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Data East - what part number is the centre post?

Dinsdale

Dinsdale

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Oct 19, 2022
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Hoping for some clarification.

I want to put in the centre post on my DE Royal Rumble to help with ball drains to help with those frustrating "straight down the middle" situations.

IMG_8769.jpeg

Looking at the manual, I see the rubber that goes around the post is part number 545-5009-00... but what about the post itself?

The manual has a bunch of posts the game uses but doesn't specifically a map like the rubbers and lamps etc.

I'm guessing it's either 2 or 5?!

IMG_8768.jpeg
 
That hole is a pilot hole and you would need to open it out to fit a post. Once you have fitted the post you will drain just as many balls in a slightly different way. Up to you but it is likely to devalue the game.

David
 
Manual shows that WWF has the post. Its No 2. 530-5004-00. But sometimes manuals are wrong. I would check around to see if the post is usually installed as there is no going bacck once installed.
 
It will be a wood screw post like 2. But it'll still enlarge that hole and look horrible should you ever take it out.

You can get more drains with a centre post due to misjudgement 😄

I'd leave it and just be patient till you improve.
 
I watched a video on YouTube and the guy has the post (though it's out of shot) as he thanked it for saving his ball a few times - hence the reason for looking at the manual and hence this thread.

EDIT: and it must have it because the rubber for it is listed.
 
Dinsdale said:
I watched a video on YouTube and the guy has the post (though it's out of shot) as he thanked it for saving his ball a few times - hence the reason for looking at the manual and hence this thread.

EDIT: and it must have it because the rubber for it is listed.
Click to expand...
You have a game that is near 30 years old and there is no post fitted. There is a reason for that and I would leave as is because it will ruin the pf and won't make you a better player.

David
 
I’ve seen them fitted it’s post number 2, it doesn’t help when fitted, and you actually drain more as many times you leave the ball to ‘bounce’ off it and it doesn’t! Go into the menu and add a ball to gameplay, so a 4 ball game instead of 3, and enable ball drain save or extend the time on it, it may feel wrong as you’re doing it but you soon forget it was any different. DONT fit the post, looks terrible. Have you DE bats fitted and not lightning ones, couldn’t tell from photo and they look a little short compared to the alignment holes
 
Jagspete said:
I’ve seen them fitted it’s post number 2, it doesn’t help when fitted, and you actually drain more as many times you leave the ball to ‘bounce’ off it and it doesn’t! Go into the menu and add a ball to gameplay, so a 4 ball game instead of 3, and enable ball drain save or extend the time on it, it may feel wrong as you’re doing it but you soon forget it was any different. DONT fit the post, looks terrible. Have you DE bats fitted and not lightning ones, couldn’t tell from photo and they look a little short compared to the alignment holes
Click to expand...
Bats have the DE logo on them so I think they're original. Not sure what lightning bats are.

Thanks for suggestion on changing setting. I don't think that's necessary. I like 3 balls play, it's just that the hitting the centre ramp too soft means it straightens itself and goes right down the middle and it's impossible to save even with a strong tilt. I just saw same thing happen on a YouTube video but someone had a post.

My T2 also has a post so I thought it was just a standard thing that was simply missing.
 
'Lightning' flippers were tried by Williams in the early 90's - they're slightly shorter than normal. About the width of a flipper rubber band, but not so much so that a different size band is needed. They're so called due to the raised lightning bolt moulded on top, maybe to disguise the smaller size. The story is that the French operating trade wanted them. There are frequent discussions about whether Fish Tales is better with normal or lightning. Dracula is regarded as the standard in punishing poor accuracy, even more so with lightnings. Some games, such as White Water, were shipped with lightning flipper paddles among the spares supplied. I used to use them for a site which antagonised me; everything going there had them fitted, including Addams Family.

Sometimes a mini-post has been ruled out during the design stage; the flyer for Getaway shows that the prototype has the hole for one, blanked with a plastic plug. Or, conversely, has gained one late on, like Earthshaker. The flyer shows anti-return wire rails below the flippers, and no post, while production had the rails left out because a post had been added.
 
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