Aztec Pinball Machine Repair Questions...

[Jabba]

I finally got around to putting together my AZTEC EM Pinball game. I bought it off my Aunt a couple of years ago and its been sitting in my basement collecting dust.

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=730

I'm not all that familiar with these machines, but I'm hoping there are a few folks around here who can provide me some direction...

1. The center bumpers are real weak (i.e., the yellow round bumpers in the picture in the middle upper of the playfield). By that I mean, the ball just gets bounced a little bit when contact is made. Do I need to replace these or is it something else?

2. The flippers buzz a lot when held. Anything I can do here to make em quiet?

3. One flipper is yellow, the other is white. No big deal but I want to replace the yellow one with a white one.

4. The Rubbers are pretty old and cracky. Are these easy to replace?

5. Some of the AZTEC plastic pieces are cracked. Are parts available?

I'm sure that I'll be adding more questions to this thread as I explore repairing this machine more.

Any and all advice will definately be appreciated.

Thanks!
 

[USSEnterprise]

http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=AZTEC&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick#119
There's some more info on it. Rebuilding the flippers with a kit might be a good idea. Will probably get rid of some of the buzz. Rubbers are easy to get, as a matched flipper set will be. Here are some good sites for parts:
www.pbresource.com
www.moneymachines.com

[Ken Layton]

1.  That game is new enough that it uses DC powered jet bumper coils. The "spoon switch" that the bumper skirt activates is probably dirty and a little too far apart. These are high current contact points and need to be filed with a sharp brand new file (file the corrosion/pitting off). This will put the zing back into them.

2. Flippers need to be rebuilt: new coil stops, new coil sleeves, new plunger & link. That'll quiet them down and strengthen them too.

3. White plastic flippers are readily available for Williams machines. Just be sure to specify the name of the machine when ordering.

4. Rubbers for this game are very easy to replace. All the major pinball parts suppliers sell rubbers. Places like Marco Specialties and Pinball Resource sell pre-packaged kits of the necessary rubbers for your machine. Again, specify the name of the machine when ordering.

5. Some Aztec plastics may be reproduced. Ask Pinball Resource or Marco Specialties if they have any.

Aztec is a decent machine. We had a few on our route in the mid 1970's along with Space Mission.

[USSEnterprise]

its only two production numbers higher than the Space Missions

[Jabba]

Thanks guys. I'll have a look at the links to see if they havce what I'm looking for.

and need to be filed with a sharp brand new file (file the corrosion/pitting off). 

Cool, hope thats all it is. I havent taken that close a look (have not removed the glass), but I bet filing would improve the contact. Thanks. Any partricular file you have in mind? Just a metal file like this right...

http://www.orbitals.com/self/survey/chain/big/file.jpg

[Jabba]

its only two production numbers higher than the Space Missions

http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=space+mission&sortby=name&searchtype=quick

Your Space Mission looks like a lot of fun...I think I saw #83 written in felt marker on the inside of my machine. Does this mean it was #83 to come off the production line?

[Ken Layton]

A sharp flat metal type file will work.

[USSEnterprise]

This site really helped me with my machine

[D_Zoot]

Jabba,

I've got two Aztec's in the shop right now.  One for a refurbish, the other is a parts machine.   They are both on the bottom of my to-do list, and I haven't even plugged them in yet,  but if you have any questions specific to the machine give me a holler, I can look at mine for you.


D

[Jabba]

Great D_Zoot, thanks for that. I'll be looking at the machine this afternoon. I'll let you know if I have any questions....

[Jabba]

Hey guys, here is a pic of one of the bumpers. It looks fine to me. I don't see rust or corrosion. Should I still go ahead and file it?

[Jabba]

After lifting off the glass, you find a lot....a lot of grime and pitting that is. I'll go ahead and search more, but seeing how this site has many experts, I would value your recommendation on the best way to clean the grime off and clean up the playfield? I don't want to damage the graphics.

Also, you think its worth it to touch up the pitted part in the picture? Here is a pic...

[Jabba]

Not too much damage.

a) Broken rubber. Easy to replace

b) Broken bumper part. Am I able to replace just the top part or do I have to replace the whole thing?

c) Broken AZTEC plastic piece with graphic. I guess I could theoretically re-create that piece if I could not a replacement. Vectorize the graphics, and print it on clear stock?

[USSEnterprise]

You can replace just the bumper caps. The trick is finding the bumper caps that you need. And that site I posted has a very large guide as far as repairing and restoring EM's. or cleaning the playfield, I just use Johnson Wax

[Jabba]

Thanks again. That link is great. I'm in Canada so often names of products like Novus#2 are remarketed as a different names here. When you say Johnson Wax, you mean regular furniture polish? Will this het the grime off?

This?

[D_Zoot]

Hey guys, here is a pic of one of the bumpers. It looks fine to me. I don't see rust or corrosion. Should I still go ahead and file it?

The pop bumper switches that need to be cleaned and adjusted (the ones Ken was referring to) are under the playfield.  Tip the playfield up and look directly under the pop bumpers. Between the coil and bracket that actuate the pop bumper and the underside of the playfield itself you will see a switch, one under each pop bumper. The contacts on those switches are what needs to be cleaned and adjusted to get those bumpers snappy again.


D
 

[D_Zoot]

c) Broken AZTEC plastic piece with graphic. I guess I could theoretically re-create that piece if I could not a replacement. Vectorize teh graphicit, and print it on clear stock?

Jabba,

My parts machine is buried,  big time buried!!   I know the one I have for refurb has a good plastic in that spot, so if you are in no hurry whatsoever, when I get to the point that I dig out the parts machine I'll look and see if it has a good plastic for you.


D

[Jabba]

c) Broken AZTEC plastic piece with graphic. I guess I could theoretically re-create that piece if I could not a replacement. Vectorize teh graphicit, and print it on clear stock?

Jabba,

My parts machine is buried,

[Jabba]

Hey guys, here is a pic of one of the bumpers. It looks fine to me. I don't see rust or corrosion. Should I still go ahead and file it?

The pop bumper switches that need to be cleaned and adjusted (the ones Ken was referring to) are under the playfield.

[D_Zoot]

Yup, those are the ones.   Just file them enough to clean them up, it shouldn't take much.

I dunno about doing all of them in the game, there are hundreds in an EM machine!       Some people do go through all the switches, but it's a long process and it's easy to create more problems if you get some of the contacts out of adjustment in the process.   The pop bumper switches are a good place to start to get a feel for working with the switches in an EM game as you can easily test the bumpers and see how adjusting the switches closer and farther apart affect the sensitivity and snap of the bumpers.

If everything else in the game is working properly (reset sequence, scoring, ball count etc...) then it's best to not dig into any other contacts or switches until you have worked with the machine for awhile and get a feel for EM's, they can be touchy in this regard.

D

[D_Zoot]

Hey D_Zoot, no hurry whatsolever. I appreciate you offering to do this for me. It would definately find a good home here in Canada

[Jabba]

Thanks, then I'll just stick to the bumpers for now.

Well, I filed the contacts and adjusted them a bit so they were 1/16" aprt, but no real difference. Maybe a little. Seems like when the ball strikes from the top/bottom, doesn't activate, but when it strkes on the sides, its snapier. If that makes any sense...

Could it be that there is something wrong with the electronics of the bumper "coil"? Is there a way to test for this?

Thanks...

[Jabba]

Yup, those are the ones.

[D_Zoot]

Jabba,

Make sure the plastic finger that comes down through the playfield and activates the switch is centered in the switch "spoon" and that the switch is square to it.  You can run your switch contacts very close together on pop bumpers,  you'll know when it's too close when the bumper fires twice in a row or fires when another bumper is hit.   Not much more I can tell you,  just messing around with it for awhile to get it just right is sometimes what it takes.   Generally either the coils works, or it doesn't, so I doubt you have a problem with the coil itself. The circuit is pretty much limited to the switch and coil, so you shouldn't have to look any further.



And, um..  yes, that's the storage area.... I run a small arcade location on the side plus I do work for an op,  so it's not all "mine"...   

D

[D_Zoot]

Here's a pic of the Aztec I'll be doing sometime this winter.  Mine has "issues".  It doesn't credit up (I can manually add credits), it doesn't score for the most part and so forth and so on...   loads of contact problems in this one due to having spent several years in cold storage, going from hot summers to below freezing winters.

[SirPeale]

You may not want to use an actual *file* on those leaf contacts.  Something semi-rough will work just fine.

We use quarter wraps at work.  Just enough roughness to clean off dirt and corrosion, but not damage the contact points.

Just slip one between the points, lightly push the leaves together and move the wrapper back and forth.  You should be able to see the dirt on the wrapper as it comes off.

You could probably use *very* fine sandpaper as well.

[USSEnterprise]

Thanks again. That link is great. I'm in Canada so often names of products like Novus#2 are remarketed as a different names here. When you say Johnson Wax, you mean regular furthiture polish? Will this het the frime off?

This?

I meant something like this

[Jabba]

We use quarter wraps at work.

[Jabba]

Thanks again. That link is great. I'm in Canada so often names of products like Novus#2 are remarketed as a different names here. When you say Johnson Wax, you mean regular furthiture polish? Will this het the frime off?

This?

I meant something like this

Thanks. I'll pick this up tomorrow. I wonder of plain mild soap and water would be best to wash down the playfield. The graphics are in pretty good shape and don't think I would destroy them this way! Then wax em down with JC!....

[D_Zoot]

We use quarter wraps at work.

[D_Zoot]

I wonder of plain mild soap and water would be best to wash down the playfield. The graphics are in pretty good shape and don't think I would destroy them this way! Then wax em down with JC!....

NO!!

[USSEnterprise]

never use water around unfinished wood! Stick with oil based cleaners

[Jabba]

OK, Marvins guide is a Brick, but it is now about to be printed off and binded and added to my collection....Thanks guys for all the info...

[USSEnterprise]

I printed all 300 pages a few months ago. Printer had to be repaired later.