Cyclone!-- just picked it up--UPDATED WITH 100% MORE PHOTOS.

[MameMaster!]

I just bought a Cyclone in good shape yesterday in NYC.

I stopped by this dudes house to scope out the machine-- and man this guy is crazy. He has 3 pins (MINT--  Addams Family and a MINT Twilight Zone in addition to the Cyclone I'm buying), 2 bikes, a zillion console systems, 65" plasma, a 1000 gallon fresh water tank and more all laid out in a TINY 1 bedroom (studio?) in Manhattan. There's barely room to move. It's one of those livingroomkitchendininroom things that NY is famous for. If it's more than 100 sq feet total I would be surprised. Keep in mind-- that this is his entire space outside of a possible bedroom, but I'm not sure it even had one.

Also, it's an older tenement style NYC building so the staircase is so horribly tight, there's a turn where he told me we have to lift the machine up and over the banister to make the turn.  REALLY??? PRACTICALLY LIFT THE MACHINE OVER OUR HEADS??

Here's to hoping I'm not about to bring home a car full of broken pinball machine....

UPDATE-- EVENING -- 6/21

SUCCESS! (partial).

With the help of my friend from the gym and the seller we managed to lift it up and literally over our skinny  heads to fit it beyond the railing. Wow that was hard.

We got it into the car really easily (thank you Chevy Traverse) and I had plenty of room to spare for the dolly we used down the remaining stairs.

Any hoo-- I got it home and safely out of my truck and back onto the dolly.

Now problem number 1--- my steps are stone, and have a large lip on them. The wheels on the dolly are too tiny to fit up the stairs (they get stuck). So on top of lifting about 225 by myself-- they're getting stuck on the steps.

6/22--
Tonight I plan on taking the head off and the playfield out so that I can get this thing into my basment by myself. Once I've stripped the cab of the head/glass and playfield it should be much easier and lighter.

I plan on using some Noxon on all of the stainless steel, and either repainting or replacing the coin door for sure. Those are my first cosmetic things I think I'll do.

Then I have to clean the playfield, and replace some plastic parts and redo all of the rubbers. FUN!!!!-- I really am looking forward to working on it.  

HELP NEEDED-- the head art is really rough. Anyone know of any vendors with peel/stick art to fix that?  

Pics soon....

STAYED TUNED! (it's currently in my garage).

[MameMaster!]

.

[Edwards80]

Congrats. As above . . . pics please D

I will own this machine one day. Spent far too much of my parents money on it back in the day

[MameMaster!]

I'll try to post pics tonight-- 

but I also plan on taking it apart. Hopefully I can put it back together ok!

[Jeff AMN]

Nice pickup!

I've never owned a Cyclone, but I've always enjoyed the game.

[RayB]

"Hey, you with the face!"   

[MameMaster!]

Quick update-- spent about 1.5 hours removing the head. Not hard-- but I was trying to be careful. Actually it was very simple, just heavy and time consuming (not to mention dusty!).

I noted that the transport tube under the playfield is mangled and was fixed at some point. Anyone know of repros or used ones available from a machine being parted out?

Pics soon- I promise!! 

[MameMaster!]

Just trying to keep it as minty as possible-- my personal preference.  

...another question for anyone with Williams PCB experience-- there are a series of what I think are resistors on the bottom right of the main PCB that have what appears to be white ceramic on their backs (actually in some sort of channel on the resistor itself).

I've noted that that "ceramic" on many of those seems to be worn away and almost gone. Can I assume that, that is going to eventually cause me problems?

As of now, the machine seems to be working perfectly (that was of course before I took it apart!   ); but I now replacement PCBs are available.

Should I assume that it will eventually fail? Again-- I can post photos-- I just haven't had time. This photo isn't mine-- but it's the area I'm talking about.

Should I just bite the bullet and buy a NOS once while I can? http://www.ksarcade.net/williams-system-11b-cpu-d-11883-revb.html

[JeepMonkey]

Congrats on the new machine.

[RayB]

I'm getting more and more tempted to make an irresponsible purchase.
You people are not helping.

[MameMaster!]

Is this your first pinball machine?  I'm getting that 'new owner' vibe off you.

 

Just my first old machine. I popped my cherry with a 2003 Stern Simpson's last Nov.

[tattoo kid]

If your so worried about the look of the resistors, why not just replace them? Any Williams pin that I have owned, I have replaced the resistors with 5W ones. They handle the heat alot better than the resistors originally put on Williams boards. Cost is alot less than $300!!
 

[Pinball Wizard]

Come on guys! I was going to sell him my System 11 board out of my High Speed for $400 and let him be happy! IN all seriousness the resistors are fine the way they are. Plenty of System 11 games are browning on most components from all the heat. The labels in my High Speed are all dark from the route days of the machine.

[tattoo kid]

I've noted that that "ceramic" on many of those seems to be worn away and almost gone. Can I assume that, that is going to eventually cause me problems?

If the ceramic is gone, they are not going to be good for long. The ceramic helps with displacing the heat and a hot spot will be created if there is no ceramic. Hot spots burn out resistors and also make nice black, burnt spots on boards.

Do you self a favor and spend a few bucks and replace the resistors with 5 watt resistors. Parts Express I believe sells these at a pretty good price.

[Q*Bert_OP]

NOS board? That battery holder's not original...it's one of the new light colored ones, the originals were brown-ish. I question the authenticity of the "NOS" statement.

Suppose it is, and that battery holder has been changed...these shipped with batteries...if the originals leaked, the holder's been replaced, and most likely has had traces repaired...making the NOS part price pointless...

Seriously, replace the resistors, and do not buy a R-tt-nd-g board! They are heavily flawed pieces of  that rarely work out of the package.

[MameMaster!]

Thanks for the advice. I am going to hold off on a board. Frankly, I'm hoping that a brand new modern replacement will eventually be available-- I would imagine it's only a matter of time. Besides for now she's working fine!

In other news-- I took the machine completly apart and literally carried it down my steps to my basement piece by piece. Thankfully all went well and made it managable

I can't say it was fun to take it apart, but it wasn't hard. Just time consuming. The worst part is that all of the perfectly neat wiring is now a rats nest in the machine. When I start replacing some of the broken plastics on the play field I'll neaten it all up.

For now it works and I'm loving it! 

[MameMaster!]

I know photos-- I was working on the machine until about 11:15 and I have to get up at 6. So photos are coming....I know it's fun to see it all.  

...and re my cell phone camera-- my baby boy tossed my cell in the toilet WHILE I was peeing. Fun!-- the camera is borked but the phone works (even if it smells like pee   )-- thus no cell phone photos.  

[lilshawn]

 

let me see.... what is it that the kids say on all those other sites.....oh yah...

pics or STFU! 

rule of the internet #200. Pictures or it didn't happen. 

[MameMaster!]

Well here are the goods!---

Basically I took the entire machine apart to take it down the steps into my basement. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared-- and it only took me about an hour to physically take it apart and bring it down.

I pulled the head off, the playfield, the glass etc etc. Then I had only the empty cabinet to get down the steps with a dolly.

Putting it back together was actually very easy-- and only took about 30 minutes. I haven't re routed the wires in the cabinet as neatly as it was when I took it apart yet-- but it's on the agenda.

I've ordered up a ton of parts such as new legs, buttons, playfield parts and more. I'll update on progress eventually....but for now it works perfectly and I'm loving it!  

PS-- I'm not sure how to reorient the photos-- but they show correctly on my pc....

[MameMaster!]

more....

[HaRuMaN]

Would it kill you to rotate your pictures?   

[MameMaster!]

Would it kill you to rotate your pictures?   

...they show fine on my PC...don't know how to re orient them here? 

[Pinball Wizard]

I know this is taking the wrong direction but where did you get the pac-man ghost light?

Anyways, looks like a decent condition pinball machine but what all did you buy in the etc category for your pinball, doesn't look like it needs too much.

[MameMaster!]

Pac man lights-- ebay!

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=pac+man+ghost+neon&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=