What's new
By:
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!

Couple of minor Whirlwind issues

ronsplooter

ronsplooter

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
6,598
Location
Nottingham
I've had a quality day off work today tinkering and playing pinball and had chance to look into a couple of minor issues with my Whirlwind which I need a bit of advice on. The first one is to do with the top right pop bumper. It doesn't fire at all during gameplay but does in the coil test. Rus said in another post that it could be the switch or the skirt and now I've had chance to have a better look I think it might be the skirt. I can get it to fire in game but only when the skirt is pressed in certain area's (mainly at the back where the ball won't hit it) and it also feels different to the others.....not as tight if that makes sense. Does this mean I'm going to have to rebuild it with a new skirt?



The other issue is 2 of the Skyway Toll lights won't work. I've swapped lamps and holders but still no joy. I think it's bad connections between the lamp holder and the board as I can get one of them to come on sometimes by wiggling it about. What the best way to fix this? I tried cleaning up the contact points on the board with some very fine grit wet and dry but still not sorted it.



Once I've got these two things sorted and the new spring for the up/down ramp arrives it will be done and just need a clean up
smile-1.png
Then I can start thinking about whether I'm going to put LED's in it.
 
You may be able to sort the bumper by closing the gap a bit on the switch.

As for the toll lights mine was the same, a couple of cracked joints knocks the whole lot out. Resolder the joints and it'll work fine.
 
Make sure that the cup into which the pop bumper skirt prong sits is dead central. It must be right in the middle, then set the switch gap. Could be bad lamp holders. its a good idea to bend the wires on the bulb to the opposite side, so that when you put it in the socket, it now makes contact with a never used contact in the holder. Before putting the bulb in, bend the contacts of the lamp holder up as far as possible to maximise pressure on the pcb.
 
Thanks for the advice, had a bit of a tinker with it today and the plot thickens......couldn't get the pop bumper working yet although I didn't spend too long looking at it today as I was working on the up/down ramp. I've fitted the new spring but it hasn't solved the problem of it popping up and down multiple times when trying to go into the up position. I've had a look at the mechanism underneath and I think it's because the little catch that locks it into the up position isn't catching properly. It also seems to be that when it does catch it doesn't hold it very well and the ramp will drop down when it's not supposed to. Anyone had this issue before or know if there's any adjustment in the catch?



I also need to have a go at making the spinning wheels quieter as they rattle when spinning. Sounds like it's coming from the gears and wheels rather than the motor so wondered if anyone knows how easy it is to get to the gear mechanism. Checking underneath it looks like I'd need to remove some of the lamp pcbs and a load of wiring to get the metal tray off that covers the wheels which I'd rather not do. Is there a way of getting to the gears from the top....if I unscrew the wheels from the bottom can they be lifted out the top? Is there anything in particular to use to lubricate them?



I'll probably have a go at taking both things to bits later this week but thought I should check on here in case there's anything I need to be aware of before I do
biggrin-1.png
 
Just take lots of pics before you take it apart. Get hold of the manual for the game and go through the strip down articles for each mechanism within the game and you wont go wrong.



Stripping pinball mechs can be a right pain in the ass, but you will get a great sense of achievement once its all back together......
 
Success!!!
biggrin-1.png
I've fixed the up down ramp problem.



It was the catch in the end, it just didn't click into place enough to hold the ramp up consistently. I stripped it down and cleaned everything then added a couple of washers in between the catch and the plate the spring is attached to. That little bit of extra height gives the catch enough grip to hold the ramp arm first time.



And as a double bonus, on my test go after making the fix I got my new highest ever score of 38.8M...what a result
biggrin-1.png




Just the pop bumpers and noisy spinning discs to sort out now.
 
The pop bumpers are now working again
biggrin-1.png
Just needed the switches adjusting as the gap was a bit big on one and on the other the bottom two bits of the switch weren't in contact when the switch closed. I'm moving onto looking at the spinning discs now but the manual doesn't have a picture of the assembly, just the parts list, so I'm not sure on the best way to take it apart.



Has anyone ever took one of these apart and can give me some info...or post some pics up if you have them?
 
So I bit the bullet and took the wheel assembly out last night, stripped it down and cleaned it. It's currently in bits on my coffee table so I'll be putting it all back together tonight. I've had some info through the yahoo group and it sounds like I might have to live with the noise as there's not much I can do....just happens when you've got plastic gears spinning quite fast.



I've taken some pics while I was removing it so I'll post them along with my notes in the Tips and Tricks section when I get chance....might be of use to someone else one day
smile-1.png
 
Excellent news. Will be interesting to see the inner working of the mech. Are there replacement gears available?
 
I've not seen any replacement gears on the net and tbh the ones I've got are in good condition so I don't think they need replacing. I'm hoping that a good clean and maybe a bit of lubrication in certain places will help. I also need find a very small bit that connects the motor gear to the shaft as it seems to have gone missing in the cab somewhere
sad-1.png
 
Found the small screw in the bottom of the cab and have rebuilt the mech. I wasn't expecting much difference but I have to say I'm amazed
smile-1.png
It's so much quieter now that with the glass on it's almost silent.
 
I buy stuff from Mr. Pinball all the time. The only time i have ever paid vat or import duty was when i bought a large ramp set and as he marked the value less than what i bought it for, it wasnt too painful...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom