Hi, I'm fairly new to pinball and I'm going to go look at a tz that is for sale. What are some things I should be looking out for? Thanks in advance.
Hi, I'm fairly new to pinball and I'm going to go look at a tz that is for sale. What are some things I should be looking out for? Thanks in advance.
Basic stuff when the game boots up see if it shows any errors (credit dot, which is a period that shows up after the credit/free play info signifying an error). Can be as simple as needing a new switch or something more complicated like clock broken). Clock issues are common on the game.
Run all the tests in the test menu that you can. At least do the gumball and clock motor tests that are at the end of the menu to verify working. Run solenoid tests, too, to see if any are out. Flashers, GI, switch matrix, etc. just to see what you're getting into. Don't let bad switches and/or optos deter you from purchase altogether, these are small things.
Make sure magnets are working on mini pf and in the spiral loop.
Look for damage or burns on the boards in the backbox, and check batteries and underneath to make sure there is no leakage or history of leakage (might be as subtle as solder joints looking dark gray or hazy under batteries. Could mean a new CPU board in your future if so).
Check for worn spots on the PF, insert edging and lifting, and Mylar missing/bubbling. Look at the shooter lane to see how worn it is (lots of dings and black spots usually indicates a rougher life. Minor wear to be expected). Check slot machine scoop and player piano hole for any excessive damage, too.
Check the DMD for missing lines or display problems.
I always like to make sure a game looks consistent throughout, and play a few games and leave the machine on for a while to make sure it doesn't start flaking out after a while from heat or fatigue. If most things are working and there are only minor issues, and whatever backstory you can get is in sync with the condition, go for it. This is a common game and worth holding out for a good one, so a beat one is probably not worth the trouble unless you are into restoring.
Common problems are the clock board mentioned above, the power ball switch (26) in the trough, the slot target being bent back and the weld to the slot scoop being broken. Would also check ramps and check magnaflips on the mini play field. slot plastic and mini playfeild are often broken. A great game, goodluck with it !
go into test mode and cycle balls in the gunball machine and see if the geneva switch has any problems.
Quoted from charliex:Check for the TZ reset problem by flipping both flippers at the same time a bunch and seeing if it reboots on you.
I cant say how important this is
Quoted from rjacob9:If it does have the reset problem, what is the fix?
Good question. After reviewing the multiple articles out there on the very common problem of WPC resets, I settled on a very different fix that addresses the fact that there is an inherent bad design which causes this problem. Check out this article, I added the large 15000 uF capacitor as recommended actually just 3 weeks ago and I have yet to have the machine reset even once. It used to reset every other game or so.
Here is the link: http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Leon_Borre_Sudden_reset_on_WPC_machines
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