(Topic ID: 101269)

"ATTAAAACK!!!" No Good Gofers Club. All welcome.

By Marten

9 years ago


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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider lyonsden.
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#247 8 years ago

I've been in the club for a little while, and finally got around to my first (minor) mod on the game. I like colored LEDs, but have never liked how they look in a backbox of WMS/Bally games due to the harsh spottiness of the colors (and they really can make the artwork look pretty bad). Also, there is a lack of light at the bottom of the backglass. To compensate, I added cool-white LED strips inside of the LED panel, then added color LEDs to the 555 sockets. Pictures don't do it justice, but it looks very good in person. If anyone wants to do this to theirs, I have instructions: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/adding-led-strips-to-wpc-95-translightbackglass

Hoping to do (and document) more stuff to the game sooner rather than later. Such silly fun pinball.

EDIT: Must take some pictures at night.

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2 months later
#286 8 years ago
Quoted from DANGERTERROR:

Hey all!
I've learned soooo much by lurking in this club, but it's time I join. I've replaced or fixed nearly everything in an NGG, so hopefully I can help out people with issues.
However: I am experiencing a really pesky gofer problem I was hoping someone here could help out with! I absolutely adore this machine but the gofers can be so finicky.
The problem is that Bud acts like he's been hit as soon as one hits the Raise Gofer shot. As the ball is traveling up the ramp and back around through the ramp make switch, Bud pops up, says "Ohhh!" and falls down. The ramp usually is raised just fine, since Bud goes all the way up, but not all the time.
I've rebuilt the lil' guy since the problem started, but didn't see any red flags.
In switch test, both reed switches in front of Bud which I assume indicate a Bud gofer hit, work perfectly when I pass the ball over them.
In coil tests, Bud pops up and locks and falls when released, just has he should.
Thanks in advance for your NGG wisdom!

I had a similar problem and it was one of the reed switches in front of him. I did notice that mine was intermittent and sometimes worked when I tested, and sometimes was stuck closed. When it was stuck, I'd experience the same problem you describe. Might be worth rebuilding them: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/diy-repair-20-10293-reed-switch

#288 8 years ago

You can find OEM switches, but they are pricey. They are held in place by two tabs and some glue. I popped mine off with a screwdriver, but did end up breaking off one of the tabs. The old plastic is pretty brittle. I don't recall adding anything to reattach the switch when I put it back. I think the glue was either still tacky or the remaining tab was sufficient to hold it securely.

#290 8 years ago

I ended up unplugging my bad switch and had the game like that for several months before rebuilding the reed switch. It did not operate 100% correctly (though I can't remember what problem it had), but it was better than when the switch would close and trigger false hits. I probably would have left it like that and been fine, but you do miss some hits being registered to the gopher. The switches are placed to have good coverage of balls in that region, and having one out means that your effective range for detecting a ball is smaller. However, I don't recall it being a big deal.

#295 8 years ago
Quoted from DANGERTERROR:

Spent some time with Bud this weekend and now I'm more baffled than ever! I unplugged each of the reed switches and tested the game for normal or different behavior, but the Bud issue remained unchanged. In test mode the reed switches are totally fine, so now I'm thinking it's something else -- like maybe Bud is just acting like he's getting hit because he's not making it up all the way and thus falling on/activating a different switch (e.g. the gofer opto, ramp down switch).
I did notice some nuances to the gofer behavior:
1) The gofer doesn't pop all the way up and wiggle to "speak" -- it pops up halfway over and over. This means that perhaps the gofer is not reaching the right height to lock up. Indeed, when a gofer is supposed to lock "up," it falls and says "OHHH" before it ever reaches its full height.
2) The thing that makes this so frustrating is that the gofer and ramp work so darn smoothly in test mode. Popping up, locking, resetting -- if it's in test, it's just fine!
So my question is: Why would the gofer not pop up all the way in gameplay, but work perfectly in test? Could this be a board issue?

Have you replaced the latch catches: http://www.passionforpinball.com/ngg_catch.htm Also, have you taken out the gofers, cleaned their tracks and replaced the coil sleeves?

#298 8 years ago
Quoted from tilt-master:

I posted this a few years back:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/no-good-gofers-residual-plate
The residual plate should be used with the catch plate for best results

Good post!

#300 8 years ago
Quoted from gliebig:

I thought I read recently of someone with a similar issue as this, but I can't find it.
Yesterday, ball hit into the putting green were sitting for a while then getting ejected from the putting green instead of from above the pop bumpers. Never had this issue prior to yesterday.

One of the switches is not registering the ball in the trap which triggers it getting kicked down to the pops. After not finding the ball for 10 seconds, it goes into ball search and kicks it up out of the putt hole. Not sure if it is the micro or opto, but I'd guess the opto (labeled 2 and 3 in the diagram below). You can get to switch test and try to stick a screwdriver down to block the opto's IR beam and see if it registers. If it doesn't, the usual fix is to reflow the solder on the opto boards. If that doesn't work, you can replace the IR sender or receiver, or just get a new board.

Williams_1997_No_Good_Gofers_Manual.pdf.jpgWilliams_1997_No_Good_Gofers_Manual.pdf.jpg

#306 8 years ago
Quoted from DANGERTERROR:

Thanks for that! And thanks for everyone's help so far, you are all great people.
As it turns out, I am *quite* familiar with that roll pin issue; it's happened to both gofers in my game. After ordering a few high priced back-ups of that whole shaft assembly from Australia I figured out how to just replace that roll pin for like 25cents, ha.
So I went and rebuilt that entire gofer once again last night. New coil sleeves, I did the springs a few months back...
When I remove the gofer and manually pop it up and release it, it works perfectly. Pop it in: In test mode, works perfectly.
It's just in the game, when the gofer is talking or locking, it doesn't go up all the way and lock.
THE GOFER GODS ARE STILL ANGRY.
Someone above mentioned the residual plate -- definitely replaced mine when I rebuilt my ramps -- and I think that only should affect the ramp locking up, right? If the gofer gets it up, the ramp locks OK in my game.
Any other ideas for tests would be welcome!

You have me stumped. Can you post a video of your gofer's behavior -- in test and in game play? Might help figure out what is going on.

1 month later
#330 8 years ago
Quoted from pinb0t:

Thanks. What about when you restart multiball? Mine seems to be down at the beginning of the restart but stays up once the gofer pops up.

I've noticed behavior like that on my game.

2 months later
#373 8 years ago
Quoted from tmay:

Has anyone fitted out their NGG with LEDs, and if so, which set would you recommend? Not looking for something that is blinding and would prefer a kit that has it all. Thanks!

I did mine with a combination of twin and single SMD from Comet (though any LED manufacture is probably fine.) Cool white for the GI and backbox, color matched inserts. I didn't use non-ghosting bulbs, so you can save a couple of bucks not buying those.

7 months later
#470 7 years ago
Quoted from vcloverjr:

Congrats and welcome to the club. As for the felt, any fabric store will have it. Just cut, paste and apply.

*to the bottom of the slam ramp.

4 months later
#548 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

I found a black one that I can use for now. Considering the rest of the rings seem good for now, does anyone have a yellow rubber sleeve that goes between the bud and buzz ramps they could drop in the mail for me? I'd be happy to paypal the money to you.

They are $0.55 from Pinball Life: http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=72

Get a bunch of maintenance parts so the shipping isn't as painful for just one part.

#552 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Playing with the kids a few games and a couple of times the slam ramp didn't activate. It seems to be working most of the time, but definately a couple of times when we did the skill shot, it didn't do anything. Do you think it was just a fluke?
I kind of always hated home use only roms like in my TOM because I felt it took some of the fun away with the credits, but now that I play with the kids and i'm opening up the door every 3rd game, I really miss the free play option.

There is an option in the game menu to set it to free play. Nearly all pins from the late 80s onwards have that setting.

1 month later
#600 7 years ago
Quoted from Jakers:

Is the sound quality actually noticeable with a flipper fidelity kit? Does the sub add more bass? I've always been on the fence about upgrading the speakers in any of my games.

Sound is noticeably better, but not sure if FF is worth the money vs getting pairs from Crutchfield to outfit a couple of games.

4 months later
#792 6 years ago
Quoted from nicknack66:

That happens to me as well so it's probably "normal" (unless someone else has a fix for it). I find it tends to happen the most when I first turn on the game and the first wheel award awarded is way off (sometimes on the opposite side of the wheel). Usually after that though it seems fine.

I have the same behavior with mine, though I would add that it happens at the beginning of a game (usually when I collect the putting green in the first couple of shots). I think this is part of the code of NGG that people feel is buggy and unfinished -- the game has pro

3 months later
#832 6 years ago
Quoted from BobC:

I think I need to do a factory reset but am checking for secondary issues/fixes
The game is sometimes kicking out a 2nd ball into the pops for no reason I can tell....creating an impromptu 2 ball multiball
On the other hand, I no longer get the restart multiball insert lit every time after a 3 ball multiball
Please advise,
Thanks! BobC

Check the switches in the subway and see if any are flaky. Sounds like the game is getting confused, kicking a ball from the lock down the the pops, which then kicks it into the pops.

#834 6 years ago
Quoted from DatNoobAdam:

Hello everyone, we bought a Gofers this week that was advertised as above average, but is a project for sure. Can anyone post a picture of the under playfield, specifically by the switches to release the gophers? The rod on ours that is meant to push the switches down doesn't come close and I'm assuming we may be missing a part. Thanks in advance!

Can you post a picture of yours and circle what you think is the problem?

5 months later
#908 6 years ago
Quoted from Bugsy:

I am planning on buying an NVRAM for my game, but not sure which chip type to go with. I obviously know that NGG is a WPC-95 game, but on Pinitech's website, it says those type games "could use either a 62256 SRAM or 6264 SRAM". I have done other Williams games before and simply matched the number from the existing RAM on the game with the replacement I needed.
However, on my Gofers, the existing chip doesn't seem to list one or the other of 62256 or 6264. Anyone have an idea or recommendation for which NVRAM chip to purchase?

You can use FM1608-120-PG, which are a direct replacement for the chip on your board. These chips cost about $2 on Ebay and AliExpress. This link has a lot of information about getting those chips and putting them in WPC games https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nvram-experience and this link for photos doing a NGG: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nvram-experience#post-2798593.

One thing to keep in mind is that the traces on WPC MPU boards are delicate and can be pulled easily. If you are to going to do this yourself, remove the old chip by cutting of all the legs and remove them one by one. Make sure to add a socket for the new chip. Don't worry about saving the old chip -- if you want an old one, just PM me and I'll mail you one that I've pulled.

#911 6 years ago
Quoted from Bugsy:

Thanks for everyone's replies, all really helpful. I have done WPC-95 games before and know how delicate the traces are so I'm not intimidated by the board and solder work. NVRAMs are the best solution in my opinion if you don't mind doing a little extra work. Pinitech also includes the socket (already included in the price of the chip) if you so choose that option during checkout.

I'll have to look into these. They work just as any other NVRAM chip? The chip itself on my game is good, just want to eliminate batteries altogether.

Yes, they are the "original" NVRAM chip for standard battery powered RAM in WPC. Most of the ones you buy online are pulls from old equipment (copy machines, I think). The new chips with adapter boards are made by various people here because those old chips became very, very rare due to not being manufactured (before old pulls were available). It is up to you which way you want to go, I've been running FM1608-120-PG in all of my games for years without any problem. You may get a bum chip (I've had one in the nearly 100 I've purchased), but if you socket it, it is easy to swap with another (and you might as well purchase 5 for $10).

#913 6 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Personally I think a remote holder is much simpler than pulling out the chip and soldering in another one. I did it for Dr. Dude as I had to replace another chip anyway. In my gofers I have a rotten dog MPU that has the ram socketed so I'm thinking maybe I get one of these 2 dollar chips and throw it in.

If you have the skills to remove the old chip, NVRAM is the way to go. In the long run, it is cheaper than batteries with zero chance of battery leaks (yes, remote holder does keep the board safe, but if they leak, it can still make a mess.) The only downside with NVRAM is that the time will not be kept in sync with the real world as the game's internal clock only works when there is power. For NGG, that is not a big deal, but for some games with a midnight madness mode or a real clock on the playfield, it can annoy some people. These games have a midnight madness mode that is triggered at midnight:

Congo
Dirty Harry
Johnny Mnemonic
Junk Yard
NBA Fastbreak
Who Dunnit

And Twilight Zone has a clock that shows the real time when it is turned on.

#915 6 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

I get what you are saying, but its honestly not really a hassle to check the batteries every once in awhile. The only way you have a major issue is if you are a moron and store the games with the batteries in them like me.

I am that moron (and have repaired way too many games due to battery leakage. . . )

1 week later
#924 6 years ago

I finally made a Pinduino kit for No Good Gofers! I really like how this came out. Addressable LEDs are mounted to the ramps facing towards the middle of the playfield and do a great job of lighting the game up!

Code is open source: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/No-Good-Gofers

And you can get a plug and play kit from my pinside store: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/No-Good-Gofers

Or make your own (Pinduino needed): https://docs.google.com/document/d/11dvWLn5GuwVkKGALNcZdN98K1qqAlEKzqyIpqNevzU4/edit

Lights off:
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Lights on:
IMG_6832.JPG (resized).jpegIMG_6832.JPG (resized).jpeg

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