Take a deep breath. Relax, we're all here to help the best we can.

Just so you know: When you boot up Taxi with the power switch, about 2 seconds later you should get a "bong" tone. This is a self check report that the sound system has been initialized. If you start a game before that (not saying you did - but occasionally I start my game too fast before the system sound has initialized) you will not get background music, just a handful of sound effects.

Now if you don't get the bong at all while waiting, that is usually indicating a communication issue with the sound board. Most of the time this is due to a failed ribbon cable. Beyond that, it's going to be very tricky for you simply because of your lack of electronics knowledge. If you are going to work on these games, knowing how to read schematics helps immensely. That's not to say you can't fix a lot of things without them, it's just that it is going to be more difficult, take longer, and if you do something wrong you have a high chance of causing more damage.

There is an introductory guide to working on this series of games. It's large and overwhelming at first, but at least read the first page to give you an overview of what comprises the game. This information will better your understanding of the advice we give you on Pinside, improving communication between us. Please take a look at the "before you start a game" section. There are some key points to investigate in a newly acquired pin so that you can get it up and running reliably.

http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/wms11/index1.html

Don't rule out finding someone near you that does board work and hiring it out (if you find that you'll need to be doing a lot of board work and are new to it). I did some early work myself but have since been sending out to a local who has all the test equipment and is fast and affordable. By all means test your fuses and continuity and everything yourself (do it all if you enjoy it) just know that you can send out your boards and have the work done, in some cases it might not even cost that much more than two or three rounds of shipping for tiny parts (when you inevitably buy the wrong thing first time around like I am often doing).

Glad you got it fixed. Don't get frustrated. You wanted a pin and now you have one. You will learn as you go. I have a Williams Jokerz! and it can be intimidating at times. Sounds like you aren't afraid try and fix it yourself. Keep up the good work!! Getting rid of the batteries is a step in the right direction.

Still rolling that someone can walk into a brick and mortar and buy a new Taxi topper for 30 bucks.

Congrats on buying game #1. I hope you take your time in deciding what game #2 will be.

I'm just curious. Would you mind posting a picture of the MPU board? I just would like to see the areas of the board around the battery holder.

The batteries are upside down. (+) and (-) are marked on the board, so the copper side should be pointed down. I suggest moving to Lithium batteries until NVRAM gets installed. Can't see the SCR2 to SCR5 parts well enough, but looks like the board is in very good shape.

If you like, you can ship the board to me and I can install the NVRAM for $25 and it will include the part and shipping back to you. You can pick a time when you know the game would not be used for a week. Taking it to the post office on a Saturday morning, should guarantee me to have it on a Tuesday at the latest and I could install it that same evening and get it back to the post office so you should have it back on that Friday.

You'll find a way to get some money, even if it is for a cheap project game off of Craigslist in your area.

If you are still getting an adjustment area after swapping the batteries around, then the battery holder could be damaged. Could you take 2 pictures (one of the top row and one of the bottom) so we can see the contacts of the holder when you take out the batteries?

I can't tell if that battery holder is rusty or not but it looks like it to me. If there is rust like that, it can sometimes make it hard to make a good connection between battery and metal. You can either attempt to lightly sand it, or buy a new battery holder, they're cheap. But if you're moving to NVRAM (good choice by the way) a light sanding may do it for now. Also it's hard to tell if there is a cold solder joint on the battery holder.

If you're not sure what a cold solder joint is just google "cold solder joint" and there are pictures and a brief explanation to what it is. I recently had a cold solder joint on my JP and the T-rex wasn't working properly. So after reflowing the solder, it is now working 100%. Sometimes it can be as simple as that.

Lastly, sometimes the chips just need to be reseated. There are usually two sound chips on the board and I've had times where I took them off, put them back in and all was well. Chips can be tricky though because the legs on them are a bit brittle and can bend out of place easily if you don't have them in there properly, so just be careful. I'll try to look into where those sound chips are and report back.

*Edit: It looks like the sound ROMs are located at U4 and U19, they are 28 pin chips and they can be found on page 41 of the manual. You can check for continuity if you pull the board. Put one lead of the multimeter on the leg, and the other on the same leg, but on the backside of the board. You should hear a beep from the multimeter. This means there is a good solid flow of electricity and that the chip is making a good connection to the socket, which is a good sign (to put it in layman's terms).

And don't feel like you have to attempt any of this if you're new and don't feel comfortable doing anything to your board(s).

I will be happy to install the NVRAM for you at a time when it is convenient for you to ship.

I did not notice any one answer on this.
The #89 flashers do not cycle on/off during attract mode, but will after the end of the game for a specific time. It is basically done to cut down on idle power while game is not being played.

So it will be best to either run the solenoid(coil)/flasher test or see if they work during game play.

If none of them work with known good bulbs in the solenoid test, most likely they have all lost supply power. Check fuse F2C (5A,SB on aux driver board) and holder. If that is good, other possible problems could be on the aux driver board: connector J11 or A/C relay problem.

You can test a single solenoid with an alligator clip. Does this work with flashers as well, I think it does? You can use an alligator clip by attaching one end to a ground wire and touching it to the top of the correct transistor. Like if you wanted to check if a pop bumper was working, you can do the alligator clip thing. But you have to be careful with this method. You only want to quickly touch the transistor, don't hold it on there. You just want to see that one quick "pop". If the coil fires, or the #89 light flashes, that means the transistor is good, the wiring to the light socket or coil is good, and I think it usually means the issue is on the board, before the transistor, like a pre driver.

As long as you toggle the A/C relay to the "C" side, the same coil test would work, as flashers are multiplexed with coils on Taxi. Though not impossible, it is less likely that all the transistors are out, or all the power resistors have broken off the interconnect board....more like a power side problem. What you would need to do, is toggle the A/C select (Solenoid #12) to the "C" side, and then use a voltmeter/DMM to check for power at the flasher sockets.