Is there supposed to be a plastic over this crescent shaped area? Mine looks just like your pic. no plastic there.

No plastic. Spin Out and ramp pretty much covers that area.

Hmm... sounds like a mod in the making. I can see that area exposed if I look closely at the right ramp.

I had the same hack job on my board. Easy fix. Just heat and pull pins out one at a time. Replace pins then cut and re-crimp female plugs.

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IMG_4383.JPG

This one measures 1 3/4", can't find this size anywhere??? Anyone have a spare? Are these M/F hexagon standoffs measured to the end of the screw portion?? I'm only measuring the shaft, maybe that's where my measurement is off??

-Nate

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Is the stud part 8-32 threads? this one sounds close. http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/02-4645-4

I think the one you want is actually 1 13/16" which would even be tougher to find then 1 3/4". This one Marco has, if it is a hair or 2 long, could be shortened with a grinder to 1.815 or so

Thanks Dozer1, I'll check on that part - I have no idea what 8-32 threads is, but it sounds like a reference to a small thread size(?) so I will say yes.

Wonderful that I had to break just that ONE that's hard to find - lovely.....

Only difference is mine has a screw hole end on the top - I'm emailing Marco to try to find something, couldn't even match it with their Williams parts manual - what's up with those weird measurements?!?!?!

Your right. I didn't see that. Well you are just going to have to get creative if nothing else works out. If you get a 1 3/4" with threaded holes on both ends, you could put a stud (bolt with its head cut off) in one end. High strength lock tite it in. (your favorite thing). Otherwise grind the one you got flat on the broken end, center drill, tap, add stud. Good luck

Dozer1, yeah, I think I'm going to have to do exactly that - just modify the one I have.

Even a wooden dowel jammed into the end would work, I don't think it takes that much "stess."

Ah, lock tite!!!

Just got my TAXI 3 weeks ago and loving it! Was wondering where I can go on line to purchase some mods for it. I don't even know if they make anything to spice it up a little.

I've had the game a little over a week, it was routed and needed/needs some TLC, keep finding odd things that need replacing/adjusting/fixing.

This is probably the only game I've owned that LEDs just don't do it for me - even with warm retro white LEDs, it just looks off. I have a few installed under the ramps just because they're a pain to reach and mostly out of sight, but has anyone done a pretty ok LED job on Taxi?

I installed a spotlamp for the center playfield with an incandescent, it at least livens things up a little.

I've just finished with the bulk of my Taxi cleanup and added LEDs while it was torn down. It was a bit harder than other games I've had but overall I'm pretty happy with it. The hardest part was getting something that looked good for the 5 middle face inserts... and Comet's frosted warm retro worked nicely there. Comet's frosted 2-LED warm for the backbox (I left those two flashing bulbs above the meter out because they annoyed me) and Cointaker's frosted warm for GI. All my remaining inserts are Comet no-ghost with frosted or clear depending on the need. Think I put sunlight frosted in the million and inlanes. Taxi looks great with incandescent too.

Taxi.jpg

Taxi 1.jpg

MMP/Roffels - was wondering the same thing - I am going with blue bumper caps to compliment my new blue spinout ramp - was wondering what those blue LED rings would look like?

Anyone add colored LED to the colored inserts just to make them more colorful?

Was thinking about a slow color fade for the characters inserts - anyone try that?

-Nate

I have added a lot of color to the GI and I think it looks awesome. I put blue under the rollovers and left ramp. I put red under the right ramp, spinout, and pop bumpers. With those colors shining through the clear ramps, it looks great. I've also used Cointaker purple retros under the blue plastics and those create a nice shade of deep blue on the plastic. I've also used purple flashers under the ramps and that also gives a nice effect. It really made a tired looking old game pop.

I've put several LEDs in my Taxi... Mostly just inserts. The GI just doesn't look right to me with LEDs - I had to pull them out. I did put some warm frosted LEDs underneath the ramps, because going in there is a total PITA and not something I care to do to replace a single incandy bulb every few months.

However, putting a green LED under Santa, red under Gorby, orange for Drac, cool white (looks blue) on Lola and warm white (looks yellow) under Pin*Bot - I think it really makes the character inserts pop and match their "color" on the PF. I also put warm frosted LEDs in the flashers under the ramps, really makes the Special, Jackpot and EB events look cool. One of my favorite changes, was adding Red/Yellow/Green LEDs under the C-A-B rollovers to match the stoplight art!

I can't stand LEDs in the backbox on this game. Way too directional and "spotty" for my taste. They leave very focused light blooms instead of warm, ambient lighting IMO.

The only thing left I really want to do, is get one of those bendy LED spots that you can position, and put it under the left side ramp, facing into the Drac catapult (thru that little window there). That's the one area of the PF where it's really dark and I don't quite get why that section doesn't have a stock light over there...

MonkeyGrass, thanks for your input - I have heard a lot about the backbox, and already have regular bulbs slated to go in there, I am thinking about a working stoplight for the game and will keep you posted on that!!
I think a light strip behind the spinout "bowl" would look good as well......

I don't know about the backglass, but with a translite I saw spotting with incandescent especially on the hood area. LEDs are subjective, what looks good to one person may not be pleasing for others. Ultimately you have to do what looks best to your eye.

I tried to keep mine looking similar to a classic incandescent Taxi. I've never much liked colored lighting in the GI, but a lot of LED pin owners think it looks good. Just different tastes.

Thanks for your reply. So you recommend the crimping solution, judging by your picture. I have bought all the parts and tool I need to do the repair, all I need to find now is the motivation to solder the new male connectors. The only soldering job I've done so far was changing one TIP102 transistor. Stressful times for a rookie...

Anyway, I now have another issue: my right flipper is dead. Absolutely nothing happens when I press the button. I checked the fuse, it's fine. I also cleaned the cabinet switch and checked the button wires, which also looks fine.

I wonder if bad coil solders could cause this? I'm skeptical because all wires are still making contact with the lugs even if the solders are not perfect. Since wires are still making contact with the lugs, the flipper should at least react a little when the button is pressed even with bad solder, shouldn't it?

^ Poor solder has to be addressed. Period. A poor solder joint acts like a resistor, not only impeding the flow of electricity but also generating heat. Plus if that wire breaks off it can fall and short something else.

There's more to it than just a cabinet switch, a coil and some wire. You really need to get some Pinball 101 knowledge under your belt, it will serve you well to be able to diagnose and repair your own game properly.
http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/wms11/index2.htm#flip0

Do the cabinet switches check in switch test?
Do the coils fire in coil test?

I was going to address those bad solders no matter what I was just curious about the absolute lack of reaction of the flipper.

@RCA1:
1) I didn't think about checking the cabinet switch in switch test mode. Will do it tonight.
2) I ran a coil test but it seems the flipper coils aren't included in the test cycle. I will check again though.

Flippers are activated during test mode at all times, or during gameplay.

Some possible causes of dead flipper(s): Defective/maladjusted/dirty cabinet or EOS switches. Power incontinuity from one coils supply power to the other. Bad coil. Broken wire or connector - don't forget that the flipper circuit goes all the way to the backbox where the flipper relay controls when the flippers should be on. Common problems include broken or non-contact at the connectors that enter and exit the MPU, and cracked pins on flipper relay K1 or the IJ19/20 headers.

A good starting point to diagnose flippers is to use a DMM at the cab switch and look for voltage on one contact tab. Then use a DMM to check for continuity to ground from the other.

If you have no continuity to ground, you have to check wiring and connectors all the way back to the MPU from the cab switch. If continuity is present, ground the power side of the cab switch with an alligator clip lead to ground (braid) If the flipper fires, you've got a cabinet switch problem.

If you did not have voltage present at the cab switch, you'll be going back to the flipper mech to check for supply voltage at the coil, and the wiring, EOS etc. at the flipper mechs.

Thanks for the helpful posts wayout440. My DMM is ready and I'll start investigate as soon as I can.

I hardly had time to work on the pin yesterday but did check what RCA1 mentionned. For the record:

1) As I thought, the coil test cycle doesn't test the flippers coils.
2) Regarding cabinet switches: neither the working left flipper nor the dead right ones appear during switch test.

If your cabinet switches are not registering during switch test, you won't be able to change lanes with the flippers during gameplay. I'd say check the flipper lane change switches, they could be both dirty or out of adjustment, but since both are not working - most likely you have a column fail for column 8 (both lane change switches are the only switches in column 8). It could be a wire broken green/grey wire to the switches, and both are daisy chained to each other. Check the connector for a wire or contact failure for the green/grey wire at pin 9 of 1J8 @ the MPU board. Also can be some other problem with MPU column control such as Q46 column transitor failure, but check the easy stuff first.

Anyone try lightning flippers on taxi?

I just like short games. Did them on Sorcerer and think that's the only way to play. Also have them on the lower flippers on Whirlwind and enjoy that as well.

If anyone has done it or does it before i get around to trying it, please post the result.. i worry about the left ramp shot with lightning.

My wife surprised me with a new CPR Taxi translight for Christmas. Will I need anything other than 4 trim pieces to use it?

Tape if you get the metal bottom.

1st Pin! Am I in the club now?

Taxi is my 1st pin, twice over. It was the 1st pin I ever played much of, in the back of that 90s coffeehouse, and now its the 1st pin I own.

The machine I got was in really good shape, except I think the rubber behind the Lola drop targets was original from '88. It was worn completely down. Every time the ball hit the drop target (or post behind it) closest to the Gorbie lane, it would pop up into the glass.
I switched out the rubber and the plastic post and that has helped a lot, but I still get quite a few bounces into the glass on a strong shot to that end of the Lola targets.
It's been a while since I've played another Taxi machine, is that just a thing they do? Or is it possible the drop target itself is worn out or something?

It's possible that the target is angled back a bit, so that the ball rebounds off it in an upward direction. Take a close look and see what it looks like. If that's the case, you can look into replacing the target. Ball hitting the glass happens occasionally on any machine. Not a big deal.

Yo! Taxi!

Mine does it ALL the time. Off the right corner, near the Gorby shot. Sometimes, it'll flip up in the air and land on the ramp, then roll down to the inlane! Great free shot at the Joyride

What's your high score? I don't know how to rank if it's difficult without a comparison.

It's a fun game to shoot, that's for sure.

I got 11mil. only because I got 4mil on jackpot.Also got a couple of 8mil. games. joe

Anyone have a working knocker Assy they're willing to part with?

My Taxi was also missing the entire knocker assembly when I got it. You might find a used one, but not that bad to buy new.
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=708

That will work. Thanks RCA1

I loaded out my Taxi with LED's. I used frosted warm whites for just about everything. I put blues in the CAB lanes and under the ramps. I love the way the ramps catch the blue.

The only part I'm not thrilled with is the face inserts in the center. They lose the flesh tone they had with incandescents. Might put some retros in there as MMP did above. Maybe a fast color changer for Pinbot, if that's not too distracting.

Before and After:

Is there no problem with flickering using LED's, you don't have to use the non-ghost ones?

I'll be adding a few to the pf while it's torn apart........

I bought in during a Xmas sale, so I went for the non-ghosting ones.

I put color changers under and behind pinbot , I think it looks cool

Is there any visibility at all behind the ramps on the verticle wall to the left of the spinout? It looks like there is - I'm thinking about adding a city skyline with yellow background illuminated by a few leds pointed directly upwards beneath the graphic.....I know the sides are almost totally blocked so not doing anything there.......

I also made a custom coin-door sticker......

Yo Taxi -New member here!
Just got my CPR backglass today and took a couple pics to compare to the old faded translite.
The colors seem deeper, especially the red of course. This is one of their last ones with a little smudging in the corner. I'm very happy!
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