I took a couple pictures of how mine is now... do you see anything wrong?

20160919_124605 (resized).jpg

20160919_124617 (resized).jpg

Yes, 2 optos. That allows you press the flipper button lightly and hold the lower flipper up and press the rest of the way to operate the upper flipper, which is handy for trapping balls with the lower while using the upper flipper in multiball, although not easy.

I'm wondering if my issues have been because the pitch of the playfield is 5.1 degrees.

Your ramp looks like it is attached to the upper PF correctly.

It looks good, but you might want to loosen the attachment at the mini PF as well as the one directly below the diverter, and see if the ramp can be moved "back" towards the rear of the machine. On mine, the two wires that seat under the metal ramp weren't in all the way causing the ramp to be sitting more "forward" in the machine. at the other end, the mini playfield itself may not be in the correct position, so check that as well. It bight be sitting too forward in the machine also.

At the end of the day, the wire ramp sitting too far forward (towards front of machine in top view) is what causes the diverter to not lie down all the way. Its not the wire/coil under the PF, so no need to try fixing it by screwing with them

EDIT: I should also point out- The main cause of mine not seating properly was the wire ramp at the metal ramp end behind the clock. It was too far forward my about 1/4 of an inch, essentially it wasn't really seated. That, along with the nut under the diverter fixed it

dirverter not seated (resized).JPG
dirverter not seated-02 (resized).JPG

I studied the photos a little more, and it looks like your mini PF could move rearward more. That may be the cause

EDIT: Look at the picture of mine in my last post. That's what the mini PF should look like seated in that metal channel (1st image)

just saw this (resized).JPG

Seatmandan... Thanks so much. I really appreciate all your effort with helping me on this. I did what you mentioned and it helped a lot. I think I still need to get the mini Playfield back further but I don't want to push it too hard.

I also adjusted the legs & I'm at 6.3 degrees now.

Something strange happens now though... when the ball goes up curved metal ramp... the ball diverter tilts down way before the ball gets there like it's doing it pretty much after it goes by that sensor on the metal curved ramp. Not sure what I did for this to happen. Thanks again for your help

Yeah, that's strange- I think the diverter is a delayed action triggered by the opto at the top of the metal ramp where the wire bridge begins- I'd check there first

I just installed the ingo clock board and when I turn on the machine the minute hand goes to the 12 position as it should be the hour hand goes to the 6 position? The board is definitely right-side up, it's clearly marked and that aspect would be hard to screw up. In clock test, it confirms that the machine thinks it's showing 12:00 and when I move the hour hand around in test its the exact opposite of what it should be (eg if the hour hand is at 8 it shows 2 as the time).

I was very careful, per the installation instructions, to not touch the gears at all.

Please HELP!

Just to add, all of the optos seem to be working perfectly and I'm not receiving a DMD error.

I feel like all I would need to do is somehow turn the hour gear 180 degrees, but not sure how to do that?

You put your hour hand on wrong. Take off minute hand, take off hour hand, rotate hour hand 180 degrees, reassemble

I just did that I was about to respond and tell everyone to disregard. I feel like a moron but I appreciate the response and it's fixed!

That ingo clock board with the rainbow LEDs is awesome!

Lol...I did that the first time as well. Don't feel like a moron!

My ingo clock board didn't come with install instructions. is the one posted @ the bottom of the clock page still relevant?

http://www.german-pinball-modular.de/tz-clock-instruction-english.html

The diverter flips twice... any idea of a fix? Thanks for all your help. Really!

Ok... maybe I'm in the Twilight Zone but... all of sudden without doing anything... it works.

Mine does the exact same thing, I too am curious as to why. It just hasnt bugged me enough lately to post, lol.

That's what I used. Let me know if you need any help as I just did it this afternoon

The game waits for a switch hit once the diverter is used. If 2-3 seconds go by it'll re-activate if you don't hit a switch. "Game Thinking" ball is stuck on the bridge or the diverter.

That makes sense. thnx!

Sweet, i may take you up on that. I plan to tackle it this weekend.

I think the way the diverter works is like this.... and if it's not, then I'm sure the Twilight Zone Yoda Pinsider Coyote can chime in and let us know!

When the ball is hit up the right ramp, and Battle the power is NOT lit, once the ball passes the opto at the top of the right ramp, it triggers a "delayed dump" for the diverter. Once the ball is dumped, and strikes a target, slingshot, rollover switch, etc. then that is that, and the diverter only dumps that one time. If the ball does NOT strike, or register any opto, switch, slingshot in X amount of seconds after being dumped by the diverter, the diverter will fire a SECOND time, thus thinking the ball may have gotten to the diverter after the first dump..

I believe this is written into the software, at least into the L-4 ROM, because that's what I have in my machine.

Hope this makes sense!

EDIT: Just saw Bowlingpin answered above, but in about 500 less words!! sorry for the double post!

You guys are both correct. Ted introduced this as a quick fix to a "bounce out" ball.

The thought we'd that if the ball hits and bounces out, back up the wireform, the cage flipping back would leave the ball on the woreform. So, wait a few seconds (watching for any switch hit), and if there are none, assume the ball had bounced out, and flip the cage back again.

upper left flipper: if held, should it send the ball (coming from the right orbit or from the diverter) to the hidden passage above the slot machine?

Mine dont, but I think that should be the only way to intentionally get the 4 way combo.

There's no set rule on that. No set design on that, so, it could, depending on how you have your flipper adjusted. It would also depend on flipper coil stop, rubber (both age and type), etc.

(You SHOULD have it adjusted using the mounting hole when the flipper's in rest position.)

thanks. ok, no set rule. but knowing the machine in depth, I believe it should be so, especially regarding the 4 combo shot, which is otherwise impossible to get intentionally. Also, that shot is not making points otherwise, and it's not otherwise relying on skills (as said, it cannot be achieved in another way apart from luck). So adding this adjustment only improve the variety of shots to the game, while is not subtracting anything to the game.
I mean, the situation is very different, for example, from the shot at Khan hole in TS with the upper right flipper. In that case you CAN normally shoot at the Khan hole with the upper right flipper: that is a shot! So modifyng the angle of the held upper flipper in order to make the Kahn hole automatically is a cheat in my opinion, because it makes the game easier.
But as explained this is not the situation in TZ, so I think this modification should be done.

I was unloading my TZ from my truck by myself today, and I'm pretty sure I tore my right bicep and at least strained my left bicep. Just got back from Urgent Care, and I see an Orthopedic surgeon next week. Very strange hearing the sound of walking on loose gravel in my arms and watching the muscles move around under the skin like worms! I'm extremely sore tonight, and I expect to be sore all weekend. Anyone have experience with a torn, partially torn, or strained bicep (between the bicep and elbow)?

TZ is one heavy bitch. Worth it though!

Might as well set the machine on 5 ball too and turn the tilt off.

Yikes... wish I was closer & could have helped you unload your TZ. I had some of those injuries back in my football/hockey days but healed faster back then.

Hope you get well.

Good price on Twilight Zone cabinet decals if anyone is restoring their game:

http://www.retrorefurbs.com/shop/twilight-zone-pinball-cabinet-decals/

OUCH! Not good! Sorry to hear, hope you heal fast.

I'm gonna have to move my game myself this coming week to get to the York show. Loading is the easy part for me. UNloading could cause problems.

I have ROM 9.4H. I cannot understand what adjustment 51 is about ("M.B. P.B. DETECT OK").

I understand that if ON the machine behave normally. But what happen when OFF? Both my eddy sensor for the powerball works fine. Should I set it OFF?

If set to ON -
The game will try to detect the powerball. I.e. If a scoop is hit like the Piano or Camera, and if the ball ends up in the Slot machine without setting the proximity sensor, then the game will enable the 2x jackpot and powerball spirals. I keep my setting off, since I know the two prox sensors work, and the game would never 'miss' a powerball being out.

BTW, I attached a Manual Addendum I made after 9.4H was released. It covers all the new settings and changes options for existing settings in 9.4H.

tzman94h.pdf

Does anyone have any TZ mods they have sitting around they would like to part with???? Thanks

Thanks for posting this. I had assumed that it was also required to get the three-ball magnet release for multiball working in games with three magnets, but it is good to know that it is not.

Super cool, thanx!

Would this be the same for the 9.4CH ROM?

Thanks a lot, great job.
Still not sure about this rule: if set to YES the machine will use the slot prox sensor to detect powerball during mb, while if set to NO the machine will use the trough prox sensor, right?
So, whats the problem using the slot prox sensor, which is even more reliable? Why is better to use the trough prox sensor instead?

No idea. I wouldn't touch CH or BH with a ten foot pole. I believe, according to Ted's email to RGP, some settings were changed that allowed some things (robot count? Don't remember much..) out of what, and could cause issues.

Also, i haven't touched this document since 2003. So, emails and some info on the first page is basic and could be touched up. Keep that in mind.

I really cannot figure out all the controversy on the 9.4CH ROM. Is it because the designer of this ROM did not want it to be out on route? I like all my games to take coins. NOT to make $ off my family & friends (there is a big bowl of quarters) but to have the feel of dropping a coin in & have the feeling like your in a arcade. Also..... in the back of your head... you try more instead of thinking... oh well... no risk.

That's correct.
The reason why I, personally, don't use it is this - If you shoot the jackpot, or the camera, and quickly after that shoot the slot machine, the game will see the ball in the slot machine before the prox sensor was read, and mistakenly put the game into thinking the powerball is out. That allows some cheating (trying to get jackpot doubler) as well as shutting down any 3-ball grab at multiball start until the real powerball comes out of the gumball and is loaded back in. With a properly working trough sensor, the game will put multiball into powerball mode - no special detection is needed.

Essentially, as summarized as possible -
It was a blow to Ted Estes' pride. And while it may not sound like much, it was enough to stop him from working on 9.5H, and fix bugs in 9.4H.
Honestly, I put coins in my games too. Turn 'Free Play' message off, and put coins in. There's nothing stopping you from paying for games while it's on free play. (Hell, I'm SO into paying for my games, I got an electronic coin mech for my TZ - it accepts Nickles, Dimes, Quarters, Half Dollars, and Dollar coins, as well as having a bill acceptor in. Yeah; I'm a geek.) In short, I won't touch it because it prevented any future revisions. If Ted had no issue with it, then I'd be running it. (Maybe except the one that has the strange adjustment in adjustments where one second award can override the first award.)

I totally respect Estes' position, for whatever reasons. But just out of curiosity, why he didnt want so badly to allow coins?

Yikes, Sparky! I know the feeling well. Almost exactly one year apart I partially tore each of my calf muscles. One side was a bit worse than the other. There's nothing worse than hearing that pop. The sad part is that when it happened the first time, I went to urgent care and all they did was give me some muscle relaxer as the doctor wasn't convinced it was torn. I truly think it's because he didn't want to order an X-ray to be done and to go into full diagnosis mode. He was half-assing it and I knew it during the appointment. He just kept calling it a sprain and didn't want to do anything further. Thanks Obama! The second one wasn't nearly as bad and it healed way quicker and looks 99% the way it used to(I had that one properly checked out as I insisted on it!). But the first one, my right side, looks a bit off in comparison.

They do heal pretty well and pretty quickly. You'll be surprised down the road when you're fully healed and think about how bad they were. Thankfully, you're doing it the right way and getting surgery done to repair them properly, although it sounds as if your tears are a bit more serious than mine were. Good luck with the recovery and make sure you do all your physical therapy properly, too. I know way too many people who give up on their PT because it hurts too much or it's too hard and let me tell you, they're paying for it these days.

Thanks Mike! I saw the orthopedic surgeon today. Probably going to have surgery in Oct to reattach the right bicep. The left is partially torn, so he said I can decide later if I want to have surgery at another time. They both bruised up pretty badly, but they're both starting to feel a lot better.

Time for a lift cart, Escalera, and whatever else is needed to avoid moving these bad boys around so much!

But what about when the Powerball releases from Lock? If memory serves, powerball doesn't always register on dispense. I think it does when I hit an orbital immediately after though, perhaps it senses no magnetic presence from ball?

Ah, see, here's a neat thing about Ted's logic in the game..

The game SHOULD remember when you lock a powerball. Both for Fast Lock and regular multiball. If there's one ball in the lock, and you shoow the powerball in there (and lock isn't lit) the game will know that the ball coming out won't be the powerball. The NEXT ball out WILL be the powerball. So, if you start any multiball with the powerball in the lock, the game will (should) enable the flashing 'Powerball' arrows during multiball.

HOWEVER.. there's one scenario where the game may NOT know where the powerball is - that's at the end of any multiball where the powerball was out. The first ball will drain - the game will know if that's a powerball or not, because the first ball will trigger (nor not) the trough prox sensor. If the first ball is not the powerball, then the game will stay with powerball loops enabled. However, when the SECOND ball drains, and multiball is over, there is no way for the game to know if the second ball was the powerball or a regular ball.

So, the game will go into 'unknown' mode. During this 'mode', Battle The Power will remain unlit (even if you have one waiting), and the game will activate the spiral magnets when an opto is closed. The powerball can be detected a couple ways - either normally by the slot prox, OR, a spiral magnet. The magnets will try and catch the ball when the associated opto is blocked (player will still get awarded any awards, like Spiral mode, Spiral award, etc.). If the opto remains blocked for a short period of time this indicates the ball was captured, and is a normal steel ball ('Battle the power' will light if you have one ready..). If the opto does NOT remain blocked, that means the ball is the powerball, and the game will jump into powerball mode.

Sorry for the rambling. I'm always amazed by the logic Ted put into the software.

stpcore's solution worked like a charm! The LEDs are no longer visible and the translite looks amazing! I was concerned that too much light would be blocked but that's not the case at all.