again, blowing the same fuse on the Fliptronics.

I get about 2 flips and then it blows. Everything else on the game AFAIK is working, all other flippers, cools, the diverters...

So I am thinking Q4 must be fried. Or maybe both Q4 and Q11. (Or the coil diodes I guess? I never tested those)

I am not in front of my game, does Lloyd or anyone know which transistor(s) I may need to order to replace ?

#5 5 years ago

bad coil, shorted out diode on coil? this would blow a fuse rather fast.

#6 5 years ago
Quoted from wdennie:

bad coil, shorted out diode on coil? this would blow a fuse rather fast.

I bet it's the diode - that is a much simpler thing to try first, rather than hacking up my Fliptronics board

#7 5 years ago

I would suggest looking for an intermittent short somewhere before assuming bad parts. A bad transistor wouldn't be intermittent; it would normally lock on (shorted transistor), or sometimes, it might stop flipping (open). A diode would cause spikes, but would not blow the fuse unless it failed short, in which case, the flipper wouldn't flip those first two times.

Make sure there's not a loose wire somewhere. Make sure the coil lugs can't move around and touch the bracket. That sort of stuff.

#8 5 years ago
Quoted from herg:

I would suggest looking for an intermittent short somewhere before assuming bad parts. A bad transistor wouldn't be intermittent; it would normally lock on (shorted transistor), or sometimes, it might stop flipping (open). A diode would cause spikes, but would not blow the fuse.
Make sure there's not a loose wire somewhere. Make sure the coil lugs can't move around and touch the bracket. That sort of stuff.

Will do - I just resoldered everything last night. Could there be a short in the coil wiring itself? The coil is in there snug, and the arm is able to move freely so I don’t see that there could be a short right there - although I will check for sure

#9 5 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

Could there be a short in the coil wiring itself?

In the wiring that feeds power to the coil? Sure. Anywhere along the wire that feeds power to that coil, an exposed area could short to something else. The most likely spots would be at the coil connections, but it could be anywhere.

When I first got my TZ, there was a cut in the insulation that looked like it been caused by a pinched wire. That small exposed section of wire would sometimes bump against metal and blow a fuse. Nearly drove me nuts trying to find it.

#10 5 years ago

So dis-connect the wire's to the coil and see if it still blows fuse.
Then hook up power to the out side coil posts and see if it blows fuse. (don't hold flipper button very long tho)
if this doesn't make fuse blow hook up center posts, either you have a short on the coil hold side, or the coil flip side.
assuming coil has 2 diodes, check to make sure a diode didn't short closed.

#11 5 years ago
Quoted from wdennie:

So dis-connect the wire's to the coil and see if it still blows fuse.
Then hook up power to the out side coil posts and see if it blows fuse. (don't hold flipper button very long tho)
if this doesn't make fuse blow hook up center posts, either you have a short on the coil hold side, or the coil flip side.
assuming coil has 2 diodes, check to make sure a diode didn't short closed.

I will check this..
Have to get some new fuses, all I have are 5A left..

#12 5 years ago

All right - so it was one or both of the coil diodes. I got a few 3A fuses, installed the backup coil, and played a few games on it.
What an adventure! I'd never had diodes be the problem before, and my testing was confused by the blown fuse. Now I've got some more info in my tool belt! Thanks everybody for the help; hopefully this is the final word on this.

One last thing I guess - how in the heck do you change out the diodes? I destroyed the coil trying to get all the little bits out; the legs are wrapped around the lugs. I clipped the diodes out but couldn't get the new ones on. What's the secret?

#13 5 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

One last thing I guess - how in the heck do you change out the diodes? I destroyed the coil trying to get all the little bits out; the legs are wrapped around the lugs. I clipped the diodes out but couldn't get the new ones on. What's the secret?

Solder sucker or desolder gun. Or, heat it up and smack it on the counter, ala the Brian Kelly method.

#14 5 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

Solder sucker or desolder gun. Or, heat it up and smack it on the counter, ala the Brian Kelly method.

LOL I will try that

#15 5 years ago
Quoted from Skins:

heat it up and smack it on the counter, ala the Brian Kelly method.

That's what I do, works great!

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