Bally Elektra - Need to do a thorough cleaning - especially on the very bottom playfield! Needs new rubbers, some bulbs changed (I HATE these Bally sockets!) Need to cap the 'Squak and Talk' board as well...
What are the issues with YOUR pinballs right now?
- Thread starter TheDrewster
- Start date
john rainbo
Active member
Ordered some new plastics for WCS. The clear ones are a little yellow from age.
And that's it. I'm super anal about my pins, and anything even the slightest bit wrong gets fixed immediately. Even things that aren't "wrong", but could be tweaked just a bit get fixed asap. It's pretty much my main hobby.
Just finishing up a friend's Getaway. Took that all apart and did a super cleaning. It's more fun to work on pins then play them, when they aren't yours.
And that's it. I'm super anal about my pins, and anything even the slightest bit wrong gets fixed immediately. Even things that aren't "wrong", but could be tweaked just a bit get fixed asap. It's pretty much my main hobby.
Just finishing up a friend's Getaway. Took that all apart and did a super cleaning. It's more fun to work on pins then play them, when they aren't yours.
High Speed - Ramp diverters need to be adjusted.
Fireball - Needs to be sold to pay for a Pinbot when I find one.
Pinbot - See Fireball.
Fireball - Needs to be sold to pay for a Pinbot when I find one.
Pinbot - See Fireball.
elfyhead
New member
Addams Familly - needs ramp/habitrail work, as the habitrail is leaning a little forward so that the ball falls off on a hard ramp shot. it's because the ramp is slightly bent where the habitrail screws on. i think i need to make a little metal piece for reinforcement of the ramp (since i'm too poor to afford an entirely new ramp right now :/). also needs a weld job on the thing kickout weldment, but i've fixed it with clamps and it's under the playfield so out of sight anyway.
Jurassic Park - weak left flipper. and while i was away in vegas over the weekend it developed some other odd electronics problems that i'll have to sleuth. some burnt connectors in the backbox. needs a battery (off the board) fix. needs new fuse holders (as most DE games do).
Funhouse - fine electronically and mechanically except for very minor stuff. but in the garage for a teardown and clean/wax. in two spots the p/f is worn to the wood so i have to decide what to do about that.
Magic (Stern) - one display out. one insert light out. one rollover switch missing (got new ones ready to replace all four). one oddball drop-down target (it's made of metal and clearly not original) - have NOS replacements for all four. pop bumpers (or "thumper bumpers" as the manual calls them) all need a bit of work. and the playfield has to be stripped and cleaned.
i'm sure i've forgotten some - sooooo many things to fix!
Jurassic Park - weak left flipper. and while i was away in vegas over the weekend it developed some other odd electronics problems that i'll have to sleuth. some burnt connectors in the backbox. needs a battery (off the board) fix. needs new fuse holders (as most DE games do).
Funhouse - fine electronically and mechanically except for very minor stuff. but in the garage for a teardown and clean/wax. in two spots the p/f is worn to the wood so i have to decide what to do about that.
Magic (Stern) - one display out. one insert light out. one rollover switch missing (got new ones ready to replace all four). one oddball drop-down target (it's made of metal and clearly not original) - have NOS replacements for all four. pop bumpers (or "thumper bumpers" as the manual calls them) all need a bit of work. and the playfield has to be stripped and cleaned.
i'm sure i've forgotten some - sooooo many things to fix!
zukesofhazzard
New member
I think I have a flickering bulb on the playfield of my night rider. Thats pretty much it.
Data East The Simpsons - Display is out
Street Fighter II - Car crunch doesnt work
Street Fighter II - Car crunch doesnt work
G-P-E
Well-known member
Only two issues right now.
Police Force -- too much junk stacked on it.
Xenon -- to much junk stacked on it.
Police Force -- too much junk stacked on it.
Xenon -- to much junk stacked on it.
Frax
New member
Williams Space Shuttle -
Muliplier lights not lightning up all the time, sometimes not at all.
1/2 of head GI lighting not lighting up
Right flipper is weak, has incorrect coil.
Left flipper has old expanded coil, but plenty strong.
Ramps are breaking at the base where they meet the metal flange and I'm afraid to even take them off again because apparently they're irreplaceable.
Um...think that's all the major stuff that may actually be fixable. Other issue is strictly wear and tear, and all I could do would be to strip the playfield and put varathane or soemthing on it...it looks horrible and plays funny due to all the playfield paint missing. :|
Muliplier lights not lightning up all the time, sometimes not at all.
1/2 of head GI lighting not lighting up
Right flipper is weak, has incorrect coil.
Left flipper has old expanded coil, but plenty strong.
Ramps are breaking at the base where they meet the metal flange and I'm afraid to even take them off again because apparently they're irreplaceable.
Um...think that's all the major stuff that may actually be fixable. Other issue is strictly wear and tear, and all I could do would be to strip the playfield and put varathane or soemthing on it...it looks horrible and plays funny due to all the playfield paint missing. :|
My poor Evel Knievel. I got it after it had been decapitated and de-legged.
It now has legs and a head, but I have to work to rebuild the wire harnesses. The small harness is 26 wires, I'm guessing the bigger one is around 40. If I succeed I will be damn proud of this machine.
It now has legs and a head, but I have to work to rebuild the wire harnesses. The small harness is 26 wires, I'm guessing the bigger one is around 40. If I succeed I will be damn proud of this machine.
gibbous
Well-known member
My Monopoly needs a tear down cleaning, maybe shim coil at Elec. Co. so the ball pops out more consistently. Such a pain when modes time out waiting for that ball to get out of that hole.
Need to upgrade the software on my TSPP. I think it's a first run with 4.0 software. Too bad the burner I have on loan from a buddy is 30 years old.
My STTNG has a variety of mini-issues: Kickback lamp out (bulb OK), Return to Duty flasher out (bulb OK), left shield flasher out (bad lamp holder?), right rollover lamp slow to light, Romulan backbox flasher out (bulb OK), the ball launcher also doesn't launch the ball immediately after the ball enters the shooter lane, and it used to. Don't know what's going on there.
My poor Taxi is the worst, I need to further troubleshoot the locked on lower pop bumper to logic ICs (already replaced everything else down circuit); and troubleshoot the garbage that now shows up on the display after I ran my thumb across a couple of header pins on the board.
Need to upgrade the software on my TSPP. I think it's a first run with 4.0 software. Too bad the burner I have on loan from a buddy is 30 years old.
My STTNG has a variety of mini-issues: Kickback lamp out (bulb OK), Return to Duty flasher out (bulb OK), left shield flasher out (bad lamp holder?), right rollover lamp slow to light, Romulan backbox flasher out (bulb OK), the ball launcher also doesn't launch the ball immediately after the ball enters the shooter lane, and it used to. Don't know what's going on there.
My poor Taxi is the worst, I need to further troubleshoot the locked on lower pop bumper to logic ICs (already replaced everything else down circuit); and troubleshoot the garbage that now shows up on the display after I ran my thumb across a couple of header pins on the board.
Can I get first crack at this if you decide to sell it?
This thread makes me feel a little better...
Pinball Pool - my lowly Gtb Sys 1 is rocking solid w/ a Pascal board and all new connectors. My most reliable machine, believe it or not.
Pinbot - Plays 100% and looks great after I pulled most of the mylar last month. Still need to remove mylar around the pops.
TFTC - Plays 100%, but I need to replace the drop targets. The center one is cracked as usual. They are sitting in the bag in the cabinet and have been for several months. Need to reflow the solder on the DMD connector or replace cable as I occasionally need to reseat it.
Fathom - my most recent acquisition, and biggest project. I've got everything up and working and only spent about $20.....but that's simply "working". Need to rebuild all the mechs, decide if I'm going to restore or replace playfield, etc. etc. My problem here is I am enjoying the gameplay too much - I don't want to break it down to start working on it. But I need to do that soon. Sure.
Pinball Pool - my lowly Gtb Sys 1 is rocking solid w/ a Pascal board and all new connectors. My most reliable machine, believe it or not.
Pinbot - Plays 100% and looks great after I pulled most of the mylar last month. Still need to remove mylar around the pops.
TFTC - Plays 100%, but I need to replace the drop targets. The center one is cracked as usual. They are sitting in the bag in the cabinet and have been for several months. Need to reflow the solder on the DMD connector or replace cable as I occasionally need to reseat it.
Fathom - my most recent acquisition, and biggest project. I've got everything up and working and only spent about $20.....but that's simply "working". Need to rebuild all the mechs, decide if I'm going to restore or replace playfield, etc. etc. My problem here is I am enjoying the gameplay too much - I don't want to break it down to start working on it. But I need to do that soon. Sure.
Dr_Gonzo
Active member
Wanna part with that Fathom? I want one. Going to start searching soon for Andromeda and Fathom. Hope I can find an Andromeda, might be tough.
Honestly, it wasn't even on my radar and I stumbled it across it locally as a basement find.
The playfield is shot, but it's still an awesomely beautiful machine. And the gameplay? I still need to rebuild the mechs, but after I got it running that was my big suprise. Simple, easy to understand, but hard to accomplish and it just keeps you coming back for one more game....
So, at this point I'm leaning towards keeping it. Still not sure I want to drop $1000+ on a repro playfield though. From what I can tell, there are many extremely nice restored Fathoms around, but not that many still left in the wild. Good luck on your search.
Dr_Gonzo
Active member
It's the total package, gameplay is great and the art is so cool. I'm half-assed looking for one, I figure if I fail at finding Andromeda then Fathom is next on the list.
Twilight Zone - needs a full teardown/shop - been waiting on that since I got it, but plays well and I always seem to have some other project in front of it...
Centaur - sold my Centaur II to a buddy, but swapped the playfields first. You'd *think* this would be straightforward - nope. Had to transfer several playfield connectors back and forth, and found out as well afterwards that the flippers are now backwards on both games (left button does right, & vice-versa), and the flipper lane change wiring is completely different between the two, so some other slight tweaks to make. I wonder if Eight Ball Deluxe & Eight Ball Deluxe LE have similar issues? Need to seal the backglass, and clean up the cabinet exterior, create a replacement cable for between the S&T and Say it Again boards, and she's good to go.
Have another friend with a Fathom - I just don't understand the appeal of that game. Nice to look at, good sound and...well, it's nice to look at. Game play never appealed to me much, but I've not played a nicely shopped one yet - perhaps I'll like it more once he's tweaked his a bit..
Centaur - sold my Centaur II to a buddy, but swapped the playfields first. You'd *think* this would be straightforward - nope. Had to transfer several playfield connectors back and forth, and found out as well afterwards that the flippers are now backwards on both games (left button does right, & vice-versa), and the flipper lane change wiring is completely different between the two, so some other slight tweaks to make. I wonder if Eight Ball Deluxe & Eight Ball Deluxe LE have similar issues? Need to seal the backglass, and clean up the cabinet exterior, create a replacement cable for between the S&T and Say it Again boards, and she's good to go.
Have another friend with a Fathom - I just don't understand the appeal of that game. Nice to look at, good sound and...well, it's nice to look at. Game play never appealed to me much, but I've not played a nicely shopped one yet - perhaps I'll like it more once he's tweaked his a bit..
configurethis
Well-known member
Working on everyone elses pins and not having time to even set mine up. But that is a good problem!!
SealClubber
New member
Scorpion: Needs to be shopped.
KISS: Needs a new PF. Wish I could find one.
BOP: Needs to be shopped.
KISS: Needs a new PF. Wish I could find one.
BOP: Needs to be shopped.
spanks_4
Active member
LAH: VUK ramp came loose so readjust it so the crane hits it right.
Figure out why VUK came apart *broke under pf?*
rebuild magnet boards and hope that fixes the issue.
Replace tons of bulbs and clean!
SF2: flipper issues, need new driver board, need motor for flipper, and a good shop job.
Not pinball:
Skeeball: Figure out which sensors are dead and replace, buy new balls, repair shelf damage.
Figure out why VUK came apart *broke under pf?*
rebuild magnet boards and hope that fixes the issue.
Replace tons of bulbs and clean!
SF2: flipper issues, need new driver board, need motor for flipper, and a good shop job.
Not pinball:
Skeeball: Figure out which sensors are dead and replace, buy new balls, repair shelf damage.
