The diverter for the supercharger loop pops open but drifts closed after the ball has gone round a few times, or will not open in the supercharger test.
Supercharger diverter opens but won't stay open: replace coil and adjust
Cause: The diverter works like a flipper: a high-power pulse opens it and a low-power winding holds it. Here the dual-wound coil was heat damaged, and the diverter linkage was not adjusted closely enough for the hold winding to keep it open.
Checks
- Inspect the diverter coil for heat damage and measure both windings.
- Note that grounding the tab of the TIP36C high-power transistor will not fire it; ground the TIP102 that drives it instead.
- Run the supercharger test in the test menu, which fires the diverter and then the magnets.
Fix
- Replace the diverter coil.
- Adjust the diverter so it reaches its fully open stop with little free play and the hold winding can keep it there.
Systems
Games
Related tips
- Supercharger diverter dead even in test: open TIP102 at Q81 that tested good
- Saucer coil locks on and kills its TIP102 each time: bad diode on the board
- Getaway: supercharger weak, F103 blows, all magnets pulse
Source: Pinball Repair help group!! (Facebook group)