Depending upon who you ask, you may get different arguments for or against switching out your old incandescent pinball bulbs for newer LEDs. I don’t think this is an either-or proposition. I think you can do both! In this video series, I go into why you might want to update your lighting system and why, as well as talk about proper sue of lights based on their color temperature.
On many games such as this Theater of Magic, there are stand-up targets in the middle of the playfield that take a constant beating from the ball. The switch blades in these targets, as well as the entire assembly will often get bent out of position and stop registering. I demonstrate how to use a simple tool to fix the leaf switch blades and put them back into position, as well as some other techniques for making sure the targets are solidly-attached to the playfield.
Stand-up targets have changed very little over the decades so this technique works on both old and new pinball machines.
If you have a wobbly-feeling pinball flipper, there’s a good chance the bushing is either worn or broken. In this two-part video I go over how to remove the flipper assembly and replace the bushings so you can get nice, snappy, flipper action.
This general technique applies to most flipper assemblies with only a few minor detail changes. Some bushings were screwed into the flipper assembly (especially with Gottliebs) and others were connect to the flipper assembly plates themselves (as in later WPC games).
Pinball coils (aka solenoids) are windings of insulated copper wire that create electromagnets that make things move on the playfield. If you have a coil that is no longer working, and doesn’t have any obvious signs it has “melted down”, there’s a very good chance you can repair it instead of replacing it. In this video I go over how this is typically done. This works on all types of pinball machines from the EMs to Stern, Bally, Williams, etc.
In this short video, I go over how to test the coin door service switches, and if faulty, how to replace them.
This is a fairly simple procedure.
If you have a button in the coin door that doesn’t appear to work, the first thing you should do is check to see if any of the wires have broken off or there’s a bad solder joint. This is very common because the coin door is opened and closed quite a lot and things can get snagged on the wires. Always check the wiring to make sure there are no kinks or damage to the wire. In the video I use a multimeter set to continuity to test the integrity of the switches. If the switches seem to work and the wiring is intact, the next thing to check is the continuity between the switches and the connector on the MPU board. If all that checks out, it could be one of the chips on the MPU board that handles the cabinet switches.
In this installment, I’m working on a Flash Gordon pinball machine. There’s a common plastic part that breaks that is very difficult or expensive to replace. I go over how to replace this part by fabricating your own plastic lane guide using common parts from local hardware stores.
In Part 2, I take things a step further by adding a metal reinforcement plate to keep the guide from breaking in the future, and I show off some amazing playfield paint touch up work and use lacquer to seal the touch-ups:
My friend Marcus Trevino recently posted a comprehensive outline of the process to break down an EM game for shipping. Much of this can also apply to solid state games, and it’s an excellent checklist of how to properly prepare a game to be shipped or transported to minimize any damage…
Now, if you do not have a lift, you can still use a bar stool, metal chair or saw horse to help you. I recommend going to home depot or Lowes and getting a plastic saw horse. They are not too expensive. Best advice would be to go to harbor freight and buy a lift. It will be used time and time again.
01. Unplug the pinball machine.
02. Remove the playfield glass and place it in a safe location.
03. Remove the balls from the game and place them in a ziplock bag.
04. Re-install the playfield glass.
05. Open up the head and disconnect the jones plugs.
06. Remove the head bolts and place them in a ziplock bag.
07. Close up the head and return keys to cabinet door or place them in ziplock bag with head bolts.
08. If you wish to protect the backglass and head, place a piece of cardboard in front of the backglass.
09. Using blue painters tape or frog tape, secure the cardboard in place so that it covers the backglass.
10. Apply shrinkwrap to the head. Wrap it 4-5 times for ideal snugness.
11. Remove the blue painters tape from the top of the head.
12. Place cardboard or moving blanket across the playfield glass. This will protect the side rails.
13. Fold the head so it is lying on the cabinet body. Make sure the bottom of the head is resting against the right angle created by the wood base and playfield glass.
14. Using a strap, secure the folded head to the body of the cabinet. Do not over tighten. You want some give in the strap so you can slide cardboard into position.
15. Cut cardboard to fit the side of the cabinet body and slide it between cabinet & straps. Tighen Strap.
16. Once cardboard is in place, apply shrinkwrap to secure cardboard to cabinet body. The ideal method is to wrap with the playfield glass as north. You then want to roll the shrinkwrap beneath the cabinet body and back up the side and then over the playfield glass. At least 4-5 layers are needed for ideal snugness.
17. BE CAREFUL NOT TO WRAP THE LEG BOLT AREA. You want to be able to remove the bolts.
18. Go behind the machine and start loosening the bolts. You are only trying to loosen. DO NOT REMOVE
19. Place the bar stool, metal chair or saw horse in a spot that you easily access it while holding the back end.
20. With your left hand, grip the underside of the cabinet on the outside edge of the leg.
21. With you right hand, grip the underside of the cabinet on the outside edge of the leg.
22. Lift with your legs. The back end of the machine should now be off the floor.
23. Shift your hip so you can rest the game on it. Reach with one hand and slide the bar stool, saw horse or metal chair beneath the bottom edge of the back side of the cabinet.
24. Before letting go completely, make sure that the machine is stable.
25. Remove the bolts of one backleg and place the leg to one side and the bolts in a ziplock bag.
26. Repeat for the other back leg.
27. Now comes the tricky part. You will need to lift the back end with both hands.
28. Once you have the weight of the machine in your hands, you need to either slide the bar stool (or whatever you used) from beneath the pinball machine.
29. Slowly lower the back end of the machine to the ground. You can put a sofa cushion or pillows or blankets to help cushion the drop. Be wary, this will take some strength.
30. Once the legless back end is on the ground, you simply tip the game onto its but.
31. Remove the front legs. Place the bolts in a ziplock bag.
32. Collect your legs and stack them. Using blue painters tape or an old playfield rubber, bind the four legs together.
33. Place your coin door keys in the zip lock bag.
34. Place a piece of paper with the name of your game in the zip lock bag.
35. Place your zip lock bags inside of the leg crease.
36. Wrap the four legs with shrinkwrap. Place the wrapped legs on the head portion of your folded game.
37. Using Stretchwrap, create a pinball mummy by wrapping the game 4-5 complete rotations.
38. Your game is ready to be hand carted to its transportation vehicle.