Any Xenon Experts

[Rascal]

I was going to trade her, but I think I will hang on to her a little longer. Maybe its just me, but I find it hard to part with pins.
In the meantime I have a funky issue with the captured ball release after I get the tube-shot and the second ball goes into play. It is meant to hold the ball till I get 3 more in the top saucer, but it mostly ejects the ball out of sequence after I hit a pop bumper.
Not sure how advanced a repair this will be? Any thoughts? I also sometimes get random credit cracks at odd times.

 

[Rascal]

Just found a cold solder joint at Q56 on the lamp driver board. Doing the repair now and see what that fixes.

Update, did not seem to fix much. Working on #4 bulb of the top roll over switches. Switches drop the targets and light up correct until #3 which stays lit even though switch #4 drops the target.
I almost traded this due to frustration, but I found new interest in it and need to get it working right. I will keep hammering away at it, but if anyone has a hint they could add, I would certainly try it. I am inexperienced in finding gremlins in pinball machines but I am willing to learn.
And maybe I am wasting my time trying to repair the individual components and should search for new boards?
Also, I am showing no trouble codes for switches. MPU is Alltek, sound works properly, Solenoid driver board looks original, doesn't look burnt or seriously corroded, but still unknown.

 

[sylvain]

1]
How's the top saucer switch gap?
Check if vibrations (such as from a pop bumper being activated, or from the palm of your fist gently hitting the playfield near the top saucer with the playfield glass off ) activate that switch with or without a ball in the saucer (check the X advancing unexpectedly).

2]
random credit - what are the free games awards score settings? Check with the self-test button (refer to the game manual). I assume a good rechargeable battery is present on the MPU, and that the charge circuit and 5101 RAM chip are good on the MPU...

3]
lamp driver board only control lamps, and not the sequence of ball eject or scoring.

Good luck!
- Sylvain.

 

[Rascal]

1]
How's the top saucer switch gap?
Check if vibrations (such as from a pop bumper being activated, or from the palm of your fist gently hitting the playfield near the top saucer with the playfield glass off ) activate that switch with or without a ball in the saucer (check the X advancing unexpectedly).

2]
random credit - what are the free games awards score settings? Check with the self-test button (refer to the game manual). I assume a good rechargeable battery is present on the MPU, and that the charge circuit and 5101 RAM chip are good on the MPU...

3]
lamp driver board only control lamps, and not the sequence of ball eject or scoring.

Good luck!
- Sylvain.

 

[Rascal]

I am thinking I have a short somewhere. I was checking grounds and got odd readings. I was on voltage setting with neg on main cabinet ground cable and probing under the PF. I have been looking hard but I just don't see where I have something live shorted to ground. Most of the grounds measure 7.3 V except for a couple.

 

[Rascal]

Does anyone have a close up picture of the wiring of the upper playfield or a wiring diagram with color chart? My Xenon had issues since of got it and I suspect some bad wiring repairs, and I am unsure if the wires are in the right place. This is for some lighting problems. I still have issues with the saved bad kicking out when ball 2 hits a pop bumper, but that is another unsolved issue.

 

[Rascal]

Problem fixed. I had a wire just barely hanging on at the switch above the saucer. Re-solder and the problem went away. Now I have to figure out my random bulb lighting issues....