Update: I bought the Xenon Pinball this weekend!

[2PacMan]

Good news, i bought the Xenon pinball game this weekend from the other post.

It's in really nice shape, i drilled out the two locks....there is no battery leakage at all, in fact everything on top looks brand new.

[ChadTower]

What did you pay?

[2PacMan]

I payed 600.00 for it, i thought it was a fair price, now that i see the sound board was working.

[ChadTower]

I have fixed the link.

Replacing a coil sleeve is not hard.  You undo a couple of screws that hold the solenoid in place.  You slide the sleeve right out with your fingers.  You clean all the black dust and crap off of the solenoid and the metal post.  You put a new sleeve in and reassemble.  Many solenoids take a couple of minutes.  Some are hard to reach because there is crap in the way.  Once you've done a couple you'll be good at it.

Cleaning/waxing can be done around the playfield parts if you can reach.  I have an electric drill based buffing kit that is perfect for pins and does a fast, excellent job.  Personally, I would take the playfield parts apart one by one and clean them, but that isn't necessary, just aesthetic.  Give the playfield a run with Novus 2 and wipe it off with a damp cloth.  If not thoroughly clean, repeat.  Then give it at least 3 coats of a pure caranuba wax (can be had in the automotive section of any store).   I personally would give it 5-6 since you know the previous owner neglected it.

For $600, that was a good deal if the sound board was missing.

[2PacMan]

What do you think a fair price would have been now knowin that the soundboard is working too??

Aren't the solenoids wired to the board, or are they not?

[2PacMan]

When you use the cleaner, it is for the playfield only??  Or can you use it to clean the ramp and the metal pieces for the drop targets and holes??

[ChadTower]

What do you think a fair price would have been now knowin that the soundboard is working too??

I don't really track pinball market values per se.

[Ken Layton]

Novus # 3 on pinball parts? Are you crazy?! That stuff is like Comet cleanser. The only Novus stuff to use on a pinball is Novus #2 and Novus #1, but never #3.

[ChadTower]

Oh, good catch!  I mean 1.  Duh. 

Ken is right, use Novus 1, not Novus 3, on the plastic parts.  Novus 1 is the light polish stuff you spray on.  Novus 3 is the big gun someone took a dump on my playfield strength cleaner.

[2PacMan]

Thanks for the info, good stuff there!

Do you know what size solenoid sleeve i need, i noticed the site you gave me had 3 diff. sizes.

[ChadTower]

In my experience, you may need all three, but you're going to use a lot more of the short sleeve than the other two.  Since they're so cheap, I would order a bag of each.  That will be more than enough to get one pin done.

[2PacMan]

Do i need to worry about static electricity when handling the playfield, or is that only for the circuit boards up on the black box area??

[ChadTower]

It's only for the PCBs.  If you have enough static electricity on your hands to kill a solenoid, you'd be painfully aware of it already.

Anyone can feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong.

[2PacMan]

OK, i just ordered my stuff from pinball life....how long does it take to get the stuff in, i live in NE.  Think they will be in by Friday??

[ChadTower]

Probably.  They usually ship Priority Mail.

[TheOtherBob]

I'm  thinking your "triangle" thing above the flippers is one of the slingshot kickers.  When the ball hits the rubber it'll generally close one of two (or both sometimes) switches that fire the coil to kick the ball away.  If any of the leaf switch's contacts are TOO CLOSE TOGETHER (ie: a really small gap) when the rubber "springs" back it can close the switch again resulting in those double/triple fires of the sling.  Double check their gap and adjust them as you need to.  I can't remember what the recomended gap is... for some reason 1/16" comes to mind but I may be wrong (anybody know?).  I just eyeball it and adjust it when it double fires... and also sensitive enough for my taste.

Also, I'd recommend you get new rubbers too.  You can order the rubbers from pinballlife as well.  Terry is a good guy.  Also, his bulbs are only a buck for 10.  Great price there.  You might consider changing all the #44 bulbs to #47's.  They aren't as bright but won't be so hard on the connectors/drivers.  I'm not sure this is as big a deal on an 80's pin as it is on a 90's pin.  But with home use I'd guess #44's would ok too.

I'd also be careful using a buffer on the playfield.  If it is mylared you should be fine.  If it is flaking lightly or it looks like the paint is gonna come up..... be careful.  Just be careful....   I've used a buffer on a Funhouse playfield that has some paint issues and it did an ok job, I was just careful.  Did I say be careful enough?

And like Chad said.... get new balls.... right away.... I'd guess those old balls aren't in great condition and are damaging the playfield.

Just some thoughts....

Enjoy your new pin!! 

[ChadTower]

Would he have to change sockets to go to #47 bulbs?  I don't think he's ready for that if he's talking about not having much soldering experience.

[2PacMan]

Thanks Chad and The Other Bob..

That triangle thing sounds like exactly what's happening with mine, i'll have to check it out...i thought a solenoid triggered those kickers, not a leaf switch, i'll have to look.

[ChadTower]

As soon as the last coat of wax is dried and wiped off.

The solenoid IS the kicker, the leaf switch is what activates the solenoid.

[2PacMan]

Oh good, that should be an easy fix then, just rebending the leaf switch....maybe that's the problem with the other solenoid too!  Only in that case, the gap is too big and the switch is only hitting it occasionally, cause i hear the mechanism 'clicking' under the board, but the solenoid doesn't activate sometimes.

[ChadTower]

Leaf switches don't click, so if there is something clicking under the board after you press the leaf switch, it's probably the solenoid trying to fire but is stuck.

[2PacMan]

oh i see, and most likely it's sticking cause of the dirty sleeve, huh? 

[APFelon]

Kind of OT, but I thought I'd let you know... I have a Xenon playfield just sitting down in my gameroom workshop that I have been planning on stripping of parts and hanging it on the wall of my future gameroom. I have no use for the parts and I am too lazy for EBay, so if you need a "custom" part for that Xenon, make an offer.

The center playfield tube is broken, but most everything else is intact and (apparently) mechanically sound. Drop target banks, jet bumpers most plastics, etc. If you are interested in anything, write me at kingnine61@hotmail.com (don't msg. me here, I rarely login when I visit).

Congrats on the great find/buy!

Jon

[ChadTower]

oh i see, and most likely it's sticking cause of the dirty sleeve, huh?

[TheOtherBob]

#47 and #44 bulbs use the same socket so they're interchangable.  #47's just draw less current so they're easier on the connectors/drivers..... but they AREN'T as bright.  They still look good tho for home use.  But if you have a dark area on the playfield you might intermix the #44's with the #47's to get your desired results.

Also, don't keep the playfield up on the prop bar for extended periods of time.  It flexes the playfield which can increase wear.  Even better, whenever you work under the playfield see if you can tilt the playfield all the way back so that it gently rests against the backbox (make sure your backbox is attached well).  Make sure you take the balls out as they'll likely come loose and fall and possibly break something!  Also make sure it isn't resting on a ramp or plastic that could break.  If you can't do that don't worry about the prop bar damage.  Just don't prop the playfield up and go out for the night while it just sits there.  Make your repair and get the playfield back down.  I've seen people make their own prop bar (a stick!) and use it in the center of the playfield when it's up so it isn't flexing the field.

Also, get some Novus #2 for the plastics.... it'll clean them a bit better than the #1 alone.... then follow up with #1 for a bit more shine and regular cleaning.

Another tip to make things look good.  Repaint the insides of the cabinet.  A nice new coat of semigloss black (or whatever color Xenon uses) really does a number for the appearance.  Also the backbox will look great with a new coat of paint.

Enough rambling.........  go play......

APFelon.... hehehehe you're local to me (I'm in Prior Lake)..... got any other pinball treasures in your basement? 

[2PacMan]

APFelon...you have an email.  Thanks again!

[2PacMan]

Thanks for the tips Bob.

As i've said, this is my first pin, so every little detail in fixing/restoring this thing helps.  I'm very nervous about taking the board up for the first time, so your tips will come in very handy.  I'd hate to have this pin be my 'first pin/screw up' learning experience type thing.

[ChadTower]

Hey, it has to be something that's first.  Mine was dropping my Twilight Zone and separating the cabinet at a corner.

[2PacMan]

Ouch!  Was it an easy fix??

Also, just to make sure...is it ok to have the machine pugged in and running while you have the board up?  Like other than the transformer, there's no shock hazards, are there??  I ask cause i have about 20 random bulbs that are out and without having the board on, i can't really tell where they are.

[ChadTower]

You can do it, but be careful.  Don't go grabbing open solder joints or anything.

The gory details of my incident are well documented in Project Announcements -> Twilight Zone!

[2PacMan]

But i can touch the bulb sockets and change the bulbs and mess with the solenoids while the mahine is on w/o worrying about getting shocked or damaging the machine, right??

[ChadTower]

I wouldn't mess with the solenoids with the machine on.  Changing a bulb, fine, but don't go disassembling a solenoid with the machine powered up.  They carry a lot more juice than the light circuit.

[TheOtherBob]

My first screw up was wiring a coil in backwards..... luckily I blew some queer addon flipper board that wasn't a factory part.

[APFelon]

Pac- I will snap a few photos of the Xenon playfield front and back and e-mail them to you. Keep in mind that there are a LOT of parts on the playfield, and shipping might be brutal if you want them all. My suggestion is to offer on the more complicated and custom parts as well as the plastics. Stuff like posts, flippers, solenoids, etc. are common and it'd be kind of silly to ship them all (I can ship a few for backup, though).

Bob- The only other playfield I have is Pink Panther (Gottlieb 1978-ish?) that I have halfway stripped. If you need parts for it or know someone who does, you may contact me at the e-mail address I posted above.

Just keep in mind- I salvaged these playfields from a vendor who went out of business. He had them stored up in his ceiling. The mechanicals on both playfields appear to be A-1 (free moving and rust free) but both of these machines look to have had "a lot of love", if you know what I mean. On both of these playfields, I will ship them in the condition in which they are removed, and cleaning will be left up to whoever gets the parts (but I'll clean some plastics up to show that it can be done).

I have had fair dealings with BYOAC members in the past, and if you aren't satisfied with the parts I send, just send them back and I'll return your money, no questions asked and no hassle given. However, it's an "all-or-nothing" deal here... Take what you order or return them all... I don't want to bounce money and parts back and forth like a ping-pong ball.

APf

[SirPeale]

This is the stuff we use at work for cleaning the playfields on our pins:

http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/gameparts/25133200.htm

Wow...didn't know it was that expensive.

We use it also to clean sideart on games that have it silkscreened on.  409 will wipe it right off.

[ChadTower]

WOW that's a lot more than Novus.  Is there a reason you use that rather than Novus?  Logic would say that the people to listen to would be the hyperanal collectors of RGP in this situation.  An op has different goals and this guy isn't preparing his Xenon for heavy location use.

[SirPeale]

*shrug* I don't know.  This stuff is also cleaner and wax in one, so it's a time saving measure.  If it was for home use, Turtle Wax would probably be what would be used.  This cleans and waxes in one step to prepare the unit for the next location quickly.

[ChadTower]

Given that the point of the cleaning is to remove dirt, not encapsulate it, how does one clean and wax in one step?

[SirPeale]

*shrug* I dunno, but it works.  I think the wax is suspended in the cleaning solution.