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Bram Stokers Dracula - The now sorta shop log.

s000m

s000m

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Joined
Apr 12, 2021
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Swindon
Hi all,

I'm busy refurbishing my Bram Stokers Dracula.

I may do a shop log, at the moment I don't really have the time to document everything.

Anyway I have a couple of questions for BSD owners.


Air Balls

I'm getting air balls quite a lot. The pitch is at about 6.2 degrees and the machine is level, still no matter what I do when shooting up the left ramp it sky rockets and hits the glass quite often or flies off the ramp often ending up hurtling SDTM. Can someone share pictures of the their ramp?
I'm wondering if the issue is to do with support, mine seems to have some flex on the metal lip which probably isn't helping.
There also appears to be two extra screw holes on the metal piece which don't go anywhere.
Capture.JPG


Moon and Dracula insert

Is there anyway of repairing the inserts for the moon and dracula's face. The edging is very noticably worn. Am I looking at a replacement playfield to resolve this?

capture2.JPG



Mylar is bubbling/lifting

I can see some bubbling near the inserts leading up to mystery shot. I'm worried If I remove the mylar I'll end up lifting the artwork with it. Is there anyway I can reduce the bubbling without removal or do I need to do the 'freeze' trick to remove and then re-apply new mylar?



Playfield removal

Sometime early next year I plan to take out the playfield and re-decal the cabinet. Its pretty beat up, both in and out. Any tips on removal?
 
Two extra screw holes on the metal flap? Aren't there two small screws holding down the lower edge of the ramp, into the recess in the playfield? If they're missing, that may account for air balls. And pushing down the ramp would bring the edge of the flap forward, to meet that faint black line just in front.
 
Jay Walker said:
Two extra screw holes on the metal flap? Aren't there two small screws holding down the lower edge of the ramp, into the recess in the playfield? If they're missing, that may account for air balls. And pushing down the ramp would bring the edge of the flap forward, to meet that faint black line just in front.
Click to expand...
Nope. Most likely this is the problem. Do you know the screw type I would need? A picture of the screw from an owner would be great.
 
s000m said:
Nope. Most likely this is the problem. Do you know the screw type I would need? A picture of the screw from an owner would be great.
Click to expand...
It’ll be the same as the screws on your JP or ST ramps
 
Getting the playfield out is surprisingly straight forward but can feel tricky. My Drac currently has the playfield removed.
I have a hydraulic lift, put the machine on that and then take off the legs and lower the lift as far as it will go down.
Slide out and lift the playfield and it rotates on some lugs that can’t slide further to the front but can lift straight up and out of the cab.
I had a near fully stripped playfield and after ensuring no wires would snag, lifted it out on my own.
 
Mine doesn't have screws in the extra holes either. No air balls but it will often hit the glass where the two wireforms meet
 
I feel like if you added screws the flap will push against the playfield so much in the middle that that the lip will lift up at the pf end of the flap and cause more airballs
 
I would check elsewhere on the ramp to see if something is loose or cracked. I very much doubt it's the flap. I had airballs on my old TAF until I realised the entire ramp hadn't been tightened down.
 
slow motion video with your phone. Other thing to check is that the rubbers are on right and pushed down onto the ledge of the flipper.
 
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Rob zombie said:
I would check elsewhere on the ramp to see if something is loose or cracked. I very much doubt it's the flap. I had airballs on my old TAF until I realised the entire ramp hadn't been tightened down.
Click to expand...
I was thinking this too the ramp may not be seated properly.
 
Rob zombie said:
Maybe also worth checking it's got the correct coils on it.
Click to expand...


Old ones were correct but I think someone had dropped the playfield at one point as they had took a bashing (see the lugs area)

This time it wasn't me >< someone had taped them up, they worked but I didn't want to risk leaving damaged lugs/potential wires in the mechs so I replaced them.

266689562_10165629401270705_6630997384744761746_n.jpg

I replaced them with new coils. So maybe also brand new coils/sleeves is adding to the problem with the missing screws in the ramp.

Have ordered some but snail mail (royal mail) are late with a lot of my packages some as far back as the 13th...
 
crsedgar said:
I was thinking this too the ramp may not be seated properly.
Click to expand...
I'll try reseating, interesting that you don't have screws in yours either. I do notice it lifting up when the ball hits a post as its going up. Maybe its just not seated right. I'll have a good look at it once work stops pushing me to finish a bloody tender bid before Xmas eve ><
 
Agree with Rod Zombie; I've got a very nice condition BSD with no ball hopping and the ramp is Not screwed down. No sign that it ever has been as can see undamaged playfield surface thru the screw holes.
 
M4carp said:
You got lightning flippers on this? Might make a difference if not, had to fit them to mine as it came with standard flippers and that’s just cheating (so I was told).
Click to expand...
Its how it came. I heard these had short flippers like Fish Tales.
 
It's amazing the difference the flippers make. I played a Fish Tales with normal sized flippers and to me it was harder! Lighting flippers feel snappier... And because of that I'd think they'd make the ball fly more 🤔

What about flipper rubbers? Are they in the correct position on the flipper bat's? What type of rubber?

Have the flipper mechs been recently rebuilt? I had airballs when I rebuilt my RS flippers for a short while then they settled down, no idea why!
 
David_Vi said:
It's amazing the difference the flippers make. I played a Fish Tales with normal sized flippers and to me it was harder! Lighting flippers feel snappier... And because of that I'd think they'd make the ball fly more 🤔

What about flipper rubbers? Are they in the correct position on the flipper bat's? What type of rubber?

Have the flipper mechs been recently rebuilt? I had airballs when I rebuilt my RS flippers for a short while then they settled down, no idea why!
Click to expand...
Had new coils and sleeves, new rubbers (Titan glows).

I think it could still be ramp position. I was waiting on some Col plastics to arrive but I think Royal mail has lost them...
 
Mine also does not have the two extra screws, and no holes in the playfield so they've never been there. I used to get occasional air balls off the left ramp but not since I took everything off the playfield last year to give it a good clean. Suspect the ramp wasn't seated properly before as the balls seemed to fly off on the corner, bit of negative camber. I have lightning flippers and the thing is bstard for sdtm 😁
 
My ramp for reference. I've had my BSD a long time but it had mylar on the top part of the playfield that was bubbled when I got it. With the blissful ignorance of someone new to pinball I just peeled it all off without any spray. Playfield underneath was perfect 😬 Luck more than judgement perhaps but unless it's pulling the clearcoat off then it's unlikely to damage the artwork

PS. Getting the playfield out is really straightforward as was said above, but bring a friend. Can be done solo but t's king heavy fully populated and quite unwieldy.
 

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Ramp issue resolved! Screws for either side of the ramp were just not threading tightly.

Added a washer on the left side and new machine screw and nut on the right and voila no more air balls!

Replaced 3 stand up targets today in the centre. Old ones were mashed.

Need to do the ones on the left side but I need to unmount the tunnel underneath which I'll do after Xmas.

Replaced the slings and centre plastics along with the nuts and screws for them.

But by bit this is coming together.
 
Generally, there should be two screws fixing the end of the ramp accessible through holes in the flap. These screws should NOT hold the flap down or even touch it. Idea being that the end of the ramp is fixed and the flap does a neat bend from the playfield onto it while being able to flex.
 
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