Twilight Zone
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Quoted from pinster68:I had no idea I could pause my TZ with the home ROM ... very cool, even if I never use it.
I learned how to start LITZ accidentally one day when kneeling on the extra ball button (playing sitting down in a chair after foot surgery).
How do you jump to the LITZ mode? I would like to give it a try.
Thanks
Quoted from pzy:As far as I'm concerned, there's 3 must-have mods: Gumballs in the gumball machine, piano toy, and diverter magnet. Shoulda been factory!
Where can I get the piano toy? Is it hard to install? Does it Need Any electrical work?
Thanks
Quoted from mario_1_up:if you have the home roms. you hold in the buy in button til you hear the spiral loop sound then shoot for the slot machine.
Thank you
Quoted from jathomp22:Finally made it to LITZ... What an adrenaline rush. Of course I couldn't get the billion point shot but I learned for the next time what too do. First time, so I had no idea what I was doing. Also ended up with 298 million. 2 million shy of getting my name up for it since 300 million was default high score.
Sounds like a great experience. I have had two 650 million point games and one 730 million point game and did not get to LITZ. My machine is set on standard default mode. Any suggestions on how to accomplish this? The more I play this game the more fun it becomes. I don't understand why some people hate the game. Once you get into it it is one of the best pins out there.
Thanks
CB
The thing I like best about TZ is that there is always something new to learn about the machine. A different strategy to light the door panels, using the slot machine vs. the piano for example. I love the callouts and the jackpot sound is amazing. I have not gotten to LITZ yet so I still have a lot to look forward to with this machine after a year of ownership. TZ will definitely be a long term hold for me.
Building a new remake of this game would be impossible these days with the material and licensing costs. It is a lot like many of the old buildings in the cities across the USA. These buildings could never be built today due to the outrageously high costs.
Super thread gentlemen. Can anyone lead me to the best place to get TZ mods. I would like the mods to be reversible and easy to install without soldering. What mods do you guys think would be good to start with? I was thinking of the Lost in the Zone lamp over the mini PF, the Stop Light and the Piano would be good mods to start with. Any other suggestions would be great. Thanks CB
Quoted from dendoc:When I get the quote for the build, I'll start a new thread. I'm hoping the costs would be considerably less than the eBay recent offers. TZ isn't a very fast game, so I don't think the spiral would be an issue, but I'll let this group know.
I agree. I think TZ is a fast game. Mine is definitely not slow. If the price was not outrageous I would definitely consider the spiral mod. It would also have to be easily installed and removed.
I would highly recommend it for smoother play. Doesn't cost too much and easy to install
http://pinballpro.net/shop/twilight-zone-diverter-magnet-tz-dm/
Quoted from webdiddy: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?
When the powerball comes into play you are responsible for shooting it back into the gumball machine via the right sided loop. The powerball is more difficult to keep in play than the metal balls because it is much lighter and smaller. You will get extra points for shooting the ball into the gumball machine when the right loop is lit.
Hi guys
I love this thread. I made the mistake of selling my nice conditioned TZ about a year ago. I really miss it. I am starting to collect mods in preparation for getting another TZ. CQ this time if I can find it. Anyway where is the best place to buy the Magnet Diverter Mod? I had one for my last TZ but I can't remember where I bought it. I got the piano mod and the sticker mod for the diverter. Any other recommendations for must have mods would be appreciated.
CB
Quoted from bigd1979:Well actually the power ball is slightly larger than the steel ball
That's new to me. It looks smaller but I will take your word for it. I figured that was one of the reasons it was harder to control and keep in play. Thanks for letting me know that. 
Quoted from bigd1979:I went to Home Depot and bought a 3 dollar pack of 3 and used 1 of them and haven't had any issues yet.
Thaks for the tip. I did not know Home Depot sold magnets. What is the namd of them. I will try those magnets first with some double sided tape.
Thanks
Quoted from TrainH2o:I thought I had a rare TZ, complete with the special limited edition "smokey sub tunnels".
Nah.......they were just dirty.
After cleaning.How difficult is it to take the subways out? Seems like there is a lot of stuff I could screw up if I tried?
Quoted from TheLaw:Subway isn;t that tough to take out. If I recall correctly just some screws and maybe disconnect an opto or 2. (and a switch?)
Excellent.
I am pleased to announce that after having sold my TZ one year ago I have acquired another TZ from a fellow pinsider. I am very excited to get it. I have really missed the pin. I am excited to put a few mods into it including the piano , TZ mini PF light and Spiral Sign. That is what I have so far. I am amazed at how expensive the mods are. I was looking at the slot machine mod but did no buy it at $180 or so. I got to hit home depot for the magnet next. Love this thread!!!
Quoted from cheshirefilms:Excited to be in the club as of 12/13/14. Sold my TFTC prototype for $3450. Picked up this players TZ for $3850. Its been HUO since about 1999. Just a little fade to the decals, looks uniform (as opposed to one side full color, other side faded to B&W). Invested about $900 in a new clear plastic ramp, new german clock board, NOS clock plastics, new reinforced slot scoop, cliffys, lastrotienda piano mod, new legs and a few new PF plastics, along with new side rails, glass guides, new carriage bolts and mirror blades which will be installed in a little over a week or so when my stepdad visits to help with his mad carpentry skills. She isn't perfect, nor will she be after these changes, but I think she's gonna be a very pretty girl
Welcome to the club. TZ is the best game on the planet. I have been playing it all day. Beautiful game. Love the mods. Enjoy!!
Quoted from Jgaltr56:Ingo's clock installed. Took some trial and error to get the opto sensors in the right position so they wouldn't hit the hands but it's working well now.
image.jpg
I got Ingo's clock board last week. I am ready to install. I have not done much of this kind of work on my TZ. Do you have any pointers on how to install the board without screwing other things up in the pin? I am a little nervous because my TZ is rock solid electronically and I dont want to cause problems.
Thanks
CB
I am doing a PF swap on my TZ. I just got a Kruzman cleared PF. I am wondering if someone can recommend a rubber set for the game? I know they make clear rubber now as opposed to white or black. Would this be a good option for my TZ?
Also can anyone recommend an LED set? I have used non ghosting LED's from Cointakers in the past. I want some tasteful, not too bright LED's for the GI. Any thoughts on LED OCD? Is it worth it?
Thanks. This is a great thread.
Quoted from Luppin:Hello, planning to buy a tz. A seller is telling me his tz is working fine, but sometimes he gets an error regarding the clock, although the clock works fine during play. He says he previously has another tz, behaving in the same way. So it looks like its a Tz thing to sometimes show those errors. Is this true? Or should I be concerned about those error messages?
Very common problem. The best thing to do is get a new clock board Ingo in Germany. His boards are easy to install and work well
Quoted from jedimastermatt:I put mine in tonight as well. Works perfectly (after I reordered the optos and rgb LEDs after losing the originally mailed set).
Thanks Ingo and family.
I was wondering how difficult the clock board is to install? I bought my Indigo board 8 months ago but have not installed it because my TZ is running perfectly. I don't want to screw anything up. However, if it is pretty easy I should try. The pics look great. Would you have any helpful tips for the install that might keep me out of trouble?
Thanks very much.
Quoted from Miguel351:Installing Ingo's board is very easy. Just follow these instructions and you'll be done before you know it. It may seem daunting, but doing the install yourself will also familiarize you with the inner-workings of the clock and, should you need to rebuild it for any reason in the future, you'll be ready to do so without fear or hesitation.
http://www.garrett-jess.com/tz/ikclockinstall/Clock_Installation
Thank you very much. I will give it a shot this weekend. I appreciate the help.
Hi Guys.
I changed my clock board today to an Indigo Board. It works well. One question on this. The bottom left screw on the back of the clock does not reach and engage the threads when I have the metal ball deflector in. It was fine prior to putting the board in . Right now I have the clock in without the metal ball deflector. Any thoughts on that?
Second problem that has happened before. ( I don't think it is a result of changing out the clock board) I now get F1,F3,F5, F7 EOS flipper error. The game shuts down when I press one or both flippers. Please advise.
Thank you very much,
Quoted from scampcamp:I can't get the extra ball button mechanism to lock in. It doesn't seem broken. How do you go about doing this? Thanks
I had the same problem the other day. It just snaps in straight. It is a pressure fitting. Make sure the little tabs are vertical. Let me know if it doesn't work. I can double check again on my TZ
I have more info on my flaky Lock opto in the upper right corner of the TZ playfield. I notice that the lock it triggered when I send the ball up the right spiral. Have any of you seen this before. I have looked at the lock wiring underneath and it looks fine. Any suggestions are most welcome. The game is perfect otherwise. There area no errors and the switch test are correct.
Thanks
CB
Hmm.. I wii try that tonight. Thanks for all the help.
Yesterday I did the switch test and as far as I could tell the locks did not trigger when I triggered the first magnet opto with my finger. The second magnet( the one further back) Opto did not trigger at all when I tested it with my finger.
Quoted from Coyote:Your baseline (assuming balls are in trough) should match, except you should have switch 82 filled.
In the manual it says the switch 82 and 86 are not used. Those 2 switches have the small white dot in the middle. I think that is correct. I am not sure though.
Quoted from Coyote:Without the third magnet, yup!
Switch #82 is the Upper Right Magnet.
Switch #71 is the 2nd Autofire Opto, and
Switch #86 would be the Clock Passage Opto.
So, if he has the third magnet installed, then his #82 would be full. (Unless, of course, it's blocked, disconnected, or not working..!) Otherwise, the third magnet would do anything.
Yes I have a 3rd magnet. So matrix #82 should be filled.
Okay so the 3 magnet opto is not working. How do I find the problem? Is there a board that drives the opto? I can't seem to find the wires to the 3 magnet optos.
Quoted from Coyote:Do you actually HAVE the magnet, or just the core installed? If you didn't install the magnet, then it's just the core, and you have no opto there. (The opto connects up to ONE of the two opto boards.)
However, the problem could be on the opto board. If you have two opto boards, you have a sample game - flip them, and see if that helps your issue.
Excellent. The core is there, It looks like the opto is there. I will switch the boards. and see. Are the boards called the Custom Opto SW 10 PCB? That is what I find in the manual. I am taking out the manual to try and learn this stuff as best I can. It is about time I do this after 4 years of pinball ownership. Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.
Quoted from Coyote:Under the PF. With the PF raised, they're to the left of the piano scoop.
Awesome. Thanks
I am trying to find the 2 opto boards that run the 2 magnet optos in the right spiral. Would one of the ones below be the right one. I have been told they are not in the back box.
I have a pic below. Are one of those boards the opto board? 2 options; the triangle board below the piano subway or the rectangular board with the 2 copper wire coils?)
Thanks very much.
I have the low profile switches from Great Lakes Modular for the mini PF. Has anyone installed them before? I am wondering how difficult it is. I am starting to learn the pinball trade and might give this a shot if I have a reasonable chance of succeeding.
Quoted from fiberdude120:I installed those switches on mine and it is a great improvement. Take your time its not that hard.
Awesome . Thanks. I am going to do it in the next few weeks. I installed a new Ingo clock board recently and that went well. I am trying to do little projects to learn the art of fixing pins slowly. It is actually sort of fun.
I would like to start putting some LED's in my TZ. I was thinking of starting with the GI lights. I am a newbie when it comes to mods. I am slowly learning. Would putting in some LEDs in the GI a good and fairly benign way to start? I was thinking of getting the frosted bulbs. Any suggestions on type of bulbs. Thanks
Quoted from smiley:I like led's in the inserts and incandescent for the GI. LED makes the inserts pop.
Hmm, That is a very interesting thought. Would you put white LEDs in the inserts or match the color of the bulb to the color of the insert?
Quoted from TRAMD:I am new to collecting (less than a year) but have fallen in love with TZ. It is a close second to WOZ for my favorite pin and I own two; an all original in great condition and a heavily modded with LEDs, color DMD and tons of extras and refinishes. This an amazing game!
I am thinking about powder coating all of the metal on my modded version with dark blue base and black powder!
You chose well. TZ is the best pin by far. I have owned it twice. I got rid of it a few years back and then missed it a lot. I bought it back and now it will never leave. I am starting to add LEDs. I have always liked the retro incandescents but I think I want to see how the machine looks with LEDs.
Thanks for all the input from all the TZ owners.
Quoted from Coyote:Oh heck yeah. Check out this thread:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sample-tz
Nice Coyote,
you have encyclopedic knowledge about TZ. My TZ has the Green lock insert and the third magnet. Unfortunately the 3rd magnet is wired but doesn't work right now. I have not had time to chase the wires around. There is a lot of stuff in the upper right corner of the PF.
Quoted from Coyote:Yeah, that area is very, very crowded with wires and mechs. In theory, assuming you have an opto board capable, you just need to wire in two optos. (Assuming the magnet is already wired up..)
Yes I found the opto board. It is a new replacement and has the pins for the 3rd magnet. I think the magnet is wired up as I see wires coming from it. I just need to track it down now. Easier said than done. I will give it a try this weekend.
Does anyone have a good way to get the Superbands on the flippers without breaking anything? I worry that I am going to break something because I have to pull so hard. I wish there was a tool that you could use to stretch the band onto the flipper.
Thanks
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:People swear on the Comet LEDs - I have a lot of games that need work so I tend to order tons from PBL and have yet to have a problem. Comet has tons more selection when you really want to get crazy, LEDs you can position in any direction, different configurations, and more warm LEDs which offer the benefit of the new tech but have more of the warmth of incandescents
Excellent. Thanks very much. I love this forum. The info I get on here is wonderful. I have a Pinball Life order in the making so it is perfect timing.
Do you think it is good to just use white under all the inserts?. I figure I want to make it easy since this is my first time adding LEDs to a game. I am trying to keep it simple.
Quoted from Lermods:Put them in hot water for a few minutes, they will slide right on.
Great idea. Thanks
Quoted from Coyote:IMHO, for LEDs, it completely depends on your tastes.. I like my game looking incandescent. I don't like it being in-your-face LENses. So I use Comet warm white single 5050 bulbs.
For flipper rubbers, jeez, anything except suprrbands. They have NO bounce and do not teach control.
Again, all IMHO..
I didn't know that about super bands. I have them on my TZ but not on FH. Where can I get comet LEDs? Pinball life doesn't seem to carry them. The carry Ablaze LEDs
Thanks
Quoted from tonyf1965:I stretch over the arm of a wooden chair for a few hours. Sometimes they go on easier than other times. Its strange. Also start at the narrow end not the large end.
Excellent. Thanks for the advice.I have left the old rubbers on because I could not get the damn bands on without pulling so hard I was worried about ripping the flipper off.
Quoted from Damien:Decided to play a quick game before bed, and ended up getting LITZ!!! Pretty awesome stuff! Shit the bed with the next two balls and only got a total of 850mil, but still pretty stoked to have done LITZ!
That is awesome! Just one short game. LOL!
HI Cyote,
I have a TZ problem on my sample TZ. I talked to you about the lock problems I have which is that the game thinks there is a ball in the lock when I shoot the right spiral: Well that still happens. Now, however, sometimes when I shoot the lock itself multiball starts. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix this?
Thanks very much,
Litz
Quoted from Coyote:First, before doing anything else -
Swap the two 7-Opto boards. Switch their position. See if the problem remains.
In test mode, when you trigger the right opto, does the lock opto trigger as well? (If so, which spiral opto, and which lock opto?)
Sorry. I am new to trouble shooting. Where are the opto 7 boards? thanks
Quoted from Cheeks:If you're the Litz Doc, shouldn't you be telling us how to get Litz?
Good point. I have gotten to Litz twice on the same day. Now a dry spell for 8 months. I am wondering what strategies people use. As you know TZ is very deep and there are many strategies that will work to accomplish the same thing.
Quick question please? I have a Pinbits 3rd magnet opto. I think the opto might be bad. ( I took the ramp off and tested it.) I have emailed Pam at Pinbits a few times but no response. I was wondering if I could replace the Pinbits 3rd magnet opto with another brand? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks guys.
Quoted from FatPanda:I got in touch with german-pinball about 3 weeks ago and sent him payment for a new clock board. I asked for an update a couple days ago and haven't gotten any responses from him since I sent him payment. I ordered a board from him before and he was pretty responsive. Anyone know where he's been at?
I don't know where he has been, but I have bought stuff from him. He is very reliable. Sometimes he is away but always comes back.
I am sure you will get what you ordered in time.
Quoted from littlecammi:In that pic you look like you're driving away from the scene of the crime with the police after you.
Man that is too funny. I got my laugh for the day. Thanks. Pinside is great.
What tension/color should the shooter rod spring be for TZ? Mine seems very soft/low tension.
Here are the various options I got from a thread 2 years ago. Thanks
according to Marco:
10-148-1 Shooter spring, silver, .035" - Med-high tension (Universal)
10-148-2 Shooter spring, red, .042" - Highest tension
10-148-3 Shooter spring, blue, .038" - High
10-148-4 Shooter spring, green, .033" - Med. tension
10-148-6 Shooter spring, brown, .026" - Lowest Tension
10-148-7 Shooter spring, white, .028" - Med-low Tension
Last year I got to LITZ twice in one day. I thought it was so easy. I have not been back to LITZ in a year. It is an amazing game. Ruthless to the to the player that is just a flipper. TZ is a game that you have to plan your shots and know the rules.
Quoted from gunstarhero:I think I do worse when I try to "make shots and do things" rather than just keep the ball in play and take what I get, lol.
Agreed. There is a happy balance of controlling the ball and making specific shots and aimless flipping. Too much of either one usually does not yield the best scores for me.
Quoted from Coyote:I believe the Disneyland one is - the WDW/Hollywood studios one may still be there. Haven't been able to get down there in 15 years or so.
It was/is a fantastic ride, IMHO.. from the setting of walking through the 'lobby' of the hotel, to the story of the guests.. that just made it more enjoyable.
Yes. There is one at MGM studios. It is called the Tower of Terror. It is a great ride. The funny thing was it that I hate rides that make me sick like Mission Space and the like. But to appease my daughters I went on the Tower of Terror. It was a great ride. I did not get sick. I rode it like 6 times in a row. Really an excellent ride. Great fun.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:That's awesome!!! Where did you get that?!
I have some extra bar magnets I can give you. I will put some 3M thick double sided tape on the back if you like.
Shoot me your address and I will send one out to you.
Quoted from adamross:Can anyone please tell me how I might cover this LED? I was told from the seller "light condoms" cannot go over LEDs.
I would use a different Red LED with a cover built into it.
Quoted from Coyote:Hehe.
Sorry.
While I LIKE the color green, IMHO, since there IS none in TZ(*), the green LOCK insert just stands out. One of the big reasons I like it. All the other inserts, white, red, yellow... they 'blend in' to the artwork, which is not a BAD thing. But the sudden green lighting up draws your eye.
Quick questions Coyote. I put leds in my TZ last month. I am still trying to get the 5 yellow color inserts, just above the flippers, correct (2 million, power, 4 million , power, 10 million inserts). I have yellow 4 SMD 555 in the inserts now. It sort of makes them look orange. I had the natural 4 SMD in the inserts before and they looked like a crappy off yellow. Any suggestions on what color to use. I get my LEDs from Comet.
Thanks Coyote.
Quoted from PinRob:I’ll check what I did on mine for you. I used Comet and got the lower yellow inserts perfect and did the orange door inserts too. Don’t remember off hand but will post pics and what I used later.
Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I am going to place an order.
I have a question please.
Do people think that the area to the right of the right ramp in the Lock are is dark? I added leds to my game so everything is nice and bright except the upper right part of the playfield.
Thanks and Happy New Year.
Quoted from jawjaw:What a restoration! Happy to say I am also officially in the club with a nice example. So happy to finally have TZ. It's my favorite game. Are there key posts for newbies in this thread? Hard to catch up on 5000 posts. I don't need help with mods, game already has a lot of those. An opto is out in my clock. I understand there are better clock boards out there but not really not really sure what I need. I just want everything to work right. Other problem I have is line out in the dmd. Good excused for a colordmd I suppose.
I recommend Ingo clock board. Highly reputable guy from Germany. Many of us in this forum use this board. Easy to install. I even did it and I am all thumbs..
http://www.german-pinball-modular.de/final-tz-clock-pcb-english.html
Quoted from jawjaw:I've been researching clock boards and that seems to be the way to go. There are cheaper alternatives but looks like the Ingo board will hold up better. Should I lube the gears when I take the clock apart? I read somewhere recommendations of which product to use. Mine is pretty loud on bootup but I don't mind that. Just don't know if that is an issue.
Yes Lube the gears. I used a tube of dry lube. Use sparingly. I am not home now and I can't remember the brand at the moment. I think it is in a green and blue tube.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:The clock is pretty easy to take apart, just don’t use a whole lot of lube, it doesn’t need much at all. And don’t expect it to be totally -silent- you will still hear a little bit of noise but it will be considerably reduced. Good luck getting the hands aligned; it’s Bally, not Swiss craftsmanship
Before you take the Clock apart make sure the hands are at 12 Oclock. This makes it much easier to deal with.
Quoted from Durzel:Do you mean remove it when the game "thinks" it's at 12, even when the hands are not? Won't the clock always be at 12 unless you switch the game off mid-mode?
Reason I ask is that 12 o'clock on mine is actually more like 11 o'clock. The minute hand is bang on, but the hour hand is slightly misaligned, halfway between 11 and 12. I'd like to fix that as part of an Ingo/LED overhaul.
Yeah the hour hand is slightly to the left of 12 Oclock. That is common. Just make sure both hands are straight up with the exception of the hour hand a little off.
Quoted from Coyote:Now that I'm back on my laptop, I can type without it taking thirty minutes per sentence...
That area is difficult - you cannot put anything under the plastic, as the plastic rests on the lock cage. IMHO, your best bet would be to get a spotlight, bend the mount and mount it to the upper right back screw in the clock housing. But depending on how big the spot it, it may not 'flood' the area the well.
excellent Coyote. I will see if comet has a spotlight that diffuses light well. I really appreciate the opinion.
Quoted from merccat:Maybe attach a standard bulb housing there and then use one of those bendy LEDs?
Personally though I think it looks fine if your ball slips away into the shadows, especially in an area where you don’t need to track it.
Good Idea and good point.
Quoted from merccat:I think that would be worth a try. I used a deep blue (perhaps UV) under the playfield pointed towards the scoop at the end of the shooter lane and I think it looks awesome.
That sounds like a good idea.
thanks
Hi Guys,
I would like to brighten up the back of the TZ play field and also add a decal to the back board and maybe the sides. Can someone advise me on what kind of lighting to use and what kind of decals to get please.
Thanks
Litz
Quoted from Lermods:Spiral decal with dual color (red and blue) backboard. It as washed out as the pic suggests.[quoted image]
This looks great. Love the 2 colored back board.
Quoted from Matrixnetuk:I too went for the dual Red and blue LED strips on the backboard
I have also installed mirror blades and the spiral decal on the BB[quoted image]
That looks beautiful. I think that's what I will do. Was it easy to connect? I assume you just use an alligator clip to the general illumination for the lighting. Stupid question but how do you know which wires are the GI ones? Thanks very much.
Quoted from Green-Machine:GI is an abbreviation for general illumination. So look for the wires that are attached to the bulbs that generally illuminate the game. No flashers or blinking lights. Like the bulbs under the plastics for instance. Hope that helps
Thanks that helps a lot.
I have a Kruzman cleared reproduction TZ PF and mini for sale. $1200 + shipping, if anybody is looking for one. I was going to do a PF swap but decided it was too much work. I have the wooden crate it was shipped in.
image0 (resized).jpegimage1 (resized).jpegimage3 (resized).jpegQuoted from jid:Technically the clock would be correct once a day. Details…
A day on Earth is 24 hours. Therefore the clock is correct twice a day. Details! 
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