TZ auto launcher problem
beaver
ball shot from the auto launcher will come to a rattling halt and will
dribble down the right loop. Now that I have the third magnet in, I
would like the ball to loop around smoothly.
I have tried:
- Giving the machine a slight left-right tilt (and not).
- Opening the one-way ball gate manually (by the rocket kicker).
- Removed the 2 small rubber rings on the posts that adjoin the
shooter lane.
- Centered (and not) the ball shooter.
- Cleaned everything.
Any ideas?
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
Sam
Mine does this not as often. My rocket launcher is more of a problem in
that the ball doesn't make it up the u turn and down to the bumpers.
I'll be interested to know what the fix is for your problem as it could
be a similar fix to mine.
Sam
turbo
>
> - Show quoted text -
Ed; If you look at the plastic beneath the clock, you will notice that
it hangs over the stainless ball guide substantially. Just take the
plastic, and carefully grind, or file the edge down until it matches
the ball guide shape on the left side. This will make a dramatic
difference in how often the ball makes it around the loop. Mike.
beaver
guide and the ball does not touch it, right?
In addition, the main problem is somewhere in the shooter lane
itself. Quite often, the ball rattles around so much in it that it
has lost almost all velocity by the time it makes it to the
playfield. Yet, I see no obstruction there. Granted there is a lot
of hardware including the one-way ball gate and the multiple level
changes and the various guides.
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
Ratsputin
>
> - Show quoted text -
Ed-
I was involved in a lengthy conversation regarding this particular
issue a while back. IIRC, 80-85% seems to be about the average for a
working game.
Now, one of the keys is to make sure you have the right armature.
Apparently when TZ was originally released, the armature they used was
identical to the one used in the slingshots. The plastic face of the
armature was basically flat. I understand that owners of these early
versions have "cupped" the plastic so that the ball will sit centered
in the face. Presumably with a Dremmel.
The later (?) machines had an armature apparently identical to that of
the rocket kicker. Instead of the white, flat, nylon face, it was a
black, cupped face. This ensured that the ball sat centered in the
kicker.
I'd start by looking there. My experience is that the table has to be
perfectly level, the kicker face has to be cupped to ensure the ball
gets a nice "square" kick, and of course, the coil sleeve and armature
shaft have to work smoothly.
Lloyd Olson
off ) then very carefully bend it left or right so it hits the ball square.
And I believe you then can adjust the metal wall going out to aim the ball
better to where it goes. LTG :)
"Sam" <sam7...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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Lloyd Olson
blow and never hit it good. LTG :)
"beaver" <e...@edcheung.com> wrote in message
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beaver
My ball shooter lever is the black cupped variety. I have tried
bending the lever arm to the left and right (and of course centered)
to see if it makes a difference.
During the shop job, I also cleaned the plunger and replaced the coil
sleeve. It all looks quite clean. Removing that kicker is quite a
chore due to the interference from the small diverter that divides the
manual plunger lane.
I will take a look at the first potential surfaces that the ball
strikes tonight. I think this problem is in the shooter lane area.
As I mentioned, when things go badly, it rattles the walls of the
shooter lane, and that kills the velocity.
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
On Jun 26, 1:35 pm, "Lloyd Olson" <l...@ssbilliards.com> wrote:
> Look straight down at the rocket launcher with a ball resting on it ( power
> off ) then very carefully bend it left or right so it hits the ball square.
> And I believe you then can adjust the metal wall going out to aim the ball
> better to where it goes. LTG :)
>
> "Sam" <sam72w...@gmail.com> wrote in message
Lloyd Olson
wonder in the bracket holding the kicking arm needs to be closer or further
from the coil.
Has the plunger or coil stop worn down and allowing the plunger to sit too
low in the coil ? Even a little bit can effect the whack you get.
The bevel in the playfield the ball rolls down, is it worn, or do you have a
divot there ? If the ball is setting in a divot, the kick would drive the
ball into the playield and then up and out. No way that would roll straight
out.
I have the white slingshot thingy in mine, and don't seem to have any of
these problems. LTG :)
"beaver" <e...@edcheung.com> wrote in message
news:12d499ac-402d-41ee...@m45g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
beaver
youuuu.
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
sin...@gmail.com
> My TZ is working great except for one problem. About half the time a
> ball shot from the auto launcher will come to a rattling halt and will
> dribble down the right loop.
Look in the RGP archives for "How to make TZ auto-fire kicker work
about 97% of the time".
It sounds like you have the exact same problem that I did,
and the solution is to put a low piece of plastic (or something) to
nudge
the ball to the right as it falls/zooms off the ramp.
That keeps the ball from rattling around
and hitting the top metal corner of the kick-out,
which stops the ball cold.
I can send you a picture if you really want...
- Tim
Jbug
>
> - Show quoted text -
I have the exact same problem with my TZ. Sometimes the ball will
make it around the loop and sometimes it hits high off of the the
hanging post that seperates the plastic ram from the metal ramp that
leads to the the right inlanes. other times it would strike the wire
end of the lights that go into the piano and come back to the rocket
launcher. I've tried just about everything but nothing worked.
Awesometoday
>
> - Show quoted text -
I did have this problem. I had just replaced all the Kicker parts with
new except the coil, only to find that more often than not the ball
would not make it round the loop.
I tried bending the arm slightly one way then the other only to find
it made little difference. I then tried twisting the crank arm near
the top (Black bit). Maybe i got lucky but i cannot remember it
failing to make it round the loop since making this alteration. If i
remember the twist was made so the ball was directed very very
slightly left off the launcher.
Owl
Awesometoday
>
> - Show quoted text -
Forgot to mention. I also added an extra couple of very thin washers
between the crank assembly and the mounting bracket assembly and the
crank assembly and the roll pin to eliminate any side to side
movement. As mine seamed to be a bit sloppy.
Maybe there is too much play in yours?
Owl
beaver
similar to the idea proposed by Owl.
Pix and description here:
http://www.edcheung.com/album/album08/pinball/tz.htm#kicker
Basically, I had to tighten up the slop on the kicker by using some
washers on the connection to the plunger. This causes a consistent
kick, and causes the ball to launch near the left of the lane.
Thanks all!
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
edanajo
correct this issue and will be making the improvement on our game.
sin...@gmail.com
> On Jun 26, 10:04 am, beaver <e...@edcheung.com> wrote:
>
> > ball shot from theautolauncher will come to a rattling halt and will
> > dribble down the right loop.
>
> about 97% of the time".
>
> It sounds like you have the exact same problem that I did,
> and the solution is to put a low piece of plastic (or something) to
> nudge
> the ball to the right as it falls/zooms off the ramp.
> That keeps the ball from rattling around
> and hitting the top metal corner of the kick-out,
> which stops the ball cold.
>
> I can send you a picture if you really want...
>
> - Tim
Looks like the original post of
"How to make TZ auto-fire kicker work about 97% of the time"
has disappeared from Google Groups, so here's a link
to the original post:
<http://www.kuo1.com/pinball/TZ-auto-fire-fix.html>
That page also has a picture showing the placement
of a piece of plastic to nudge the ball to the right before the ball
falls
off the top of the ramp.
This solution has been very solid for me, and
also explains why "other suggestions that seem to
"weaken" the coil also work (e.g., removing a few wraps
from the kicker coil, or shortening the stroke of the kicker coil).
The weaker coil shot causes the ball to come off the top
of the ramp at a different angle, which still rattles
around, but manages to make it past the kick-out,
and up to the gumball entrance..."
- Tim
Lloyd Olson
<sin...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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beaver
actually makes it stronger.
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but the current through a coil is
dominated by its DC resistance. In practical terms, the decreased
windings still produce a higher magnetic field in the end.
I think at some point, if you reduce the windings so much, the
magnetic field will go down too, but my guess is that you would need
to take off a lot of windings before that happens.
However, the increased power may still change the angle, and is why it
works in some cases.
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
Dan S
shooter lane helped, and squeezing the metal u-channel shaped ball guide
above the pin with a pair of plars fixed it. Maybe squeezed in 1/32".