Hello,

I have a TZ that worked great and then started resetting.
I did as much troubleshooting that I could find online and finally replaced the driver board with a new Rotten Dog board.
The machine no longer resets, but the flippers are all weak. Kickouts, bumpers, slingshots fire fine.

I cleaned the optos, the EOS switches work.
I removed the Fliptronics board and inspected it for anything obvious. Everything looks pristine. Also checked the fuses.

When I reinstalled the Fliptronics board and powered on the machine, the line fuse blew.

So I'm concerned. Not being a tech I'm a little worried about replacing the fuse and trying again.
Or would you recommend that I do that? After all, the fuse has never blown before and maybe it was just its time to go.

How could installing the Fliptronics board cause an issue so bad that the line fuse blew?
I ordered a new board from Rotten Dog and it's coming today. But I'm afraid to put it in because I don't want to damage anything.

Advice appreciated.

Holy cow, one of the ribbon connectors was off a whole row.

So I should replace the line fuse and fire it up?

Yeah, before posting here I read the entire thread about weak flippers started by a guy named Chet.
LGT showed his skills there.

But the story had no end! I assume Chet bought a Rotten Dog board and lived happily ever after.

I installed the new Fliptronics board. No change. Disappointing.

Test report is telling me to check EOS switches. What do I check? They're normally open, right? So what is it flagging?

Yes, all four register when I manually extend the flipper.

Factory reset cleared the errors. Thanks.

The flipper situation is slightly better with the new board. The lower left and upper right flippers extend all the way (but not with enough power to hit a ball), the other two just flutter. With the old board all four fluttered.

Flippers behave the same in test and gameplay.

In test mode Hold does nothing.
Strong coil test only slightly moves them, exactly like they move in gameplay.

Also, if I manually extend a flipper and press the button, it doesn't hold.
Except for the lower left which now holds on its own. It didn't do that with the old board.

This machine is so close to being played!

20 VDC at flipper coils!

Test point on driver board all measure what they should. +50 actually measures 72 VDC.

J105 connector was plugged in upside down.

Dumb.

Machine plays great now!
Thanks for all the replies. I learned a lot.

After playing for a while (already beat LitZ!) the upper left flipper isn't as strong as it should be.
It makes the piano shot but not as strong as it used to.

I'm going to check for mechanical issues this weekend. I want the machine to be at its best.
I'm expecting to find some mushrooming. I definitely don't expect electrical issues after all this.

The other three flippers are awesome. What a great game. I'll miss it.