It should be fine to use another tantalum capacitor. Just make sure the rated working voltage is 3x over what the circuit uses. For 5V use a capacitor rated at 16V. While I haven’t run into any of this specific cap fail on any System 11 boards appreciate you posting the symptoms in case it does come up.

There are know issues with tantalum caps from the 80’s. Many have them fail. As they go they tend to fail shorted. Newer tantalum caps seem much better.

None of the caps are hard to get. Tantalum caps tend to cost a little more than some of the other styles. But, they are very stable and keep their value over a wide temperature range. You just need to ensure there is a safety margin and the rated voltage on the Tantalum should be at least 3x the working voltage of the circuit they are in. Also never install a tantalum backwards!

No need to replace the bridges or large cap. Just add the extra fuses on the inputs of the bridges. It is described on pinwiki.com

Since this is a System 11 thread I am going to bring up Bad Cats. Not a deep game and a lot of pinball people don't like that it is a single ball. But guests love the art and sounds and anyone that like cats goes right to it. There is new code coming out that is making it a better game. Others are non System 11. Mr and Mrs Pacman is liked by casual players and once you get how the maze works is a fun machine. I also have a Rapid Fire. I have friends that aren't interested in playing regular pinball machines yet they kept playing that and wanted to try it over and over. It is good if you want a variety and like it for what it is. A physical version of Space Invaders (Gun Game). Another pleasant Surprise was Volcano by Gottlieb. It is a fun quirky game that friends enjoy.

A lot boils down to theme and personal preference. I like to have a few odd machines so everyone can find something they enjoy.

Has someone replaced the transistor before? Was the correct one used?

The manual should tell what transistor location to look at. Next time you open the backbox look to see if there was any work and it matches the others.

Typically they fail open or shorted. At this point I wouldn’t just replace. Just see if it has been messed with before. To bypass it could try grounding the tab to see if it works at full strength. If not then I would focus on the game and not worry about the board now. Have you measured voltage at the coil?

If you replace parts be careful where you buy them. Don’t use Amazon, etc. you may end up with fakes. I’ve seen people pull out good parts and put in substandard fakes that easily blow.

I think it is listed on pinwiki.com.

Just to close the loop on this the board is fixed. It was just a bad I/O pin on the PIA chip and U41. Was able to quickly confirm that with the logic probe. Took about 10 minutes to unsolder the PIA, test it out of circuit in a dedicated tester, then install a DIP socket and a tested good PIA. After washing the flux off the back of the board, and drying it I can confirm that the signal now works all the way out to the connector. Since it is now socketed if the chip ever fails again it can easily be replaced. All good.

May be the same part number but was it an original part or a reproduction? If it is too wide then you may need to make some adjustments to that part. As far as WD40 that may do more harm than good in the long run. I would keep WD40 away from the game.