Twilight Zone Owner's club

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#8320 4 years ago

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Quoted from jawjaw:
In LITZ, isn't the piano shot a jackpot? I recall it being 40-50 million or something like that. Thought pretty much everything is worth something in LITZ - ramps, jackpots, targets, etc. I find it hard to do anything in LITZ. All the balls end up colliding in the middle of the playfield making it hard to hit any shots.

Okay - a summary..
In Powerball Mania & LITZ, the only Jackpot is:
Defeating The Power will award you 50million. (*,**) Once defeated - you get the jackpot - you have to shoot the main ramp to re-light the Powerfield (and therefore, the Jackpot.)
In Door Multiball, the only Jackpot is:
Shoting the Piano while it's lit red. Once you successfully get this Jackpot, you can re-light it by shooting the Camera.

* - During Beta-testing 9.4H, a friend was playing and got LITZ. Somehow, he DID ALSO have the Piano Jackpot shot lit. I have never seen it happen again, and Ted was never able to reproduce, so it was.. "a known incident". If someone ever here figures out how to reproduce it, let me know!
** - Because the game has no "successful" shot made to the Powerfield switch, a Powerball Jackpot is awarded when the Top Powerfield opto is closed, and then within 5 seconds, the Camera switch is seen closed. So, this means that if you have a ball up on the mini powerfield, and have it break the top opto but NOT fall through the hole, and then with another ball, shoot into the Camera (or Dead End!), you will get awarded a Powerball Jackpot. So, during LITZ? Keep a ball up in the Powefield, and just keep hitting and breaking that top opto. And use the other balls to shoot the Camera or Dead End, and rack up points.

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#8322 4 years ago

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Quoted from JWJr:
During LITZ, the Piano shot is "Odd Change".

Anytime the Yellow or Red light is not lit (i.e. Any time you shoot the Piano and are not awarded a Jackpot or Door Panel is not awarded), you will get 'Odd Change' award, yes.

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#8327 4 years ago

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Quoted from embryon:
The flipper was crap. So I'm thinking something is heating up and failing, but what?

Am I on to something or lost? Thanks

Your flipper opto board. As I mentioned, swap them. 99.9% sure the issue will swap to the UR flipper.

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#8330 4 years ago

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Quoted from embryon:
Thanks will try today and get back to you.

Likely an opto on your flipper board is dirty, or starting to fail, and causing some current to flow through to the coil, heating it and it's driving transistor up.

If switching them DOES NOT change it, then you have a bad transistor leaking current on your Fliptronics board, and it'll have to be fixed.

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#8334 4 years ago

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Quoted from embryon:
A quick update and I won't say it's all fixed just yet. More testing needed. But I switched the two flipper opto pcbs over and played a few games without any fault. Then I left the game idle on for a couple of hours and the issue did not appear on either side. Did a few more play tests to be sure.
I then switched them back as originally and play tested OK. Left the game idle again with all my games on for an hour and tested again. No issues. Left idle for another 3 hours and played without a problem. All flippers strong.
My conclusion is maybe a bad connection on the pcb and reseating the plug resolved the issue. But I will continue to monitor this game and keep you posted. Thanks again guys you've been great to me

Yup, could be a number of things, but - good. Keep an eye on it, and have fun!

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#8338 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
Ok, is there a way to get that lampshade plug off without learning how to remove the mini playfield? I can't quite reach it..

No, as I believe the molex plugs are UNDER the powerfield. So, even if you could get to the post, you'd need to unplug it.

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#8361 4 years ago

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Quoted from Parker_tz:
If I was to buy a high power interlock switch harness would it work in a early production tz running 9.4h ROMs. Would both the message pop up and the coils disable or no?
Thank you Parker

No TZ firmwares show the 'High Power Interlock' messaThe coils WILL disable, yes, but you won't get a message on the screen.

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#8374 4 years ago

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Quoted from Squeakman:
It definitely keeps adding time the more you hit the clock target. I’ve racked up some pretty high scores doing that. I’ve also drained a lot attempting it.

Quoted from monkfe:
In clock Chaos, doesn't it change the direction of the clock endlessly until it times out? So If you keep hitting the clock target you can keep it going no?

Yes, and those that say they aren't paying attention to the clock are missing out on a LOOOT of points - especially in this mode.

In Clock Chaos, the time starts at 6, and will start heading clockwise towards 12. Every time you hit the Clock Millions target, you'll be awarded the time (hour, 9:00 - 9 million), the clock will reverse direction and speed up. The mode will continue until the clock hits 12. After 6 hits, you will hear an Easter Egg from Funhouse. If you can make good shots, you can learn to hit the clock at the right time to keep the mode going as long as possible.

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#8377 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
I'm thinking my current stock clock isn't working correctly. I was watching it while my son played, and it goes backwards to 6 o'clock, he hit the clock target and it went to 11:45and stayed there. Hopefully the new clock board has better results

The clock has two failure modes - soft and hard. If, during a game the software sees an erratic or out-of-sequence opto hit, it will stop the clock and set a credit dot. The next time a game is started, it will try to reset the clock - if it resets properly, it will be used. If it does NOT reset properly, the game will never try to run the clock again, until the game's reset. (Exiting test mode, or powering the game off/on.)

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#8389 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
Got the 9.4H going, and I could swear somewhere about 356 pages back, someone mentioned you could remove the "free only" displayed under the score.... Or was that a dream? Anyway, I like having a ball save on all 3 balls, it was worth it just for that. Haven't really noticed much else different.
New flipper bats and a new reinforced target installed so I don't have to keep bending back that damned greed target near the slot scoop [quoted image]

Read the PDF posted here. The setting is listed in there:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-owners-club/page/55#post-3364666

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#8393 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
When I click that link, it says I need a password.

Ffffffff....
Fixed.

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#8399 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
Yeah, I have no need for coin op anyway, but I feel like it's kinda disrespectful to use it after the creator put in the time and effort and was obviously upset by someone circumventing his intentions.

... ANd the reason we don't have 9.5H now.

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#8426 4 years ago

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Quoted from Parker_tz:
When ever the gum-ball diverter fires during gameplay it makes a very loud Gragrtger sound. During the Solenoid test it does not make the noise but during the test the coil does not hold open so It had to do with the diverter being held open. However during gameplay it fires every time and is consistent with the bad noise it only fails to fire after LITZ. Is the Solenoid bad? I am someone who gets lost in zone in one of every 3 games I play. After the lost in zone is completed only half the time the gumball diverted opens so it takes 4-5 tries to refill the gumball machine rather Then 3. It is annoying to have to wait so long after a LITZ. Is this an issue with the diverter Solenoid? Should I replace the coil?
Thank you, Parker

I would take the whole mech apart, clean, and reassemble. Replace parts that look worn.

It's very rare that a coil actually goes bad. Likely, something else is causing it to stick or be stuck.

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#8446 4 years ago

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Those with High Score issues, can you PM me? There's a link, but I'm not sure what it is yet and want to be able to pin it down.

Quoted from jawjaw:
Do you have dim illumination enabled and led bulbs? I could be wrong but think 9.4h has updates for leds.

No, 9.4H was made before LEDs were a thing. You can manually patch it using that patcher that's out there, but raw 9.4H didn't change anything for LEDs.

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#8455 4 years ago

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Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
The GI OCD product fixes that. Not the cheapest, but it definitely solves the specific issue of using LEDs in the GI of WPC games and therefore enabling correct GI dimming. Or just use bulbs!
http://ledocd.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=24
My TZ uses the LED OCD and GI OCD boards - because i'm an LED person, and i don't want any compromise in my lighting effects.

Yup, same here. I even went with warm white LEDs (save for the Green Lock) to make the game appear as if.. it's still incandescent. But, I'm a purist that wat with this game.

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#8457 4 years ago

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So it's looking like those that are reporting an issue bought in an extra ball.

Yes, this is a known bug in 9.4H - if you buy in, you (likely?) won't be able to enter in your initials, or get a credit. The high score table for buy-ins, and the credits awarded, is buggy.

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#8463 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
I was thinking it was intentional, so people can't buy their way to the high scores.

Quoted from jawjaw:
I actually have a set of ocd boards sitting in a box for TZ. Not sure why it's taking me so long to get them installed. When you add up the costs of bulbs and these boards, it is a bit ridiculous but I love the end result.

I just had a huge score last night with a buy-in and put in my initials. I have 9.4h and never noticed anything buggy about it.

Yeah, there's a SECOND high-score table for anyone who bought-in. It's SUPPOSED to be used whenever someone buys an extra ball. However, due to the forced-free play and the pricing/adjustment options for it ("1 coin buy-in", "may buy-ins", etc), there was bugs in 9.4h that was never able to get fixed before it was released. The Backup Buyin HS settings are in A.3.

Since I never enabled buy-ins on my games (either now in my home, or back when I was an operator), I don't know the secret workaround to get initials to work with buy-ins.

There is another fun little bug, kind of related -
As you know, if you do the LITZ cheat, your score is reset back to "0" at the end of LITZ. Other things collected (like Battle the Power, Camera, etc) are kept.
HOWEVER- if the game successfully loads all gumballs before the end of the LITZ bonus, your score will NOT be reset.

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#8475 4 years ago

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Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
Think mine’s white! Can’t remember now. Rainbow LEDs may not work well with a GI OCD board, whites will be fine.

They did for the short time I had them in mine. But it was like, only a few games. (I went with warm-white, for that fresh-from-factory look.)

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#8478 4 years ago

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Quoted from Coyote:
Yeah, there's a SECOND high-score table for anyone who bought-in. It's SUPPOSED to be used whenever someone buys an extra ball. However, due to the forced-free play and the pricing/adjustment options for it ("1 coin buy-in", "may buy-ins", etc), there was bugs in 9.4h that was never able to get fixed before it was released. The Backup Buyin HS settings are in A.3.

Also, a note for those of you having HS issues, and this is important:

If you change the default High Scores in the Adjustments menu, you HAVE TO RESET your HSTD scores, so that the HSTD table is updated with your newest values. If you do not, the old configured scores will remain in memory until the next reset.

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#8483 4 years ago

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Quoted from SBrothers:
Hey gang
Need some assistance...
My twilight zone was having opto issues on switch 87 just as the ball enters the top of the gum all machine. I fixed the opto and it registers in test mode.
When you start a new game you can qualify the “Gum” and “Ball” lamps by hitting the left and right ramps as normal. Once qualified you can load the gumball via the right orbit as normal. The gumball cycles out a ball and all is great.
Problem is that the “gum” and “ball” inserts remain on and you cannot requalify the gumball to load it again.
Any thoughts on why the gumball would qualify once and never reset the “gum” and “ball” inserts?
It may think it hasn’t dispensed a ball, but when I run the continuous gumnpball test I see all Switches registering, including the exit switch.
Any Thoughts?

Since you didn't say anything about locking a ball, this is expected.

"GUM" and "BALL" lite lock.
Factory defaults, the second and third lock/release do not require to to lite lock again. So, after your first multiball then, the lights will extinguish, allowing you to lite them again.

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#8488 4 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Well I find myself again having this issue with the game not ejecting any balls. I suspect the trough powerball detector again, even though I replaced it a few months ago and have played very few games since then. arrrrgh!!

Need more info, man.. WHEN does it not eject? A faulty prox sensor (in either the trough or the subway) won't **prevent** the game from ejecting.

Quoted from SBrothers:
You sir appear to be correct!

*cough* Let me know when I'm not.

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#8492 4 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Aah ok good. ! That prox sensor was pricey!
I haven’t had time to troubleshoot anything yet. It’s not ejecting anything at all from the trough - happens immediately from game start - all coils fire fine if I manually eject a ball into the shooter lane. Maybe just a switch?

Ah - okay, likely a trough switch is not registering, and another switch is (shooter lane), so the game believes that a ball is already sitting in the shooter lane (since it's not in the trough), and therefore isn't kicking one out. Guessing right now without more info. Go switch test, and check all the trough switches and the shooter lane switch.

If that's not it, check that your slot coil is working and your lock release coil is working. If they're not, and a ball is stuck in there, the game will not start a game as it tries to eject the balls.

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#8494 4 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
What do you want to bet I have something stuck down there somehow, obstructing a switch? Wouldn't be the first time! Something rocketed off my STTNG once (I think it was STTNG) and I didn't notice - and it clogged up the trough.
Well, I just gave up on being able to do some updates at work I was planning on today.. so TZ here I come!

I've seen.. a LOT. Including somehow a roll-tilt pinball make its way up ONTO a playfield, and because it's smaller, it.. was causing issues. So, yeah, i would not be surprised.

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#8503 4 years ago

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Quoted from MK6PIN:
While I'm in the thread, what is the average time for battery changeout (alkalines) ? Just changed mine today as I noticed the clock was way off. Had the game for years, but always seem to be running on the edge...
Will use the maintenance log and set my outlook scheduler accordingly....thanks for the help (seems this game runs through them, and not sure if lithium will give noticeable improvement in life on this game).....

Honestly? I don't care how long they COULD last. I replace them every year, to prevent leaks.

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#8505 4 years ago

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Quoted from MK6PIN:
How long do the "watch" batteries last? Prudent to change those yearly too?

This, I'm not sure. I don't use the coin batteries in anything (yet) except my Gottliebs, and they have been in there a year. I'm curious how long they last in WPC vs. AA's as well, as I have considered converting over.

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#8509 4 years ago

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Quoted from andre060:
I had the oddest thing happen to me while streaming this past weekend, and I cannot explain it. Lucky I was streaming so it was all captured on video:
https://www.twitch.tv/abpinball/clip/EnticingBombasticKiwiPartyTime
Basically between balls I was moving the machine to get it centered on camera again, which gave me multiple dangers - instead of tilting though, my game ended outright and a new one started! I thought perhaps it was a slam tilt but I experimented more and a slam tilt is very obvious, shows diagonal lines on screen.
Any ideas what happened here? Almost feels like a code bug or something. It does not appear to be a game reset as it didn’t go through the startup test, and besides it would be super odd for the reset to happen while no coils are firing (low power draw). Game is rock solid too and has never done this again.

1st: what is your credit dot?
2nd: Unable to seen what you were doing, but being bent over like that, it's possible something just held down the start button for 2 seconds, restarting the game.

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#8517 4 years ago

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Quoted from andre060:
I checked this the day after - it was just “time & date not set”, no other errors.
Since the start button is recessed it seems unlikely it was reset that way... a puzzler eh!

True, but you'd be amazed at how easy it is to 'accidently' have something press against it - like a phone or wallet in a pocket, fold in the jeans, or belt loop or something. Seen it happen a million times.

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#8525 4 years ago

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Quoted from HarrieD:
1. credit dot. In display an extra dot is being displayed when something is wrong with the machine (switch is not getting activated for a long time for instance). An operator can now see if a problem is with that machine without switching it off and on again.
You will also get that "dong dong dong" sound when you switch on the machine but with several machines on the floor it's not always obvious which machine is broken
(Although a pinball machine is always "only temporarily fixed")

2. Version 9.4H provides that "feature" out of the box. Now you want to disable that if your lovely kids decide to press that button once you're lost in the zone.

Uh, yes. Thank you for that. I am more than familiar with those features. I wasn't asking for a definition, but asking what was on his machine.

Quoted from HarrieD:
2. Version 9.4H provides that "feature" out of the box. Now you want to disable that if your lovely kids decide to press that button once you're lost in the zone.

And this has been around a loooooottttt longer than 9.4H.

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#8557 4 years ago

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Quoted from RoyF:
Well, this is going to be more work than I had hoped. Spent some time searching. Saw the recommendation to use Superlube on the gears. I also saw a recommendation for Shimano premium grease which I think I still have from my bicycling days. Saw the recommendation to not use any grease at all. Ok, I can sort that out.
The big issue is aligning the gears. No idea if my game was wrong from the factory, or if prior owner serviced the clock and messed it up, but I'm a bit nervous about taking the gearing apart. So I see the 2 pages in the TZ manual that discuss aligning the clock gears. Yikes!! In my situation, can I make things any better if I align the clock somehow before I start? For example, in clock test I could stop the clock when the test thinks 12 has been reached, or something....
All tips accepted before I dive in! Bonus points if someone has a nice picture of what the properly assembled gearing looks like before the Output gear is installed.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Picture won't help. Sincere markings that you have to line up and follow are small and get hidden when it's assembled properly.

Just follow the directions there.

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#8561 4 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
I strongly believe that insincere markings will work just as well.

I dunno.. This game just KNOWS when you really want it to work or not.

Thanks, autocorrect.

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#8567 4 years ago

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Quoted from RoyF:
I sincerely believe that Coyote's advice is well intentioned!
I think I'll bring the clock to the bench to work on this. Question: while on the bench, is it possible to test after rebuilding without reinstalling the clock in the machine? I do have a portable DC power supply.
Please, sincere replies only!

You can give the motor anywhere between 12 and 20 volts DC - one way or the other. Make sure everything moves. You'll have to have it connected to the game, though, to be able to see which hour optos are closed/open.

Quoted from yzfguy:
I have an info board on the way...

Hey, how much does this board know, anyways? ... Turnabout is fair play, f*cker.

Quoted from Durzel:
As said above you might be able to get away with just realigning the black gear (the one that the hour hand aligns on),

I believe - having rebuilt my clock plenty of times, that there is one or two white gears that could be off to cause the hour-slightly-off-issue. The black gear being off a notch is a lot more noticeable. I believe. It's been 3+ years since I rebuilt mine the last time!

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#8572 4 years ago

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Quoted from Durzel:
Damn, I thought maybe the hour hand was controlled by the black gear. Never so simple.
It is worth taking the clock apart to be honest, you can Superlube the gears and put some sewing machine oil on the shafts, and it quietens it up nicely. It is also quite rewarding when you put it all back together again and see it zero on 12 o'clock.

It is, actually - BUT, there are step-down gears between the motor and the minute hand, and the minute and hour hand. If I recall, there are a couple white gears with markings on them, so that the teeth line up right.

And yes - it is freakin' amazing when your clock is reassembled, moves quickly, and is quiet as a mouse. In fact, this is making me wanna strip mine back down and clean it all out. Like I said, it's been a few years since I had it apart and re-greased it up.

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#8588 4 years ago

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If you go through gumball test and it worked, the error should clear itself. If not, a couple things you can try:
1. Go into switch test, and drop a ball down the gumball shoot. (Between main and power ramps. It'll roll.up rainfall into the subway.) Or,
2. Eject one ball.from the gumball and leave it in the outhole. Exit test mode, and let the game try to reload the ball.

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#8593 4 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
The best thing you can do is solder the two proximity sensor wires to the pins on the prox board. Remove and eliminate those connectors. The failure rate is astronomical.

This, right here. Since these are induction sensors (same as those sensors that detect your car at a traffic light!), any change in the read induction will cause it to report on or off, and the game will react as how it sees. The IDC connections are lock-tight, and the vibrations can cause the readings to change. Removing these connections will help a LOT.

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#8608 3 years ago

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Quoted from Green-Machine:
^^^^^^^^^what does this mean?

Easter Egg during Fast Lock. For Whirlwind, I think

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#8614 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
When awarded the hitchhiker door panel my game used to countdown the door panels for each hitchhiker. Now it lights up panels but doesn’t count them down.
Anything I should check?
Worked fine and then just stopped, haven’t moved the game or anything recently.

Software bug. Depending on certain values stored in the RAM, it will count down correctly, count down incorrectly, or not count down at all.

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#8618 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
Is there a way to 'clear' the RAM?

I've noticed it for the last few games and it's been the same for each of these games. It's clearly not a huge deal but it's kind of coo. l

No - it's based on current game stats - i.e How many hitchikers, with how many door panels you have lit, etc. (I do not know *exactly* what variables cause it to happen, but it's a per-game situation. Clearing the RAM won't do anything but reset your game back to stock.)

Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
This probably could have been fixed in 9.5 so easily.
I wish that hatchet was buried...

Yup. You'n me both. Now though, with Rick owning all the software, I'd doubt Ted could do anything without it costing him somehow.

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#8625 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
Yeah, still no further info from PPS regarding the Soren ROM thing that happened, whatever that was!
See this post:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wmd-bally-custom-code-gone#post-5510779

Oh yeah, I've seen that thread.

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#8632 3 years ago

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Quoted from HC2016:
During the test mode , is it normal that the solenoids activate quickly then began to have more time between activation ?

Yes. This is intentional as to not overheat any coils.

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#8636 3 years ago

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Quoted from Boltronix:
So I get the error "check f115, f116, j112 and 12v opto supply". All check out good. What to check next? First I am going to take out INGO's new rainbow clock and install my old clock. I checked all wires to clock and custom opto board and have not found anything. the custum opto has 12vdc with the lit LED.

Check your opto boards. The clock would not affect this, since it is not connected to the opto boards.

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#8652 3 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
I've been waiting two months for my clock board. Apparently, they aren't shipping to the US yet.
So, I put the home rom in a while ago and all is good. I noticed tonight that even though restart game is set to slow, it restarts instantly when you push the start button mid ball. I never use the feature, but my son tried to add me in as a second player, not knowing he was already on ball two, and it restarted his game. I even tried changing the setting to instant to see if it was reversed, but nope. I kinda like the idea of having to hold the button down so it can't happen accidentally.

I can't recreate this on my game. You are running 9.4H and not a BH or CH, yes? If you're on straight-up 9.4H, check the adjustment again, and then do a factory reset. Somehow there's some bad mojo in your RAM..

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#8659 3 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
Unless I'm losing my mind, you should have to hold the button in for a few seconds to interrupt the current game and restart.

Yup, that is how it should be on 'slow'. Hold it for 2 seconds to restart game. I'll post a video later today showing how it should work, on 9.4H.

If you upgraded to 9.4H, your game SHLULD HAVE automagically reset to factory defaults as well. If it did n9t, that may be part of the issue.

Are you on NVRAM, perchance?

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#8674 3 years ago

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Quoted from Squeakman:
I’ve had my TZ for over 5 years and just cleaned it up and got everything 100%. I’ve never had an issue with my clock since I’ve owned it and all of a sudden my clock won’t reset to 12 and shows an error. On top of that the game is telling me it can’t locate the balls and they are all in there. Is this what happens when the clock stops working or are these separate issues? I have until now resisted getting one of ingo’s clock boards but now I guess it’s going to happen.

Clock not working will not affect operation of the rest of the game. (With caveats.) Likely you accidentally unplugged something, so switches aren't registering. Go into switch-test mode, and see what the game is seeing as far as switches..

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#8685 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Also: how in THE HELL are you supposed to remove the gumball machine? I can’t figure out the plastics and the gumball itself to clean what looks like 20+ years of grime.

1. Disconnect the motor and switch wires from under the playfield.
2. Remove the 3-flasher plastic to the left of the gumball machine.
3. Remove the plastic around the bridge diverter.
4. Remove the plastic up aroudn the gumball wireform.
5. Remove the gumball wireform. Two or three hex screws.
6. remove the 4 hex screws holding the gumball machine down.
7. Rotate the gumball machine to align the motor gearbox to lift out of the playfield.

It ain't easy - very tight clearances, and hard-to-reach screws. Magnetic screwdriver helps. The plastics wil have to be bent to be slid in and out, too.

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#8721 3 years ago

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Quoted from Antennaejim:
Got a broken clock error on my Ingo clock. None of the optos are reading for hour or minutes hands. Checked all connections and connectors look good. Removed clock and wire harness for clock connections and I have good continuity at all points in the harness. It’s not looking good. Power led and motor is working fine!

Check your 8-Driver PCB. That board is what *strobes* the 9th Switch Column. If it's dead, all optos won't work.
If that is working as expected, check voltage to the clock board - NOT the GI line. (Checking connections is fine, but unless you check the signals over the wires..)

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#8723 3 years ago

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Quoted from Antennaejim:
he grey wire to the clock from that 8 driver board is 12v at the connector and the same at the clock.

Check for pulses - not voltage. That's a data line, and should be pulsed.
If you get pulsing at the plug, then the issue is in the other lines - the switch rows. With the clock plugged in, check the plug lead's (the plug that is soldered to the clock board) continuity to the MPU board's plug.

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#8725 3 years ago

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Quoted from Antennaejim:
How do I check pulsing?

Logic probe. Very, very useful tool to have.

Quoted from Antennaejim:
And which connectors? Soldered to the clock board? Did I miss something I thought they are all on connectors not soldered.

The connectors plug into the plugs on the board, which are soldered onto the clock PCB.

There's a reason for this - those connectors are IDC, and vibration and handing can cause the wires to lose connection to the metal terminal - that plugs into the plug on the board.

Unless the plugs were converted to crimp terminal (Molex), tests should always be done on the board - since testing at the plug could still read valid even though it's not.

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#8732 3 years ago

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Quoted from Antennaejim:
Is q12 on the 8-driver pcb a cause for this issue? I’m looking at the diagram and I don’t see much connected to colum 9 clock optos other than q12 the rest look to be associated with flashers.

Yes - Q12 is the driver, and it only handles the switch column. (You wouldn't want it to handle anything else! )

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#8736 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
Hello,
Can anyone with Ingo's clock board *and* a GI OCD board in their Twilight Zone help please?
I've finally got my TZ clock connected again after 2yrs (!) of restoring this machine and I'm running a GI dim 0-8 test but the stock white clock LEDs are not dimming as i was expecting them to.
I know there's a brightness dial on the clockboard, but haven't investigated this yet... it's the final v1.9 Clock board.
GI OCD board is set to dim the clock GI string, and all other playfield/backbox GI dims nicely with the Comet 2SMDs.
Thanks.

Ingo's board does not dim *as much* as other LEDs, but you should still see some kind of dimming. You say 'stock white', though, and that confuses me since you usually got to select the color you wanted with your board. (In toehr words, I'm not sure what a "non-stock" LED would be in Ingo's board.) Do the other LEDs on the SAME GI string dim alright? (The ones in the backbox behind the clock and title.)

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#8739 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkeyboypaul:
EDIT, the backbox LEDs on the same string (Clock + insert) do dim very nicely, it's just the clock board's LED that dim only very slightly!

Try turning the brightness down on the clock board, and see how that does.

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#8744 3 years ago

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Quoted from Antennaejim:
FYI replaced q12 on my 8-driver board and I’m back in business

Good job!

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#8755 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rydhia:
Looks like I’m missing a lamp. I was going to get one of those spiral signs and noticed I didn’t have the socket to attach to.
I can run one, but I’m not sure what it will connect to. I can run off the power ball insert, but wanted to see if anyone knows where it normally hooks up to.
[quoted image]

There is a plug that the Mini PF plugs into that has the wired needed for the control lamp. Should be Yellow/Grey and Red/Brown lamp wires.

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#8761 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rydhia:
I messed with it for a bit tonight. It looked like the lamp was cut off and never soldered back. The molex connector was still plugged and the yellow and red wire was there. I soldered it into a lamp. It works, but when a bulb is plugged in, the slot machine and gum all lights stay lit or get brighter, so I’m kind of lost.
Attached are the two connections I’m referring too (image from google)
[quoted image]

Lamp matrix issues. You have a shorted, bypassed, or missing diode.

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#8765 3 years ago

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Quoted from Neal_W:
There is an opto in the top center area, which triggers when the ball goes in the top center area, and not necessarily out the top.

Correct, the top opto does not award the Jackpot - it DOES start a short (~5 second) timer though. If, during that timer, the Camera switch is triggered, THEN the Jackpot is awarded.

And some people call this a bug, I call it learning how to take advantage of the game -
Start powerball mania. Just keep a ball on the Mini playfield - occasionally hitting the top opto. While all the balls on the main playfield? Try to get as many as you freakin' can in the Camera and Dead End. Jackpots galore.

Edit: Yes, in LITZ, too.

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#8784 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
My particular game is a sample, with a lot of differences from a standard game, so that would be a pretty tough decision. If I had a standard TZ, yes, I would do it - they come up all the time.

*scoff* ... And here I thought you were cool.

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#8802 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mikespinball:
Hello TZ owners. Want your input, I will be soon starting a complete restoration of a TZ machine. This machine will need a new playfield replacement and want to know where you would reccomend to purchase one from. I see searching that Microplayfields sells them, but are concerned of their reputation and quality. Some Pinsiders state to purchase from a distributor that will stand behind what they sell as Microplayfields are not. That is hopefully like Planetary Pinball as they also show it available.
Let me know your thoughts.
Mike

No matter WHERE you get the playfield from, it will be a Mirco. Mirco is the only one reproducing them. If you go for a reseller (PPS, for example), you have a better chance in getting your money back if you are unhappy with it.

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#8804 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mikespinball:
Thanks Coyote. Don't have one I can buy from you like I did with TAF?

Sadly, I do not, sorry. (I technically DO have one, but it's the prototype field, and it's not going anywhere.)

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#8806 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Wait. You have a SECOND prototype playfield?

Oh, nono. Just the one. Which is why I don't want to sell it.

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#8810 3 years ago

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Quoted from BadBrad97:
I finally got a Twilight Zone sample machine after years of waiting! I have been looking through the posts and so far have not found what I am looking for. I have the 3rd magnet and it looks like I have the wiring for the 3rd magnet and the clock passage but no optos. I have the 7 opto boards.
Is there a thread on wiring the optos on a sample game?
Thanks!

Quoted from BadBrad97:
Thanks. That's a start. I was hoping there was a post that would help me figure out if the wires are already there or what the factory wiring looks like on a sample machine. I haven't done a lot of restores or repairs on machines with optos. This is new to me.

Wiring should already be there. You should find 2-pin MOLEX plugs for the opto sender and recievers, and a 3-pin for the 3rd Magnet. Off-hand, I do not remember, but you may need to add pins to add the 2nd Bigkick Opto, though.

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#8825 3 years ago

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Quoted from KJS:
Two were Twilight zones.

Is the text on your Door artwork complete?

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#8834 3 years ago

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FIRST - UNPLUG ALL MODS. Because if your issue turns out to be mod related, you wasted a WHOLE bunch of time of anyone that tried to help you. (It's like changing out the tail lights to LEDs, and then taking the car into the mechanic because the lights won't turn on because of a fault.)

Quoted from iamabearsfan:
The first is the orange string on the backboard is not lighting up. When I take a volt meter to the pair, I get nothing. Changed the fuse, still nothing.

Do you have voltage on the INCOMING feed? If yes, then you lost your triac. If you do NOT, then the issue is likely down by the transformer, or a cut wire somewhere.

Quoted from iamabearsfan:
Here is my problem, I forgot to take pix of the power board so I don't remember where the molex connectors go. Any chance someone could take a detailed pic of the lower right section of their power board (or might have one in your folders)?

The manual is your friend.
Page 3-32 lists all the PDB connectors, and the wire colors leading to them. Look up the wire colors, and find where they're supposed to go. Of course, see above re: Mods. You have something non-standard plugged in, wire colors may vary, which then, you're on your own. (I believe that the fantastic LED OCD guy kept the same base colors. More'n I can say about other mods I've seen.)

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#8841 3 years ago

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Quoted from iamabearsfan:
First thank you for your advice and yes, I am green.

No worries! Didn't mean to sound like an ass. There had been several posts recently where people have posted issues, and other folks (including myself) has tried to walk them through issues, and they never mentioned they had mod(s) installed and never disconnected them, to find out they were causing the issue.

@ermsrph has it for the GI, yup. Power has to come in, and then is dimmed/switched by the triac, then sent out. Triac could be back - but it could also be burnt or damaged pins somewhere along the line.

FOr the lamp row/column, yeah - it COULD be those transistors, it could also be a cut or loose wire. I would check continuity from the plug in the backbox to a few of the lamps that are out. (i.e. make sure you don't have a broken wire! Check continuity from Rd/Bk on J133 to the clock millions lamp. If you get continuity, then that means wiring is good and it's on your board. (Or, potnetially, a bad IDC connector, depending on what point you use for testing.)

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#8922 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
I don’t mind the original covers. But I’m not a mod guy either, my machine is relatively stock. Any other stockers out there? I have an ingo board, leds, and gumballs in the gumball machine. Otherwise, stock. I’m not a fan of a bunch of mods...

Here here for the no (noticable!) mod crew.

You can get them here:
http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SW-9672

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#8934 3 years ago

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Quoted from Pin_Guy:
I'm leaning towards doing a Rockstar Sparle on all the legs, the lockdown bar, side rails, and backbox hinges. Thoughts?

While I've never gotten that color before, I have gotten a lot of Prismatic Poweder done before, and their stuff is high quality, if the shop that applies it does it right.

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#8990 3 years ago

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Quoted from MudMuppet:
Is there anyone here and willing to burn 9.4hc and send to Australia for me?

No.

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#8992 3 years ago

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Quoted from Green-Machine:
He probably doesn’t know any better

True, but also maybe not. Somehow he found out it exists. To find that out,. and NOT hear about the background? .. *shrug* I'm not awake yet to run searches and find the links. Once I've had my coffee.

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#9023 3 years ago

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Quoted from Pin_Guy:
This may have already been answered in this forum but with 9K entries, it will take me awhile to work through them. I noticed that if I tell my game to load 4 balls to the gumball, it will comply and load them but then it wont load a ball to the shooter lane at game start and it just runs continuous ball searches, and I clearly see two in the trough; the question I have is how does the game know how many balls are in the gumball machine?

...
Did you put a total of 7 balls in the game?
If you increase the number in the gumball machine, you need to add a ball to the game.

If you DID add a ball to the game, then you have a bad trough switch.

Quoted from Pin_Guy:
the question I have is how does the game know how many balls are in the gumball machine

.. Because the game loaded them, and the game kept track of how many it loaded.

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#9039 3 years ago

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Quoted from Pin_Guy:
Can someone confirm what size coil should be in the Shooter Lane Diverter?
My TZ has a SZ-34-3500 which according to the page 5-55 of the 1993 Bally/Midway Grey parts catalog and page 2-29 of the TZ manual confirms this is the correct part, Marco on the other hand shows this is a Funhouse only part.
The Solenoid table on page 2-52 of the TZ manual calls for a SZ-33-3000 coil here, this is confirmed by item 1591 of the TZ build parts list, Marco shows the SZ-33-3000 coil is for both TZ and DM and Planetary Pinball has the SZ-33-3000 coil wrapper as part of the TZ coil wrapper kit.
This is always the problem with having too much info... [quoted image]

As per the Manual addendum "16-50020-AMD-1", the coil should be SZ-33-3000. (This addendum has been uploaded to the IPDB, too, for anyone to grab a copy and keep.)

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#9075 3 years ago

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Quoted from Piso:
My TZ came without a manual. I see that there is a white and a red one. Is there a difference?

White is a preliminary manual. Red is the production.

If you don't have EITHER< get the Red one, as the white one is missing a LOT of information, and has a lot incorrect. (Again, preliminary.)

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#9077 3 years ago

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(Of course, I am referring to OEM manuals. Reprints are up in the air. Preliminary manuals - the OEM white ones - WILL say "Preliminary" in the top rigth under the Part number on the cover.)

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#9091 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
Clock question for you all....
Clock starts up perfectly every time but during game play will often stop working. Shut down and startup - clock works again but will stop again.
Is this a sign I need a new clock board?
I know Igo is the guy/ board to go with. Just wanted to ask if there was something to check on my existing clock before jumping to new board.
Thanks!

Could be a number of things - including a loose minute hand that occasionally missed interrupting the 12:00 opto, which will cause the game to do this. (If this IS the case - you do not need to reset the game. At the next game, hitting start, the game will try to reset the clock and use it again.)

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#9093 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
All I know is that I'll start a mode, clock working and rarely do I finish a mode before the clock resets itself back to 12:00 and stops moving.

Okay - you didn't mention this before.
No, this means it is an hour opto issue. When it 'hard faults' like this, starting a new game won't reset it. Only a power cycle (or entering and exiting test mode) will reset the clock in this case.

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#9095 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
Does this mean new clock board? Or is there another fix?

Technically, ANYTHING can still be fixed. But, no - it's entirely possible that you have a failing IDC connector for the plugs, or, the pins between the minute & hour boards is dirty/corroded. I would take the boards out of the clock, clean the connecting pins, clean the optos. Then re-pin (re-crimp) the IDC connectors, and give that a shot.

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#9110 3 years ago

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Quoted from Piso:
I just received my decal set from ministry of pinball. Quality is good and they have the license holographic sticker. I noticed that on the backbox there are some difference. As you can see in the picture the door and shadow of the man is different and the ball near the door is more far away. Is this a graphic error or has some pinball shipped this way? Don't know if ministry print those or just resell this decals. The name of the file printed on the decal is in Italian language...
[quoted image]

Quoted from gunstarhero:
That’s an early run backbox. Does your game have any other differences like no flip heres, third magnet, early spiral signs (with decals) etc..?

Disagree - it's production art. It's just that it's faded so bad that all the red ink is now gone. I say this because I believe the sample games also didn't have any stars, and that does.

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#9156 3 years ago

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Quoted from Boof-Ed:
Got this coming in a week or so. I fairly certain it’s a sample. Green lock insert, green art in front of left ramp. Looks to be a decal on the spiral insert. White door on backbox. Optos under the piano. Sticker on the right load gum all plastic. Flip here art missing on mini playfield.
Board mounted to the left of the cpu. Two 7 opto boards under playfield. Anything else I should be looking for to confirm that it’s a sample? Build date 03/26/93
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

No other confirmation needed. Those pics show its a sample. Earlier than mine. Door Panel boards has space for bottom flashers, and ramp arrow colors are green.

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#9191 3 years ago

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Quoted from ceterumnet:
I was having problems where it was ejecting balls sideways 25% of the time, and then they would get stuck because of my robot mod

As a person who dosen't like all these toys on the game, I'd say 'lose the mod'.

However - if the ball (powerball or not) is sitting square in the diverter when it flips, and the ball occasionally gets shot out sideways, then bent the lower flange (the one that is between the wireform and 'lifts' the ball) upwards at the end of it. This will help 'catch' the ball and add left-wards pressure when it flips, keeping the ball in the cage.

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#9201 3 years ago

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Quoted from ceterumnet:
Thanks for the suggestion - I think I tried this, but I will give it another go. I may have over adjusted it or not done enough.

My game, when I first got it, had this bottom layer bent downwards - so as it flipped, the angle would cause the ball to occasionally fly out to the right. Pnce I bent it up, the issue stopped. Not sayin' it'll fix your issue, but just offering based on prevous experience. Especially if it's happened when the ball is still seated properly in the cage before flipping.

Quoted from ceterumnet:
I was thinking about just pulling the robot off...I'm not a huge fan of it - especially when it creates a new ball trap.

While I'm against mods on TZ in general, I'm not the type to poke at others for using them. My comment was more along the lines of - the robot is holding the ball? ... Fix that by getting rid of the robot.

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#9218 3 years ago

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Quoted from Kwoody51:
So.... all seems to be working now. Not sure if unplugging the wires from the harness and the board and then plugging back in did something.

Likely your IDC connectors (rather, the wire crimped in them) are just old and making intermittent contact with the vibrations. If the issue starts to return, I would re-crimp the clock's connectors.

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#9251 3 years ago

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Quoted from Alby87:
Hi Zoners.
You have probably know that PPS has started making official code updates of SYS11 and WPC pinballs. May I ask the state of TZ code? The last official coin release was 9.2, then Ested made that home use only version (9.4H), in prelude of 9.4 and 9.5.
I'm asking to you: PPS has the right to use what code as a base? 9.2 or 9.4H? If so, what kind of improvements/fixes would you like? In the past, I was always promoting small rules change, but the idea of these code release are in a small grade of terms.
So, what kind of update do you think TZ needs starting from 9.4H or 9.2? (I remember there was an Hitchhiker panel lightshow counting bug somewhere, but I installed 9.2 on mine, really don't want to lose the coin functionality).

PPS should have at LEAST code for 9.4. Unsure if Ted ever sent in 9.4H to his employer. check_switch_26 would have to answer that. Since PPS has all the rights, they - on theory - could do what they want. Based on stories and comments Ted's made before,the code is packed, and without his knowledge, could be difficult to do anything new without introducing new issues. (I believe? that it was also mentioned at some point that RAM storage was tight in that game, so that could be a limiting factor as well. If I'm remembering right.)

Quoted from Alby87:
I installed 9.2 on mine, really don't want to lose the coin functionality).

I've heard folks say thus, and am slightly puzzled.. 9.4H still has Coin functionality. You drop a coin in, you get a credit. You can turn off the "Free Play" message so the game shows "Credits 0".. Unless you drop a coin in, then you get "Credits 1". (Based on your coin settings, of course.) IMHO, in a home environment, the advantages to 9.4H outweigh the ability to hit Start with "Credits 0" displayed.

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#9252 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
camera award volume bug

What is this? I've never heard or seen nor experienced this?

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#9254 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
I believe this is how it goes. When the camera award gives you “Collect Bonus”, the game volume increase. I believe it goes back to normal after the ball drains.

Huh. Never experienced this..

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#9260 3 years ago

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Quoted from gunstarhero:
The OFFICIAL build of 9.4H is free only, if you have coin functionality it’s a modified version. Ted Estes was pretty pissed when someone hacked it against his express wishes and ceased working on home roms after that.

You did not read what I said. Please re-read my post, as Alby87 did..:

Quoted from Alby87:
Wait: the official version has a freeplay option to remove the freeplay message: all the coin functionality are like ever, with credits counting, replay and so on. But, the difference, is that the game will start with zero credits, and the start button lamp will never go off.

So yeah, you can have complete coin functionality - and still have it on free play. The difference, as I stated was that even wen it says "Credits 0" you can still hit start and start a game.

Quoted from Alby87:
For the 9.4H... I always dreamed to own an arcade machine with all functionalities. And not being able to start the game with zero credits it's part of the game. Mind you I don"t have the third magnet, so this another feature of 9.4H I (personally) don't care. I miss the light shows (high score and hitchhiker), that's very true

There's a lot of coolness in requiring 'coins' (coin drop) to play games. While a few of my games are forced free-play (like my TZ), I also turn off 'free' message as much as possible where I can, and others are coin-only play, which is why I have a coin changer. Nothing like hearing the coin-up sound.

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#9315 3 years ago

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Quoted from cleanandlevel:
new to the club, where is the ball save feature? i looked through all the settings and can't find anything about ball save or freeze. thanks guys, this machine is exhilarating.

It's called "Free Ride" in the adjustments....

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#9324 3 years ago

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Quoted from cleanandlevel:
I'm on 9.4H, and have free ride time on, and it only gives me ball save for ball one. also no ball save in multiball. what gives? thx

First, my snarky answer:
IPDB has the manual in a PDF format. I recommend downloading it, and reading it when you suffer insomnia. And then, while you're at it, check out my manual admendum for v9.4H.

The setting you're looking for, for the last ball to support ball saver is A.2 36 - Last Free Ride. For the main multiball and fast multiball, there is no ball saver. For powerball mania, there is.

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#9345 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
I have to wonder. With access to the source code, would someone also have access to the original (uncompressed) sounds files?

Entirely possible. Would need to ask PPS.

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#9348 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
No. Granner covered this on a podcast. The sounds were downgraded to 8-bit for inclusion in the code and the original DAT tapes which had the recordings are not availabe (not sure if lost or what). We do have the DCS recordings, but that's just music mainly

Ah, I didn't know that. Sad to hear, sadly.

Quoted from Davi:
In the new White Water package, the creator invited Warren Davis, the voice actor to record the callouts in high quality.

May be more difficult for TZ. While the voice actor is still around, he can't DO Rod Serling without getting Serling's wife's (or the estate's) permission, and that may cost or be hard to get, sadly. Though I would honestly love it.

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#9350 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Mark Silverman is the "official" voice, and he *is* quite good. But he's also a Voice of Disney, so .. good luck.

*nods* Agree with everything. Met Mr. Silverman once, back in the 90's when he was doing down to MGM Studios - The TZ Tower of Terror. Kinda wished I got an autograph or something, now. Heh.

Anyways, with enough money, sure, we could have everything re-recorded. But would be really, really steep.

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#9352 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Let me see what I can do about that...

I would be touched, thank you. I helped beta-test the software (waaay back when) the Tower of Terror was about to open. Back then, even though it was computer-controlled and allowed for different drop patters per ride, the number of 'random' drops was limited to 3 or 4. And adding new ones had to be tested before going live. By the time the ride was shit down, everything had been upgraded to where they could have upwards of 64 drop patterns stored, and a much better randomization pattern, so it was rare you would ride twice in a row and have the same drop.

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#9354 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
I've read about that! Very glad Tower of Terror is still there in Orlando. The general atmosphere in that ride is SPOT. ON. They've upgraded it several times since then. Very cool that you got to work on that!

Somewhere in my storage unit, I still have the costume I had once the ride opened. Honestly, despite being somewhat young, and getting paid shit? Was the best job I had.

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#9366 3 years ago

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Quoted from RobbyIRL5:
What is the recommended flipper alignment in this machine? Attached is directly from above. Just rebuilt flippers and I think I’m too low now (as that dead flip from the slot machine hardly works, just hits the tip at best)
[quoted image][quoted image]

Toothpicks in metal roll-pins in PF, with toothpick between rubber and flipper bat.

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#9400 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
Why not just wait for the normal ball search?

Because, for money.

These games were made for a COMMERCIAL environment. That is, hey were made to MAKE MONEY. In case the slot machine scoop switch was bad, every time the ball would end up in the slot machine, the user would have to wait for the ball-search to start before getting the ball served back to them. They would get pissed off really quickly - every shot to Dead End, Camera, defeating The Power, Skillshot, and Piano. They would have to wait. And likely either walk away, or tell their friends not to play it.

There's no reason NOT to fire it if we know the ball is going to end up in the slot machine. (Like.. all those shots I just mentioned above.) This way, at least, the only time the player really has to wait is when they shoot the ball into the slot machine. ... As opposed.. every OTHER time.

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#9405 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
suggesting that it should fire the slot scoop randomly every few seconds just in case the switch is bad?

No. You either didn't read, or I was too techy. I'm saying that EXCEPT when the ball is shot straight into the slot machine, all other entrances (piano, dead end, skill shot) have a known switch just before the scoop. So, if the skill slot switches register, and then.. nothing... why not play it safe, and fire the slot machine?

Quoted from bikefreak:
Why does it fire twice? (good measure? lol)

Because since the slot switch is not being activated, the ball could be jammed up on something. (Ever lose a light bulb on the field, and have it end up in the scoop? I have, with multiple TZ's on location back in the day. )

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#9407 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinJim:
I read it but didn't understand your point of view on when it should fire. Anyhow.....do you (or does anyone) know if the same logic is coded in if you hit other shots like the piano, camera, etc.? I can run an experiment to see if nobody else has tried this / can verify.

I am not sure if the code survived into 9.4H. I am pretty sure (running off of old memory here, because my game always work, and I haven't run anything other than 9.4H since it was released!) that other shots would, but depends on which switches are out. I.e. am pretty sure dispensing form the gumball would.

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#9419 3 years ago

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Quoted from RobbyIRL5:
Did it come with a machine screw and nut on the underside of the ramp?

No idea, you'd need to find the maker of the mod and ask them, sadly.

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#9430 3 years ago

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Quoted from RobbyIRL5:
Ugh, that's a mod? I thought I got them all off (a pyramid and space ship!). I googled TZ playfield and saw this same clock mod on some other playfields (or at least one), so thought it was stock.
Other than the PinStadiums, anything else standing out on my playfield that looks to be a mod?
[quoted image]

Everyone else beat me to it.

Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
The big question is, do you have the original RIGHT side sign?

OohOOh! I do!

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#9450 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
Just for reference, here’s what the original 2 spiral signs looked like:[quoted image][quoted image]

Correct -
Note that the sign should be farther to the left, and the lamp mounted off to the right of the sign, as seen in the flyer -
pasted_image (resized).png
(Taken from a bad scan of the flyer, but.. you can see it.)

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#9452 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
I never liked how they have the bulb pointed off to the side like that; looks so bizarre! I figured the bulb should be hidden behind the text on the sign, so it will illuminate the sign itself

I agree - I never mounted my bulb that way - HOWEVER, I think when I first mounted my sign, I had it a lot more to the right - out over the spiral instead of next to it. I'm wondering how it would look if I moved it towards the left even more...

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#9469 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkfe:
Anyone having an issue with the ball getting impinged on the shooter lane skill shot switches?...I was thinking of having Sonic make a three position MRS switch that would replace the all those swtiches. This is a picture of a single slot switch he make for R&M machine ( and other machines). It would obviously be longer to fit the length of three switches...but no interference at all....any interest in this ?
[quoted image]

Would be curious to know how it would work. It's an idea, but usually if the ball's getting stuck on a switch, the switch just needs to be adjusted. If it's getting stuck on the gate, that's a different story and an MRS wouldn't fix that..

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#9471 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkfe:
They're plug and play...diode in part of the switch...I can't say it always interferes with the ball....but a soft plunge and I notice some hang ups from time to time...not a gate issue at all...

Uh, you may need to reword that, as the switch wires are soldered to the switches. At least, the rows are. So, there's no 'plug'.

Having said that, while it's a neat idea, I'm not 100% sure that the price warranted would fix any issue with the switches - again, assuming your switches are in good order and all. I'm curious to see what it would look like, though.

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#9473 3 years ago

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Quoted from monkfe:
ah true haven't looked at it in a while, I'll probably just install a molex plug there on all three switches...or one six pin molex...easy road to cross when If I get there...not sure what the price would be...and I don't know if others have the issue or not

That's fair. I'm just being a dick. From the price of the other MRS switches, I have a feeling it may not be worth it, but again, am curious to see it done.

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#9487 3 years ago

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Quoted from yzfguy:
You're saying it doesn't take longer for the ball to travel down a longer, looped ramp, than a shorter straight one?

It's possible that his game is NOT steep enough to where he has a VERY slow game, so he just can't tell a difference.

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#9492 3 years ago

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Quoted from Rdoyle1978:
It’s incredibly slow. I just like to watch all the blinky lights. But that ball always gets in the way..

If I recall, you ARE heavily into MODs, so I could see this being a thing.

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#9515 3 years ago

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Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:
Just joined the club. I seem to have an extremely early production machine... anyone have a date earlier than April 5th? There is some wierd stuff I've never seen before in my machine too. The back of this is different than the one I am used to playing on location. Looks like an extra magnet Shooter spring feels WAY too strong. Was this normal on the early runs or is that the wrong part? Anything else different to look out for on early runs? I see lots of mods and will be toning down the color LEDs a bit. Also, the leg mounting holes on this are... wierd. Even with the legs mounted high in the rear I can't get above 5.5% slope. What is recommended here? will adjust.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

That is a sample game. Search Pinside, and you'll find a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- ahem - OOOOOOTT of information. In this thread, as well as other threads out in the wild.

Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:
Even with the legs mounted high in the rear I can't get above 5.5% slope.

With the rear legs in the HIGH position, you will find it a LOT harder to get a high position. Try them in the LOWER position, and the fronts in the upper, if you really need to.

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#9519 3 years ago

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Quoted from Boof-Ed:
I’ve taken a few pictures of early production serials but not sure if they are in relation to when they rolled off the assembly line or not.

Except for prototypes, serial numbers weren't serial.

You can only guess the roll-off date by looking at the "MFG DATE" that's printed on the same sticker.
(Or, stamped on the FCC sticker on the back of the cabinet. Though this will usually be a couple days BEFORE the date on the serial number.)

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#9530 3 years ago

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Quoted from Adipocere:
I've been problem free for awhile but 2020 isn't through with me yet. Today I booted up TZ and noticed a solenoid was popping repeatedly by the gumball. After some fiddling, I am getting the error message "ball popper opto stuck". On test games, the gumball machine is definitely acting funny. I'm not completely sure where this opto is. Any recommendations on what things to check and in what order?
Thanks. I am not having any other odd issues so hopefully this is an isolated issue...

Gumball popper opto is the opto that's on the gumball popper - under the PF at the end of the small subway.

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#9556 3 years ago

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Quoted from DeeGor:
It is recommended to use the lowest tension shooter spring in Twilight Zone.

Back in my day, shooter springs had colors to classify them.

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#9570 3 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
I could only find that one on my tear down pics as well ....
I then did a search online and it seems that this question continually comes up and other that this one plastic, nobody has been able to identify where the others were meant to go ...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-clear-plastics-question
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tz-where-are-these-plastics-located
[quoted image]

What in the flying f*ck is wrong with that TZ that's pictured? (Not yours, I'm assuming..)

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#9573 3 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
LOL ... um yep it's mine
Do you like the ramp flap "enhancement"? Someone had put 3-4 layers of silver and clear tape over the ramp flap, not that I could see any damage on the flap or any reason for doing this ... my only guess is that it had some sort of ball hop they they were trying to address

Hah! Where is your upper flipper plastic? And is there a normal bulb bulb plugged into the flasher socket there? And yes, I love the tape ramp.

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#9576 3 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
Oh this was a pic as I stripped the PF to get it restored and I found all sorts of hidden gems like the flasher enhancement
[quoted image]

Okay, your reputation isn't tarnished, then. That IS amusing, though. Suprised a normal #555 bulb would last long enough..

Quoted from Mickpat:
The LEDs on my clock do not light and am trying to figure out why. On GI J120-9 and J120-3 (White/Yellow), what should be the voltage? I am reading 3.4V and I think the LED bulbs on the clock don't work when the GI is dimmed. I'm not sure the maker of the clock board, but can see LEDs attached to the board.
[quoted image]

Are you using a GIOCD? There are some clock boards that don't work with it because of how the LEDs are in the circuit. 3.4AC is a little low - verify that reading against a bulb on the same string in the Backglass area. (Either the two bulbs in lower-right corner, or the 7 bulbs in the center toop behind the logo.)

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#9580 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
All of the bulbs are Incandescent , but plan on replacing them with LED and this OCD board. https://www.cometpinball.com/products/led-ocd-boards. The backglass center top (yellow/white) is also 3.4V.

Quoted from awesome1:
Is the 3.4V reading while the GI is "dimmed". Press a flipper button if in attract mode and then see what the GI voltage is, as it will go to full brightness.

Yes, make sure the GI's not dimmed.
If it's NOT, and you're getting 3.4v everywhere, either:
1. Your multimeter is invalid, heh, or
2. Something upsteam is killing your voltage:
- A. Has the GI connector been redone on the PDB? Is it yellowing, brown, hot? Repin it! And the header on the board!
- B. If above looks good, check the inline Molex connector in the cabinet for same issues - burning, hot, brown, etc.
- C. Check voltage at these places, too - at the inline MOlex in the cabinet, then incoming GI feed at power board, then outgoing feed at power board.

Quoted from Manny65:
Just had a quick look at the tear down pics from under the PF and that lamp wasn't connected to the flasher - looks like it was piggy backed off a control lamp connector. As to why?? ...

Having been an operator at one point, all I can say is - if fixed a problem at the time.

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#9583 3 years ago

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Quoted from clemsongrr:
Is there a way to disengage the spiral diverter going to the upper playfield? Would like to get into this playfield a little easier Thanks

You can remove it, but.. it won't do anything unless you have "Battle the Power" active, and when it IS active, the diverter will open and let the ball through anyways, so.. removing the diverter won't really benefit you anything.

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#9592 3 years ago

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Completely unrelated, but is there a TZ owner here living in the UK that can act as my intermediate and accept a package and then forward it on to me here in the US? No, not pinball related, sorry. Send me a message here if you can help. Will pay for time, effort, shipping, etc.

..I trust other TZ owners more than others here on Pinside, because ya'll know how to maintain your games.

Thanks!

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#9599 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
I am seeing a new issue where 4 gumballs are loaded into the gumball and one is not ejected. Once this happens, the game goes into ball search mode and you cannot start a new game until you eject the balls from the gumball machine. I think this happens when you hit the right gumball ramp, but only sometimes. I haven't gone through the gumball test mode yet, but using the test setting I can eject all of the balls. The # of balls in gumball setting is set to 3. Given everything appears to be working, it appears to be a glitch in the code. Has anyone seen this issue before?

Bad switch somewhere - potentially the 'Gumball Entry' opto.

However, having said that, in the later ROM revisions (at LEAST 9.4H, I think previous couple as well), there was code to handle this case - after a couple ball searches, the gumball will dispense a gumball. If yours is not, and you're (1) waiting long enough, and (2) on a recent ROM revision, then it's possible something is up with the motor, or Gumball Geneva switch.

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#9601 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
Thanks yzfguy and Cpyote. I am using 9.4H. I don't hear the motor during the ball search. I'll start running some more tests and check the switches.

I'm at the office, so I can't verify, but for some reason my gut is wanting me to say, "Try waiting 5 ball searches.". Of course, if you're going to try that, just go into Gumball Test.

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#9606 3 years ago

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Quoted from Clizifer:
the balls at the end of the game like the corvette machine?

It's how it was programmed. If you want more details than that, you'd need to talk to one of the designers.

Note that the game will operate the same, regardless. You start a game with two balls in lock, you still have to lock enough balls to start multiball normally.

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#9609 3 years ago

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Quoted from pavel_one:
Can anyone identify this part that I think is from TZ?.....the metal deflector piece, not the yellow clock. Thanks!
[quoted image]

Looks like it's mounted at the Dead End hole under the powerfield. Either that, or it's mounted at the hole to the gumball subway. (Not at game, just going from memory.)

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#9652 3 years ago

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Quoted from killerrobots:
I am getting a intermittent fault in my clock. Sometimes it doesn't reset to midnight and I get a code that helpfully says "Clock Broken". However, if I restart the game it fixes itself. I am guessing one of the light diodes just needs cleaning but when I went into the clock test menu it says everything is working. However, the hour is clicking over 15 minutes early. So at 8:45 on the minutes it clicks to 9 on the hour. That seems weird to me but maybe that is how it is set up. Any ideas?
[quoted image]

Yes, the hour should change somewhere near the bottom of the hour. i.e. Minute hand on the bottom half of the clock. That is expected.

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#9663 3 years ago

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Quoted from awesome1:
Hmmmm... I'm not sure which is correct, Mine are Top Left Red, Top Right Yellow, Lower Orange.
You have me wondering now... Hard to tell exactly from the flyer, but doesn't look like yellow on the lower one.
[quoted image]

It *was* a well-known fact back in RGP days that the flyer had the cap colors wrong. Should match the order/positioning of the 'score' inserts in the powerfield.

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#9669 3 years ago

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Quoted from lurch:
Hey guys. New to the club here. And stupid question I can't seem to find an answer for...
I'm looking to bomb proof this machine. As a previous owner of Addams I recall this was one of the very first things I did. I don't see the number of burned playfields like Addams has and was curious to know if I should bother with fusing them. Side note: I guess these magnets are a different design?

Likely your magnets are already fused. (You can tell by the magnet, if there seems to be a large part of the windings that aren't 'round' under the tape.) However, I have NEVER seen an overheated PF (or powerfield).

Not saying it's not possible, but I would focus on other things than this.

Quoted from awesome1:
I knew there would be a quick "correct" answer, thank you!
I didn't have my TZ yet back when I frequented RGP.

Quoted from alexanr1:
The plethora of knowledge here is amazing!

I will admit that back in the day, there were a handful of owners that took the stance that "since it's like that in the flyer, that much be how it is supposed to be!". However, the software treats it as the same as the powerfield - get an orange skill shot, and the red and orange pop bumpers light up. (Assuing NONE were lit to begin with..)

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#9674 3 years ago

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Quoted from THJM:
Why are all the car mods of mid-50s red Ford Thunderbirds when the car used in the Hitch-Hiker episode is a light colored 1959 Mercury Montclair? Only other reference to a T-Bird I could find in the TZ series was a 1962 model in a different episode.
Or is everyone trying to match the red convertible car pictured on the playfield? That's not a 50s T-Bird either but its closer.
Just curious.

Because, "MODS!"

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#9708 3 years ago

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Quoted from Nysbadmk8:
then when shipping "sort of" returned to normal he went MIA.

Hope he's not suffering from the virus.

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#9710 3 years ago

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Quoted from fast_in_muskoka:
there's no shipping to North America from Germany right now, including Canada

Yes, but I do not believe that applies to emails or PMs.

In the past, mid-2020, Ingo was always active here, and replying to comments and PMs and emails. And now, he's not.

Hence, my concern.

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#9715 3 years ago

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Quoted from Twister:
Shipping from Germany is possible at the moment, there is no problem. But the DHL shipping is now with slow boat, not air. UPS is possible with 3 day delievery to US, but this is around 60€ for a small package.

Quoted from lpeters82:
That just seems so weird. We have friends in France and have not seen any disruption in mail service. I wonder why Germany is so different.

I dunno -
I ordered something from Austrailia by DHS, and it got from Sydney to National (DC area) in 6 days. Then I ordered something from Ukraine, and it got to my doorstep in 9 days. I don't think DHL is on the slow-boat. Granted, I paid a higher amount for shipping, but honestly - it was worth it.

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#9721 3 years ago

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Quoted from Twister:
Translated from the german DHL site
"The transport capacities to the United States of America are currently significantly reduced, so that the dispatch of letters and parcels can only be maintained under special measures. Please note that we have been shipping some shipments to the USA by sea since September 15, 2020 until further notice. Very long delivery times of at least 25-30 days must be expected. For destinations in the western United States or in remote regions, the transit time can be significantly longer."

Hey, I'm just saying what I've experienced since the new year. Don't care enough to argue about it.

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#9779 3 years ago

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Quoted from ParisPinballAdct:
Speaking of seated connectors to plug in J1 and J2 underneath the clock case: do you guys know if i can buy these connector cables somewhere?
Mine are malfunctionning and i’d like to eventually replace them...

I just made my own, sadly.

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#9818 3 years ago

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Quoted from atg1469:
I recently purchased a TZ and overall the game plays pretty great, but the more games I've put in the more often I've had an issue come up with the ball getting hung up in the piano trough. Every time it gets stuck its just resting on the inside right hand side of the trough and I have to take the glass down and nudge it into the hole (the game can't find it otherwise). It's tough to get a pic of but I did my best to capture what's going on. Still, I have no idea how to correct this issue, any thoughts?!
[quoted image]

In addition to what others have said, it could be that the plastic subway's edge is not lining up with the edge of the metal scoop. (I had this issue after reassembling my TZ.) A couple ways to fix it if this is the case - loosen screws on the metal scoop and move it, or loosen the screws on the subway to align it better. Or, like in my case, I had to heat the subway up some and reform it. (My subway was a replacement, not OEM.)

Quoted from Scott8806:
I have 2 wires coming out from the coin door he had some kind of make ship deal he was unplugging but I found the right braket and switches I just cant figure out where they go anyone have a pic of theirs
[quoted image]

First: Note that only the last handful of TZ's off the line had an high-power interlock. (Your second switch there.) All had a 'Coin Door Open' switch.
Second: Without a better picture and context (where those wires go), there's not much we can do to help. That plug could go to: (1) Plumb Bob, (2) Slam Tilt on the cabinet bottom, (3) Start Button, (4) Coin Door Open switch. It LOOKS like it is a Green-Yellow, which makes NO sense because that color is PF only. The other one looks friggin' ORANGE, which makes less sense. With the connectors crimped to the end, it is possible they're the Coin Door switch (sw 22), but without tracing the wires and finding out, it's a fuckin' guess.

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#9864 3 years ago

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Quoted from McDoom:
1. Ball save won’t register on most games.

2. “Diverter” won’t activate automatically and out the ball in the shooter lane. Ball just goes in the auto plunger ramp and fires.

3. I Just changed the iso boards for the flippers. For some reason, the right flipper gets stuck and stays stuck after the start button is pushed. After turning the machine on and off a few times, it seems to work normal but after about 3 games. The right flipper went back to being stuck as if someone was pushing and holding the flipper button.

1. You will need to explain this better. Are you meaning that the ball saver is active (fast "Exra Ball" light flash), and you drain and the game goes into bonus?
2. This also dosen't make any sense, as the shooter diverter, when ACTIVE, should pop the ball into the autolauncher. When INACTIVE (closed), it should go to the shooter.
3. Put your old boards back in. Do they work correctly? Then you got a bad replacement board, or something is interfering it with picking up the opto light.

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#9869 3 years ago

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Quoted from McDoom:
“Diverter” stays open some games and the ball auto plungers instead of passing ball to shooter lane so I can use the plunger.

Okay, as per your furst post, it's not 'failing to activate', it's not closing. Hardware issue - it's either gummed up, spring is weak or broke. Will need to look at it and see what is binding it up

Quoted from McDoom:
Other photo: When I drain right away, the ball save doesn’t activate, I just loose the ball and it starts the next ball.

If the Extra Ball button - what you have an arrow at - is not flashing fast, then you have no ball saver. You either (1) Aren't running a ROM revision that supports it (as Manny65 said) , or (2) you are running a ROM revision that supports it, and haven't enabled it in the settings.

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#9872 3 years ago

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Quoted from McDoom:
More
In regards to ball save, what ROM version do you have? I believe that the official releases only had ball save on ball 1(if enabled in the settings) while 9.4H has the ability to have ball save enabled on all balls (again via the settings)

I’m running version 9.4h. I’m going to look into this more (check the hardware and settings).

Quoted from Alby87:
To be correct, also official 9.2 has ball saves beyond the first!

I THINK that H-8 it was introduced into. However, that was literal decades ago, so I could be wrong. Could be 9.2 introduced it.

Anyways, look for "FREE RIDE" settings. That's what they're called in the Adjustments menu.

And why am I asking these questions? Because if the light IS flashing and you're not getting the ball re-served, it could mean you have an issue with your trough switches. There's a difference between 'ball save not giving me the ball back' and 'ball save not active'.

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#9874 3 years ago

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Quoted from THJM:
So with the TZ is this somehow an issue with the clock on the playfield and its interaction with the clock in the logic board or is this strictly something wonky with the logic board?

The playfield clock has not ability to affeect the clock on the MPU - the MPU tells the clock what to do. So in this case, there's something up with your MPU.

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#9882 3 years ago

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Quoted from THJM:
Thanks. Any ideas as to how to start diagnosing this other than swapping boards? I have read through each of the club forums for my three machines and I don't recall anyone having a similar issue.

Likely this:

Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:
My guess is it is a voltage thing. The OEM batteries were 4 1/2 volts while I bet your coin battery is only 3. You need more juice. Just install lithium batteries in the oem holder or go with a remote battery pack.

Not familair with this 'mod'. If it's a completely new board, or a change to the existing WPC-89 board. If it's just a change, then slight variances in resistor values, voltage requirements, caps starting to dry up could cause the RTC chip not to get enough power to keep ticking, as it were.

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#9890 3 years ago

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Quoted from drummermike:
Right is yellow, left is red. Slot is yellow on mine.

This is how it should be.
Then:
Left Spiral - Yellow, and
Right Spiral (gumball sign) - Red

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#9897 3 years ago

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Quoted from The_Pump_House:
what is the latest twilight zone rom (for coin use, not home) and does it have ball save beyond the first ball of the game

9.2, and I do not remember.

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#9919 3 years ago

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Quoted from Scott8806:
So nothing wrong with mine then that how it plays

Yes. That is expected.

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#9921 3 years ago

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Look up Pop Bumper Posts.

Long back and forth on these during production. Those plugs can be removed, and the pop bumper posts installed.

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#9928 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinballAir:
I am looking to put all LEDs in my game.
Do i need to add OCD board(s)?
I want all LED, so do i need a board for GI and Feature lamps?

I disagree with all the others, as I can not f*cking stand the hard "on/off" of LEDs. (Not even dimming-related, I'm meaning the lack of warmnup/cooldown that LEDs don't have over filiment bulbs.) So, I would say they're required for me.

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#9937 3 years ago

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Quoted from PinballAir:
My game has code L3.
I will be upgrading to 9.4CH so i can have ball save on all 3 balls.
Looking at ipdb i noticed there were also sound updates. Since my game has old code it is safe to assume it also has original sound roms.
Is it worth buying latest sound roms as well?

Do NOT use 9.4CH. Use 9.4H. Do NOT support that shit.

If you're buying - up to you. No sound changes, just bug fixes. You can tell by looking at your game in Test mode, or the labels on the sound board.

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#9940 3 years ago

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The 9.4BH and CH were hacks of Ted Estes' 9.4H. The person(s) that did this went against Ted's wishes, and is the reason we do not have a 9.5 and more.

You can still ACCEPT coins in 9.4H, and it will still count CREDITS. You will just be able to hit start when CREDITS=0.

Use 9.2. As someone previously mentioned, it has ball-save, and Free Play can be turned off.

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#9950 3 years ago

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Quoted from Piso:
After disassembly my TZ clock I found this little piece on the table. I can't figure out where it belongs. Can you please help me? Thank you
[quoted image]

That does not come in a stock TZ.

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#9983 3 years ago

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Quoted from Clizifer:
having some issues with my memory batteries. i replaced the old battery holder as the previous batteries were corroded inside it. ive put brand new lithium batteries in it but when i turn it on its still saying factory settings restored. im curious are the batteries connected in series so i should see approx 4.5v corner to corner on the holder?

Yeah, and remember, all batteries go in the same direction.

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#10073 3 years ago

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Quoted from Lhyrgoif:
Not cleaned it yet in any way, thinking of what to do after seeing the manual advising not to clean the powerball (not sure why, any idea?).

It's a type of hardened ceramic.

I'm sure that some chemicals could soften the hardness, and eventually cause more nicks or cracks in the surface.

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#10081 3 years ago

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Quoted from Davi:
The door area in the center of the playfield was designed to use 4 flashers, using two small circuit boards for flash lamps under the large door panel.
This design is still in the manual, and shown in the red prototype panel.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
(Pictures from HEP gallery.)
During the conversation with Jimakost (he is doing a cool TZ scratch build), he mentioned that he is looking for lamp boards, including a door lamp board. My goal was to create a door panel with the integration of 4 flashers, operated by 4 different playfield flashers.
Aftermarket mods with small PCB only replace the GUM and BALL flashers, that's the only chance for sample/production games, only 2 holes are available for flasher extension.
The LOCK 1-2 flashers cannot be installed into these boards (unless you are ready to hack it) - there is no hole on the PCB for extra flashers.
Few years ago GLM introduced a lamp board with 4 flashers - however the control was based on only 2 playfield flashers (GUM, BALL), not 4.
My door panel contains all feature lamps (original twist-in design for bulb or LED's) and the 4 flasher area, controlled by 4 flashers as per designer's intention. Every insert area contains 4 small LED flashers for even light distribution, and the feature lamp remain in the center. Connection to factory lamp harness via plug&play harness, no soldering required.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Thanks to coyote for clarification of flasher locations. I can create more lamp boards, if there is a demand.

Looks good! I would be interested in one, definitely!
What color are the flasher LEDs?

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#10083 3 years ago

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Quoted from Davi:
Thanks. This test board has cool white LED's. Of course warm white is also possible.

I would swap to warm white or even red, IMHO. (If you leave it cool-white, no worried, they're thru-hole and can be easily swapped.

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#10095 3 years ago

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Quoted from Jecco74:
uses the sockets

Which "sockets"? There are a lot there.

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#10097 3 years ago

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Quoted from Coyote:
Which "sockets"? There are a lot there.

Quoted from dnaman:
I think that techically you can tie the robot into any sockets, they might just be aligator clips but I will wait for comfirmation or I will have to open up mine.

Completely unfamiliar with the mod. Essentially, if it's a LAMP socket, then sure - looking at the board, nothing's changed there. There are still sockets. If it ties into a FLASHER socket though, well, Davi uses built-in LEDS, not sockets. So, if it ties into a flasher, you'll have to look elsewhere.

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#10113 3 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
Shameless plug here for the Marco part. I invented it. Hundreds in operation. If you want that clock face to pop, 12 LEDs is the only way. It'll match the translite clock.

Is there a reason you couldn't just make the LEDs and power circuitry part of the board, instead of having to solder on a single section of 5050 LED strip? That, and the lack of compatibility with the GIOCD is why I didn't get it.

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#10118 3 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
The clock lighting is not GI lighting,

The clock lighting IS GI lighting. It's GI string #3. (Wh/Yl color.)

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#10121 3 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
Didn't know the clock lights were GI driven. So there are two versions, one controlled and one GI?

Eh, kind of.

Originally while in development, the clock's lights were supposed to be controlled, and light up as the clock told time, effects, and so on. However, during the development phase, to save money and 'for reasons' (I do not know the reasons, would need to talk to Ted Estes, Pat Lawlor, or the bean counters back then) they decided that it wasn't worht it, and converted them over to GI. They kept the board design as-is, and just replaced the diodes with 0-ohm jumpers. Like was previously mentioned, after games were out for months, years, it was discovered that the constant-on lamps would over-heat the clock, and cause opto failures. So, one fix was to replace the jumpers with diodes, halving the brightness/heat. The other fix was to drill air vent holes in the top of the clock.

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#10122 3 years ago

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Would be neat if they could be turned back into controlled lamps. I would not be surprised if Ted had a VERY prototype ROM that had them as controlled.

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#10127 3 years ago

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Quoted from McDoom:
I can see the mechanism firing trying to kick a ball into the shooter lane but there are no balls to feed.

If it is trying to kick a ball into the shooter:
It means that the game 'sees' a ball there. You have one or two trough switches stuck on, and/or balls are not rolling to the right-most spot (getting hung up somewhere in the trough).
If there ARE no balls in the trough - regardless of whether a trough switch is stuck or not - and the game is trying to kick a ball out, you have bad switches elsewhere, as well. (Why? Because all other ways to start multiball means that the game must know where the other balls are - the Lock or Autofire kicker.)

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#10182 3 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
I ordered one today and use GIOCD. I will post back if the LED clock board works or not with GIOCD.

He sent me one that should arrive today or tomorrow, I'll also be testing this in my game (GIOCD) to check results.

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#10187 3 years ago

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Quoted from Trooper11040:
Finally became a TZ owner tonight. Still in the vehicle but should be getting it out tomorrow morning! [quoted image]

You are FAR, FAR too happy for the YEARS of frustration that will follow. /s
Congrats!

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#10199 3 years ago

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Quoted from Trooper11040:
My first issue. Been playing it all week with no issues. Now I have this error “Ball Popper Opto is stuck”. No clue where to even start to diagnose this error...Opto on the ball popper appears to be glowing when I put my camera to it
[quoted image]

Just because you can see the LED does not mean the reciever can see LED. The IR LED is only half the story.
Assuming your switch test shows the opto as blocked, and you can see the IR LED glow, start lookin' at your receiver then.

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#10225 3 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
Wondering why those leads were swapped in the first place?

He switched them *from factory*. That's how they are coming from factory. Mickpat reversed them, for DC voltage to be right for ramegoom clock board to work with GIOCD.

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#10240 3 years ago

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You should never have more than 1 minute opto open (active) at a time. With both those shots, it is reporting both :30 and :45 optos closed.

Check that plugs were plugged in correctly, and that the optos, if socketed, are in tightly.

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#10271 2 years ago

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Quoted from THJM:
In terms of viable alternatives, which ones work with the LED OCD GI board? Did people get the Gameroom board (available from Marco) to work with it?

It will work, but you'll need to swap the GI pins in one of the clock connectors.

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#10287 2 years ago

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Quoted from Alby87:
Shouldn't the Fliptronics board automatically switch from power to hold after some seconds? It's not ideal, but still a failsafe measure.

Yes. If the Fliptronic board (actually, game ROM) does not see the EOS switch close, it will cut high-power, leaving hold coil energized. The EOS switch is more used for flipper knock-downs. EOS reopens, reenable the Power Coil. If no EOS switch, the flipper bat will fall.

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#10331 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
This is the original magnet toss, but I'm not sure if you need to run an early ROM version or if it's available with the later versions as long as you have the 3 magnets - maybe Coyote or someone with a 3 magnet machine can chime in

That's the *full* (and prototype-only) magnet toss. While v9.4H won't do the 'magnet toss' like that, it WILL stage the magnets from the auto-launcher on multiball start, assuming requirements are met. (Requirements being: 1. The game knows the powerball is in the gumball machine. 2. Multiball is stated with only 0 or 1 ball in the lock. And, 3. Your game has 3 magnets. Heh.)

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#10335 2 years ago

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Quoted from ParisPinballAdct:
boy how cool it looks! mamma mia... Twilight Zone baby.
so, i'm a bit annoyed because i have a prototype (or more accurately, a Pre-series model TZ #211) with the 3 magnets, the Powerfield without the inscriptions and the green inserts on the playfield etc.
i'm running ROM v9.4h however can't have the stacked multiball (and yes I did go in the settings to have the game allow it)...
looking more closely I can see that, although I do have the 3rd magnet in place, i'm not sure I have the opto installed on the sides...
maybe because, as Coyote said, they didn't bother?
anyway wonder if the fact that there doesn't seem to be an opto on the side of the 3rd magnet could be the reason why it is not doing the stacked multiball sequence.. ??
if anyone has an idea, maybe?

You have an early sample game, and yes, that would be why.

While they installed the magnet/magnet post into the playfield, depending on when your game was made, the wiring for the optos may have been left out. You can check by going into Switch Test. If, with all balls in trough, look at switches 71, 82, and 86. If those are not full squares like #84 is (or any other opto), then you are either missing the optos themselves, OR, they were just never wired in.

And yes - when the game boots up, it checks switch #82, which is the 'Upper Right Magnet' (labeled 'Unused'). If it shows closed on bootup, it will deactivate all effects that use the 3rd magnet.

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#10412 2 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
it will replace the A/V board which I think is the source of the problem

Note that TZ is not a WPC-95 game;l it has two separate boards. One audio, one video.

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#10425 2 years ago

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Quoted from veejay:
Hi TZ owners, I’ve got a problem where my game occasionally receives a ball in the gumball machine and doesn’t recognise its there. The game goes into ball search but doesn’t cycle the gumball machine as part of the ball search, so the ball never comes out. The only way to reset the game is to go into gumball test and cycle a ball out that way. The gumball machine has been recently cleansed and reassembled to try and address the fault. No change. The gumball machine has the divider in it. The entry Opto seems to be working normally in test. I’ve spent hours trying to sort this issue out. The fault is only occasional, one every 5-10 entry’s, but it’s a showstopper.
Should the gumball machine be cycling in ball test mode? That would solve the issue.
Has anyone has a similar issue before?

Go into Gumball Test, set it to "Continuous", and let it run. As long as it will. If there is any error then, it will stop and flag it on the display.

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#10428 2 years ago

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Quoted from veejay:
I’ve done that and it just seems to cycle endlessly without fault.
Should the gumball machine normally cycle in a typical ball search?

Yes - after a high ball search count. 7? 8? .. I do not remember the exact number right now.
Also, only on later software versions. At LEAST 9.4H. Possibly H-8.

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#10461 2 years ago

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Swap or replace the ooto flipper board on the cabinet. This is a common issue with dirty or failing optos.

Try switching the two boards, and see if the problem also shifts sides.

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#10477 2 years ago

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Quoted from PinballAir:
but I do not know if it is the 4 pin or 5 pin version

I still run OEM in mine, so I cannot comment about the different replacement boards.
However, the optos are 4-pin version.

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#10518 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
The spacers are correct and angles the plastic to run any air ball that lands on it back into the upper orbit, rather than coming down the plastic and getting caught between the ramps.

This.
That is supposed to be like that.

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#10520 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Is my center lamp board missing its flasher board or did some TZ's ship without them?
Are they still available?
If I don't put one in, will my inserts look dim above these vacant holes?
Just want to build a complete game.
Thanks.
[quoted image]

MOST Twilight Zones' did not ship with them. Mine, a very early sample, did not. I got mine because the part number listed in the manual was valid, and my distributor ordered one from WMS.

It should look fine.

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#10524 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
Or you can replace the whole door lamp board with a new and improve board that includes all 4 flashes from Davi - here's his thread https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twilight-zone-door-lamp-board-flashers-add-on

This would be THE route to go.

Has MY seal of approval. Whatever that may be.

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#10550 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Posts or star posts in upper zone of pops?
[quoted image]

As factory, star posts. Though nothing stopping you from putting anything else in there.

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#10554 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Thanks.
I wondered because the pop ring is hitting the rubber rings.
Now I'm stuck.

Tighter rings, loosen the posts slightly and shift them, loosen the pop-bumper body/top and shift it. That is naturally a very very tight area. I remember having issues up there too.

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#10564 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Connector confusion:
Reconnecting various wiring harnesses after a topside tear-down.
Embarrassingly, I have three that are confusing me, all 2-pin and all with green and white leads.
On the right in the photo, the ramp harness's female 2-pin seems set to meet a 2-pin male, but what's going on with the 2-pin male on the left, ten inches away?
I *think* the left male is unrelated, but where is his mate?
He seems to be a subway switch just above the gumball kicker.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Second picture is your Left Ramp (made) switch, #54. The first pne you have pictured is likely you Left Ram Enter switch, #53.
I am guessing when you put you installed your ramp, you forgot to feed the entry switch plug through the hole in the PF.

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#10587 2 years ago

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Okay, first,

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
This appears to be the animal.
The upper connectors are optos. The opto wiring harness begins here and snakes to all the optos - trough, lock, upper PF, magnets, etc.
How can the board supply the proper voltage to all of them *except* switch #83? The board doesn't supply the optos individually, does it?
Each opto has a simple PCB on it. Perhaps that's faulty on #83. Perhaps replacing the opto will sort it out.
At least we know a replacement board is available:
https://www.pinballlife.com/10-opto-replacement-board-for-twilight-zone-a-16807.html
Manual shows J4-3 feeds switch #83.
Resistors servicing that connector look good.
Red-black-red-gold. Is that 40ohm?
Can these be tested on the board?
I would rather not desolder one to test it.
Not sure which corresponds to J4-3 though.
[quoted image]
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Okay, so first, you need to realize that that board only gets 12v unregulated, which should NOT be as high as 30v.
All LEDs (the sending part of the opto switch) have one feed wired together in serial, and all PHOTO-TRANSISTORS (the receiving end) has one feed wire all connected. The other wire to each opto/led go straight to this board you have pictured.

If you ARE getting ~30v, then something is shorted, and it is likely NOT the opto board above. Do NOT put on another opto, and feed 30v through it; you will just fry it faster than a hot-dog on the sidewalk in Arizona. Trace the wire that's giving you the 30v through the wiring harness; likely it is shorting against a flasher wire.

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#10589 2 years ago

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Quoted from rlbohon3:
Need so help… I just restored a TZ with LEDs throughout. I didn’t install a OCD GI board yet because I’m seeing zero change in the different GI levels. Normally on other games I’ve gone, the LEDs would flicker while the GI is dimming by stepping through the levels. I haven’t added a OCD board on this game yet only because I haven’t noticed that it is attempting to dim at all. I went into the test mode and stepped it through the GI levels and simply no change. Is there something wrong with the game I’m working on, or maybe a setting? I’d gladly add a OCD board but something seems up.

You are missing the zero-cross signal - https://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Williams_WPC#GI_Lamps_Not_Dimming

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#10592 2 years ago

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Quoted from awesome1:
Easy thing to check first is to make sure you have dimming turned on as it can be turned off in the settings.

I *believe* that even with the setting turned off, in test mode it will still dim the GI. However, it's not a bad thing to check.

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#10598 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Also, in single-switch test for #83 the wires are described in colors that do NOT match the leads to this switch. They are grey and orange/black. These same colors feed the other optos, too.

This is where your manual is going to come in handy.
The colors reported on the display are for the switch row and column. Remember, optos are tied into the Opto board, and there are two pieces per switch (sender, receiver). Pages 3-16 and 3-17 will answer the wire-color issue for you, and will also show you where to check next.

13.77v is a good voltage on 12vu (unregulated).

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
The upper PF's opto switch reads 6.5V and the right magnet's opto not even 2V.

Are you checking the voltages on all the same pieces - all black opto pieces?

The black pieces are the receivers, and since this is the first you mentioned which one you were checking (yes, they operate differently), 13vu is a good voltage there; you can try replacing it and see if it works.

This is assuming, too, that you used your cel-phone camera, aimed it at the emitter (the white one just across) and saw a glow.

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#10616 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Yes, as I wrote, the "Spiral" magnets work fine.

Follow the same procedures that you would follow if any coil stops working -
Check voltage at magnets. Check driver signal (continuity with ground) when magnet pulses. Work your way up from there.

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#10621 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
I spent a good seven to eight hours breaking down my friend's PF. Oooof I don't think this game has ever been shopped out. My lord, this is going to be a long one.
I was also surprised by how puzzle like it is put together, it's a pretty neat PF setup. I can't say it's one of my favorites to work on, but I can't wait to get it back to its glory. Thank you all for the mod suggestions as well as other links. I'm feeling pretty good about this.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Whewwwwwwhee. That'll look completely revitalized once it's all cleaned up.

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#10628 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
Hey Everyone, quick question, I am about to start the mech rebuild process and I noticed my friend's PF has a 15411 and 11629 coils for the bottom flippers. The manual calls for the 15411. Before I order up another I just wanted to check in with y'all to make sure the 11629 wasn't some sort of "upgrade" or Williams bulletin or something.
Does anyone know why the left flipper might have been changed? My default is usually it's what the operator had and used, but I wanted to make sure.

Nope - should be 15411's. The tech bulletin only changed the part number for the EOS switch, and called out usage of the longer coil stop (shorter flipper travel)

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#10644 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
I am not sure if you are aware, but if you have the coin door open, the power to the coils is killed as a safety feature. So you won't get a reading.

Not likely - TZ production only had this feature over a handful of very late-produced games; it's unlikely his game was built with the high-voltage interlock.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Pictured is the main harness's connector that supplies the upper's harness.
Solenoid wiring diagram shows power to 25 & 26 (left & right upper PF magnets) through blue/red and blue/brown, both of which I see at the connector.
Which wire here is common? Both of the lower magnets appear to have purple leads so I will assume purple is common in all cases.

You are jumping ALL over. Take a breather, and slow down.

Refer to page 3-14 in the manual for wire colors. There is no 'common' between the two magnets - each Mini PF magnet gets a different 50v bus than the other (this was by design, so flipping both flippers would not cause 'weaker' magnet pulses).

When the magnets are NOT active, you will see NO voltage difference between the power (Violet & Violet/White) and their drivers (Blue/Brown & Blue/Red). When the magnet is on (pulsed), you will see the voltage jump to 50vu and then back down.

So, while that is a valid test, you likely will not see anything. Better test would be to test each of the voltage wires (Violets) against something that is grounded (like the cabinet ground strap), in which you should ALWAYS see 50vu on the meter. If not, you aren't getting voltage. If you ARE, the issue with with the driver wires/circuitry.

Then, test CONTINUITY (beep mode!) between the driver wires (Blues) and ground. There should be NO continuity between the driver wire and ground, UNTIL the magnet pulses, in which case it'll beep for a short second ever few seconds. (With test in "REPEAT").

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#10647 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
1.5V when magnet pulses in Magnet Test. The same test on the upper PF driver wires shows no continuity for pulses in solenoid test set on "Repeat."

"1.5V"? or 1.5 ohm? While you CAN do the test in DC mode, it's best to run it in continuity or ohm mode.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Driver wires can be traced to the 8 high-power driver board beneath the PF.

Yup, think of the 8-High Power Driver board as a 'repeater'..

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
If there are driver issues, do they originate at this board or on the main driver board?

Well, now, you need to run the same test with the driver wires, but with the ones going INTO the High-Power Driver board. The previous test were the drivers controlled by the High-Power driver (assuming you tested it at the plug to the mini-PF). Now, do the same test (DMM in Continuity/Beep mode), but testing the Blue-Brown/Blue-Red wires from the power driver board (J3-4,-5). If you get a strobe of continuity there, then the power driver board is GOOD, but the High-Power driver is bad. If you do NOT get a strobe of continuity, then the High-power driver is fine; it's not activating because it's not seeing the signal from the power driver board.

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#10650 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
My apologies for asking, as I have not yet gotten to break down the mini playfield, but I was wondering if it uses the same magnet cores as the playfield? My friend's magnets have some wear and I know I can buy new cores, but if the minis were the same I would just swap them out. I know the body is the same, and the manual shows the same part number I just wasn't sure if they used the same core.[quoted image][quoted image]

No, the Mini PF's cores do not stick out through the playfield. I am not sure you could unscrew them deep enough to mount properly on the Mni PF. You can try; would involve just screwing the adjustable core down enough.

But the Mini PF's cores will NOT work in the main PF, because the cores are 'fixed' - non-adjustable.

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#10659 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Why? Does the driver board get that signal from the CPU? During game play,

Assuming all your tests were good, then it's the power driver board. Why? Same reason any other coil could stop working, bad transistor, or pre-driver on the PDB.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Oh, and I forgot to mention that I installed my high-power driver board in another TZ and the magnets on that machine still worked fine, so we know it's not that board.

In this case, then your testing is flawed some how.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
I know I have continuity from the driver board to the mini-PF harness for both blue/red and blue/brown, so I don't suspect a wiring problem.

Or - "driver board" - the 8-high power driver board, or the power driver board (PDB) in the backbox.
If you did not, check continuity between the PDB and the 8-driver high power board.

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#10663 2 years ago

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Quoted from Zigzagzag:
Yes, the black sockets should be 545 blinkers.
I bought these : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152953759556

Holy F*CK, that price.
Edit: OH, it's for a box of 100. Okay, whew, that's better!

If anyone needs some, I have a whole bnch, GE branded, that I can share.

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#10672 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Hi.
I have 12V at each of the flipper opto switches.
Is this a switch-matrix error?
Is it a ribbon cable?
Not sure if it matters, but I have 0V at the #7 pin on the left opto connector. I do have 12V at #6 though.[quoted image][quoted image]

IMHO, i am not sure why ANYONE would suggest it's a flipper switch issue. Unless your flippers are not working in-game.

Since items worked in another game, that means:
1. Your continuity tests were flawed, or,
2. You didn't actually check the magnets on the Mini PF

I don't remember if you checked them, but if you DIDN'T, that would be the next step.

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#10684 2 years ago

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Unrelated -
Amusingly, we've all seen that upper-right flipper plastic melted from that flasher getting stuck on, the bulb overheating.

Was playing a game last night, and was suddenly blinded, as that same flasher got stuck on. Lost a transistor, out of the blue, on the 8-Driver board. Ugh.

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#10694 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
The start button is a switch matrix switch and isn't connected to the coin door interface board (aka dedicated switches)

FYI, all cabinet switches, save for flipper switches, go through the CDI. Direct & Matrix.

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#10703 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
I got the second coat of wax down on my friend's PF today. Tomorrow I shall start repopulating. As they say thoughts and prayers...
[quoted image][quoted image]

Lookin' good!

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#10740 2 years ago

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Quoted from BertoDRINK1:
So the new trough board from Marco will not send a single for Switch 26 when a detects a metal ball. It will detect the metal ball and the light will turn on but will not register sw26. I reached out to Gulf Pinball and he said there's nothing he can do. Marco will refund my money but they don't have anymore available or other options any time soon. I did test all the parts in another TZ with the same results. So I'm stuck with my old bad board which at least was stuck on, switch 26 would not turn off with the old one. Going to pull the parts and see if I can figure out what's going on with the old one.
Anyone have any experience fixing these boards or has a spare one for sale? I'm keeping the new coil sensor board just need the proximity sensor pcb. Trough
[quoted image]

Neither of those are OEM/Original. Do you still HAVE your original?

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#10742 2 years ago

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Quoted from BertoDRINK1:
No I don't have a original board. Mine came with the black board and the green Gulf Pinball set is what Marco sells now.

Ah! Okay, since they're not OEM, likely schematics aren't available. I don't see why you couldn't spend time and figure out where the issue lies. I would keep an eye open for an OEM original board (easier to fix, since schematics are in the manual). If you think the board you got from Marco is bad and and not an issue with the company that made it, looks like Pinball Life has them available -
https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PBL-600-0421-00

Also keep in mind that the sensor boards - the bit that mounts in front of the trough - may not be compatible between board makers. Keep that in mind as you swap boards around!

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#10806 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
How to Safely Remove TZ Playfield?
I need to pull the PF from my game to remove/refinish the carriage bolts that support the slide mechanism.
I've never removed the PF from a Bally/Williams cabinet with this style of mechanism and I don't see any instructions for actual removal in the manual. With a Stern game, you can slide the PF out to the service position and then just lift it out. With this mechanism, sliding the PF out to the service position engages the pivot-lock mech. Is the answer to slide the PF only midway out of the cabinet so the mech can't engage the pins on that plate?
[quoted image][quoted image]

1. Two people needed.
2. Pull PF forward so it locks into place.
3. Pivot up so it's at a 75-degree angle. With each person gripping the back of the playfield (NOT the back board, but the PF where the back board meets the playfield) use your other hand to press that hood (arrow) in towards the playfield.
4. This will create an opening for that pivot bolt to slide back up - and once free, the playfield will try to *drop down* into the cabinet. (Why your other hands are back there!)
5. Lower playfield downward until the pivot bolt is free of the latch (the arrow part), then angle PF back towards back of cabinet so that the latch won't catch, and then lift up and out.

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#10807 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
According to http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/Williams/tech/roms/twilight.html ball save was added in L4 - "Added a new adjustment to allow ball savers beyond ball one. FREE RIDE TIME (A.2 27) must be set to non-zero for this to be enabled.". Not sure if that is the only setting you need, as my machine isn't operational atm

I posted it here earlier, not sure why I never sent it to the IPDB. But this will help. You have two settings - Free Ride Time & Last Free Ride. The former is how long the ball saver is on. The latter is the last ball in which the ball saver is available.

tzman94h_1.3.pdf

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#10813 2 years ago

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Quoted from TigerLaw:
I changed the drain trough switch to a brand new one. I’m not sure what else it could possible be, all switches are working. It’s like the machine just loses track and thinks an extra ball drained.

It would be a trough switch, not the outhole switch.
Good test would be to go into Gumball Test mode, and do a continuous cycle, watching the four trough switches. If I were to guess, your left trough switch (#17) is acting up or sticking.

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#10817 2 years ago

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Quoted from LTG:
Or hit twice with ball bouncing back because of missing wireform.
LTG : )

No, it won't -
The game will START bonus countdown when the ball hits the trough switch. However, the game will not kill the flippers until a trough switch is closed for about a second to indicate there is really a ball (the correct number of balls) are in the trough.

If the wireform is gone, the ball will bounce back to the outhole. In NORMAL game - not multiball - it'll start the bonus countdown but not kill flippers. If, after ~15seconds, the trough switch is not seen as being closed for the ~1 second, the game will display the score and act like the ball is still in play until the trough switch is closed. This is to prevent the game ending with an intermittent issue with the trough switch.

In Multiball, with one ball back still out in the playfield, if the ball bounces out of the trough back into the outhole, it just won't end multiball until that debounce of ~1sec is seen on the trough switch.

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#10822 2 years ago

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Quoted from TigerLaw:
Hmm, this is certainly worrisome. I was really optimistic I found the issue and this part from Marco would address it. I’ll give the #17 another look. I’ll report back.

Good luck.. I've have a lot of trough issues with my TZ since the mid-90's, and with Ted's help back when he was doing 9.4H, learned a lot about how (and why) the code handles ball trough switches. To this day, I will still have issues - I even have my little wire gate in place, and somehow I get bounce-outs from the trough into the outhole.

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#10826 2 years ago

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Look on page #1 (PDF page 3) of the WPC Schematic Manual (16-9473-1). The transformer connections and all are spelled out there, as well as adjustments for low-line or other markets.

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#10834 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Okay, I appreciate the thorough instructions, but, again, is it necessary to engage the pivot-lock?
It seems like you have do some death-defying hoisting if you do engage the lock.
Why not just draw the PF *partially* out and lift it out when it's more or less level? No need to draw it out entirely and engage that mech. What am I missing?

You can, but the issue I ran into is that if you don't pivot the field up enough, you can't lift it up high enough to clear the latches: The back board and ramps hit the underside of the cabinet under the backbox.

By pivoting it up higher, it allows clearance.

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#10845 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
more evidence that its lighting belongs to the GI.

Inside cover of the manual, under "General Illumination" - #3: Clock & Insert.
('Insert' is what the light board is called behind the translight, the backbox. So, the Clock, and part of the backbox.)

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#10848 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Guess I need to ask LED OCD again.

Try reverting. Return it all to stock. (Move plugs back to PDB, and down by transformer, reconnect to original harness.) See what happens.

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#10856 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
shows "Yellow, return GI to playfield" for both J120-3 and J121-3

J120 and J121 have exact pinouts. And yes, it means the clock's GI is Yellow and Yellow/White.

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#10858 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
I just want to say, that out of all of the groups I am and have been a part of this has by far been the most helpful and positive. You guys are all great ambassadors to the hobby.

We're all unusual in this group here. It's the Twilight Zone, after all.

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#10866 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
LED OCD remarked that it could be a polarity issue.
OCD board may be providing the wrong polarity.

If you are using most boards OTHER than Ingo's and OEM, yes, they have their polarity wrong for the OCD boards.

This is ONLY an issue, though, if the lights on your backbox that are part of the same string (the title in upper center, and lower right behind the art of the clock) are ON and working normally.

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#10869 2 years ago

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Quoted from LTG:
The boards came from Marco. And were working until Jason was trying to get the flippers going and other things.
LTG : )

Yes, Marco's board they sell, then, won't work with OCD without reversing GI string wires. Was brought up recently here or in another thread a few months back.

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#10871 2 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
I'm thinking if a potential fix would be to install a small header jumper on the LED clock board - it could be configured for "Normal" and "GIOCD" and would reverse those feeder pins if you add the option.

Honestly, I just got 2 single-pin Molex connectors on the harness, and used tem so they can be flipped - unhook the two connectors, and reverse the wires.

Edit: However, if I was to design a LED clock board, I would just add a bridge-rectifier, so it doesn't matter which input wire is + and -, honestly.

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#10874 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
OK guys I am stumped. I walked away last night, and revisited it today and I am still stumped. Can anyone tell me where the white opto for switch 81 (right magnet) opto connects to?
Per my breakdown pictures its line runs straight up the right hand side of the PF and exits at the hole on the top right. I labeled my connectors and truth be told my handwriting is atrocious, but it appears its mate is on the center top of the PF opposite side(marked with the blue tape). I have looked everywhere for another option, thinking that maybe the other line says 24 instead of 21 and don't see it and every other plug has lined up nicely.
I am truly stumped. There is no way this will reach across the PF and I don't see any other connectors without a mate.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

I believe that the Grey/xx colors should match. The plug for that opto looks like it is Grey/Orange. The wiring harness I can not see. Grey/Orange is the right ramp. (Powerfield ramp.)

Guessing that you have those reversed. While the Grey/x colors don't matter (i.e. one white LED is the same as another), it looks like you got them reversed.

LED and Opto colors are on page 3-16 of the manual. If you have a sample game (does not look like you do) the manual's wires should match up, color-wise.

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#10878 2 years ago

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Quoted from LTG:
Maybe they were wrong before you started ?
LTG : )

Jeebus, if I had a nickle for every time I had to diagnose work affected by a previous owner, another tech, or a less-than-stellar distributor service job back when I was an operator... I'd have enough nickels for a coin pusher.

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#10880 2 years ago

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Quoted from nerdygrrl:
So I think this is what you were saying. The ball guide in question has optos for both switch 81 and 83 on them and I have those reversed. And if so, yes, why I do believe that is it. Many thanks for the assist!

Good luck.

Now that I'm home, I can check my game. However, I have a sample game, so it may not match what you're working on there.

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#10890 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Clock GI Cont'd:
I realize there's a good chance I'm wearing out my welcome with my endless questions regarding my clock's GI, but I heard from Harold at LED OCD and his advice was conflicting with suggestions here and hard for me to understand, in part because in my game J2 is a 4-pin connector. Would you mind taking a quick look?
From Harold at LED OCD:
(Quote)
Jason,
From the TZ manual, the lamps are lit by wires connected to J2. Pins 6 and 5 are the positive terminal, pins 3 and 4 are the negative terminal.
image.png
Swapping 6 with 3 and 5 with 4 would allow LEDs that are turned the other way to light.
image.png
For an adapter, you could get a 0.1" pitch connector that would connect to J2, another that is male pins, then wire as below.
1-1
2-2
3-6
4-5
5-4
6-3
7-7
8-8
That said, I don't have a schematic for Casper's board, so I'm going from what I can see in that picture. It really looks like pins 5 and 6 are labeled C2 and C1, and the + terminal of the LED strips are as well. Based on this, I'm surprised they're not lighting. If the LED strips were rotated 180 degrees, they would still light when fed with AC power (normal GI), but not light if fed DC (like GI OCD).
One other possibility would be that they are connected the correct polarity, but the brightness setting of the GI OCD is not enough to light them brightly. You could try turning up the brightness using the PC software.
(End quote)
Notice how much more involved this is than Mickpat's idea about just swapping J120-3 and J120-9 at the PDB.[quoted image]

You are looking at the WRONG BOARD. That is the MOTOR board, not the CLOCK board. Look in the manual for the Clock Minute Opto board, I believe it's called. (On phone, can't open manual at the moment.)

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#10897 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
I thought every connector has a unique address.

This is true, but only for boards up in the backbox.
Everywhere else (i.e. Playfield & Cabinet), they all start with J1 and so on. (I'm sure there are exceptions there, but...)

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#10924 2 years ago

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Quoted from pinhead_jack:
Hey TZ community - I am preparing to start (another) scratch build and I am looking to pick up a few remaining parts that I need before I get started. Can anyone help me identify the post that is used for supporting the right side of the mini playfield? Is it one part, a combination of parts?? Is there a particular spring size here? Thank you very much![quoted image]

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
From 2-46 in the manual:
I believe you need mini post 02-4659 and extender 02-4425-1, but I could be wrong. I've never taken my "stack" apart there to know what it's comprised of.
(edit)
Looking now I think I must be mistaken. The post in question does *not* appear to have the standard mini-post base. It's something else and it may not appear on 2-46. Sorry.

No, that's right. He has something else in there that should not be there. Or something got sheared off and not removed properly. That post should have a screwhole in the top that then the other Mini-powerfield things are screwed to.

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#10936 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
Coyote do you know about which machines had this variation?

Quoted from LTG:
04/05/93 It's a sample game.

Yup, Sample/Protos did NOT have the leveler setup there. I believe that the new system was put into place sometime mid-end May of '93, as one of the TZ I had on location was an early June, and it had the spring leveler there.

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#10941 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Fitment Issue: Low-Profile Switch Kit
I've just run into a serious misalignment fitment issue with this very snazzy low-profile switch kit from the extremely talented Twister. You can see in this photo that the "wall" on the outside of the switch frame is in conflict with the mounting bracket for the mini-PF. It is impossible to force the bracket forward enough to slip over the stud as intended. It's about a 1/4" off. What fix do you suggest? Cut off the "wall" of the switch frame? Cut off a portion of the wall? I don't have a Dremel tool, just a hacksaw, so modifying that wall would mean making a single cut the length of the frame, taking the entire wall off. I would then lose much of the stiffness of the piece, but perhaps not a fatal amount. I'm not keen to enlarge the mounting slot of the bracket. I mean, given the degree of misalignment, I would have to take away a huge amount of metal, and I don't want to do that. How about cutting on the green line in the third photo? That would give me a big notch basically in the frame to accept the bracket.
Ideas?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

It looks like the hole in the low-profile switch is oblong. Meaning, you can loosen the locknut and push it forward, thereby letting the mounting frame metal get closer to the post.

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#10957 2 years ago

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Quoted from LTG:
f it goes up when you start a game - diode on the coil issue - broken off or broken leg.

Lloyd, I love you, but I have no idea where this came from.
If a diode is bad on the coil, it won't cause the coil to magically energize... The fliptronics board only grounds the hold/power coil if it sees the player press the flipper button (or, gets an address call from the MPU.)

HeavyMetalPoet - go into test mode, and check the cabinet flipper switches. Make sure the optos are clean and being read properly by the game.
Edit: Saw that you did. Your cabinet flipper opto board is bad or dirty. Try cleaning, and if not, replace the opto.

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#10958 2 years ago

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Quoted from Purdue:
Would anyone care to help me locate and diagnose this issue. Where is the board itself, how to (or can i) check the transistor. Is the repair something I can do without burning up the board... etc. Aftermarket board a better option?

Don't think there are any aftermarket boards? If there are, be interesting to see who offers them.
Anyways, schematics for the board is on page 3-22, "DC Motor Control Assy", and parts are on 2-15. It's mounted on the underside of the playfield, back right area.

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#10963 2 years ago

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Quoted from LTG:
Since that fixed it. I didn't reason beyond it. I quit when things are working

That's fair! Was curious if you had come across something I hadn't seen before.

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#10966 2 years ago

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They're compatible.
Plug and go.

You on;y need to worry if the replacement is a low-voltage LED unit, but in that case, the power plug would not fit.

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#10983 2 years ago

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Quoted from Purdue:
Hello, i was wondering if anybody has used pop bumper LED rings on their TZ?
I think they would look great but amplify the need for LED_OCD GI, which im already thinking i will need anyways?
https://www.cometpinball.com/products/pop-bumper-rings
Im planning out a full led swap (minus the flashers and blinkers in the backbox).
Comet sunlight frosted 2smd
LED-OCD GI and Inserts
pop bumper led rings
Am i missing anything here? We've got a first timer here

I have a set of PBL's ones -
https://www.pinballlife.com/britecaps-evo-pop-bumper-lighting.html

And if you want, I can sell the three to you at a discount. One was plugged in once, and then unplugged. Me p[ersonally am not a fan of them, so I put them in storage.

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#10984 2 years ago

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Quoted from ramegoom:
Looking for a volunteer who can beta-test an LED clock board quickly - on a machine that doesn't have the GIOCD (stock machine). I'm testing a new version of the optical switches on it and need some real-world input in a hurry.
Just one person who is experienced with partially disassembling their own playfield clock. PM me please.
[quoted image]

If you don't get anyone hitting you up, I would be glad. Can easily disconnect my GIOCD.

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#10989 2 years ago

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Quoted from Purdue:
Interesting, what was it you didn’t like about them out of curiousity? just the overall look?
I have a trio in my funhouse that i really like.[quoted image]

The BIGGED thing for me was the cool-white downward-facing LEDs. I used warm-white in my TZ, so the cool-white stood out like a midget at a dwarf conference.

Had I used cool or neutral whites in my TZ, I would have loved them, yes.

I got color-matched tops, so got one Red, Yellow, and Orange, instead of going with warm-white tops.

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#11026 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
If so, what was your solution?

Go into Clock Test, run the test for a while and see if it misses an optos.

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#11035 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
All my trough switches test fine and my eject armature/coil seem fine. Despite that, I still get the occasional

Since it is "occasional", you would need to test it during that ONE TIME that it's not okay, to see what's up. Could be that one of the switch arms is preventing a ball from rolling down completely, or one of the arms is getting caught.
You can pull the arm away some - but I'd loosen the screws some and rotate the whole assy a millimeter or so, then retighten screws.

To really test the trough, put it in Gumball Test, "Continuous Test" and watch the screen. Let it cycle for a while, and learn the pattern and what to expect and when something sticks out.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
I guess I hadn't thought about the fact that the four optos in the clock board should have their own places on the matrix.

They do. They're Row 9. Not visible in the three standard Switch Tests, but visible in the Clock Test.

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#11044 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
It's rare that I defeat the Power!

Practice.

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#11091 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
I don't foresee any solution to the buzzing coils

The buzzing is the gumball diverter gate, and it's very common.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Even set to ten balls, I haven't seen Lost in the Zone.

Keep in mind - LITZ is a WIZARD mode. Back in the days, wizard modes were not meant to just be gotten 'often'. It was supposed to be a rare occurrence, when you had just an outstanding game - or you're a damn good player. My first ever LITZ was after playing TZs on location for a couple years.

To this day, with the TZ in my collection, I MAY get LITZ once a month or so.

You can make the game easier, sure, but.. then that takes the fun out of it, IMHO.

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#11095 2 years ago

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Quoted from jawjaw:
True. Getting to LITZ is a lot easier if you just focus on starting modes. You don't have to play them, just keep stacking them. I don't find that very fun and like playing modes so rarely see LITZ.

Exactly -
I have two ways of playing - points, and LITZ.
If I'm going for points, I will time and try to get certain things in a general order - like, for example, would try to get the Clock Millions, the Camera's Clock Ten Millions, and Powerball Mania as the last things - that way, their scores are added onto the LITZ modes of the same type, and therefore get my LITZ score higher. If I'm really good, will try to collect a Camera 'Collect Bonus' right before, so that those huge modes are collected twice for me.

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#11103 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Well, that wasn't very useful as the game just reported a lot of other issues instead when I booted up - fuses, 12V opto stuff, etc.

Actually, it is. You can't rely on the game's reporting for this though - go into Switch Test mode, and see if row 7 is still shorted to ground.

Likely it will not be, but it's a good test.

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#11105 2 years ago

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Quoted from jawjaw:
I would say you are better than average. How do you get so many points in LITZ? I have yet to beat the default high score and only get around 270m or less.

Hack:
Get a ball into the powerfield. Keep it up there - try not to let it drop down either hole. And then shoot ALL the OTHER balls into the Camera or Dead End.

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#11107 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
[quoted image][quoted image]

Well, I meant when J208 was disconnected. That will filter out all input from the PF. If it's still shorted then, it's on your MPU and not on the PF. (i.e. While you were fudging around, something shorted to a switch column and shorted one of the swith matrix chips on the MPU.)

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#11164 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
my clock hands aren't interrupting my optos in the resting position because my gears are worn, but why then do the optos open unreliably in test?

They're not opening unreliably in test because your MINUTE hand isn't interrupting the minute optos properly.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
In test, the hands sweep through the optos, so the gear slop isn't a factor. And yet my optos fail in test

I do not see where you are having an issue understanding this, honestly, I'm kind of confused.. But -

Just because the minute hand (not HANDS - one hand, the minute hand) sweeps 'through' the opto does not mean that the interrupter is BLOCKING the beam. If you look closely at your minute hand, you will see a small piece of it extends back, towards the optos.

The shaft that the minute hand mounted on, when it starts to wear, the shaft will start to slip forward. (You can test front-rear movement in this shaft by putting one finger on the back of the clock in the center, where the minute shaft is exposed, and the front of your minute hand, and slide it forward and backward.) Once the minute shaft - and therefore, the minute hand with that interrupter - moves far enough forward, when the motor is spinning the minute hand, it is more than possible that the interrupter - despite ppassing through the opto - is not blocking enough of the opto's beam to close the switch signal, so therefore the game "dosen't see" the minute hand pass through that opto.

If this happens in game startup (power-on, exiting test mode), the clock will me marked bad and never used. If it happens in game, the clock will reset to 12:00 and be attempted to be used the next mode.

You can also test the 'slop' by, while in Clock Test mode, GENTLY holding your finger against the front of the minute hand, thereby removing that 'slop'.

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#11212 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
I would gladly replace whatever parts of this assembly are available.

First, I would:
1. Add a little bit of graphite to where the gate arm goes through the nylon bushings, and then if it still has issues,
2. Barely loosen the spring, touches at a time.

On my game that's been used so much, after maybe a year or so, I need to add a little bit of graphite - otherwise the friction from the nylon bushings (OEM, original, have not replaced them) is too great for the coil to draw the gate open fast enough, just like yours there.

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#11217 2 years ago

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Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
"Graphite"? What kind of product is this, exactly? Is it "dry" lube for bicycles? Is it a liquid that dries to a film?
How about this one?
https://www.menards.com/main/tools/automotive/automotive-accessories/keychains-accessories/graphite-tube-lock-lubricant/701577/p-1444432470287-c-7568.htm?tid=3526078624291395285&ipos=1

Yes, dry lube. Not a spray.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
Loosen the return spring? How would one do that? It's either hooked on or not.

You, ah, stretch it slightly.

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:
The way it behaves in test tells me there's more to it though. Am I wrong?

Coil test always fires ALL coils for a quarter of a second. In-game, the diverter is held on. There is a difference expected here. (Long pulse vs quick pulse.)

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#11224 2 years ago

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Quoted from Mickpat:
Does anyone recall the original retail price of a new TZ in 1993?

~$4500

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#11227 2 years ago

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Quoted from Portkey:
Any help / clues? I was under the impression that by connecting the optos as described by Pinbits on this page would make it all work. http://iobium.com/adding_the_new_opto_harness.htm

Maybe his design doesn't allow you to test the new opto pair on switch 82? If not, how can I make sure it is working properly?

One of your wires is connected to the wrong spot. You have one connected to White-Red instead of White-Orange.

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#11231 2 years ago

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Quoted from Portkey:
Thanks for offering. I just corrected my wiring mistake per Coyote's guidance and the new set of optos works under testing switch #82. So I think I'm off and running and can't wait to put it all back together now and test it live! Will reach back out if I need help.
Thanks again Coyote! Coyote

Honestly, iut is hard to tell the difference between red and orange on those wiring harnesses at times. Glad you got it!

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#11245 2 years ago

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Quoted from PinballAir:
The game did get a little confused on where the balls were after and shot 2 into the shooter lane.
When the first ball drained, the game killed the flippers as it should and the second ball drained.

Trough switch stuck closed; likely the left one. So the game dosen't see that second ball out on the field, but in the trough.

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#11263 2 years ago

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Correct, LITZ timing is fixed.

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#11409 2 years ago

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Quoted from Ditch_Digger:
Why would players not want this setting…what’s the deal?

If both your prox sensors (the sensors that detect the powerball) are working properly, then having this set to 'Yes' can 'accidentally' put the game into thinking a powerball is out when it isn't. This isn't a big issue, but can:
1. At the end of Multiball, cause the game to go into an 'unknown' powerball mode, where Powerfield isn't lit until a shot is made to the Piano, Camera, or one of the Spirals (and on the latter, the ball is captured).
2. It also prevents a really good player from activating this, and then tricking the game into awarding powerball jackpots during multiball when there is no powerball out.
3. It can then, cause a player to need to eject the real powerball from the gumball and re-load it before the game will re-activate the Magnet-Staging Multiball startup again.

"Yes" is the game's default, and how all previous ROMs with this code in place operated. This allowed a user to turn it off to prevent it from affecting/awarding the above.

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#11934 2 years ago

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Quoted from Lhyrgoif:
midnight madness won't be at 24.00

Seeing as how TZ doesn't HAVE a 'Midnight Madness', you'll be fine on that count.

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#12068 2 years ago

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Quoted from DumbAss:
It's unused. The software registers the state of switch 82 and describes it as "NOT USED" and it will probably register this switch (86) when closed (actually open if an opto). It may not actually have any coding that uses the switch state. You would need to look at the disassembly of the software to see if there's anything there. Perhaps Ted Estes or Coyote would know. It probably got removed early in sample/prototype production.

I'm finally free of family issues, and back home. I haven't caught up in the thread yet, so this may have been answered. But -

For all the unused optos, the code (even 9.4H) is programmed to check the UNUSED optos at bootup - if they are open (which could mean the opto is blocked or disconnected or not exist), then the game won't handle them. Otherwise, the game WILL.

The three unused opto switches are:
#82 - Upper Right Magnet - when present will allow the upper magnet to be used. This means that it will allow "Catch & Release Multiball Start", and catch the 3rd Spiral Mode shot on it. If it's not present, then no multi-ball catch and release, and the third Spiral shot will be caught by either the Left or Right (lower) magnet. You'll also get points for a normal spiral shot.

86 - Clock Passage - When present, will award a small amount of points. When not, nothing.

71 - Auto-Fire Kicker 2 - When present it will be monitored. If opto is blocked when it shouldn't be, the game will cycle the autofire kicker to clear it. When not present, nothing.

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#12069 2 years ago

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Quoted from Lhyrgoif:
Seems like the info I googled was incorrect. I had no memory of ever seeing a midnight madness mode in the game but believed what I read as I never play pins in the middle of the night. This mode not existing does make the decision on nvram that much easier though, the correct clock time isn't that important imo.

IMHO, I would keep batteries in it. I switch my batteries out every 6 months, whether they're dead or not. (They never are dead, for the record..) Since I'm IN my game a lot more often than that to either clean it or fix some $%^@^ thing that unexpectedly broke, it's not that much more of a hassle for my to swap them out. (Though, as an ex-operator in the past, I guess I'm more used to being on top of keeping my batteries replaced.)

I like having the clock tell time, and I like the histograms/bookeeping times proper as well. (Interestingly, they give some useful information, like the fact that most of my replay awards are earned when I play just after lunch time, regardless of the day.. Go figure!)

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#12072 2 years ago

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Huh, a lot of folks doing restorations/rebuilding. Really happy to see that. Some comments..

Quoted from ray-dude:
Folks, I'm stripping down my TZ for a cleaning and saw what looks like two pilot holes right by the lock ball outlet (see photo). Are there supposed to be posts here or something, or maybe is this a vestige of some older iteration of the design?

Those are left over from prototype and early-sample game adjusting of the walls/posts around the lock area. Don't try to put anything in there now.

Quoted from mbaumle:
Even after a full restore, I can even start a game with 0 balls in the trough. I can start a game, but then goes into a ball search when it realizes a ball hasn't been delivered to the shooter lane. It seems like there's absolutely no missing ball compensation, which really surprises me. Can anyone verify that this is proper game operation?

This is expected, YES. I do not think a lot of games pre-WPC95 would STOP a game from being started and run a ball-search first if the trough (and all lock areas) were empty/missing a ball.

Quoted from Scoot:
Would anyone know what this goes to? I can't seem to find the other end. It's just above the door lighted panel.
[quoted image]

Nothing. All games (sample to production) has it.

Quoted from BadBrad97:
I also wonder about my machine is missing the optos on the pass-through on the playfield below the piano. Is that pretty common?

If you're meaning in the subway, not supposed to be an opto. If you're meaning the passage between the slot machine and the piano, that's the previously-mentioned 'Clock Passage' opto, and was removed during early-sample changes.

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#12074 2 years ago

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Quoted from Manny65:
It's great to have you back! Your insight into the history and operation of TZ is unparalleled. Thank you

I admit, I don't hold a candle to Ted or Pat's expertise - not even darn close. Luckily, unlike them, ... I haven't worked on hundreds of awesome games over the years, so the stuff I picked up on I remember. ... For the most part.

I'm actually thought about going back into the industry, with all the pin-bars and other event places, like trampoline gyms and such.. Working/opoerating places like that draws to me a LOT more than sitting on my rump, programming.

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#12227 1 year ago

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Quoted from Babysha:
just checked and yes i got 6
edit : i just realised that every time i turn on game the auto launcher throw one ball off .

Quoted from Planet866:
It sounds like the game thinks one ball is missing from the gumball machine. Double check the trough switches are reporting correctly. You can also try emptying the gumball through the test menu and then loading 3 balls.

No, that means it 'sees' too many balls in the trough. It won't actively load a ball in the gumball machine if it dosen't need to - and it will only load one if it seems more than three balls down in the trough/outhole.

Check all 4 trough switches, and the outhole switch.

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#12281 1 year ago

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Quoted from mbaumle:
This is how the game operates as designed. There’s nothing to fix.
Addams Family does the same thing with balls locked in the swamp, and BSD does the same thing with balls locked in the castle. Not sure why designers chose to keep balls locked game-to-game, but they did.

This.

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#12323 1 year ago

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Quoted from gac:
Here's my topper. No wiring necessary!
[quoted image]

IMHO, out of ALL the toppers I've seen, this one gets my seal of approval. And I really dislike toppers in general.

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#12331 1 year ago

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Quoted from atg1469:
I recently replaced my flippers but the mini flipper I got sent is slightly larger than the stock version that came in the game. It fits the space so I’m sure it’ll work fine mechanically speaking, but it does slightly cover up the camera shot more now when the flipper is in the resting position. Would you be concerned with this effecting gameplay? Is there a more appropriate size flipper I should get instead?

I mean, the best trick you can learn is to press and hold the left slipper when trying to make the camera shot - so you're not trying to hit such a small hole. As long as you do this, the slightly-larger flipper shouldn't cause too much of an issue!

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#12367 1 year ago

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Quoted from seenev:
I have this beat up old gumball machine. Does this have any value to anyone?
[quoted image]

I mean, if it's being tossed, I'll take it.

The backwards handle, though.. my OCD's screaming at that. Hah.

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#12396 1 year ago

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Quoted from Gorgar666:
I saw the whole thing somewheres cheap…. So I hear that the Clock won’t work correctly if I have NVRAM installed…

Clock will work fine. It just will show the 'wrong' time in attract mode.

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#12411 1 year ago

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Quoted from jid:
Technically the clock would be correct once a day. Details…

Aaaactually, not true.

With NVRAM, the RTC WOULD keep time while the game is on. So, it would advance while the game is on - which means your likelyhood of it being correct would be statistically be a lot LESS than 'once a day'.

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#12426 1 year ago

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Jeeesus, that hurts to look at. The poor machine..

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#12438 1 year ago

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Quoted from Scoot:
I spent a good part of the day working on my TZ and decided to take a break and play it on my Xbox. Oh look, this also has a credit dot.
I can't win.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Manny65:
LMAO - that's funny! So can you go into the service menu and see what the fault is??

Seriously, I'm curious what the 'software' is reporting.

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#12440 1 year ago

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Quoted from Scotty_K:
Probably the darn clock...

Does the (physical) clock not work in the video game? I mean, if not, yeah, that's it then.

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#12455 1 year ago

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Quoted from Gavino:
Thanks. Wiggling the wires and reseating the connectors is definitely having an effect. I’ll have a look at the manual and start troubleshooting.

I would also completely unplug ALL YOUR MODS and see what happens.
In test mode, NO CONTROLLED LIGHTS should be on. However, you have one "5 Mil" target up there by the piano ghosting. Something's causing that, which means that something could also be affecting your switch matrix.

Likely, though, yes, it's the harness. Strobing on an opto will cause that to happen on the screen - but the strobing is too quick for the display to actually show the opto indication switching states.

By Caucasian2Step

10 years ago

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