Everything on the right side of the playfield stops working at once: no lights, no switches, game unplayable. The game reports no communication with node board 9.
Whole right side dead: node 9 regulator leg broke, overvoltage killed boards downstream
Cause: The 5 V voltage regulator on node board 9 had one leg broken off by playfield vibration (the board lacked the zip-tie mod from Stern's service bulletin). When it failed it passed more than 5 V down the serial bus and damaged the boards after it in the chain.
Checks
- Look at the regulator on the node board for a cracked or broken leg and check whether it is held down with a zip tie.
- After replacing the node board, check each downstream board in turn (LED boards, then the Death Star and fork motor control boards), since a board further down the chain can only be tested once the ones before it work.
Fix
- Replace node board 9 (replacements come with the zip-tie mod) and then any downstream boards that were damaged.
- Add extra solder to both regulator legs for strength, and apply the zip-tie mod to node boards that don't have it.
Systems
Games
Source: Pinball Repair help group!! (Facebook group)