Solar City Converted from EM to SS?

OHEMIO

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All fellow EM'ers out there may oust me from this board after this post. I may oust myself as I consider myself a purist but find it hard to overlook the potential.

I was searching around the net last night when I came across this website:

http://www.planetimming.com/PinKit/index.html

If you click on pin kit he has several vids on how he converted a Solar City for the most part the same as my Target Alpha from EM to SS while keeping the original score reels in place. Gentlemen's name is Kerry Imming and from what I saw thus far he's building his own pins but used a Gottlieb Solar City as a test case for his custom creation.

He converts the standard illumination to LED which is interesting as today more advances have been made to enhance the bulbs to look more like incadecent. Less delamination on our back glasses and playfield plastics.

He's also working on a sound board that will play audio from an SD card. Think of the possibilities of sound or if you've lost it because your 8 track died or never worked to begin with?

I'd be lying if I didn't say with the problems I've has with my Ax/Bx/Dx set up on my Multi Player Target Alpha I wasn't considering a possible conversion for reliable operation. I couldn't help but think of the potential for this type of product for all EM Arcade. Less time spend on cleaning and adjusting.

I think about my CDI Ski Ball which the Criss Cross feature has recently stopped working again. My United Ball Bowler that I've yet to restore and time that could be saved by converting it to SS while keeping the feel and nostalga of EM without cover removal to look at the inner workings.

It's possible to keep collectability with adding reliability?

I've not looked into the cost but thought it would be a great discussion piece for our group.

So chime in on this Winter Saturday morning...thanks for your posts in advance!

OHEMIO
 
Now that is wacky. Seems like a lot of work when most EM pins are easily fixed and generally reliable after a solid repair.

I can't imagine the wiring involved. Maybe if you had a machine that was pretty rusty or wasted in the bottom?

I would hope it would be a little faster, being "solid state" (used loosely, as not original solid state) - my EM pins on high tap play a lot faster than that, especially the ball return and bonus count. The bonus count on Target Alpha is a lot faster than that shown there. It feels a little like System 1 play, honestly, which is slower than EMs in some sense, my opinion...

Maybe it's a work in progress? Very interesting though. Not sure of the point in the larger picture, unless it leads to other uses, like you say, parts for gun games, out of source boards and chips, 8 tracks.

As a purist, yes, I couldn't do this to my EM pins ever. Love the sound of that motor...

Ed


All fellow EM'ers out there may oust me from this board after this post. I may oust myself as I consider myself a purist but find it hard to overlook the potential.

I was searching around the net last night when I came across this website:

http://www.planetimming.com/PinKit/index.html

If you click on pin kit he has several vids on how he converted a Solar City for the most part the same as my Target Alpha from EM to SS while keeping the original score reels in place. Gentlemen's name is Kerry Imming and from what I saw thus far he's building his own pins but used a Gottlieb Solar City as a test case for his custom creation.

He converts the standard illumination to LED which is interesting as today more advances have been made to enhance the bulbs to look more like incadecent. Less delamination on our back glasses and playfield plastics.

He's also working on a sound board that will play audio from an SD card. Think of the possibilities of sound or if you've lost it because your 8 track died or never worked to begin with?

I'd be lying if I didn't say with the problems I've has with my Ax/Bx/Dx set up on my Multi Player Target Alpha I wasn't considering a possible conversion for reliable operation. I couldn't help but think of the potential for this type of product for all EM Arcade. Less time spend on cleaning and adjusting.

I think about my CDI Ski Ball which the Criss Cross feature has recently stopped working again. My United Ball Bowler that I've yet to restore and time that could be saved by converting it to SS while keeping the feel and nostalga of EM without cover removal to look at the inner workings.

It's possible to keep collectability with adding reliability?

I've not looked into the cost but thought it would be a great discussion piece for our group.

So chime in on this Winter Saturday morning...thanks for your posts in advance!

OHEMIO
 
Seems this conversion is a downgrade to me. Looks like it plays and responds slow as an electronic machine. Also, you'd think the guy could invest in some wire ties. Sheesh what a mess!

I give this conversion 2 thumbs down, way down.
 
He's also working on a sound board that will play audio from an SD card. Think of the possibilities of sound or if you've lost it because your 8 track died or never worked to begin with?

That's currently being worked on for the Journey arcade UR.

Maybe the project managers should trade notes...
 
I dunno what the point of converting a solar city to SS if the game plays exactly the same as the EM. Like why not add lane change, some sounds other than the chimes or displays instead of score reals? Its a cool project though and quite an accomplishment.
 
Lazerhawk -

I believe with what your writting is possible with this set up. If you look at their original pin set up the connectivity for sounds, scoring, and lighting sequences is feasable due to programing in C.

Appreciate the comment and agree it's a cool project.

Although I may check cost for this set up. I won't be converting any of my current line up. I'm now considering looking for pin(s) that are one step away from the fire pit meaning they only have complete playfields and score reels.

Recently there was a Gottlieb Sing A Long on CL in my area for $150 with nothing but what was stated above. Back box, back glass, score reels, playfield, but had no main relays, score motor or control board. To me that's a machine worth adding to my collection furthermore saving from the wrath of a bonfire.

OHEMIO

I dunno what the point of converting a solar city to SS if the game plays exactly the same as the EM. Like why not add lane change, some sounds other than the chimes or displays instead of score reals? Its a cool project though and quite an accomplishment.
 
Ken

You are a man of great knowledge regarding EM and Arcade in general. Now that I look again I agree that organization could have been much better. It does play a tad slower than my EM Target Alpha another great point.

I believe the concept is cool and may use it to build a custom pin or save on from the fire pit. It would have to be the right case and I'll promise to use wire ties!

Thanks for posting!

Seems this conversion is a downgrade to me. Looks like it plays and responds slow as an electronic machine. Also, you'd think the guy could invest in some wire ties. Sheesh what a mess!

I give this conversion 2 thumbs down, way down.
 
Yes I agree the concept is good, but if it makes the game play "clunky" and the wiring layout sloppy, then what is gained? I certainly did not like the fact they made the general illumination part of the light show and attract mode. General illumination show stay on constantly IMO.

Certainly this could be used for a custom build. What I would like to see is someone apply this to one of the home model machines like a Brunswick Skate King or maybe a Fischer Skyhawk. Now that would be a big improvement! For instance, the Brunswick "Alive" game could have sound bites of Elvis Presley or the Mattel "Las Vegas" could have sound effects of dice shakers, roulette wheels, and slot machines.
 
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