Went to take a picture for you, but forgot I removed the coin mechs on mine. Unless you're hell bent on dropping quarters into your game, starting an arcade or really don't like your in-laws and want to charge them to play your BH, just remove them.

I had the same problem on my Spirit. I removed the coin mechs, compared the working wire with the non-working and just tweaked the wire enough until they both started working. You can manually actuate the coin lockout solenoid and keep dropping coins in, adjusting the wire in between, until you get it right.

I'd agree that if you're not routing it's not necessary. But I'm an OCD nitpicker and want everything to work ... and I love the challenge.

Good luck,

Brian

Yeah after looking at it further, it's because of the angle of the coin mechs. If I open the door so it's parallel with the playfield then it will work no problem but if I close the door than the coin either goes to the refund slot on the right mech or into the coin box without hitting the wire on the left mech since it's missing it's side cover.

Here's a stupid question but I just got this machine so cut me some slack lol. How do you take out the backglass? It looks like it can just slide out from the side, but the latches for the backbox door block it from coming out. I could unscrew the latches and get it out but what a PITA! Am I missing something or is that how you do it?

If I recall correctly, it was just a few screws to remove the plastic retaining shims from the side, then the glass just slides out. Not very complicated.

I'm sure you've all seen this. It's still way cool if you have:

That is absolutely BAD ASS!!!!!!!! What a project to make all those mods, especially the mirrored PF, but way worth it. I wonder how much $$ and time he has into that BH.

And how the hell did he drill all the holes for the posts, target assemblies and lamp sockets through the mirror? I know you can drill glass, but with that many holes, one wrong move and you crack the glass and have to start all over again. I would love to see a video or stream of pics through the process while he was doing it.

I like that he sounds like a narrator in a high school science class VHS tape.

with work like that he could sound like a murderous pedophile with horrible credit and.... well as long as he just sounds like it I guess it's ok.

it's still the coolest thing I have ever seen in this hobby without question. the acrylic machine is cool too but I like this better. both would be good lol...

Sorry - but that game was/is crap.
It was at TPF my first year... it ran about 3hrs total and was down the rest of the show.
Even then; it won the category for best pinball. What a rip off.

So was it glass or plastic on the playfield?

Pretty sure it was mirrored acrylic plastic.
Unlikely glass as metal ball + glass = shatter.

No way!! System 80's are always fun...just ask blownfuse. Some of them go down often, unfortunately. I would still take his BH in a heartbeat.

Yep, gotta love those System 80 games, each one is very different from the next (even the same models).

Steve

I believe Zitt was referring to that resto-modded BH, not BH in general.

Exactly.
I owned a BH for a short period of time during it's restore. It's now happily running at my brothers house (xmas gift).

Anyone ever have their up-kicker driver board transistor fail repeatedly? Mine was bad when I got the game, and has now gone bad again, along with the one for the lower playfield drain ball release, for no reason that I can think of.

Also, any way to weaken the up-kicker without that flipper mod?

i just bent the gate prong twords the apron a bit. it softens it up probably need more tweaking

FINALLY FIXED MY BH!!! The upkicker issue I had since purchase. The under PF transistor near the resistor block was bad (after soldering and fixing the cut coil for the upkicker). now the rest of the restore can take place!!! Super pumped.

Before the fix

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I'm interested in hearing if that fixes yours permanently. I have the exact same issue as you were having. I found that transistor was bad, so I replaced it and then replaced the coil. About a week later, new coil melted the same way. Im banging my head on the wall trying to figure out whats causing it, and why its not blowing the fuse first (I have a 6amp fast blow instead of a 6.25 slow blo).

Sometimes, if the upkicker coil frys, loss of the 5VDC at the driver board is the cause. A failed connection can cause some of the playfield coils to slowly turn on in attract mode. Then the upkicker coil does a slow burn. I've seen this symptom on a few BH's. For some odd reason, the schematic has that coil over fused and it'll burn up every time.

I switched to using a super flipper coil and added EOS switch, much safer now. If the slow burn (activation) ever comes back, all that will happen is that the coil will engage and the EOS switch will open up, turning off the power stroke of the coil. It's like holding in the flipper button, the coil may get warm but it won't cook. I've also been running a 2.5 amp slo-blo fuse now to protect that coil. It's been running fine this way for several years now.

Steve
System 80, not just a job, it's an adventure

Did you have to make a bracket for the EOS switch from scratch, or did you retrofit an existing one?

I designed a switch bracket for the upkicker coil and asked Cliffy to produce it in case anyone else wants to convert the upkicker to something more fail safe. He sells the brackets through his website, you have to contact him and ask for one. I think they come with the EOS switch installed.

Steve

I have pascal's board, if that helps? But yeah, I'll keep you updated if it fails. I only played 2 games to test. I don't have time until after MGC.

I don't see anything for Black Hole anywhere on his site, even with google

Would a 100k pulldown resistor between B & E of the transistor coil help prevent this?

Anyone use the rotten dog pop bumper boards? I have a pop acting up and if i can just order 6 of those I would rather do that than do work on the board itself.

Ive got one, the rest I rebuilt. It works fine.

I have a Pascal pop bumper board that I would @#$@#$# hands down recommend as the #1 to get....just expensive, ~$20 each.

However, I also ordered 5 or 6 rebuild kits from Big Daddy Enterprises. I'd suggest that as an option too. Just rebuild your own boards...ONly problem I've had is if you don't have a nice desolder station, some pads lift on the pcb.

Otherwise that RD board doesn't look too bad. I may order a few to have on hand!

They added a smaller pullup to the coils partway through the run and sent out a service bulletin to add them

You have to contact him if you want one. He has them but they aren't listed on his site.

Steve

I never needed to look that direction. I was originally looking for a fix for the speed of the ball coming up through the tube using a super flipper coil. If the EOS switch opened at it's latest point, the ball would fly out of the tube, bounce up and smack the glass. I found that adjusting the EOS switch to open early, the ball got a light kick and didn't have enough oomph to get up the tube. I kept adjusting it until I got the ball to roll cleanly up from the lower playfield. Sometimes it's too smooth and the ball rolls so cleanly that if the gate isn't open, it can roll over to the left side, pop up onto the left side and back into play at the lower left flipper. The flipper coil ends up being a double solution and I liked that better.

Steve

Thats good to know Steve...I was hoping you would reply When I bought this new coil, I bought a flipper coil to do your mod on the upkicker in the future. I was hesitant to do it if it was going to burn up. Guess I will have to move up the making of the bracket on my list of things to do.

Is it worth trying to find out the actual cause, or is treating the symptom good enough?

Yeah... my brother's machine always hits the glass... didn't try adjusting the switch. Something to try and remember next time I'm there.

yeah i dont really have the tools to do that. I do know how to sodder but I dont want to hack stuff up.

It is a tad daughnting at first, but if you have the right tools it is easy ish. I have a solder gun with a rubber bulb to suck...it is a good tool to start, but I need a desolder station.

Otherwise, I couldn't find a price on those RD boards quickly, they seem like a good solution.

on ebay from big daddy enterprises

So I could have had the greatest game ever I guess I will never know.

Yesterday had a game of 1.22million. I was happy, since putting in NVram my new highest.

Today I went to play a few games while watching the PAPA finals.
On my first few games OK but nothing special and no multiball. Then I pull up a stool and start playing. By the end of first ball 871k with two multiballs played and two extra balls earned (of course only one counts) but anyhow 871k at start of 2nd ball and just about to flip... to start another multiball and the flipper died games goes dark and ball drains.

Scratching my head?? Wtf???

Yup my knee bumped the start button.
The ball drained and new game started.
Oh well, i will never to know what that final score would be.

The dangers of playing while sitting on a stool!

I have done it twice now since buying some for my son to sit on.
image_(resized).jpeg

mmm $25 each....

If you go with the Swemmer or pascal you get a test button on the board itself..... kind of oddly useful when you are testing.

EDIT: K's arcade has the RD boards cheaper
https://ksarcade.net/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?limit=all&used_by_game=1893

That sucks!!! It's hard enough to get a good game going on BH. My BH just beat the hell out of my fellow Pinsider Dave and I the other night. Frustrating game at times, but that's what draws me to it!

I don't know which is worse and least forgiving...my BH or my BSD.

Was playing the Hole tonight and all of a sudden I lost the far right flipper. Opened her up and low and behold...

Leaf switch seems to just have snapped off. Random.

image_(resized).jpeg

Old shit breaks.

Yup, weak flips from now until that switch gets replaced.

Steve

Did you order any yet?

Just got my BH playing after owning it for 9 months or so, Pascal board, all new plastics, drop targets and stand-ups, it will never win any awards for looks but it plays great so happy days

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Looks good! That's the "Export" version with no spinning disk in the backglass isn't it?

Yes The spinning disc one is like rocking horse s#@t over here!

Hi Folks.

I officially join your hallowed ranks on Saturday afternoon!

However, it's got to come up out of a basement. 8-(

Any recommendations on lightening the load to get it up the stairs? I'm can't use a dolly for various reasons, so it will have to be carried up the stairs.

I don't have any familiarity with this pin from the inside and this will be my first system 80.

After I pull the backbox legs and glass, what else can I do to lighten the cab to get it up the stairs?

Is the main playfield a simple slide out once everything is uncabled from the backbox? Or are there other wiring harnesses to the cab and if so, are they all Molexed? or would I need to jump through some hoops to pull the playfield out?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kevin