My first pinball: Paragon

Loki9

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Just picked up my first pinball machine, a Bally Paragon.

I got the idea to buy a pinball a couple of weeks ago and although Paragon was not one of the ones I put on my wanted list, I bought it because it was local and cheap.

It seems to be in decent condition, but I have to rebuild the rectifier board before I can find out what works and what doesn't.

The artwork is in good shape overall, cabinet not faded too badly, backglass is near perfect, playfield is dirty with lots of ball swirls, but no major wear.

I plan a light cleaning/restoration and I would be happy to hear from other Paragon owners, as I may have some questions or problems getting things back the way they should be.

If it plays really well I may keep it, but I'm really looking for a Pin-Bot, High Speed, or Cyclone.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3938/zi60506.jpg
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That looks to be in nice shape! Worst case scenario you should be able to sell it easily if you don't decide to keep it.

Welcome to KLOV :)
 
Back glass in excellent condition = you being a VERY lucky man. I have a local friend who has been trying to secure a Paragon backglass for several years. Kind of hard to do if you don't want to spend $400+!
 
not only is it a good looking game but it is a fun playing game. One of my buds has one at his place and I enjoy to play it when i visit.
 
What is the consensus on coating the backglass? My backglass is in great shape and I want it to stay that way. Are people coating good backglasses, or only those with problems? Is there a down side to coating them (other than time/cost)? I'd hate to do it any harm.
 
Very nice machine! Aside from the rectifier board rebuild, be aware of connector issues galore! I bought my Paragon a few years ago and I still am troubleshooting issues (not a lot of time to work on games though). That definitely looks like a keeper ;)
 
Wow, Nice machine in Nice condition. It looks like it will clean up and look great.

Also looks like you have an extra rubber blocking the exit from the lower left pop bumper to the outlane.
 
Wow, Nice machine in Nice condition. It looks like it will clean up and look great.

Also looks like you have an extra rubber blocking the exit from the lower left pop bumper to the outlane.

Yes, and there is also an extra post partly blocking the right side outlane. I guess a previous owner modded it to make it easier for a home game. For young kids maybe? I'll put things back the way they should be.
 
What is the consensus on coating the backglass? My backglass is in great shape and I want it to stay that way. Are people coating good backglasses, or only those with problems? Is there a down side to coating them (other than time/cost)? I'd hate to do it any harm.

Only coat the backglass with Triple Thick if it is flaking. A solid backglass will remain that way as long as you keep the game in a low humidity, temperature controlled environment.
 
So Cool! I fell in love with Paragon the first time I played it. I'd love to pick one up someday.
 
Update and some questions:

I'm mostly following the repair guide at marvin3m.com.

Rectifier board: I replaced the male pin headers for J1-J3 and the associated female connectors, some of them were badly cooked. I did not replace the actual rectifiers, as they seemed to be working just fine (all TPs had proper voltages).

Solenoid board: I made the suggested updates, improving grounds and such.

MPU: I cut the battery off. The was some light corrosion on the battery itself, but none on the MPU board. The battery did not look like the original batteries I've seen in photos and was probably replaced at some point. I'll add a remote battery holder soon (gotta save my high scores!)

Lights and sound boards: nothing done.

When I first powered it up I got some GI lights, but nothing else. The test points on the solenoid board showed no voltage, so I examined the J3 connector, scrubbed the pins a bit and viola! Paragon lives!

Playfield: Cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. Those ugly ball swirls do come out using Magic Eraser, but it takes a lot of elbow grease. I've moved on to Novus now and will finish up with some carnuba wax. I bought a new rubber kit which will be installed as soon as the wax job is done.

There are a few lights out on the playfield. They come on if I wiggle the bulb a little but they don't stay on. Is there a good way to clean these sockets? Or must they be replaced? Marvin suggests changing all of the #44 bulbs to #47 because they draw less power. Sounds like a good idea, but are the #47 bulbs as bright?
 
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Update and some questions:
MPU: I cut the battery off. The was some light corrosion on the battery itself, but none on the MPU board. The battery did not look like the original batteries I've seen in photos and was probably replaced at some point. I'll add a remote battery holder soon (gotta save my high scores!)

Great idea. You don't want to replace that battery, it's nothing but trouble.

Lights and sound boards: nothing done.

When I first powered it up I got some GI lights, but nothing else. The test points on the solenoid board showed no voltage, so I examined the J3 connector, scrubbed the pins a bit and viola! Paragon lives!

I would suggest replacing that connector as well, scrubbing the pins is only a temporary solution, Replace both the male and female covvectors.

Playfield: Cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. Those ugly ball swirls do come out using Magic Eraser, but it takes a lot of elbow grease. I've moved on to Novus now and will finish up with some carnuba wax. I bought a new rubber kit which will be installed as soon as the wax job is done.

Pictures? We like pictures.

There are a few lights out on the playfield. They come on if I wiggle the bulb a little but they don't stay on. Is there a good way to clean these sockets? Or must they be replaced? Marvin suggests changing all of the #44 bulbs to #47 because they draw less power. Sounds like a good idea, but are the #47 bulbs as bright?

You can clean the sockets with a socket cleaner that the pin stores sell, or a small wire brush. Some of these older ones are better to replace, someone else can answer that one.

I prefer #47's however that is a great debate. Once you clean the plastics, install new bulbs, and clean the underside of the inserts and playfield, it will be brighter with 47's than it was with 44's before the cleaning. Since this is an older machine, anything you can do to reduce the stress on the components be a lower power draw and less heat is a good idea. Make sure that you change the bulbs behind the backglass to 47's, less heat back there will help make the backglass last longer.
 
There are a few lights out on the playfield. They come on if I wiggle the bulb a little but they don't stay on. Is there a good way to clean these sockets? Or must they be replaced? Marvin suggests changing all of the #44 bulbs to #47 because they draw less power. Sounds like a good idea, but are the #47 bulbs as bright?

Nice pickup on the Paragon - you can't go wrong with a classic widebody and the art is excellent - it was my first pin as well.

I've done plenty of work on mine, including a full playfield swap - as it was my first pin and I was apprehensive I decided to buy all the parts, rebuild the replacement playfield (including touchup and clearing it with varathane) and when everything was ready just unplug and remove the old one and replace it with the new one. Sure it might have been more work but it was nice having the old one still in the machine to compare to, as well as the ability to play it while I was doing all that work.

As for the light sockets, I had the same issues and it was explained to me in no uncertain terms that the Bally light sockets of that era were 'crap' - and what I did was replace every last one on the new playfield while I was rebuilding it. It took the better part of a day to do it but I have yet to have any issues. Steve at PBR has everything you need and if I can find my old invoice I could give you a list of type and amount needed to do it.

The debate between #44 & #47 is long with many pros and cons to each (power consumption, heat, brightness, etc) but in the end it all comes down to personal preference. If the backglass is as nice as you described I would not triple-thick it and just use the cooler bulbs in the head to keep the heat down to avoid any potential issues.
 
I've said it before, but I'd love a Paragon. I use to play one at the Dreamland Roller Rink's small snack shack/ game room back in '83-'87. It was next to a Gorgar and across from a Space Invaders, a Berzerk and a Robotron machine. About 6 years ago, I found it's predecessor, a '77/78 Bally Lost World. The pin has the same artist, similar characters and a similar layout/ playfield. Admittedly, I bought mine by mistake, thinking it was a Paragon and not knowing the difference at the time, as I had forgotten the name of the one I played, I just knew the Lost World looked pretty damn similar. I think I paid $900 for mine, un-shopped, and since acquiring it I have replaced the rubbers and the power supply and many burnt connectors with one of Tom Callahan's Deluxe kits. I have had zero problems since, except now I started losing the high score on power down, which must be a battery or MPU issue. Both pins are really gorgeous in my mind, but I think Paragon has a slight edge, being a little more refined. Here's mine, note the similarities to yours:
IMAG0002-2.jpg

pinballnight.jpg
 
I've said it before, but I'd love a Paragon. I use to play one at the Dreamland Roller Rink's small snack shack/ game room back in '83-'87. It was next to a Gorgar and across from a Space Invaders, a Berzerk and a Robotron machine. About 6 years ago, I found it's predecessor, a '77/78 Bally Lost World. The pin has the same artist, similar characters and a similar layout/ playfield. Admittedly, I bought mine by mistake, thinking it was a Paragon and not knowing the difference at the time, as I had forgotten the name of the one I played, I just knew the Lost World looked pretty damn similar. I think I paid $900 for mine, un-shopped, and since acquiring it I have replaced the rubbers and the power supply and many burnt connectors with one of Tom Callahan's Deluxe kits. I have had zero problems since, except now I started losing the high score on power down, which must be a battery or MPU issue. Both pins are really gorgeous in my mind, but I think Paragon has a slight edge, being a little more refined. Here's mine, note the similarities to yours:
IMAG0002-2.jpg

pinballnight.jpg

I would love to have that lost world sitting next to my Paragon.
 
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