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TAF upper flipper hold problem

Mfresh

Mfresh

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Joined
Oct 7, 2012
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2,218
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Marlow on Thames, Bucks
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Paul
My TAF has developed a problem with its upper left flipper - for a short period when I played it the flipper would flip, but then drop down, even if the flipper button was held. Now it doesn't flip at all.

In flipper solenoid test mode the flipper does the power flip, but not the hold

A flipper button switch test in switch edge mode shows the lower flipper switch closing, but doesn't register an upper flipper switch closure, even if I short it.

F901 which is the Upper flipper fuse is good

So:
The coil seems to be working because it works in test mode.
The flipper button switch has been cleaned and gapped so it appears to be opening and closing correctly. (I have tried using the other switch and the problem persists, but not sure that proves anything as the two switches are not identical)
The EOS switch on the flipper coil is fine, but irrelevant anyway as the CPU should cut the full flip voltage to hold voltage automatically anyway even of the eos switch is bad

Where should I look next. At the fliipper button switch? The wiring from the switch to the backbox? Anything else?
 
Are you sure about the flipper coil?. Unlike a Data East/Sega game, it's a two-winding coil, so there's no 'cut the full voltage to holding'. Both windings energise when the button is pressed, and the Power winding cuts out leaving the Hold to, well hold. I unpacked a Getaway that had something like your initial symptom; the flipper would lift, drop, lift again and finally drop (i.e. it started to 'chatter', but the Fliptronic programming intervened). The hold winding was open circuit.

In the flipper test, the hold winding should be able to move the flipper very weakly, maybe only a twitch.
 
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For the coil side:

Step 1, check the coil windings for an ohm reading, especially the hold coil. Each flipper coil has 2 windings so you should get a reading for each one. The hold coil will be a higher reading. Easy enough to replace anyway as they are cheap enough if the hold coil is open circuit. Pinball heaven or pinball mania have them

Step 2, if the coil is fine then there's a dead transistor most likely on the fliptronic board. Send to me to test and fix or fix it yourself.

For the switch side:

Step 1, ground the sw input on the fliptronic board to check if the problem if wiring or the board

Step 2, if it works in test doing this then theres a wiring/physical switch problem. If it doesnt work then the board has another problem. Bad trace or dead lm339 most likely. Send to me to test and fix or fix it yourself.
 
Thanks @Jay Walker , @myPinballs and everyone else. I tested the coil and everything is ok 128 ohms ohms on the hold side and something much lower on the power side, in line with the other coils.

Was having a look at the transistors on the fliptronics board and then ran the coil test and suddenly the power and the hold work. So started a game and it works perfectly again. A bit annoying as I still don't know what the problem was (or is if it happens again.) Perhaps the Fliptronics board is starting to fail but works when it is cold? Could that be a thing?

Oh well, at least it works for now!
 
This is what was happening on mine, work then not work etc metered every single connection, cables etc all ok in fact Spandangler did a superb job on mine, you notice these things going through everything fault finding👍
2 chips on the fliptronics board were replaced and sockets added and been good since, I’m convinced the flippers are stronger too.
If it happens again first try reflowing the pins on the fliptronics board.
 
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