That's okay, apparently my phone likes to correct "problem" with "offsite"..
In either case, if both flippers activate with out issue, no need to worry. You can clean them, but optos are either open or closed - and the bottom flipped should activate first.

Hey folks, I recently picked up a nice TZ and am blinging it out with mods and LEDs.

I have an issue with the slot machine scoop breaking the plastic above it when hit hard with a ball. Is there a fix or mod for this? I don't want to install the new plastic and have it break in the 1st game.

Hmmm...no mod I'm aware of...sounds like maybe it isn't connected correctly. Pics of the area in question?

Here are my flippers if anyone has advice for the left one other than rebuilding it:

leftflipper_(resized).jpg

rightflipper_(resized).jpg

TZ has normally open EOS? Jesus...I've been jumping around eras too much lately.

Don't tighten the plastic down as much. It died NOT have to be so tight they it's fixed hard into place. If it can move a little, it will help it flex when it's hit by a ball or metal part.

Yup that's a classic one. All my plastics move around a ton...guys I promise you it will be OK and you'll never notice it

Get a new one for $7.55

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/20-9663-9

Is there a broken weld, letting the top of the scoop flex if you push up on it?

My_twilight_zone_ramps_remake_(resized).JPGMy_twilight_zone_ramps_remake_(resized).JPG
Hello pinsiders I was looking desperately for all three subway ramps and found these from a guy who remade them a few years ago ,but I was lucky and found them NOS and got them and I have these never used ,If somebody is interested they fit perfectly but not all three align on the original mounting holes and some holes need to be added extra to mount the ramps (Not a big deal).
Pm me if interested and your best offer for some super rare ramps that are not anymore available.

So...I have a really nice TAF currently on the market that I am selling to hopefully buy a nice TZ. It dawned on me that I should just throw out a trade offer to you fine folks in the TZ club as someone who would like to be a future member!

Your TZ for my TAF...who's interested?

Please PM me if interested and we can work out any +/- cash situations if they make sense.

Here's a link to my TAF:

SOLD!

Machine - For Sale

Addams Family, The (Bally, 1992) Archived

Fully shopped/refurbished - “I've decided to put my favorite machine up for sale to hopefully fund a new pin for my small collection of 3. It's in great condition (details below) with no credit dot and everyth...”

2016-08-12

Vienna, VA

per3per3

6,375 (Firm)

Archived after: 23 days

Viewed: 1258 times

Status: Sold for $ 6,300

Contributed to Pinside

Got positive feedback

Joined the club last week and having a blast learning about the game! I'm only on page 12 of this thread so have a ways to go.

IMG_5987 (resized).JPG

Please help- serious flasher problem. In the middle of an led switch and was testing them when two flashers were "stuck on". One melted in half. Any ideas??

image (resized).jpg

Shorted to ground, or transistor blew.

Those are controlled by the 8-driver pcb in the backbox. Check that it's connected right. (Ribbon cable, mostly.)

Well main ground in back of wasn't screwed down. Probably not good. Just got the game. What else should I check?

This one wasn't screwed down. Would that be my culprit?

image (resized).jpeg

So I rebuilt my left flipper and... oh my. The ball absolutely explodes off of the bat now. It no longer takes a miracle to get into the lock lane or up the right ramp and I am a little worried about the beat-down I putting on the clock and slot machine targets. Wow! I should have done this when I got the machine 10 years ago - it hasn't ever played this well (at least since I have owned it). Now my bottom right flipper, which I thought was perfectly fine (and still is, really) is feeling a little bit soft

I also managed to dial in my half-dead pop bumper. Between making the switch gap a bit smaller and re-centering the scoop, it triggers nearly 100% of the time on hitchhiker balls.

That's great news! The game is so much more fun when everything works and sounds right, including flipper strength!

Welp, that part was short lived. The pop bumper worked perfectly for about 10 games and now it's half-dead again. There seems to be quite a bit of wiggle on the mounting bracket for the scoop/switch - I wonder if that shifted somehow. I'll dig again tomorrow... at least the new flipper is still awesome.

Yes indeed I soooo wish I had done it years ago - it's such a huge improvement and other than removing the old coil sleeve, it really wasn't all that hard.

Can you successfully backhand the left ramp with the left flipper while the ball is cradled? If so, then that's success!

Yes this turned out to be the problem. I have ordered a reinforced scoop. thanks folks!

I have a minor problem with my TZ. When I switch the machine on the clock lancets keep rotating. I then enter the clock test and I cannot make it move forward (fast and slow). Anyway, after around 30/60 seconds, the clock stop misbehaving and the machine works perfectly. It looks like the clock needs to "warm up".

What can be the cause?

Do the optos all appear to be working in the test mode, showing the time counting?

Yes. The clock test shows the optos flashing accordingly to the actual time on the clock. As mentioned, during the test only backwards movement works, while the clock lancets stop when forward is selected. Anyway, I tried again today and the problem lasts really for a very short time, around 30 seconds. When I leave the test and back to attract mode, everything works fine. I then play the machine extensively (over one hour) and no problem at all.

By "lancets", you're meaning the hands, I assume.

If you go into test mode, and *leave* the test in Clock Fwd (where the hands don't move), if you wait long enough, do they start to move after a time?

Yes, I mean hands (sorry not a native speaker and sometimes I just "create" words I do not know..

Anyway, I will try to wait some more and let you know..

How's it on your native language?

Is okay, honest, I can't speak a word of another language, and I wish I could!

This test will show if something needs to warm up before it starts working.

clock hand = lancetta

maybe by the time I entered the clock test the optos already warmed up?

as I mentioned the problem lasts for few seconds really.

it should be something related to "warming up": if - after few minutes - I switch the machine off and on again, everything stays fine.

Hm.. Bad optos won't stop the game from activating the forward sol drive to make the clock run in the forward direction..

Hm..

Curious, which way do they rotate? Forward, or back? Except for the part where you can't get then to rotate forward in test mode, it sounds like yes, bad optos..

backwards.

I didn't check if - after the problem disappears - the clock test still refuse to move forward. I will check and let you know. but I suspect everything will be fine then, becuase also during the gamplay the clock moves correctly backward and foward during the different modes.

Checked the clock test after the problem disappears, and as expected now the clock test works fine, forward and backward no problem.

So basically what happens is: I turn the machine on, the clock start and keep moving backwards, I enter the adjustments for a few seconds, I exit the adjustments and back to attract mode and everything is perfectly fine and stays fine all the time I keep playing.

Could it be thermistor related?

Maybe it is software related: did you try to remove the batteries to do a Factory Reset?

(P.s. Lancette: Italiano come me? )

Helping a friend with his flaky 10 opto board. Error message is each of the opto not working. They would all trigger sporadically in sequence while in test mode. After some research I felt confident i could reflow the header pins on the board...put back in the game tonight and of course prob is still there. I noticed the board is also no longer avail....

I suspected the connectors so with my tool tried to press them in for better fit..seemed to work for about 10 minutes

any ideas? Sound like a bad opto board? can I redo the connectors..Does not look easy since they loop into the connector.

If I had a spare board I could swap and double check it.

Had exact same problem on my opto board in Demo Man yesterday. Turned out was a ground issue...on a switch that wasn't an opto.

Reflow the solder on the connector pins (header) on the board where they attach.

Thx. I did that first The led light stays on in the opto board so I think the 12v are steady. Are you talking about where they attach on the power driver in the head?...Ill see what connector that is.

Measure that 12vdc with a meter. I once had a BSD that all optos were acting flakey. The 12volts measured way low. Turned out to be a bridge and cap on the PDB.

thx...where should i measure 12v on opto board?

Looks like J-5 pins 1 and 2. You could also measure the same thing on the power driver board J-118 pins 2 and 3.

10 opto bd TZ (resized).JPG

Thx for your help

Stupid question time!

I have a new slot machine plastic to replace my old one that is about 20% destroyed/missing but when I started taking the old plastic off, I realized that the lamp was riveted on there. I figure I can just replace the rivet with a screw+nut but, uh, how do I get the rivet out in the first place? Or is it just easier to get a new lamp socket?

You can carefully drill it out (You'll want to be careful not to overheat so as not to melt the plastic) and use a screw and nut if you don't have a rivet press. I'd be happy to drill and re-rivet and send it back to you. Not sure your location but someone local likely would be happy to do the same for you.

Thanks! I was afraid that "drill it out" is pretty much the solution. Well, not too hard I guess, just an awkward area to work in (either with the drill or re-soldering the lamp if I have to pull everything out to get to the rivet)

I used a dremmel to grind off the back of the rivet.

Yep. With the washer that's there and how little of the rivet is actually mushroomed, it goes pretty quick.

got my LED-OCD and GI-OCD brackets made in the prototype shop today. ready to go in to TZ and TOTAN

Please, do not even think of drilling or dremmeling the rivet while it is still in the game. Take it completely out and work on a bench or table.