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Playfield swaps

paddythegreek

paddythegreek

Site Supporter
Joined
Aug 30, 2011
Messages
1,919
Location
Leicester
Alias
Ken
Not sure if this belongs here but, i'm sure no-one over the age of 60 should ever contemplate doing a playfield swap.
I'm only a week into this funhouse one and at the end of 7 days i have the loom removed from under the playfield along with the pop bumpers and a few other bits
I've not worked on it constantly throughout the week as i had to walk away from it quite a few times.
Twice i've contemplated suicide. I've made promises to God that i know damn well i won't be able to keep. When her indoors asked me to take her shopping i was ready first
I actually enjoyed the company of my wifes obnoxious sister and her husband for the first time in over 25 yrs.
What seemed a good idea at the time isn't so wonderful in the cold light of day.
Cutting and labelling from a roll of masking tape then attaching to wires/components etc made me wonder if this was some form of punishment from a former life.
So to you guys who do swaps, i take my hat off to you. You must be truly dedicated or absolutely bl**dy stupid like me.
 
I think the only way I could even attempt a playfield swap would be if I bought duplicate parts for everything (not possible with FH, Rudy's parts are unobtainium I think) and have them side by side, fitting the new bits based on the location of the old.

I'm not even sure if that's feasible, as you'd have to create your own looms etc.

Mad respect to people who just strip these things and stick the looms etc in the dishwasher and actually know where it all goes back on.
 
Really interesting timing. I bought a vector playfield with the intention of doing a swap. This weekend i looked at the task ahead and I am.thinking, this is a 2yr project. I don't even really know where to start. So I feel your pain.
 
Yea forgot to mention i took over 100 pics of underneath. I found out earlier my youngest granddaughter who's 5 asked her mum " if grandad kills himself, Can i come an see where they burn him". Lovely to feel wanted innit
 
paddythegreek said:
Yea forgot to mention i took over 100 pics of underneath. I found out earlier my youngest granddaughter who's 5 asked her mum " if grandad kills himself, Can i come an see where they burn him". Lovely to feel wanted innit
Click to expand...
She knows it won't be a Jedi funeral in the middle of a field, right? I say change the will while you can.

7434.JPG
 
paddythegreek said:
Yea forgot to mention i took over 100 pics of underneath. I found out earlier my youngest granddaughter who's 5 asked her mum " if grandad kills himself, Can i come an see where they burn him". Lovely to feel wanted innit
Click to expand...

Lmao

Well my son when he was 5 asked my mum how old she was. She was barely 60 and he said oh nearly dead then. Dunno where he gets his lack of tact from
 
I've done it once and vowed never again.... took feckin ages when including a full strip down and clean of all mechanical parts etc. too. Has to be a favourite game in dire need imo…. or don't bother. Good luck anyway. You must keep it when finished.
 
Can do an AFM in less than a day.
If you are doing a playfield swap then make sure you put on new assemblies where possible, plastics, posts, lamp holders, switches, screws, bolts and new coils etc.... Okay adds a few £100 onto the price of the job but it looks SO MUCH nicer.

The way I do it is do the T nuts first and drill playfield where required. I would recommend drilling pilot holes for all screws (mark the bit with a bit of tape so you dont drill thru!).

Then I strip the loom into switches, GI and coils and move electronics one by one, then re-tie the loom.

I also label everything on the back of the old playfield and then lable everything you remove with tape (ie - switch and coil numbers) - I just use a sharpie on the old playfield as you can use if for reference.

... while you are doing it - redecal the cab! Doing the cab is much worse to do in my opinion. I would gladly do a playfield swap in exchange for someone to do a good decall job for me....
 
Guys do you still drill pilot holes on new pf? ie with the little dimples showing where the hex bolts go.

Also how do you stop the drill going to far? you mentioned using tape?
 
@paddythegreek , I hope it all works out.

I have never done a playfield swap. I can't see myself doing one either.

I would be in the 100 photos camp, but folk that do them periodically just develop a feel for what goes where. What order to do it in. What needs marking, what doesn't. What screws are used. What bits to buy in advance ...

I wonder whether something like funhouse/ diner... those 1990 ish games are actually the worst. They have quite a few ramps, toys, wires passing through the playfield etc .... But unlike later games (scared stiff etc) only a few of the mechs had push-fit connectors on.
 
I did TAF. NEVER thought I’d see the day when I undertook such a task. It took me months, doing a little every now and then. I must admit, it killed the enjoyment of ownership of the game and I ended up selling it as I was sick of the sight of it at then end. But you hang in there Ken 😂
 
Thanks for the replies and words of encouragement. I just hope when its finally done i can enjoy it, and not hate it with a vengeance cos of all the stress its caused me.
 
Only ever did one. A TAF.

Started off ok then I had to go away for a couple of days and the cats decided to have fun in the wiring looms.

Still remember the sickening feeling of turning it back on and not seeing it fire up. Got it all working in the end though.

I found the hardest part was the pop bumpers.

I wouldn’t rush to do another one.
 
Spandangler said:
I did TAF. NEVER thought I’d see the day when I undertook such a task. It took me months, doing a little every now and then. I must admit, it killed the enjoyment of ownership of the game and I ended up selling it as I was sick of the sight of it at then end. But you hang in there Ken 😂
Click to expand...

I'm the oppersite, i love taking it apart and rebuilding more then playing :D
 
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