Make sure there are no crispy pins (male or female) on your rectifier board (inside the cabinet). Do the ground mods, replace the big electrolytic caps and touch up all the solder on all the male header pins on the solenoid board. Check for cracked solder joints on the lamp board and mpu. Clean or replace cabinet flipper and eos switches. Clean and adjust any other switches that need it. Solder up or replace loose lamp sockets. That should mostly do it if the game is going on location. Unfortunately there’s not really a simple solution to the orbit shots. Contact Stern for Beatles parts is probably simplest?

They’re much harder (and more expensive) for me to replace then they are to repair. I would personally never do this.

This game has a new weebly soundboard, MPU and rectifier, what ground mods are needed? The bottom flippers have new switched, the top do not. I’ve cleaned the crap out of the top ones and still get a flipper stutter. Not sure what else to do there.

Otherwise it seems solid. Also the flipper buttons are still arcing blue sparks a lot. Will I just have to live with it?

You might try a different flipper coil.

You have to live with the blue sparks. But I am thinking that the flipper capacitors Williams used and that PBR sells might help with the sparks.

The original SDB would have been missing a direct path to ground for the two large filter caps. If you have one of Andrew’s boards you need do nothing.

Your upper flippers are stuttering due to pitted or failed EOS switches or a broken wire to one of the lugs for the hold winding on the coil.

Currently in process of building up Seawitch on new PF, but old PF missing parts etc.

On flipper EOS switch I notice one has a high wattage resistor.

Should resistor be on all four EOS?

What value and wattage is recommended?

I recall reading somewhere recommendation for using a different flipper coil. What coil number? What benefit? Does it apply to all four flipper?

It looks like resistors are only on two top flippers.

Resistor value?

I can check tomorrow.
Turns out the issue for the stutter is an improperly gapped EOS. It’s difficult to perfectly adjust. It doesn’t always stutter. I think the issue is that it’s not breaking quickly enough at the end of the stroke.

The upper flippers use lower power coils AND resistors. The lower flippers use higher power coils WITHOUT resistors. Having the correct coils and resistors for the upper flippers is crucial for proper gameplay and to minimize breaking the center drop targets which are in very close proximity to the upper left flipper. This also reduces air balls from these same drop targets.

Regarding proper gameplay...in my opinion Mike Kubin knew what he was doing...the shots are tight on purpose...the playfield modifications you see some Pinsiders doing in this thread to the playfield orbits, shooter lane ball guide, and spinner are completely unnecessary...there is no need to modify this playfield! When set up properly in factory form this is a special game. The shots are not easy but are very makeable, including ripping the spinner and completing the orbit from the lower left flipper and making consecutive orbits from the upper right flipper. The other thing that causes difficulty in making the orbit is people making the playfield angle way too steep. With the proper coils, resistors, and the playfield angle between 4.5 and 5.0 degrees, the ball will “slide” nicely into the orbit from the upper right flipper. If not set up correctly with the high power coils and a steep playfield angle, the ball will rattle in the left orbit entry. I’ve also seen people try to “mess” with the ball guide at the entrance to the left orbit. If everything is installed properly, that ball guide follows the edge of the plastic light shield perfectly. You also don’t need to use different flipper bats, the stock classic Stern bats work just fine. In my opinion, don’t alter things trying to make it easier or to be more like the Beatles, you will be missing out on the magic this pin has to offer and not truly be a Seawitch. The orbits and spinner are very satisfying in stock form as you have to earn them!

I will try to get you the coil numbers and resistor numbers today.

One last thing, Cliffy makes an excellent reproduction of the shooter lane/orbit ball guide. Hopefully the new playfield is “dead on” when it comes to dimensions and mounting holes...good luck!

WRB great insight into Seawitch.

Appreciate information.

I’ve used default Seawitch in a few large tournaments and it’s drops all day by anyone who steps up expecting to score well. The spinner rejects far too much to be worth taking on the risk. This is all about the flap, which is a ridiculous design IMO and probably had far more to do with BOM cost then how well it worked. The updated (not true to original either) Cliffy helps about 10%. I would personally never pitch a classic Stern at 4.5. That’s 2” flipper woodrail territory and I’d be laughed at if I put a game in a tournament, or on location set up like that.

You are very welcome...it is definitely one of my favorite pins! As promised, here is the info you need for the coils and resistors...

0743139D-C7E9-4100-B518-1C8887E9EA1B (resized).jpeg

EC00550E-F68D-4962-82D0-0112060004B7 (resized).jpeg

The flap is not that big of deal and does little to affect game play. I replaced the flap on mine with the launch ramp that is on The Beatles. I'm happy with the mod and I will not remove it.

However, I thought installing a Beatles ramp and making a solid ball guide on the right orbit would help with upper right flipper shots to the left orbit. It makes no difference. Making the left orbit with the right flipper is just as difficult. It is no easier to make multiple loops. The most loops I have ever had was 2.5. and that was with the flap gate.

The factory flap gate, as well as the Cliffy unit look a little cheesy, but there is no performance improvement with The Beatles ramp.

I'm not sorry that I did the mod, but would not be sorry if I had not done this.

I had mine set up at a little over 5% and it played well and balanced. I was told I needed to raise it up to 6.0- 6.5. I did that for awhile. The responsiveness sort of went away. The orbits were much harder to target, especially the spinner. I backed it off to about 5.5% and it plays much smoother and the spinner is a little easier to target.

I have my Big Game set to 7.5% and the flippers kick like mules. It is powerhouse that I will never lessen the slope on.

Nine Ball seems to work very well at 6.0%. As does Catacomb. Dragonfist at 6.2% has good action. But not Seawitch.

I appreciate your opinion but disagree. The best way to score points regardless of how well the orbits are working is by completing banks of drops, building your bonus multiplier, and scoring the bonus value when lit by completing the associated bank. That being said, you should not be getting that many rejects from the spinner. You either have a set up issue or need to “play better”. For what it’s worth, I use the smaller of the two available mini-post rubber sizes (3/8” OD) on Seawitch. This opens up the spinner entry slightly and is preferred. Could the flap have been designed better? Sure, but it does work. The only shot that I feel should have been easier by design is the “special” lane as it requires a perfect shot. Regarding playfield angle, I have no idea why people find it necessary to jack the rear legs up so high. The pins of this era were NOT designed to have the playfield as steep as modern pins. It’s almost turned into a “status symbol” or the “cool” thing to do to have 3” leg levelers all the way out. I’ve even seen people then put wood under the fully extended leg levelers! The designers did not intend for the pins to be played this way! Many people won’t even give the proper playfield angle a chance to see how the pin plays as designed, they just jack them up. Gottlieb EMs in the 1970s published 3.5 degrees in their manuals. The early SS pins were not intended to be set up beyond 5 degrees. It wasn’t until around the time of the system 11 pins that playfield angles were designed for 6 degrees or higher. Bottom line...set things up for whatever makes you happy. I have seen, however, many gameplay issues arise when playfield angles are too steep. One final note...steeper playfield angles do not always make a pin harder. For that, open up the outlanes if the posts are adjustable. If they are not adjustable, just remove them altogether. Ball times will go down for sure!

This is what’s most important...they are your pins...set them up however you like...do what makes you happy!!!

Yes. Seawitch is definitely a drop target game. The orbits are nice, especially when she screams. But the points are those drop targets. 1000 points a target and add 1000 to the bonus. This is where The Beatles is a little better than Seawitch with the different modes and other variances.

Good info Will try it!

Whoops! My bad. I thought Seawitch was supposed to be at a 7° angle. I’ll lower her down. I enjoyed how fast and brutal she was playing and I can nail the hell out of the left orbit via the upper right flipper. My only issue was how difficult a perfect shot on the spinner was. I’ve achieved it multiple times and find it to be so incredibly satisfying that I debated whether making is “easier” would ruin the reward of finally ripping the hell out of the spinner.
The other issue I have: was the left orbit EVER intended to be achievable via the bottom right flipper? It seems like with just a quarter of an inch more clearance you could *just barely* make that shot. The big ol’ Stern flipper takes up too much space.

So all in all, spinner shot on from the bottom left is hard but doable. Flap is hardly an issue for me since the game is so steep. But the bottom right flipper to left orbit quite literally cannot be made and it really seems like it should be a feasible shot and I would like to modify that. Anyone know if Kubin originally intended it that way? With a modified figure 8 style it sure seems it.

There is a bit of discussion about the subject over the last few pages.

This game has only 2 modifications.

The rigid shooter/orbit diverter. This simply bolts on with the existing 2 screws. Nothing else changes. Completely reversable. Creates a flowing orbit after the spinner, right up to the metal orbit outer ball guide.

The post above the left upper flipper is moved a bit over 4mm. The plastic still fits fine it is that small of an amount. Also reversable, except the extra hole. The unused hole is completely covered by the star post.

I can also attest to the left orbit being made from the bottom right flipper on this game Before the post was moved, rarely I must say, but the narrow path was always there. The post moving I can agree may not be nesesary, but the diverter... something better is a must. 9/10 clear shots through the spinner would fail by rattling against the wooden side rail or the start of the ball guide then drop back down to halt the spinner. It isn't worth enough points that it should be so impossible. It is worth reasonable points when fully loaded with rip tide as well. But not when it never works. I tried playfield angles, balls, padding... then there's the big scrape mark in the playfield from the flap. Without going the kind of diverter I have constructed, what about the flap being not quite as close down to the playfield, a bit stiffer/thicker, and extending up to Overlap with the metal orbit ball guide (inch longer)? ... is that what the cliffy one is like?

Yes I’m really inspired by your mod here, but was that orbit EVER attainable BEFORE that mod? Or was the geometry never intended for that? I really like the flow of that shot. Very torn over if it makes the game too different and “easy” versus the constant stuffing of the original state.

My main reason is that the variety of five spinner sounds is Awesome in this game. Never used to hear them in combo at all. The game is now so extra awesome, like twice the game, more ballanced, more worth doing... belive it or not, yes, More Fun

The spinner is still not really what you want to be going for at the start of a game anyway. All three drop target banks, 4 green standups, spinner and orbit are maxed... and you Know because of the deep droning synth noise after the 4th green light is lit.

*ps: As you can see by my 80 second slaughterfest (me, by seawitch lol) ... these mods do not make this game "easy", not at all. The diverter just makes the spinner work, and makes returning left orbits come through the spinner and roll down against the face of the right upper flipper bat.

Love that component of the sound... Spinners... running out instead of always being stalled

I use the Pinball Life aluminum flipper bats. I would suggest you at least use a Williams bat for the upper left flipper. It won't turn you into a wizard but it will help the left orbit a little bit.

So I'm gonna throw this out there and see who knows the right answer. I have a seawitch with bally yellow bats and I was having trouble hitting the right shot under the upper right flipper into the shooter lane. When I was at the Pinball Life open house, I saw that the classic stern flipper bats were narrower at the tip (like Williams bats) and have a slightly shorter rod. Are these more accurate to the bats that came on the game? Mine was a basket case when I got it.

Yes, They're close but Stern bats are a slightly different (narrower) shape then classic Bally. I always put the correct Stern bats on any classic Stern. The Bally flippers never fit right and the shafts are too long which can cause slipping and playfield dragging and/or be nearly impossible to get out of the crank if they've been clamped down super tight.

Yeah, you'll want the type 2 flipper bats--here's a link for them at Pinball Life: https://www.pinballlife.com/classic-stern-flipper-bat-and-shaft-assembly.html

Having some trouble getting my witch to boot. Here’s the thread I started:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-mpu-200-woes#post-5587595

Any advice would be appreciated!

Got my witch up and running again! Thanks to all who helped guide me in the right direction. Now that it's working, I have another question:

The first time I complete either of the 4-target banks, it awards an extra ball. This seems premature/way too easy. Is this normal? Is there a setting that needs to be changed to make this more difficult or am I experiencing some sort of buggy behavior?

I have mine set to reward an extra ball if I drop all eleven targets on the same ball. Not easy to accomplish.

Seawitch part where does it go?
Putting a Seawitch PF together that was partially assembled

791F1721-5F50-420C-B942-B01A06318B82 (resized).jpeg

7E846445-5085-42F0-B6AE-38E32AE787F3 (resized).jpeg

Does anyone make the flap on Seawitch where ball is launched?

Looks like chrome plated flex steel.

A9424BF8-E603-40D4-949F-1B89B690E4D7 (resized).jpeg

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/any-seawitch-fans-on-pinside/page/5#post-2838970

http://www.passionforpinball.com/

yeah, Cliffy has the entry flap. I don't think it's shown on the website. I had to email & ask for it.

Nice repro part

Got it, on order
Thanks

Figured it out. The drop target correlation was a coincidence. Turns out one of the special point level based awards was set to 10k. Zeroing that out fixed it.

Does anyone here have a scan (or better yet cameo or vector art) for a Seawitch apron? Actually, the scan doesn’t have to be from Seawitch since there were a number of games with the same apron, just different colors. Anything with the correct art/lettering would do.

That looks like a plunger stop that you will see on the flipper assemblies. Or rather it is a stop for the flipper plunger links.

I have an apron and a scanner. What are you cooking up?

I want to make stencils for an apron repaint using my cameo. The text and some of the art are worn to metal on mine so I’m looking for a better scan. I’ll shoot you a PM.

I just answered you before I saw your PM. If the PM sounded rude, I apologize.

You could buy an apron decal at this site. While there buy coin door and credit button decals.
http://www.pinballrescue.net/Decals_Apron_Stern.html

The decals are nice. However, the blue color that is used is not a Seawitch color of blue.

I used one on a Gottlieb I restored. Turned out really nice. Maybe you could request a special run for Seawitch?
It's a pisser that they don't offer Bally & Williams stuff any more.

Not rude at all.

Did Lightning and Seawitch have the same shade of blue on their aprons?

No.

DSCN1966 (resized).jpg

Has anyone here upgraded their speaker? The sounds on Seawitch are pretty basic, so I’m not sure if the speaker is with improving or not. These older games always sound kinda mushy/muffled to my ear. I don’t know if that’s due to a crappy speaker, primitive audio boards/sounds or....?

pinheadpierre,

You remind me of this guy.

Screen Shot 2020-04-17 at 9.07.46 AM (resized).png

Vid is everywhere and nowhere.