Naughty Jurassic!

[Geese]

Thanks guys! The upper flipper was due to the switch not working right. I put a little steel wool to it and it works like a charm! Now back to the diverter.

Thanks!

Glad that it worked. Those switches are gold plated, and the gold plating is rather thin, It sounds like they had been filed before and taken off the plating, so it then rusted and would not make contact until you scrubbed them again. I would suggest that you replace the flipper switches since they will continue to do this.

When you take apart the diverter, make sure that you clean out the inside of the bushing that is on the playfield. I use a q-tip dipped in 90% rubbing alcohol, it takes several swipes to really clean it out.

Never Ever use WD-40 on a pinball machine. It is flamable, and it collects dust that will make the parts wear faster.

Check out the pinball repair guides here:
http://www.pinrepair.com/
There is a whole section on Data East pins. These guides will be your best friend.

 

[Steelhorse]

Would a little WD40 work or is that a big no no?

Everyone wants to 'Mcgyver" there machines with wd-40 and duct tape, lol! Do you use the straw with the can or what? No seriously... NO wd-40, it attracts dirt and does more harm then good! Hope u get it working!

 

[swayze2]

I knew the storm that would create when I mentioned wd40. And why no duct tape? It holds the legs on just fine....lol

 

[Burt6666]

I see yer avatar is as distracting as always....

 

[swayze2]

Okay, out of the blue now the TREX is getting stuck moving left. He goes all the way left, then he gets stuck there, its like the switch is not releasing...I have just installed the latest roms....

 

[stangbat]

Okay, out of the blue now the TREX is getting stuck moving left. He goes all the way left, then he gets stuck there, its like the switch is not releasing...I have just installed the latest roms....

In the dino test mode can you see that the left switch is triggering?

 

[swayze2]

Yes, in the test the left stays on. It will not release.

 

[stangbat]

That's weird, if the dino is all the way to the left and the left switch is showing as being on, then the switch is working. So the dino should move back to the right. Have you tried to move it to the right using the test mode?

With the game off, I'm pretty sure you can move the dino back and forth with your hand. You can also drop the motor by removing the two screws and check it and the dino for binding.

 

[swayze2]

In test mode it shows the left switch on, it keeps trying to go left. When you hit right, its still stuck trying to move left. I let it sit for a minute and it finally stopped. Then I could move right just fine. When it is over I cannot move the dyno, it is firm in place.

 

[Geese]

Ah, the old "my dino goes left and does not return" issue.

The number one issue is the left right control relay that is under the playfield. It is located about halfway between the lower and upper flippers. There are two there, this is the one with the header pins. The problem is bad solder joints on the relay board, and bad connections to the cable.
Remove the relay board, and replace the connector, both sides. Then suck the solder out of the places where the relay is soldered to the board, and then solder the relay back to the board (you do not need to remove the relay, just the solder)

If this does not work, then there are other things to do, but do this first, it is cheap and easy and most of the time fixes the issue.

Goose

 

[stangbat]

Boy, I'm maybe batting .500 here. I even had my relay out of JP over the weekend to check it because my dino wasn't moving as good as I thought it should. Can't believe I forgot to mention that. Glad Geese is here as backup.

 

[swayze2]

Are these relay boards available if I screw it up? If not, I think I would rather just disable the left/right.

 

[stangbat]

Are these relay boards available if I screw it up? If not, I think I would rather just disable the left/right.

If you do screw it up, it is entirely fixable. It is a simple PCB with traces running to and from the relay. It is probably a good place to start if you don't have anything else to practice on because there's almost no chance of you messing it up so bad that it can't be fixed.

 

[swayze2]

Okay, guys I was able to resolder the relay board and everything seems to be working much better. Was pretty easy to work on once I took it out.

I am so close to having this working 100%. One last thing I am noticing, is now the TREX, will bend down, chomp on the ball a few times, then come up without it. I have read all the issues on the TREX and none of them really mention this. It only does this about 1 out of 5 times...I have the latest roms, clean relay and it runs the diagnostic fine.

Any ideas?

 

[MES]

I would go into the T-Rex diagnostic and check to see when the switches for up and down are activated. If everything looks okay I would take the plastic housing off the T-Rex and start looking for a break in the wire that goes to the jaw solenoid. It's common for it to bend in the same place all the time and break. When the T-Rex moves there is a break in the connection and the jaw opens and drops the ball before going up. You might want to check the coil wires for continuity with a DMM if there is not a obvious break. The wire might be breaking inside the plastic insulation and not visible.

Check out the service bulletins too. There is one on the T-Rex operation.

http://www.sternpinball.com/servicebulletins.shtml#93

Good Luck, you are almost there!

 

[swayze2]

Anyone know how to prevent the Triceretops switch from sliding a touch to the right and then getting caught on the metal? When this happens it prevents the switch from activating. I have tried everything and it always makes its way back.....

 

[stangbat]

Have you unscrewed the drop target and tightened the nuts that hold it together? If not, do this and it will help quite a bit. I have problems with this one too. You'd think the one right next to the Control Room would be worse since it gets such hard hits off the flipper but it seems to stay adjusted okay. Maybe because its hits are more direct to the front while this one's hits can be off the side.

Regarding your dino dropping the ball, mine has this problem when it doesn't align straight and goes down to pick up the ball. If it is off a little bit, the ball pops out. I need to get a new center switch that is easier to activate. Until then, I turned off the right/left movement and aligned the dino so it does straight down. I haven't had a missed ball since.