Well, it's always something. Hoping someone can suggest something to look at for this one.

Yesteday I noticed my WCS lock magnet was not grabbing the ball to catch it for the lock. After a bit of digging I found that fuse F904 on the fliptronics board was blown. Replaced that, magnet worked in test mode - great.

Played a game and for the first multiball the magnet activated and grabbed the ball - even better! Second multiball, no magnet! I looked back and F904 was blown again. If I replace it, the magnet works in coil test and doesn't blow the fuse, but seems to blow it after one activation during game play.

I've got 4.8 ohms on the magnet, and I get the same reading at the magna-save magnet, so I THINK the magnet is good?

Any thoughts on where to check next would be greatly appreciated!

Have some more info and hopefully trying to shake loose some ideas here.

I swapped the fliptronics board with one from one of my other games and the fuse doesn't blow so I think the problem is narrowed down to the fliptronics board.

I think based on the manual and WPC schematics that Q1 (TIP 36) and Q6 (TIP 102) are the main transistors associated with the magnet. I tested Q6 and it tested good. Q1 tested bad according to pinwiki (see picture) as one of the flanking legs had no reading. I thought I found the problem and ordered some more. They arrived yesterday and I tested them and they all read "bad" according to this testing procedure, with one flanking leg not giving a reading...am I testing this correctly? Is this procedure wrong?

I replaced both Q1 and Q6 and the fuse is still blowing after the first time the magnet engages.

Before I keep going back through the board is there anything obvious to check I'm overlooking? Can a magnet short to something under the playfield?

Screenshot_20201213-100731_Chrome (resized).jpg

Well I'll be damned! Never would have caught this or even had it cross my mind. Had a bunch of fuses sorted out in a parts bin and never even thought to check. Sure enough...AGC on the side. Turns out apparently somewhere along the way I probably bought them on accident, dumped them in my container and never looked that closely at them. Had to run to the store to get the right ones but we are back in action.

Thanks!