Doing some cleaning. I wonder if this happened during manufacture, or if someone use a bit too much persuasion?

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In what way does the original scoop offer better play? Just wondering...

See the distance in internal width in the pictures above.

The tighter tolerances of the "factory" scoop make for a tighter, better controlled ball eject path.

I have found this discussion informative, but I must say that I've had no problem with my replacement scoop. I did keep the original just in case, but the new one is feeding the ball to the flipper just as it should.

Same with my new scoop. Perhaps we are the lucky ones.

The main reason I went with the Mantis scoop instead of re-welding my original is because the front left of the scoop had gotten pounded by the ball over the years, and it looked like crap. If it was just the weld points, I probably would have gotten it repaired.

FWIW, I know mine has the support for behind the slot target (As well as the PR reinforced target) so appears to be a Mantis scoop and works fine here too.

I just probably got a bad one somehow. I could never get the Mantis scoop to deliver the ball to the same spot twice. It was so wild that some balls would eject straight down the middle.
I tried everything I could think of to help. Velcro inside, bending with pliers, screw adjustments, nothing worked.
Got my old scoop re-welded and have been a happy camper ever since.

My buddy Angry Jeff came over last night and played some games. He was a TZ hater like me until finally able to give it several hours of play time. Not his best game but:

got mine up and working recently. i think the thing that i really like about it is that it has a very "sandbox" style of play. so many ways to go about getting points beyond just modes. i've gotten relay scores without even trying for any of the door panels, maybe ending up with 2-3 that just happened. anyone else feel the same way?

Agree on the modes. Just so many ways to play or even just batting around the ball seems to be enough for the casual players.

There really is always something to shoot for,

Fantastic machine, you can see why its rated as the best

I'm trying to see how many modes I can stack, and THEN get multiball going!

I was in the club, then out, then back in, then out again - and now I am back in again. Time to shop for some mods. No game is more fun to mod than this one! Thanks for a great thread filled with great photos and advice!

I am officially hereby joining the club. Looks as if I've got me some reading to catch up on here! :]

Out with the old:
TheOld.JPG

In with the less old:
TheLessOld.JPG

-Jason

Hello fellow TZ owners-

I would like to put a rocket mod on my TZ, but I want: 1.The best match to the playfield graphic, 2. A rocket with a lighted tail and 3.One that will not completely block my view of the upper right flipper and right spiral shot.

The Pinball Pro rocket looks to be the right size, has the lighted tail and does look like the playfield graphic, but does anyone else think it looks odd being white instead of silver? Anyone already buy the PP rocket and have an opinion? Maybe the white rocket looks better installed...if it was silver I would have already bought it.

The eBay seller from Spain has a very nice looking TZ rocket, but the price is a bit steep for a little plastic rocket. I was curious if anyone had taken the plunge on that expensive rocket mod and had an opinion? It appears to match the playfield perfectly, but not sure on quality.

For mods on my TZ, I have the gumballs, the PP piano mod, LED clock board and blue clock housing, backboard decal, polished chrome lockdown bar, side rails & legs, and a few choice LEDs. I think the rocket will be the last mod I add.

Thanks, Rob

I have the one that sells for $39 on eBay. It works and looks just fine.

I am 6'6", so I have never not been able to see that flipper just fine. Perhaps others would have a problem, but the rocket is mounted on a thin wire that can easily be bent to suit you.

I noticed something rather odd on my TZ, and I wonder if anyone else has had this (admittedly, very minor) issue. Every once in a while, the pin will not kick any balls into the shooter lane. Apparently, it is holding too many balls in the gumball machine. If I clear that out and restart, everything works perfectly. It did this only occasionally. (I would then push a ball up manually and eventually make a shot that cleared out the problem.) Perhaps there is a sensor (e.g., in the gumball machine) that isn't working optimally. The trough switches are all working perfectly. Anyway, now that I know the way around it, it's not a big deal, and it has not recurred since I discovered the (at least temporary) fix.

There os a opto in the vulk that shoots ball in gumball machine sounds like it may be acting up probably just needs solder reheated or cleaned ?or could be the switch after the gumball acting up I think it counts the balls also ?

Thanks. I'll take a look back there when I get the chance. All I can guess is that it isn't always counting the balls accurately in the gumball machine since the trough is working correctly.

FYI, there are no sensors inside the gumball machine for sensing balls.

There's the VUK, there's a gumball entry, and the switch by the gumball exit.

Nothing inside the machine, though.

The game has a setting for 2 or 3 balls in the gumball, and simply assumes that's what is in there.

If it needs to see if there are any balls in the gumball (ie: it's ball searching), it'll try to dispense a ball, then look for the gumball exit switch to close ... if it doesn't it knows there aren't any balls in the machine.

Thanks. That's helpful info.

I'm new to Pinside, but I've had my TZ for about 12 years.

I am considering putting LEDs in the back box. Who has them and did you do an interesting color combination to highlight the translite artwork? Would you post a photo of it with the translite on and off?

Also, I saw mention of an LED added to the piano and slot machine. Where is the best place to mount the lamps? Photos?

Thanks

Ok so I wanna put a white face clock in whats the best one? Id also like a new color one or be able to reuse my original but don't you have to scrap it off and use the plastic ? Let me know my options please thax guys

You will need to remove the old decal to use a new one.
Goo gone and a plastic razor is what I use to remove the residue after pulling a decal off.
Here is a new product that will allow you to easily change to either style:

ebay.com link: Bally Twilight Zone Pinball Machine BRAND NEW PETG 3 Piece CLOCK Plates

I ordered the white clock face from pinball decals along with the Vented Clear Clock Lens Plastic so I didn't have to mess with removing or cleaning up the old one.

http://www.pinballdecals.com/PartsByGamePages/TZ_Page.html

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Jeff at Classic Arcades recently introduced some new clock faces with the art directly printed on them. I haven't seen them in person yet, but it's a very cool idea:

ebay.com link: Bally Twilight Zone Pinball Machine BRAND NEW PETG 3 Piece CLOCK Plates

I saw those after I had already purchased mine. I probably would have went that route had I seen it before ordering. Does anyone have a picture of those installed on their machine?

Thats a good idea on ebay may go that route

Here's Jeff's post about these. I'd order but I have all new clock everything. Great idea.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-product-tz-petg-direct-uv-printed-clock-faces

I am officially in the club as of yesterday........what an awesome pin !!!

I am not a owner yet but planning to buy one, tomorrow I am going to see one that is for sale.
What are the points specific to the TZ to look for before I buy?

Just the usual stuff you look for when buying a pin . Make sure the clock goes to 12 when u start a game and gumball machine functions properly. Make sure all the magnets work .

This is good advice. On top of this, you should closely examine the slot machine scoop to see if it is dented, or if any of the welds are broken. The target next to it often gets bent back. This causes the side of the scoop to be exposed and take a real pounding. Also, you should perform a clock test and make sure that all four optos are registering every time the interrupter on the minute hand passes through them. Lastly, make sure the bridge diverter is working properly. It has a tendency to get jammed on some machines. It should rest on the wireform, swing fully back when it dumps the ball, and then return back to its original position every time.

I was going to say the slot welds but figured even if they were broken its a easy fix . Either buy a new one or get the original rewelded .

I wouldn't let a broken clock or gumball machine stop me from buying a TZ. Those things can be fixed, pretty easily. For me, a good playfield and a non-hacked power board would be number one and two, although the power boards can be repaired or replaced too.

The slot scoop can also be replaced, but it's a real pain.

Look for discoloration, possible burn, around the magnets. It's not usually as big an issue as it is on TAF, but worth mentioning.

If the deal is good enough, don't even worry about a broken clock or gumball machine. The one I bought had switch issues, buttons that didn't work, the DMD animations were wonky, and all sorts of little things just needed attention. But the cosmetic condition of everything is what sold me on mine. Well, that and I paid about $1200 less than what I probably should have. I had all that little stuff fixed in a few weeks and was enjoying my TZ to its fullest all on my own work and that makes it extra fun to play!

New TZ owner. Got it in a week or so ago. Spent my spare time doing thorough cleaning/polishing/waxing/touchup/etc. before plugging it in & giving it a whirl. I have a few issues, which I bet are common ones, so I figure there are easy answers on the tips of your tongues! :]

1 - Robot ramp lock accepts the ball almost never. I think I got 2 locks out of a couple dozen solid shots. The ball seems to jump up as it enters the ramp & bounce right back out. I tried bending the "back" wall up or down to keep the ball in, but no dice. Suggestions? (I've got the angle & level dialed in--left-to-right lean is good, & the pitch bubble's nose is at the second line.)

2 - Diverter on cross ramp (that stops the ball before it enters The Power mini PF). Ball often bounces off if going too fast, or, after capture, when it releases, it often throws ball in a strange direction (back, up, on plastics, etc.). There was a weird piece of tape on this face when I got the machine, which I removed. Inspired by a "fix" I found online, I double-sticky taped a magnet to the assembly, on the face opposite where the ball rests. Recommended also to put a small pad or dot of tape or something on the face that the ball contacts? Also, during solenoid test, the "dump" motion is way more violent than it is during game play. Normal?

3 - When the autoplunge (to the left of the springy shooter lane) kicks out a ball & it loops around into the right orbit & comes down in front of the upper left flipper, if I don't flip the ball with that little flipper, it drains right down the middle of the bottom flippers. I bent the end of the metal guide that's just above the upper left flipper, & it directs the ball to the bottom right flipper now. Where is the ball supposed to go? Left or right flipper? Sometimes, on slower passes, it will bounce right, perhaps grazing the top of the upper left flipper.

4 - Sound. When I power up, there's a LOUD *bump* driven through the speakers. Occasionally, during gameplay or between games, the speakers spit out another loud *thump*, as if an amp is being switched on. I've got the game volume low (8).

Thanks,
-Jason

Well first congrats on a great machine .on the diverter I had the sameissue and went and bought a super powerful magnet and put on with a washer inbetween and have been fine since with a occasional bounce out but im happy with the way it is.what magnet did you use? And im not sure if u should have put anything where theball hits theface of the diverter just have that bare .
Ahh the ramp lock ive tried things also but to no avale. Ill have a game where all go in and then have a game when most bounce out very frustrating but its common and due to abad design. I watched papa video where they had5 bounce outs in a row so its common. Hopefully I or someone can figure a fix out because its annoying.
When my auto shooter launches and I miss with the upper left it bounces to the upper right flipper most the time .
Not sure about your sound but something is not right id reseat the ribbon cables and check all connections again

Thanks, bigd1979. I've had me a few trials & tribulations with this TZ so far...the right flipper white plastic opto interruptor/"spring" snapped about 3 minutes after I got fed up w/ the robot lock ramp tuning & decided to just play it. Figures...

Got a replacement interruptor + added a spring steel flap.

Hooked the harness back up one pin off (no key in Molex connector!). Let the magic smoke out of the opto PCB.

Fashioned some keys for both flipper connectors so that I don't kill another.

Ordered a Great Lakes magnet flipper PCB. In the mail. *sigh*

Well, this down time has given me ample opportunity to:
- swap all rubbers
- swap most bulbs for LEDs (need to order some more--didn't have enough)
- tighten up some loose things here & there
- replaced all stationary switch foams
- fill the gumball machine w/ plastic balls (indeed, pushing in the first one is scary!)

As for the diverter magnet thing, I employed a used Sonicare toothbrush magnet. Those things are handy. Kinda gross after a tour of duty, but handy. Double-sided tape to the upper corner of the diverter, opposite from the face where the ball contacts. Seems to be well-behaved after 8 or so quick tests with various ball speeds. I have some beefier Neodymium magnets that I can try if needed.

Thanks,
-Jason

TZ Mag 1.JPG
TZ Mag 2.JPG

TZ door panel mod. I am making 20 of these if anyone is interested let me know.
This is on a remote not interactive as i typically do.

Hey Rock,

How was Despicable Me?

I'm in finally its a sample too image.jpgimage-511.jpgimage-941.jpg

I was wondering how long it would be for someone to notice. I do love those minions.

hi guys...
i m restoring a TZ too...
what s the best place to get cab decals, best quality and price???
i m looking for picture of the metal bracket under the rocket plastic to make my own, or for the barcket itself if one of you has one spare...

thanks

Man, I just had mine apart the other night! You're talking about that L-bracket that you use to adjust the aim on the rocket kickout to the hitchhiker, right?

Also, be careful on the cab decals. You can get them on eBay, but you need to make sure you get the right ones. There was a batch that was printed horribly wrong that people are still selling, trying to get rid of them. They look like this:

$_57.JPG

....when it should actually look like this:

$_12.JPG

Pretty big mistake if you ask me...

Hurray!, I'm finally joining this club. Got myself a early model with the green lock insert, no cabinet fade and a perfect translite. It got a very nice playfield. The only downside is that it got minor planking (about 6 small lines) on the playfield. I paid about US$ 6000 for it. I'm really stoked, time to start modding!

I have a question, when the powerball come in to play and it quickly drains, is it supposed to somehow be reloaded back into the gumball machine? or are you supposed to be able to play with it when it comes up in the regular ball ditch?

It will continue to be fed to you (Unless there's a regular ball that's ready to be fed next due to a ball lock or shooter lane) until you put it into the gumball machine during play. I like the idea as it keeps giving you chances especially for the casual players.