Hi everyone,

I was hoping the knowledgeable people on this forum might help me with a rather unique problem with my TZ. Unique in the sense that I searched the archives and did not encounter anything similar.

I'm having problems with both my Bumpers and Mini playfield flashers, solenoid 17 and 19 respectively. The problem however, is not that they don't work. On power-up of the machine, they work just fine. However, as time goes on, the intervals between flashes increases and the intensity per flash decreases. I've attached a video of Bumpers set to flash continuously through the test menu, to illustrate the problem:

Consulting the manual led me to believe the problem could be caused by Q42 and Q38. With help from a skilled brother, we replaced both Q42 and Q38, as well as pre-transistors Q41 and Q37. However, the problem still persists. Interestingly, the flashers do seem to work somewhat longer now, though I have not timed this, and so it might just be my perception.

As far as it being a more general problem (for instance with J125), the power payoff (sol 18) and upper left ramp (sol 20) seem to act normally. When set to continuous flash in the test menu, they do increase the interflash interval somewhat, but they keep on flashing, instead of dying out like sol 17 and 19 do. Out of the four, 17 and 19 are the only two solenoids that are driving 2 lamps per solenoid.

Based on my rather basic electrical and physics skills, the problem seems to be related to a capicator of some kind. Am I correct in this assumption? And what would be my best course of action from here on out?

I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance for the input!

TZ-Flasher.jpg TZ_flasher_wiring.jpg TZ_flashlamp_circuit.jpg

Thanks for the suggestion LTG, I'll give it a try a soon as I have access to my machine again (semi-national celebration day, which I'm sure Apekop is also familiar with). I'll report back in roughly 16 hours. Just to be precise, you're suggesting reseating the ribbon cable between the cpu and power driver board, correct?
Thanks for the suggestion!

Alright guys, reseating the ribbon cable noticeably increased the time before the bumper flasher dies out. It now takes roughly twice as long as the previous video. Thank you very much for the suggestion, LTG! Even so, the problem persists: the flasher starts off normally, followed by an increase in interflash interval, followed by a decrease in intensity.

Some thing worth noting: when sol 17 is tested until it no longer flashes, switching to a test of sol 18 results in sol 18 flashing, as expected. However, when switching over to sol 19, it never flashes. In other words, it seems to continue where 17 left off in the test. For instance, when 17 is tested until it flashes only weakly, switching over to sol 19 will cause it to start off flashing weakly, instead of starting normally.

I'm interested in any further suggestions anyone might have. I'm eager to get to the bottom this.
Cheers!

Morning bump. Does anyone have an idea what to check next? Has anyone ever encountered a similar problem?

Thanks for the help Lloyd. I'll focus on the components of that connection, and keep everyone posted as soon as the problem's fixed. Could I trouble you with one last question in the meantime: How did you suspect it was the connection between the boards?