(Topic ID: 190341)
Langhorne, PA
Wow... looks effing awesome Colson! That plastic looks fine to me. I'd probably leave it unless you can get something "perfect" in there. Thanks for the Christmas Eve porn! 
Have a Merry Christmas!
Quoted from JeffF:Wow... looks effing awesome Colson! That plastic looks fine to me. I'd probably leave it unless you can get something "perfect" in there. Thanks for the Christmas Eve porn! Have a Merry Christmas!
Thanks Jeff. Porn it is after this long road. Needed something to cheer my ass up.
The center plastic has a chip off the left corner at the bottom, and a little crack in it. I'm making two or three new ones (there's a mock up scan earlier in the thread that I did a while ago), just have to get it perfect before I 3D print it next time.
Merry Christmas to you too.
Quoted from MustangPaul:Well let's see a picture of it FULLY lit up.
I'm waiting for one of the guys in the clown puke thread to come over here and tell me to remove the red towers under the center plastic. Hahaha
Some of the backbox G.I. is cutting in and out, and now the 1000 point coil in the backbox is humming a little. Have to troubleshoot a little first. After having this thing completely apart, every nut and screw, I'll certainly take that as being the only issue. Everything else is working great.
Breaking out the schematic shortly. Going to do a hand test on the playfield switches first.
I think Bally used a separate fuse for back box GI. Those factory fuse clips are garbage.
Otherwise, suspect the Jones plugs to the head. Wiggle and see if it comes and goes. Next might be a set if contacts on the Game Over relay. Press on it by hand.
1000 points stuck on, check to see that the score reel is not energizing and therefore, the score relay is waiting for the reel plunger to hit the EOS switch.
As to clown puke, my only comment is it appears rather BRIGHT! What style LEDs did you choose?
Quoted from CactusJack:I think Bally used a separate fuse for back box GI. Those factory fuse clips are garbage.
Otherwise, suspect the Jones plugs to the head. Wiggle and see if it comes and goes. Next might be a set if contacts on the Game Over relay. Press on it by hand.
1000 points stuck on, check to see that the score reel is not energizing and therefore, the score relay is waiting for the reel plunger to hit the EOS switch.
As to clown puke, my only comment is it appears rather BRIGHT! What style LEDs did you choose?
Thanks for all the info. I'm going to work on it tomorrow when the family dives out.
I put in cool white, some 2 SMD, some Piranha and some 5 SMD towers. It's not as bright in person.
At what point did you decide that putting more money into the machine than it is worth, made sense? Didn’t read your 9 page blog, so you might have commented on it already. 
.
Nice work BTW, very well done!
Quoted from alexanr1:At what point did you decide that putting more money into the machine than it is worth, made sense? Didn’t read your 9 page blog, so you might have commented on it already.
Nice work BTW, very well done!
Thanks. Not quite sure if the first part of your post was an actual question or sarcasm. This game is rare, and you don't see them often. Any game is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it, nothing more, nothing less. I've paid a decent price in the past for some games myself that I really wanted, and I've gotten others substantially below what the cost should have been.
I always had a plan to restore a Vampire, and the one that I found happened to need a little bit more work. If I did ever decide to sell it, either somebody would pay what or near what I would ask, or I wouldn't sell the game.
I had to replace the 4 fuse bracket holder under the playfield to fix the playfield lights. It was cheap and simple. Also my 1000 scoring reel was stuck on. I took all the reels out and cleaned them. After that, I didn't have anymore problems. Read the how to work on EM machines thread. It gave me a lot of information. How to put it on free play and keep the lights on when not playing.
Fantastic work, Colson! I've had the good fortune of playing this title before and love it, too. Congrats on finding an example and making it your own. Wish I could make it to Allentown to play it. I'll be at York 2018, tho. Any chance you (or this gorgeous Vamp) will be there? Would be great to meet you in person. Regardless, thanks for keeping me up on Christmas Eve with this enjoyable documentation.
Merry Christmas,
Ryan
Quoted from alexanr1:At what point did you decide that putting more money into the machine than it is worth, made sense? Didn’t read your 9 page blog, so you might have commented on it already.
Nice work BTW, very well done!
You can’t put a price tag on the pride and happiness that game is going to bring him every day for the rest of his life. I wish that I had the skills that Colsand does and could do something like that. I would love to see some gameplay Colsand someday of the game once you get it all finished.
Quoted from Who-Dey:You can’t put a price tag on the pride and happiness that game is going to bring him every day for the rest of his life. I wish that I had the skills that Colsand does and could do something like that. I would love to see some gameplay Colsand someday of the game once you get it all finished.
This.
Restorations are about personal pride and doing something you might not have thought you could do. Playing it afterwards is the best feeling in the world.
Hey Colson. I am late to this thread. I just read the 9 pages.
Excellent transfusion, er, I mean transformation. Bloody nice, my friend!
Quoted from Da-Shaker:I had to replace the 4 fuse bracket holder under the playfield to fix the playfield lights. It was cheap and simple. Also my 1000 scoring reel was stuck on. I took all the reels out and cleaned them. After that, I didn't have anymore problems. Read the how to work on EM machines thread. It gave me a lot of information. How to put it on free play and keep the lights on when not playing.
Thanks for the info. I have an "OK" grasp on working on EM's, but any additional info always helps. Just didn't want to dive into it with the family here. Seems like you had the exact same problems though, so I'll try to tackle those things first.
Quoted from RyanClaytor:Fantastic work, Colson! I've had the good fortune of playing this title before and love it, too. Congrats on finding an example and making it your own. Wish I could make it to Allentown to play it. I'll be at York 2018, tho. Any chance you (or this gorgeous Vamp) will be there? Would be great to meet you in person. Regardless, thanks for keeping me up on Christmas Eve with this enjoyable documentation.
Merry Christmas,
Ryan
Definitely a cool game, and I think I said earlier in the thread I've only seen like three or four of them in my time in the hobby. Considering other things Bally was putting out at the time, the artwork on this game is fantastic and definitely unique. And given your passion and profession, I'm sure that is something you certainly appreciate.
Pinfest is the bigger show, you should really try to make it here for that if you could. But if you're going to York, I usually attend that show other than last year, I'll definitely make my way up there to meet you in person also. I just might bring the Vamp so you can give it a whirl. Have a Merry Christmas too.
Quoted from Who-Dey:I would love to see some gameplay Colsand someday of the game once you get it all finished.
Once I get all the kinks worked out, I'll definitely throw a video up on the Tube. Thanks for all the compliments man, I definitely appreciate it.
Quoted from pintechev:Restorations are about personal pride and doing something you might not have thought you could do. Playing it afterwards is the best feeling in the world.
That. The few games I got to play before the coil started locking on felt absolutely awesome.
Quoted from ZNET:Hey Colson. I am late to this thread. I just read the 9 pages.
Excellent transfusion, er, I mean transformation. Bloody nice, my friend!
Thanks Bruce...it was a lot of work, but definitely paid off. And you know I always enjoy word play...haha.
Man that thing does look good, Merry Christmas gift to you!
$10k by Christmas, it looks better than even that amount!!
Nice work 
Quoted from Zitt:Ok. hate to be "that guy" but; aren't the new stencils missing the white "highlight" areas on the front of your new cabinet?
Had a few minutes and got a new X-Acto knife, so about to remedy that later.
Stencil didn't grab perfect, but a few tiny touchups with black and it should be just fine. Going to go over the white a second time just to darken it up. One little section at the bottom is a little blotchy, and the overspray went a little thick on the right. At least now it's done so people can't point it out.
Quoted from ryandimx:This game is so pimp. Watching the progress and enthusiasm had been a great ride.
Big pimpin NYC...haha. Thanks Ry, it has been a long but great ride. Hitting the backbox and mech issues this week, then playing the shit out of this thing.
HI Colson !!
I had never seen a VAMPIRE pin until I checked out your post ... This machine is SO COOL !!! And you have done an INCREDIBLE job restoring it !!!!! You have put so much time, money and love into it ... It definitely went to the "right home" !!!! I don't think I have the patience for a full resto ... but LOVE seeing all you have done. Did you have to strip the electronics off the back of PF before they cleared it ? or they just masked it all off ?
What would I do if it was mine ? yes, something with the cabinet protectors ... and for me > I would paint the yellow on the PF (apron, side rails, top metal thing) a different color ... White? very light grey ? and then change the yellow lane guides (or whatever they are called) to white. Don't get me wrong >> Your machine is SOOO AMAZING ... just what I would do ...
Todd
P.S. I guess I have seen a VAMPIRE machine because I have watched American Graffiti ... Didn't notice which pins were in that scene tho .. I will have to watch again (it's been a long time). And did any one mention that movie was directed by George Lucas....
Thanks for the compliments, and I don't think some of your suggestions on repainting other items would look too bad. I wanted to keep some things original, in the event I ever do decide to sell this thing.
Rare game, and definitely worth the restoration.
And I was not aware that George Lucas directed American Graffiti. You learn something new every day. Thanks for following the thread.
Quoted from SpaceTimeGuy:Did you have to strip the electronics off the back of PF before they cleared it ? or they just masked it all off ?
I'd be interested in this, too.
Quoted from CactusJack:1000 points stuck on, check to see that the score reel is not energizing and therefore, the score relay is waiting for the reel plunger to hit the EOS switch.
Finally had a chance to look at it. None of the 1000 point rollovers are scoring on the playfield, and it won't kick the ball out of the trough to the shooter lane. The 1000 point coil in the backbox is being constantly energized and locked on. Input?
See if manually pulling the score reel plunger in to hit the EOS and see if the relay drops out. If it does, it's probably a set of points on the 1000 point score relay or on the 2nd player change over relay that are used to energize the score reel.
If it stays energized, it's probably just a set of leaf blades set too close for something that scores 1000. Look closely at the "third" blade that is used to hold one of the blades back. They often get bent to rest against the other blade and make a short.
Checked the playfield switches, the bottom left outlane rollover was stuck. It's a compound switch with bonus, and the bonus was engaged, probably from being bent when I was putting it back in.
The ball trough still isn't kicking it in, and the top kickout hole isn't kicking the ball out either.
Little gameplay, but not good haha. Just messing around trying to film, I really need a stand. Everything feels like butter, even the mechs as it's running. Game is happy.
Quoted from Colsond3:Little gameplay, but not good haha. Just messing around trying to film, I really need a stand. Everything feels like butter, even the mechs as it's running. Game is happy.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=4OjKVBJoqSg
Are you missing the one-way gate at the top of your shooter lane? Looked like your second plunge made it back into the shooter lane somehow.
Quoted from Colsond3:Definitely...thanks Ryan. In between every five games or so, I just stop and start staring at it.
Deservedly so! You've put a ton of work into this gem. I like the little touches like red lights over the score reels.
Quoted from RyanClaytor:Are you missing the one-way gate at the top of your shooter lane? Looked like your second plunge made it back into the shooter lane somehow.
No, it's just sticky once every few balls. I'm trying to work it in 
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