Second entry into silverball madness. When it rains...

[bobbyb13]

It pours pinball.

Well four days after the Simpsons machine showed up I get a call from a Hawai'i number I don't know.
Typically I assume it is something from my old friend 'Scam Likely' but something told me to answer this one.

Nice sounding gent says he is calling about my ad on craigslist about a pinball project.
"I got a machine here if you're interested.  Doesn't work but at least it lights up.  Has a cowboy theme to it."

Would love to look!

"I thought I would be the one getting it running but I just won't ever get the time and need the space.  If you want it just come grab it."

Um... I can be there in an hour or so if that's ok!

And what is waiting on the other side of the island?
Here it is back in my shop.



Holy crap-

Makes the Simpsons cabinet look like it was used as an anchor.

Four hours with some naptha and Novus and swapping in the rubber kit that was already inside the cabinet got it to here.



Needs harness work all over due to some pretty gooey cupric oxide paste which oddly is on one particular wire throughout the cabinet in various connectors and it doesn't boot up (---smurfy--- power supply- big surprise) but it has a new looking MPU that doesn't even yet have the game select dip switches set properly even.

New PS on the way along with some other broken bits to replace.

Race is on to see which of these fortuitous scores is working first.

[Zebidee]

Nice.

Always wanted 1-2 pinballs, but everyone I know that gets into them ends up with a shed full. It's an all-in-or-nothing kind of hobby.

Good luck with the restorations. Keen to see how you go.

[Mike A]

Voice of experience.

Get stuff working before you buy more stuff.

Have a place where people can play the games that do work.

I know guys that have 100 or more freaking games and none of them work.

At that point they are hoarders and not collectors.

Every year there are guys on KLOV selling off their giant hoard of nonworking junk.

I know you can get ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- done so I am not too worried. But I am a little worried....hehe.

[bobbyb13]

Funny you should say that Mike, as when Nikki and I were upstairs in the newly rearranged ArcadeLoft yesterday she asked "So how many of these are working?"
Apart from cosmetic bezel or control panel details that assortment would be...

Two Rush 2049s (but not linked yet)
Paperboy
Q*bert
Missile Command MAME box
Sinistar
Multi-Williams
Neo Geo 4 slot
Mister/MAME console

Waiting on my Rampage harness to return from being loaned out so I can finish that.
Monitor chassis for Star Wars Trilogy just returned so that can get put back together soon too.
Cruisin' Exotica downstairs is working too but will get sold when completely done.
New scratch Cosmic Chasm multi vector only gives me a winking colored dot for picture at the moment.
Simpsons pinball needs a power supply it appears.

Suppose I should produce some pictures.

Pinball does certainly seem like the pinnacle of this hobby.
There is a lot going on in these beasts.

And I greatly appreciate the confidence gents!

[Mike A]

You have both Rush cabs working?

Nice.

Are you having a problem getting them linked?

[bobbyb13]

Haven't had time to try.
I had been waiting on various parts for numerous projects and everything came in/back to me all at once.
So now I have a year's worth of projects already in the workshop.

Getting one of the pins going is a priority but I still have a lot to learn so we'll see how long it takes.

[pbj]

That game sold for a fortune when the other Bally 35s were cheap.  I owned one for awhile, back when I was so broke I had a PC power supply spliced in rather than spend $20 on a replacement 5V voltage regulator.

Anyway, that machine is thoroughly documented and everything has been reproduced several times over.  The repair guides will step you through it.

Getting one for free?  Wow.

 

[bobbyb13]

Yeah, I'm still stunned.
If it came from a different neighborhood I would've expected a rat farm but the thing is cosmetically damn nice and the guy wouldn't take anything for it.
Something along the lines of "I need the space, I can tell you'll take care of it, just invite me over to play it when you get it working."
Well, hell yeah.

After cleaning it and successfully replacing all the rubber bits, I figured I needed something to do while waiting for a replacement power supply. I thought about fixing the original but it is so corroded as to be spooky.
Half the mask is gone so beyond my current skill level to deal with.
It came with a second newer power module too but that one doesn't produce proper voltages either.

And so my first healthy dose of humiliation was replacing drop targets.
All of them yellow and worn looking, one replaced with a bullseye, one broken in half- so I figured next on the list.
I learned a lot in the 2 hours it took me to do those- especially since I thought it would be about 15 min.

It's good to start with such a thoroughly supported machine for sure.

Every time I look at all the parts of these things and the pile of 'hotrodding' accessories people have dreamed up I chuckle at your first comment to me when I talked about wanting a pinball machine pbj-

Bring money
 
Holy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, I thought video games were a wallet leech.
These freakin things appear to be more like owning a 40 year old boat.

Which, I did, once-

[bobbyb13]

Well I got a Big Daddy PS for the EBD here, along with all new pins and connectors, and after getting that all squared away I still get no action out of the MPU.

Well deserved plug for Dave at Alltek here.
I emailed him about my dilemma and after a good number of question/ answer emails he offered to repair and upgrade my old one for $15.
Nice guy, top quality product support, especially since I wasn't even the original purchaser of his board and have no idea what it endured before it got to me.
He also offered me a discount on a new solenoid board too, to send along when he returns my upgraded MPU.

Can't ask for better customer service.

I had already gotten a few other new bits so I might be playing this beast in a week or so.

[Zebidee]

Nice to see progress with this project, love to see a pinball come to life.

[bobbyb13]

I hope I can get them playing again soon!
They both need a lot of board work/replacement so we'll see what it all amounts to in a week or two when I have all the parts that I believe I need.

Surely to learn that I need to replace more stuff.

The piles of switches and coils in these things is a bit overwhelming to begin with for sure.