What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Worst/costliest mistake you've made

Durzel

Durzel

Registered
Joined
Oct 1, 2017
Messages
2,041
Location
Bath, UK
Not a costly mistake, I hope, but so far the worst pinball mistake I've made...

Fitted a ColorDMD to my recently acquired Tron LE this evening. Took my time, patiently followed the instructions to the letter. Everything was going smoothly...

When it came to running the power cable down through the backbox and threading it to the front of the machine I needed to pull the playfield out. Now, unbeknownst to me with this being my first Stern pin, the PF simply rests on the two metal channels, it's not held onto it like a drawer on runners.

You can probably guess where this is going.

I pulled it all the way out, expecting it to lock into position like TZ does. Instead when I felt resistance (the point at which TZ needs an extra pull to lock into position) I proceeded to pull the entire playfield off the guides, whereupon it dropped down into the cabinet. For about a minute I think I froze, wondering how this could happen.

By some complete fluke it didn't damage anything, but for about 2 minutes I was supporting the weight of the PF with one hand, unable to let go because it had nothing to safely rest on.

Eventually I managed to summon up some sheer force of will and lift the whole thing at arm's length back onto the guides.

To make me feel like less of an idiot I'd like to know what bad or costly (or both) mistakes people have made...
 
I've done that too, but I've no excuse as well aware of the system and owned many sterns. I just wasn't concentrating and thought it was at the first notch when infact it was at the final notch.
 
I've done that too.
On a brand new AC/DC LE.
Learnt a valuable lesson.

I've come within mm of sliding a pin too far out of my van as well.
 
Yep, I did that with AC/DC LE too, my first Stern, first NIB. It was a shock at the time and managed to somehow get it back OK, I thought I'd totally knackered it.
 
I very nearly did that with tron too - my first stern. What a rubbish design! Trying to pivot it to lift over that initial bump is ridiculous. Whoever designed that system should be ashamed of themselves.
 
Same here, easily done when all you've had is B/W games.

My most costly mistake was buying a basket case Whitewater which needed pretty much new everything including cabinet for my second pin. Up until that point the only pin knowledge I had was installing Cliffy's and swapping out LED's. It still isn't finished and I dread to think how much I've spent on it, the ramp set alone was something mad like £600! Seriously contemplating putting it up for sale as I'm sick of looking at it not working. :(
 
Jsyjay said:
Same here, easily done when all you've had is B/W games.

My most costly mistake was buying a basket case Whitewater which needed pretty much new everything including cabinet for my second pin. Up until that point the only pin knowledge I had was installing Cliffy's and swapping out LED's. It still isn't finished and I dread to think how much I've spent on it, the ramp set alone was something mad like £600! Seriously contemplating putting it up for sale as I'm sick of looking at it not working. :(
Click to expand...

My TOM is like that, in bits, all new, new cab, playfield, all of it. BUT I WILL DO IT. Even bought another TOM (which I've since almost refurbed) as reference.

Once I've done the nice TOM, I'll likely put a new PF in the one I've just refurbed. I'm going to be sick of the sight of it :)
 
I did a similar thing with my first Data East (WWE), I can't pretend that no damage was caused though. OH YEAH.
 
I feel better that I'm not the only one to drop a Stern playfield into the cabinet. :( Looking on Pinside there are plenty of people who have done it there too.

It's a staggeringly bad design. When it happened I thought I must've done something wrong, or that I was missing some piece of mounting hardware or something inside. It wasn't until I did a search I found out that it's pretty much a rite of passage for anyone coming from B/W pins.
 
Am I the first to drop a Bally playfield into the cabinet? All I wanted to do was change a bulb, but, oh, that night unfolded in a completely different way.

In my defence, the right-hand pivot nut had dropped off and the entire playfield was off the left hand pivot before I noticed what I'd heard dropping.

Luckily my pinball-loving girlfriend was with me and she was able to hold it whilst I summoned a neighbour/friend who held the other end so I could get it remounted.

Miraculously there was absolutely no damage to the machine, but I suffered the agony of a slipped disc between C6 & C7 in my neck which lasted a few months (which was a much preferred result over what could have happened to my lovely pin).

CB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom