Nice job,for you to take the time and effort shows alot.I think a pinball resurgence is happening before our very computers.

This is excellent stuff! Thanks for your effort, jrrdw! I'm sure others will also contribute, I'll keep an eye out on this topic, compile follow-ups into the opening post and and make edits where necessary!

Very good read.

In case you haven't seen it:

http://www.flippers.be/nbshop1.html

Order parts online. Wait for them. Count the days. Bug the postman. Open package like its your birthday.

^^^ Realize you forgot a couple parts and now must pay another $12 in shipping.

Oh man, I am SO GLAD I'm not the only one!!

I second the photo-taking. It was a huge help.

Johnny

I try to hold off on the order until I get everything apart and cleaned. But I still either forget to order something or somehow didn't catch it until after the order.

Wow, never knew that.

Great post!

Cool idea for new pinheads. I get some of my best tips from guys who have been down the road of restoration for years and many of them will take time to share those experiences with others in the hobby. There is so much untapped knowledge to be gained from restorers that are willing to help new and old pinheads.

On step 7- get your tools together, you could expand that into its own thread. The big one there is to make your own rotisery for the playfield.

That is a great thread. I forgot that had been done before. That would be pretty good to have the link to there under 7A or something like that.

Yes and if you see a window on the back of them that is not covered with some sticker or something a small piece of electrical tape, you might want to "recover" that window. (Used to erase the EPROM's).

Just sent my high speed board out for repairs. Looking at my pin this would be a great time to work
on cleaning and touch ups. I have a few questions on shopping/ restoring this pin. My high speed
still has the mylar which is starting to peel in a section. Ive seen it removed with the freeze spray and would like to remove it. You guys have any concerns with me doing that? Second I have a
few really worn areas around the jet bumpers. I can strip the top of the playfied but really dont want
to strip the wiring harness and all below as seen in videos. If I want to touch up the areas what do you suggest using as far as paint? Do I have to clear coat touch up areas? Any suggestions would be
appreciated.

Tks!

L

LOL so true!!!

Things I think should be added to the original ”OP” list.
5A - 1 Before plugging in: with a DMM check that there is NO continuity between the earth pin and active pin or Earth pin and neutral pin of the power plug.
5A -2 check with a DMM that there IS continuity from the earth pin of the power plug and metal parts of the machine like coin door and lock bar.
5B if either fail, have the machine checked out by a qualified person before using. SAFETY FIRST!!
7A Unplug the machine from the wall!!!!

I'd like to comment on step 4A. Especially because I dealt with this on my F14.

All EPROM chips on your system boards should have a sticker over the chip window. If the internal chip is exposed (you'll know if it is cuz you'll see this cool shiny chip inside), the EPROM will eventually erase / become corrupt by being exposed to UV light. And then the chip will fail self-test on turn-on and may not work properly.

A single camera flash won't hurt it. But having that window exposed for a long period of time does. At the very least cover with electrical tape! Otherwise you'll need to buy new ROMs or reprogram your current ones (assuming the ROM code is on IPDB), which takes special hardware

exactly what Shpwizard stated above. simply make sure than any eproms windows are covered up with tape (back in the day, we used to use the write-protect tabs for 5-1/4" floppy discs, but electrical or the foil tape that is sold for duct work works just as well

That's a great tip, thanks guys.

Great thread, thanks!

Nice. Cheers.

One suggestion before getting to involved check and make sure the correct value fuses are installed.
Games I have purchased from several people never had the correct value fuses in place and they were never lower value either.

Slo-blo fuses where called for and "normal" ones where they reside as well.

I recently started a page for this.

http://www.habosarcade.com/Pinball%20Shop%20Out.htm

Still under construction and the link might slightly change.

I am brand new to this. Am looking at buying a Whirlwind. How to I convince my wife that:
1. I can refurbish it
2. It shouldn't cost more than $XXX for parts

Any input would be greatly appreciated. No wife jokes please.

1. Refer her to us so we can let her know any idiot (myself included) can fix these beasts.
2. Don't let her see the receipts

Love it!
But seriously, what can I expect in large round numbers to sink into one of these beasts?
I know if all depends on the condition, but can I safely say an average of $300??
Don't forget I know nothing about this and need to sound like I know more than I know.

It really DOES depend on condition, and what sort of condition you hope to get out of it. If the playfield and cabinet are in acceptable condition to you, then you've avoided a LOT of cost right there. Are all of the plastics there? A new plastic set, for example, usually runs around 150 if they're available.

WW is a 3 flipper game, so as far as mechanics go, you really shouldn't need to put more than 120 into rebuilding the flippers (and that's all new mechs). You can add a lot of life to other coils (like the 6 pops) by changing out the sleeves (dirt cheap, like .30/sleeve). If that, along with adjusting switches, doesn't get you the desired effect, you probably want to follow Vid's repair guide on rebuilding pops:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-rebuilding-pop-bumpers

Now, electronics are cheap, if you're comfortable with your (temp controlled) soldering iron. If you don't have any desire to trouble shoot or repair a board if needed, I think a new MPU runs about $200 on average. There are places you can send it off for cheaper (I think), but that's no fun - fix it yourself if you can.

So,... what's wrong with this WW?

As soon as I can get to the WW and turn it on, I have no idea what condition it really is in. It does look like needs a new playfield

I'm building a new backbox for my 1978 Bally Eight Ball. Does anyone know where I can get the thin aluminum sheeting, (gauge)? that covers the back, sides, and top of the inside of the box?
TIA
Ron

IMG_20200205_141410220 (resized).jpg

Here is a little talk about it.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/my-first-restoration-mata-hari/page/4#post-5278000