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In Progress Whitewater - Topper and other stuff

bluejonny

bluejonny

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
295
Location
Southampton, UK
I recently purchased a Whitewater, not in bad condition, but some bits not so good. A few broken and missing plastics and boulders, some typical wear, lamps out, weak VUK, the usual stuff you expect - plus the big one - no topper. Having managed to negotiate a reasonable price considering the issues and missing topper, I have embarked on sourcing parts to create a new one. And now it's all here, it's time to put it all together. It's virtually impossible to get the original graphic (unless I am missing something) and I am resigned to the fact there's no way I am going to be able to recreate the original moving water effect, as having read online, it takes some specialist foil and around 50,000 - 60,000 hand-done etchings. I don't think so! So instead I am opting for a glitter effect. It seems to be the easiest of the options and creates a similar, although not perfect, moving water effect. Although I am going to say "glittery" as opposed to moving! So far, I have fixed a lot of the annoying issues and have now upgraded the DMD to a colour LED one.

Here's what I have:
  • Clear dome - sourced from Italy
  • Graphic stand - sourced from the Netherlands
  • Reproduction graphic - sourced from the US
  • Glitter glue x 4 in various colours including one that is called "waterfall". Let's see.
The board to drive the lamps is there, but I am probably looking at Mypinballs replacement board to use different lamps or LEDs. The lamp board needs work too as it looks battered and some of the lamp holders are missing (how is that even possible?!)

I am guessing that someone would recognize this WH20 and probably owned it here once, as it has some interesting telltale signs of mods and fixes. For example, the bridge rectifiers have been moved off the board and the power filter is missing. 20240924_094304.webp

So what else does this WH20 need in my opinion?
  1. a new topper lamp driver board
  2. a new translite
  3. cabinet redecalling
  4. cabinet repainting
  5. NVRAM upgrade
  6. LEDS throughout to replace incadescents
  7. Repairs to the topper lamp board
  8. New bumper skirts as the white ones are shot
  9. Cliffy for the mine hole
  10. DMD upgrade (done)
  11. Pinsound upgrade
  12. and other stuff I haven't discovered yet...
I'll post more pics here soon.
 
So, I have now applied glitter. I used six different types, mainly using silver across 70% of the graphic whilst a range of others for infills. Whilst you cannot see the effect from the photo, it does shimmer in different light. I know the purists will not like it!

Next it's time to install. Just waiting on a new lighting board from @myPinballs as the old one is shot, and then it can be fully installed.

1000269542.webp

1000269543.webp
 
I actually have an original foil topper bit/thing somewhere.

Interested to see where this goes!
 
OK, the moment has arrived. My thanks to Jim at MyPinballs for putting up with my relentless asking of when my replacement lamp driver board would be ready (sorry @myPinballs!), but it arrived and now I have had a chance to fit it

So the total cost for this reproduction comes in at around £301 - that includes box, replacement lamp board, 12v lamps, decal, glitter, decal holder. I also had to repair the original lamp board as well with some new lamp holders and repair some broken traces.

Take a look at the video and see what you think. Whilst I know it's not the original, I think it does a darn good job!

 
bluejonny said:
OK, the moment has arrived. My thanks to Jim at MyPinballs for putting up with my relentless asking of when my replacement lamp driver board would be ready (sorry @myPinballs!), but it arrived and now I have had a chance to fit it

So the total cost for this reproduction comes in at around £301 - that includes box, replacement lamp board, 12v lamps, decal, glitter, decal holder. I also had to repair the original lamp board as well with some new lamp holders and repair some broken traces.

Take a look at the video and see what you think. Whilst I know it's not the original, I think it does a darn good job!

Click to expand...


I bought a White Water recently not realising (DOH) that it’s meant to have a moving effect. There’s a guy in Oz who’s spent absolutely hours engraving thin aluminum and has got an excellent effect. However, I, being somewhat impatient went for an easier alternative. I purchased the adhesive image from Germany and my wife carefully cut various bits of it out with a scalpel inc. the lower rocks and white which represented the water. I sourced a foil backing which her image was stuck to. I then glued the whole thing to the original curved backdrop. I think it’s more than acceptable. Could really do with a better canopy though, mine’s a little knackered! View attachment IMG_6160.mov
 
It’s hard to believe with the technology advancements that there isn’t a simple solution replacement part rather than having to go to great lengths to try and replicate the waterfall effect.
 
Chris P said:
It’s hard to believe with the technology advancements that there isn’t a simple solution replacement part rather than having to go to great lengths to try and replicate the waterfall effect.
Click to expand...
Been discussed many many times. The technology is lost. happens a lot when no-one takes over a family business or there’s no further perceived usefulness of the technology at the time . 30/40 years later us too late ..

An electronic company here in the uk I used to buy ics from skipped their entire warehouse stock of 80s ics whrn the owner died and the family didn’t see any use for it all.. hundreds of tms5200 speech chips were binned as 1 example…
 
technology moves on and kinda feels like something could be done with 3d printing now days maybe with SLS and a lithograph type technique, but with such a niche product why would anyone bother to put the time and money into it.? cant think of any other major commercial use case to justify it.
 
Next update for some mods this time. Designed and 3D printed these little rafts to add to the machine. Whilst not up to the high quality of the ones offered on eBay, I think they're OK! I may paint them to hide the 3d printer lines. The seats are removable or I have a design where they are printed as part of the raft. I kept them separate as you can then print off and add a base image. Thoughts?

20250125_095743 (002).webp
 
You should be able to get the top layers much smoother than this.

do you hav an ironing setting on your slicer? it will smooth the top layers so they look almost like the bottom

Or print them upside down on a smooth plate just stick a couple of supports in between the struts. will bridge across when it prints without putting to many supports there,
 
paulg100 said:
You should be able to get the top layers much smoother than this.

do you hav an ironing setting on your slicer? it will smooth the top layers so they look almost like the bottom

Or print them upside down on a smooth plate just stick a couple of supports in between the struts. will bridge across when it prints without putting to many supports there,
Click to expand...
I'll take a look.i use the slicer that came with Qidi printer.
 
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