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Hook Help

george

george

Registered
5Years
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
18
Location
Knutsford
Hi All! Had my first pinball, Hook, since Tuesday and I've got a few questions. A few are general and others specific to Hook. I'll go through things in sections:

Playfield

I've done some searches regarding playfield repairs but it looks like a very specialist area. I've got a bit of damage that I'd like to try and touch up myself, if possible,so I'm after advice as to whether it'd be too hard, as the last thing I want to do is make it worse.

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Is this supposed to be bent??

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Translite and back box

The translite has some burn damage to the back caused by the bulbs resting against it. It looks like it's been touched up with white tippex but you can still see light coming through in a couple of places. Not too sure if anything can be done here?

Picture of translite from the back where you can see all the touch-ups:
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First visible hole is just above Rufio's head:

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This one is just under the top of the sleeve:

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I think there is supposed to be a bulb here??

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Display

When @chris b listed the machine he did say there was a problem with the dmd. Two lines were out and it was outgassing. I've linked to a video of it starting up and then some pictures of when it's been on for 10 minutes or so. I've after advice whether to a) put up with it b) try and fix it or c) by an led replacement:

Link to startup

And here it's been on for a while:

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Other strangeness

The right slingshot seems to have a life of its own. Vid here

Should this be soldered on?

img_0564.jpg


Any help would be much appreciated!
 
Re: the playfield, if you pick up some normal acrylic artists paints from Hobbycraft, The Range etc then just have a go at doing the touch up as if you mess up then it just wipes off so you shouldn't make things worse. Once you get something you're happy with then you'll need to seal it in using some sort of clearcoat (I'd probably just spot clear over the touch ups rather than do the whole playfield or anything).

Re: the bend on the habitrail, I've never owned a Hook so not 100% sure but it looks correct to me. Probably to aid the ball travel down the rail.

Re: the translite, again you could try touching up with the same paints used for the playfield, try and buy a replacement or tbh I'd just leave it and enjoying playing your new pin :thumbs:

Re: the display, does it bother you? If it was me I'd leave it alone for now and replace it when it finally dies or gets so bad that it's p*ssing you off :)

Re: the slingshot, check the switches and adjust the gap on them. It looks like one of the switches is gapped too close and the vibration of the flipper firing is setting off the slingshot. Just gently bend the switch blade with needle nose pliers to a more sensible gap.

Re: the fuse, no it shouldn't be soldered on :D The left side fuse clip has broken so you need to get a replacement and solder it on. Send Andy an email through his website and he can sort you out with fuse clips:

http://www.pinballmania.co.uk/
 
Hi george

Glad you received your machine ok and a nice write up btw.

You've already got some good advice above, you can practice the pf touch-ups on a clear transparency and overlay the pf to check the colours (when dry) are a good match. For the cabinet itself Reeves Rose Madder and Mars Black are brilliant matches to touch-up any dings so perhaps buy a set with those in (Range stocks them as Ron says).

The habitrail doesn't look quite right mine is straighter (pic below) - the ball shouldn't fall out so if it doesn't don't worry or just bend it back a bit.

WP_20160521_14_13_24_Pro.jpg

Yes you're missing a GI bulb. The stapled line has rusted and that piece of brown wire has been inserted to bridge the missing section bypassing and removing that bulb holder. Here's a pic of mine for reference, similar has happened on the rhs and some nice bare copper wire used to replace it.

WP_20160521_14_18_31_Pro.jpg

Whilst in the BB the 4 or 5 lights under Tinker Bell at the top of the translite should be twinkly bulbs. My translite is similar condition to yours tbh it hasn't worried me so I'm interested if the acrylic touch ups work.

WP_20160521_14_15_59_Pro.jpg

I agree that replacing the DMD would be a false economy. Hook and a few earlier DEs has a rarer low resolution panel.

Have you got to grips with the diagnostics yet? That's useful to walk through checking all the bulbs, mech's, switches etc.

Finally, if you find it tough hittingthe ramps, particularly the 360 windcoaster, you likely need to rebuild (service) the flippers. They need to be nice and strong for that game.

Most important play the heck out of it and enjoy :thumbs:

Cheers
 
ronsplooter said:
Re: the display, does it bother you? If it was me I'd leave it alone for now and replace it when it finally dies or gets so bad that it's p*ssing you off :)
Click to expand...

I'm sure I've read that a display with outgassing draws more current than a good one and so puts the high voltage components on the power board under more stress than they should be.

If that's the case I'd advise replacing it sooner rather than later....though I may be talking rubbish so someone like @pinballmania could comment on this much better than me!

Hook is a great first game by the way! :)

Andy
 
Glad you are enjoying the hook not much to add really as all the questions have been answered re the slingshot check the gap as chris said also check the wires and the diode have not come off if you are replacing the fuse holder on the board and removing it then i would also replace the gi header pins as if i remember these are burned also best to replace the female connector too pinball heaven sells all the bits you need inc the tool to do the wires on the female l connector
 
Thanks for all the help guys!

What's the best way of applying acrylic paint to very small areas of the playfield: the finest of brushes or something like a pin?

Regarding the translite: if I touch it up from behind I'm just going to be painting straight onto the glass aren't I? Maybe I could stick some vinyl over the back of the hole and paint the front of that? I've no idea how much light the translite lets through compared to something like mylar or similar?

I think I'm going to replace the screen. I ran diagnostics @astyy but it's hard to make things out 100% because of the screen and it does bug me. Would the old one be worth anything to anyone? If I can get a bit for it it would offset the cost of the led one. I thought Pinball Heaven did the led ones but they seem to have disappeared. Are you getting more in @philpalmer? I know pinled.de have them but I'd rather buy from the UK if possible. I've also read outgassing can cause a strain on the board as @andy says so it might be prudent to change it.

Once that's changed I'll check all the bulbs and replace where necessary along with the fuse holder and other bits as per @chris b and @PinballDaze and then I fancy stripping the playfield down as it needs a good clean and I've got new rubbers on order.

Question for @astyy - is the tree bumper supposed to wiggle or should it be rock solid like the other two bumpers? Also, do you ever gets balls stuck next to the lower bumper as per the pic? It happens pretty often on mine so I'm wondering whether it's bad luck or the bumper isn't working as it should. It does work but can these things lose sensitivity with age?

IMG_0591.JPG

Again, thanks for all the help!!
 
i will be getting x pin ones in, but pin led are impossible to deal with
 
george said:
Question for @astyy - is the tree bumper supposed to wiggle or should it be rock solid like the other two bumpers? Also, do you ever gets balls stuck next to the lower bumper as per the pic? It happens pretty often on mine so I'm wondering whether it's bad luck or the bumper isn't working as it should. It does work but can these things lose sensitivity with age?
Click to expand...

Hi @george very rarely I do get a ball stuck in that position - but per my photo below there should be a wire deflector that can be bent out a bit to adjust. I can't see this part in your photo, perhaps it's bent right in? Or if missing worth making something up.

Not sure what you mean re the bumper wiggling, that doesn't sound right they're all the same mech and the plastic bracket should be secure on the underside. These can crack where they attach (see peteb Hook shop log) so investigate this area and that everything is secured properly. Only the white apron (to activate the switch) and metal bumper to pull down should have movement.

Its a coincidence you're struggling to use the diagnostics cos of the display. When I got mine it had a flipper fault causing it to wiz through the diagnostic settings which was a challenge until I fixed the flipper board. It sounds like you're set on a new display why not post a specific wanted ad, somebody on here may have one in their horde.

WP_20160523_08_48_10_Pro.jpg
 
george said:
Regarding the translite: if I touch it up from behind I'm just going to be painting straight onto the glass aren't I?
Click to expand...
The translite is like a poster clipped to the glass, you can remove it and work from either side. On mine they're not holes but areas where the paint has scratched off. I'm wary of this kind of work as bad touch-ups can look worse than small flaws.
 
The display looks burnt out to me. Ideally you should check the power supplies first in case there's a low voltage supply but my bet would be that they're fine. Even when it's warmed up I suspect you will still be missing the lighter shades of detail. You'll probably only be seeing the 100% shades. If you're going to replace it down the line, I'd bite the bullet and do it now
 
astyy said:
Hi @george very rarely I do get a ball stuck in that position - but per my photo below there should be a wire deflector that can be bent out a bit to adjust. I can't see this part in your photo, perhaps it's bent right in? Or if missing worth making something up.
View attachment 30681
Click to expand...

I've checked and there's nothing there so I'll try and copy yours.

astyy said:
The translite is like a poster clipped to the glass, you can remove it and work from either side. On mine they're not holes but areas where the paint has scratched off. I'm wary of this kind of work as bad touch-ups can look worse than small flaws.
Click to expand...

I'm going to leave this until last I think as it's the not that big an issue.

pinballmania said:
The display looks burnt out to me. Ideally you should check the power supplies first in case there's a low voltage supply but my bet would be that they're fine. Even when it's warmed up I suspect you will still be missing the lighter shades of detail. You'll probably only be seeing the 100% shades. If you're going to replace it down the line, I'd bite the bullet and do it now
Click to expand...

The voltages going to the display scare me, especially as this is all new to me, so I think I'll just go for a replacement. The game counter is up to 37,000 odd and it's broken so it looks like the screen has seen some use over the years!!

IMG_0571.JPG
 
Just checked and Xpin do now have a 128x16 you can preorder on the website for a cool $399. This is before shipping and then import duty and vat so yes, vvvv expensive and not due out until the summer! I've gone for one of the boston pinball company ones. Still just over £200 but in for a penny in for a pound as they say :(
 
Nothing wrong with them. Next day delivery. I recommend. They're the uk dealer for pinled and rottendog. But also have sporadic availability of pinled products.
 
That's where I got one from in the end. It's a Boston Pinball version. One of the LEDs was DOA unfortunately so they are waiting to see what the manufacturer says. As Andy said, very quick next day delivery.
 
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