Newbie took the plunge

[nathan]

Hello all,



Finally bought a pinball this week and am looking for general advice / help.



Its a Whirlwind and I'm extremely happy with it though job/work is lacking as I've been 'one more go' ing into the early hours.



Seller gave me a general guide but I'm really asking people to get me up to speed with being an owner.



I suppose first thing is maintenance and problems to look out for. What spares/parts should I keep at all times etc etc.



Can you suggest sites, blogs that I should read.



Basically what you wish you'd known when you started out.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Basically what you wish you'd known when you started out.

That there is no way out of this crazy b*stard hobby once you start .... ...9 years down the road and I no longer know how to even *start* looking for the way out

You had better start making room for that next game...and the next...and the next.



Seriously, congrats on the purchase, Whirlwind is a cool game.



I'll post some links and stuff later when I have more time. I'm sure others will throw some up here anyway.

 

[cooldan]

i've been a newbie for 2 years now, still know next to nothing. less, if that's possible.



if you're good with your hands, you may get to grips with almost everything inside a few months. but if you're like me, then you can expect the learning curve to go like this:



1 month: ah, so that's how to get in the backbox

2 months: i know this one, it's definitely a job for J101 to bridge rectifier resistance, ijust have to check the opto transistor matrix in the manual.

3 months: at least, i thought that was the key for the backbox

6 months: i think i'll change the batteries, wish i could remember where they were

9 months: meh

12 months: finally i try to re-do a flipper, and **** it up

15 months: have another go, **** it up again, this time also cut my elbow really deep

18 months: get someone in to fix stuff

21 months: i can change a bulb now

2 years: er ......... hi everyone, how do i fix my basic problem?





don't worry dude, either someone can come and fix stuff for cash or friendship, or they can advise you how to try yourself here and then later come and fix it up after you busted everything and shortcircuited your entire street.

 

[ronsplooter]

Welcome to the forum

Its a Whirlwind and I'm extremely happy with it

A fine choice, WW is a great game. I'll post some notes on specifics to looks at re: WW at some point this weekend. I shopped mine out earlier in the year and there are certain things I'd recommend getting hold of.

 

[Calimori]

Hi Nathan



I started out at the beginning of April and work on a simple principle, take lots of before and after photos. I use them to check how things go back together properly and with them have taken a lot of my machine apart.

Get to know the test function in the menu for things like bulbs and switches as that really helps fix issues. Post issues and someone will help out, this forum has been really helpful and taught me a lot. Andy at pinball mania is also great for help and parts and is generally known as the Legend.

Now show us some pictures of your machine.

 

[nathan]

Cooldan's post made me laugh...



Cheers Grizz, it'll certainly help to have some links to read. I dont wanna dum down the forum to much, but probably will



Oh and i've already thought 'I could fit another machine in here'......



Ronsplooter - That'd be great. 'Shopped out' = sold or?

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Your machine looks in pretty good shape topside.



Bulbs are the most common spare part you'll need - stock up on #44 and #555 , the most commonly used ones. #906 and #89 are flashers, get some of these too. Look hard enough on any machine and you'll usually find a blown bulb or 2.



Get some Novus #2 for general cleaning - can use it on playfield, plastics,ramps, rubbers .



Check yr balls

- if they look dull, scratched, pitted or god forbid rusty then replace immediately. Damaged/worn balls will cause more wear on yr machine.



Replace the batteries on the main board in the backbox, 3 x AA - you prob dont know when these were last changed, so better to put new ones in than risk an old one dumping its chemicals over the board. Do this with the power on and you won't lose any game settings, high scores etc. Just be careful in there when power is on

In general its always best to power off the game before doing any maintenance - even just changing a bulb. Its very easy with all the wires and connections to short something out with a screwdriver or something, and cause damage to the machine, or worse to yourself. You may see some of us 'old hands' tinkering away with the power on ....but that is because we are very silly boys who should know better



Decent set of nut drivers are a must for taking stuff apart - which you will have to in order to change rubbers, replace bulbs etc. Something like these



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-PIECE-S..._Equipment&hash=item4cfa59ff18#ht_1718wt_1165





To be honest most spares you might need can be got within a day or 2 from either



Andy at http://www.pinballmania.co.uk/



or



Phil at http://www.pinballheaven.co.uk/shop/index.php?language=en



Whereabouts in the country are you ? There may well be a friendly local pinhead nearby who can give you advice, help with repairs etc.

 

[ronsplooter]

Ronsplooter - That'd be great. 'Shopped out' = sold or?

Shopped out means that I stripped to top of the pf down, cleaned everything, replaced anything that was broken (plastics, switches etc), fixed any mechanical gremlins and put it back together. It now has pride of place in my kitchen, can't see myself ever selling WW, I love it

Have a look at my shop log post for pics and info:



http://www.pinballinfo.com/forums/threads/whirlwind-shop-log.320587/

Your machine looks in pretty good shape topside.

I agree with Ive on this, you've done well with your purchase. Thats a nice looking WW. From the pics it looks like there's minimal wear at the scoop holes and the common broken plastics (slingshots and skillshot) seem good. Your spinning discs also look really good, I'm guessing they've been changed in the not too distant past. It looks like someone has used plastic washers to protect your slingshots (which is good as they can break easily with the brutal slings on the pin) but I'd recommend getting this protector kit:



http://www.pinbits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_18&products_id=73



The skillshot plastic is prone to being destroyed and this kit will protect it (and decent new ones can be tricky to find). You also get full ss protectors in it

A couple of other things to check are the jackpot ramp entrance as this can become cracked very easily. Cliffy sells a ramp protector that I would say is a must buy:



http://www.passionforpinball.com/whirly_pros.htm



He also sells scoop hole protectors if you wanted them. Personally I don't think yours needs it (your scoops look very similar to mine) and having them will change the feel of those shots.



Check the up/down ramp operation is free, you may find that the ramp will drop on its own sometimes (and then go straight back up) because of wear to the mech under the pf. Mines doing this a bit at the moment so when I get round to fixing it I'll put pics up on here. I'd be interested to see some close up pics of the thin plastic on the left hand side of the up/down ramp as it looks like yours has got an extra plastic there that doesn't belong?

 

[nathan]

Sorry for delay.....



Grizz, thanks for tips, changed the batteries. They looked new but thought better be safe than sorry.



Ronsplotter. Found your shop log really helpful and will definately sort out some protectors. I didn't notice the odd plastic but I'm guessing this is a botch/cover up for a broken plastic? (See pics)



Is it best to compare my pin with photos on ipdb to check for fixes/fudges?



The pin seems to play fine and i've been racking up the games but I would like to have it with the proper plastics. Would they come from US?



Also any advise / sites on playfield protection as there is a little wear and I dont want it to get worse due to my ignorance.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Also any advise / sites on playfield protection as there is a little wear and I dont want it to get worse due to my ignorance.

To be honest ,the use a machine gets at home is so light compared to being on site that wear isn't as much an issue as you might expect, some folk worry themselves to death about it

but really I wouldn't be too concerned - make sure the balls are in good condition, clean the playfield with Novus 2 when you start seeing lots of ball trails...and you should be fine.



Play the hell out of it and don't fret

 

[ronsplooter]

I didn't notice the odd plastic but I'm guessing this is a botch/cover up for a broken plastic?

Looks like the original plastic snapped and someone has used that odd piece to cover the hole (mine had snapped as well just not quite as far back as yours). I'll take a pic of mine over the weekend so you can see what it should look like. You should be able to pick up a replacement plastic for this, try the UK and Europe guys first and if not I'm pretty sure someone in the US will have it. The Pinbits plastic protector kit has a piece that protects this plastic

 

[nathan]

Sorry GrizZ missed a bit.... I'm in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.