got my first pin !!!

dc2010

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it took a month...but i got a pin, i went to the super auction in new braunfels tx

they had 14 pins in all most had minor issues a few had more , prices werent too bad

i got the machine i wanted, but it was also the only question mark as it had no cord...

so i got a williams fish tales for 650.00 as is.......its missing the sound board, but the main issue is the power driver board has a burn hole , not sure if its repairable yet , i suspect tis not ....more details and pics to come


anyone have an extra board?

dc

update here are a few pics
 

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Sounds like a fun challenge at least, and a good machine too when it's up and running.
Should be easy to track down a sound board, a LOT of games used that model. Keep an eye on the Mr. Pinball classifieds, you're looking for board model A-12738.

Post up some pictures of that burned board, and let's see what we're dealing with here. Could be spendy to replace, but there are those new production boards available. Not sure how good they are, I'm still kinda new at this too.

The REAL question though, does it have the fish topper?

-Hans
 
This is probably one of my favorite games I have owned! Fishtales is a love it or hate it game.
 
I just got one as well. 650 is a great price, looks like you got some nasty playfield wear though. But it is still a fun, simple, challenging game. 547mil is the score to beat. At least that's my best so far hehe
 
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well, at that price, even if you can't fix it, you can probably part it out and make your money back. A lot of the super auctions pins are like this.

There was a WCS94 and a No Fear here last time that went in the 600-700 range. they both powered up, but had some more major issues like what you picked up.
 
I've seen some pretty outrageous repairs, so yeah it is repairable. The only question is if it is above your talent level. Burn holes like that are usually caused by oversize fuses, so make sure to check all of those out before you put any other board in.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but we've all been blinded by 'pin newb syndrome'. Did you overpay? Probably. BUT - once you get that machine up and running you will have an invaluable base of knowledge that will save you time/money/etc in the future. I also overpaid for my first which ended up being a huge project. Not to mention you will have a nice, fully working machine that is pretty much bullet proof because you personally rebuilt and inspected every square inch of it.

If it's dead and beat to crap, then you have nothing to lose. Throw caution to the wind, research the crap out of the WPC guide AND the restoration guide, and go to town restoring that bad boy! Have fun! I know I would.
 
i personally dont feel i overpaid....but maybe its because im good with my hands

i really wanted this title, so maybe i paid more than i normally would have, but as of now i need a wpc 89 12697-1 and im not sure of the part number for the sound card, but i agree with what shar said because these new boards are way better than the original, ill also fix the pf and clearcoat it with automotive clear(im going for my degree in automotive refinishing)
 

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Hmmmm..... you know, there is a slight (and I mean slight) chance that the board might NOT be a total loss there. I'd take an old, soft, toothbrush and some rubbing alcohol and gently clean off that burned patch. The traces might still be intact under there, it's possible that it's just goo from the melted transistor. The chances are very small, but you never know.


But something sure took out that transistor with a vengance. I THINK it's for the #13 solenoid, which lowers the drop targets on the right side of the playfield. Look under there and see if one of the coils is all melted. I'm going to bet you'll also find some over-sized fuses in there somewhere.

-Hans
 
That is a great game IMO, congrats. They have one at our drive-in, as well as at Crabtowne USA near us. I love the "leave a message, gone fishin!"

Keep us posted.
 
thanks hans


ill check those areas, it appears to me the a fuse on the burned board is black but not blown is off all alone, i also appreciate the votes of confidence guys because as i said i passed on ......2 cue ball wizards,comet, hook, and tmnt.....because i wanted this one!

all of those except hook were playable.......

i havent tried to turn it on or anything nor will i until i get a working board or this one fixed(not holding my breath)

shar how is that machine coming?
 
shar how is that machine coming?

The Comet? It is sitting complete and just waiting on a new speech chip. I've been playing it the last few days to check for issues. ;)

The right flipper is still slipping, so I have to tighten it up again....though a high right flipper makes the skeeball shot really easy to hit the top hole. I don't care what anyone says, skeeball makes way more sense than the bike jump.

I suppose I will have to upload some pictures. My internet at home sucks right now. I'm hoping to rectify that in a week or so.
 
had time to tinker today, area burnt controlled drop target down, that wire was re-routed(not me) coil for that target looks new, sure it wouldnt explode.....i checked and double checked connections, plugged it in and i get the flashing lights and d20 flashing d21 solid

but no start!
 
had time to tinker today, area burnt controlled drop target down, that wire was re-routed(not me) coil for that target looks new, sure it wouldnt explode.....i checked and double checked connections, plugged it in and i get the flashing lights and d20 flashing d21 solid

but no start!

The 'look' of the coil is irrelevant. You have to ohm out the lugs with a meter. You should get 4-5 ohms. Less than 3 is a short. If it locked on long enough to damage the board that bad, that is long enough to cause the wire insulation in the coil to potentially wear down and cause a winding short.

Stop turning on the machine. Go print out a copy of the pinrepair.com guide for you pin, and read it. You will be able to fix it if you read that guide thoroughly, then re-read the parts relevant to your current problems.
 
I too have a fish tales and love it. In fact it is completely torn down right now as I put in a new playfield. You did great, and good luck, do not get discouraged if you run into a problem you cannot fix, just come back to the forum.
 
thanks greg, i went to a pin party


and saw a shadow , i was missing the ribbons to the boards , replaced them its still giving me all the right leds and flashing lights but no start, also the display isnt ccoming on either and i dont have a dmm
 
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