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Buying Guide: Ex-Arcade, Home or Dealer

Rus121' date=' post: 1692111 said:
Dont use the youtube advice of spraying air dusters underneath the inserts. It just spreads the muck everywhere else... I use cuetips and a bit of novus 1. Very tedious, but works a treat.

Good advice.

Let us have a picture of the broken part, I will more than likely have a spare knocking around that you will be welcome to FOC.

Can't have your first machine letting you down in the flipper dept.
 
OK, here it is being played by the girlfriend who helped me get it into the kitchen:



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Here is the broken part:



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and



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But I fixed it for now and have the new part coming on Thursday so hopefully it won't effect me too much but thanks for the offer replicas.



Tonight was a surface clean and polish, removing the muc and a full clean will happen over the weekend if I can stop playing it.



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You would have been welcome to a flipper base plate, of which I have quite a few.

On looking at the state of the flippers it looks pretty grim plenty of cleaning needed, also get yourself a flipper rebuild kit as it looks like it could do with it.

Another thing the coil in the picture ( Red FL-11630) is the wrong coil. It should be a Orange FL-15411 , this is a stronger flipper coil . I think that you might struggle making some of the ramp shots with a lesser powered coil.

Don't forget if you get stuck with anything shout out on here and you will get any help you need.

Have fun.

D.
 
I think I will create a build/clean thread. There are lots of things I keep spotting and wondering if that is right or wrong so will take loads of pictures. I will add the coil to the list of parts, it is at present working strong enough but without a perfect comparison I don't know what I am missing.

Where does all this black filth come from? It is everywhere.

Just finished replacing what I thought were none working bulbs but now can see that some might have a problem with the socket. Still, it is getting brighter with every fiddle.
 
Best way to learn. Have a good look about but to be save and so you don't blow any fuse's before fiddling with anything under the playfield TURN THE POWER OFF.

Look forward to seeing the pic's.

Oh and as for the black stuff it forms from all the moving parts coils firing and pop bumpers poping etc.
 
Welcome to the dark side ! (the underneath of a playfield).



Looking at your pics one of the things you can do which will make a big difference is clean the light inserts and bulbs. It is one of the first things I do when I get a new pin. I use anti static foam cleaner on a 1/2" paint brush and then clear off any excess with a cotton bud.



When you take out the wedge bulbs (they are called 555's) to clean them there is a fair chance that a few won't work when you put them back in. This is because over time the contacts become tarnished. If you twist one of the holders out and then pull the bulb out you will see the contact wires. If a bulb isn't working and it isn't blown you can clean these contacts by scraping them with a craft knife (watch your fingers) or a needle file. If you look inside the black plastic holder you will see the brass contacts. These sometimes need cleaning up too (carefully, they can break easily). Gently slide a needle file between the contacts a few times.



Get the fuse holders for the magnets too ASAP if they are not already fitted.( http://www.maplin.co.uk/in-line-fuse-holders-418 )



Enjoy !



I sold my first Addams and it slowly dawned on me over the years that I missed it and eventually bought another one. This one is staying as I have recently put a new playfield in it !



Andrew.









Calimori' date=' post: 1692127 said:
I think I will create a build/clean thread. There are lots of things I keep spotting and wondering if that is right or wrong so will take loads of pictures. I will add the coil to the list of parts, it is at present working strong enough but without a perfect comparison I don't know what I am missing.

Where does all this black filth come from? It is everywhere.

Just finished replacing what I thought were none working bulbs but now can see that some might have a problem with the socket. Still, it is getting brighter with every fiddle.
 
Looks like you got a line out on the bottom of the display too. The black filth comes from the coil end stops being battered (the thing that broke off in your pic - notice how it has deformed) by the ball, as well as other metal on metal workings.
 
The high voltage warning signs were putting me off doing any work whilst it was on, I have been electrocuted before but I don't want to hurt the machine.
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I think I need a trip to Maplins for cleaner and some more tools, though I have some in-line fuse sockets somewhere. The mansion lights are not all working and I changed the bulbs so will look at the connections.

Andrew, where did you source a new playfield from? Mine is far from perfect but doesn't effect play, the pain has cracked over the magnet area but there is no signed of burn. I will document the areas of concern this weekend. I don't think the auto flipper is working and I am not sure if this is a problem from when I reconnected the back box connectors. I will get the jumper number so maybe someone can check it for me.



Rus121, yes, the bottom line is missing. I am hoping I can use your advice from above about conductive epoxy to see if I can fix it.

The more I look, the more I can see that could do with fixing or replacing but that is not going to get me down, it makes me grin every time it starts up.
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I really appreciate the advice and help so thanks, I would always rather know that something is incorrect and wrong so I can have a go at fixing it.
 
I got my playfield off eBay ( it wasn't cheap !).



Re Thing Flips.



Put the machine in switch test and roll a ball down the lane that leads to the Thing flipper. The switch should register, if it doesn't there is a good chance that the optos are filthy. Squirt a wee bit of glass cleaner onto a cotton bud and gently poke it through the holes in the metal ball guides.



Andrew.
 
I just need the balls to do the swap (and the time, and some warmer weather!!)...
 
I have a wedding to go to later but before that a question.

Whilst messing up the connections to remove the back box I might have connected the white/blue wires from the extra flipper board (J901-1-2, pins 1&2) to J105 on the Power Driver Board but it would have also fitted J104. Reviewing the schematic I can't find J105 or J104 but it seems to be that J104 is a breaker and the wiring diagram for J901-1-2 shows it should go to a break.

Is someone able to confirm that on their board TAF (not Gold which uses a flippertronics II board) that J104 goes to J901? :confused:
 
Paul' date=' post: 1692146 said:
I just need the balls to do the swap (and the time, and some warmer weather!!)...

Yep, once you start you need to finish it in a couple of days otherwise you start forgetting stuff.



Well worth the effort though.
 
The top of mine is partly stripped anyhow, so a chunk will be forgotten already
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Lol - Good luck me!
 
Paul' date=' post: 1692157 said:
The top of mine is partly stripped anyhow, so a chunk will be forgotten already
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Lol - Good luck me!

Do what I do. Make a little wooden plinth and mount all the bits you have left over and use it as a topper.
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Hi,

I have had a couple of beers so want to add my tale of the pin!

I also consider myself a noob, although i have had my one and only machine (TAF)coming up a year now, bought from a well know seller, paid i suppose over the odds at the time but now i look and feel ok about it. I am lucky in the fact that my machine has been error free for the time i have had it(touch wood) it does have wear but not too bad at all, also a line out on the dot matrix but not bad enought yet to replace.

My topper is cracked at the back, looks ok from the front but being who i am want things right for my pride and joy. To cut a long story short, i have bought another topper and a collegue in the USA is keeping it for me until i go over with work ( i go once or twice a year) when i get my new one you are welcome to my old one if you want it.

I have bought mods (thanks to Andy Dredds) which i feel enhance the machine and have put a deposit down on a Twilight Zone from someone off the group who has been kind enough to take a deposit until i can afford it in a few months.

I like you have read all the pros and cons, seen all the prices and even called Andy Dredds who must have the patience of a saint to listen to someone like me, just because i bought a mod, pour my heart out over this and that about pinball.

I have learnt that the best advice come from people like Andy and others on here, sponge the info from them it is woth a lot.

I bought myself a BMW m sport and gave the mrs £1300 i did not have towards a car for her so i would be skint and not buy another pin i did not have room for. It did not work, i put the deposit down and will get it before july when i have saved some cash, once you are hooked you are hooked.

So i am buying pin number two which has to be my last (yeah right!) i have never played it, i may even hate it, everyone thinks i am going through a mid life crisis because nobody else gets it but i love it!!

Must also say my girlfriend is a saint because i don't know many (aside from partners of people on here) who would put up with it, and MW3 but that's another story!

Thanks for putting up with a drunken tale!

Adie
 
I mess up more than most so any advice from me must be taken with a tub full of salt
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Get ready for a long engagement with your TZ before you become inseparable.
 
I agree Adrian, the advice on here has been fantastic and has really helped me.

Thanks for the offer of the topper, let me know when you are collecting yours though I might well have an impulse buy before then.

One pinball, that is all I have room for at the moment and the gf is not allowed to become a pinball widow, that is the promise. We should repay them by taking them all to Vegas and we can go to the museum whilst they go shopping.
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Adrian, I am very interested in seeing the mods you have done, plus any pictures of your TAF. My pictures and other tales are here My Life With An Ex-Arcade TAF.

 
Calimori' date=' post: 1692429 said:
We should repay them by taking them all to Vegas and we can go to the museum whilst they go shopping.
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You may be a novice when it comes to pinball but you are a pro when it comes to understanding women, great idea
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I bought my first pin back in October. I dragged a friend along who has been in the pin game for a while now. There were a few things wrong with it but the playfield was good so he gave the nod.



It's amazing the knowledge you pick up by finding something wrong, researching it and having a crack at sorting yourself.



I've learned a helluva lot in the short space of time(especially NOT to try and fix a DMD again) but I still consider myself a novice.



So, five months later, I own 3 Pins!



It's addictive. That's the only thing you can't fix or control.
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Theres was a time i loved to fix up knackered pins. Oh the excitement at the anticipation of a new switch matrix error, or that inevitable driver board repair......haha.



I used to really enjoy the phantom fuse blow caused by a piece of wire or solder in the bulb socket. Buckets of joy to be had searching 100+ bulb sockets....yay!...lol.
 
Rus, I sense some sarcasm there
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With several project cars and motorbikes, I know I will get to a stage where I will just want it to work and not have any problems. But luckily my TAF is not causing too many Gremlin electrical issues. Yet.

Permission has been granted to come to the Slam on Sunday so I might bump into a few of you there. :cool:
 
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