Quoted from Dalinar:Appreciate some thoughts
Debating buying a TZ table (big fan) but new to owning pinball and only have a new stern. My worry is that the repairs will be beyond me very quickly, but I am willing to learning (technology background but not mechanical/electrical).
So bottom line wondering if I am setting myself up for a world of pain even if what I buy is well maintained.
Over the last 23 years mine has had few problems apart from the flippers requiring periodic rebuilds and an occasional new other coil sleeve or plunger.
- I had to bend the lock deflector to make the shot consistent
- I had to add a magnet to the bridge diverter so balls wouldn't bounce out occasionally
- One of the pop bumper yokes broke
- Clock optos cooked from incandescent bulbs
- The dot matrix display lost some columns
- The electrolytic capacitors gave me a saggy 12V supply that made the optos flaky
- The 1 cent gumball machine plastic has sagged twice, causing balls to occasionally hang up
- A couple of the microswitches wore out
- My switch 26 proximity sensor has gotten flaky thrice - once due to a broken coil, one due to flaky 2-conductor cable connectors fixed by soldering, once for unknown reasons so it's getting an aftermarket setup.
With the games being 30 years old, a previous owner having swapped in LED clock boards, installed new capacitors, and fixed switch 26 is likely.