I’ll give that a try thanks

Does anyone have a source for a decal for the gauge on the shooter housing for the upper playfield? I'm not sure if I'm using the correct term here, the metal housing with the markings on it the shooter rod sits inside. Mine is pretty toasted so I am going to strip it and repaint it. Looking for the decal for the markings?

I'm working on bringing a Black Hole back to life. One of the pop bumper driver boards has obvious damage to the chip. Does anyone make these boards or should I try to get this one repaired?

They are easy to fix and widely available aftermarket. Here is one on eBay.

ebay.com link: NEW Pop Bumper Board for Gottlieb System 80 games MA992 A19741

Awesome, thanks so much!

One other parts question. I notice there are several sources for 7 digit displays for system 80A games but I don't see as much for the 6 digit displays. Are they interchangeable? Can I replace my 6 digit displays with the newer 7 digit ones?

Search this thread. There are directions on how to do it. But yes. You can convert them to 7 digits. I got my pop bumper replacements at big daddy enterprise. $20 I think.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/converting-any-system-80-6-digit-gottlieb-to-80a-7-digit

I’m sure this has been covered before, so before I flip the deck and see for myself, anyone had two balls drain consecutively quick in the lower playfield and they just sit there and don’t go up the tube?
I have to reboot the game and then it recognizes something and kicks them up. This isn’t an issue if you drain one and then the other a few seconds later, just if both drain practically at the same time

I had a problem like this and discovered that the ball gate was missing from the upkicker mech. If two balls drained together on the lower playfield the game would lock up. If at least one switch was closed between the first and second ball draining, then it was fine. This added a little extra challenge to my game until I found the problem.

Anyone have suggestions for rubber colors? I’m about to place my Titan order. My initial thought is clear or black with red flipper bands?

Check some prior posts above. There are some suggestions. I went with white. Black silicone post nuts.

I went with clear from Pinball Life. Game is pretty dark to start and the clear let's more light through.

That's what I've decided as well and for the same reasons, clear Titans and red flipper bands.

I'm old school and stuck with white rings, but clear ones do sound like a good idea for letting more light out from under the plastics on this particularly dark playfield. Even with extra bright LEDs it's still pretty dark!

I went with white standard bands and blue flipper bands. At one point I hade blue GI lights, but that made it even darker. When I changed back to nice bright cool white Comets LEDs, standard white bands were fine for me.

Jeff

Ok next question on my restoration:

Making sure I have these switches installed correctly, my pictures weren’t quite detailed enough to show the ends of the switches. I’m thinking these are end of stroke switches for the coils? It seems they are open at baseline and close as the coil fires. Isn’t this backwards from how an EOS switch usually works?

image (resized).jpg

P.S. will the bastard Bally coil be ok here or should I find a Gottlieb one? Looks like the original coil burnt up and was replaced at some point.
image (resized).jpg

Next question:

My tube kicker coil was completely cut out when I got the game. I got a replacement from PBR which did not come with a diode installed. From the PBR website it uses a 1N4004 diode. I have a ton of 1N4007 diodes, can I use one of those?

image (resized).jpg

Yes, you can. It’s just got a higher voltage rating.

<<< I’m thinking these are end of stroke switches for the coils? It seems they are open at baseline and close as the coil fires. Isn’t this backwards from how an EOS switch usually works?>>

That's a scoring switch, not an EOS. So make sure NOT to file it.

<<<will the bastard Bally coil be ok here or should I find a Gottlieb one?>>>

It's just the saucer kicker and that Bally coil is appx. the same power as the Gtb hole kicker coil(s) for BH, no biggie, I'd keep it.

Question about missing pull-up resistors: Pinwiki details how early BH's lower playfields may not have pull-up resistors on the three transistors down there, so I added those. BUT in the old 'Pinball Lizard' BH/HH documentation it states that my game's serial number "would require the resistor additions" and they were talking about all five transistors, no distinction between upper or lower depending on when the game was built. And the two upper pf transistors on mine have NO resistors nor an extra wire connected to them.

Can anybody verify that I indeed need to add resistors to these upper two? I'm assuming I just run the two wires to the common +24V point at fuses F14/15/16, similar to how the lower pf ones are done?

Thanks!

Question on lower playfield 1 3/16” posts. Per prior posts on this thread there are two tall posts at the gate and one behind the kicker target on the right. With the plastic installed the tall post is too tall? Is this really supposed to be a tall post? Is it to keep the ball from getting caught under the plastic?

image (resized).jpg

Clay's repair guide also recommends adding the pull-up resistor to all five playfield mounted transistors on Black Hole (if not already present). I pulled the 24V from the fuse block on both playfields.

Hi,
GTB has issued a service bulletin to recommend "systematically" this modification, so whatever the version/serial number batch on Sys80/80A, it is better to do it if not already done in serial.
BR

Okay I'll add the two upper pf pull-up resistors, thanks.

Mine is a tall one there and I've never messed with it, it is probably to assure the plastic at that spot stays at same height as the shorter ones (but which are taller if you include the top of the acorn post) to, as you suggest, make sure the ball can't rub or get stuck under there. With everything assembled on mine it seems fine, plastic is not not being flexed and looks level.

Odd. I was messing with this area a decent amount last night and with the shorter posts on either side of the kicker target there is definitely a flex in the plastic from that tall post. I removed the tall post just as an experiment and laid the plastic on and the ball did not hang up and seemed to have plenty of clearance. I may try installing a short post there and see how it does. I watched a TNT video last night on Black Hole and it looks like their plastic at that location is flexed as well. My old plastic is flexed at that spot too.

I just am not understanding why Gottlieb would put a tall post there if the ball clears ok with a shorter post? There must be something I’m missing. If they are going to make a plastic flex like that there has to be a good reason for that post to be tall, right?

Are you using brand new plastics? Mine are original so any flex in that particular plastic if it was there is probably broken in and not tight anymore. In any case it's a very small amount of flex, no big deal. The tall post could have been taking into account heat possibly causing that plastic to warp downward but really they probably just didn't want to take a chance about the ball clearance there.

Anyone have an extra inner backglass they would consider parting with? I have had a wanted ad up for a good long while now and no response. I know there are new ones made in Europe but the price plus shipping is more than I can justify. I just need a decent one with the art intact, doesn't need to be perfect. Any help is appreciated!

That’s what I’m thinking too. There is a GI bulb there so I wonder if they were concerned about the plastic sagging over time. This is a new set of plastics which is a bit thicker than the originals and is flat. In addition I’m putting LEDs in for all lighting so heat shouldn’t be an issue. I’m going to put a short post in there and see what happens once it’s playing. Maybe the reason will present itself…

Shay added this title and a few others to their "coming soon" list three years ago. He doesn't respond to multiple emails and voicemails that I and others have left for him.

This company prints a film, similar to BgResto method. From what I've heard they then mail you the film. You scrape off the original artwork and adhere the film to your backglass?
https://www.coos.net/bingo_e/backglasses.html

I've been looking for over 4 years for any type of replacement. Still no luck.
Unless coos has changed things he can't do a film for black hole but can make a glass. I believe it's due to the mirroring on it. Shipping killed it for me but I may have to reconsider. I'm still hoping that Shay pulls thru and produces some.

I got lucky and found a 8-9 quality one posted for sale in the TPF forum two years ago. If you or any of your friends are going to a pinball show this year, look for a forum for the show and post that you’re looking for a backglass.

Curious. What are all our methods for tube cleaning? About to give my BH a full shop out since receiving it (lots of broken/loose posts, broken plastics, dirty tubes ect).

Should I just spring for the ultrasonic and put it in on both sides?

Bought another black hole today, that I can’t figure out how to get off free play.

Previous owner had installed a double stack switch behind the start button.. that was for start and coin, that tapped into the right coin mech. I removed that so now the start button only is for the start circuit.

When hitting the start button with nothing on the credits display it still starts a game.

When I trigger any of the credit switches, it makes a credit sound but never puts a credit on the apron display.

The apron credit display works, I can add service credits and the display will light and increment credits with each service button press.

The diode board jumper is not present, and the roms appear to be originals.

Any other ideas how to get this game off free play?

FIXED Update: Turns out the legacy stacked switch just piled up a bunch of credits.
The credit display was off (switch 28 on the MPU). Once this was on I could see 24 credits were still on the game making it look like freeplay.
Service credits must be a separate cpu construct..

Anyone else have one of these books? Lol at the artwork.

000129AD-4BB6-455D-BBBE-F4C65DC1F650 (resized).jpeg

http://arcarc.xmission.com/Pinball/PDF%20Pinball%20Misc/Black-Hole%20and%20Haunted-House%20Repair%20Guide.pdf

What you have just brought home is a COMPUTER, albeit a special purpose one, but just the same a computer. If you wouldn't think of putting your TV, stereo, VCR or home computer outside for 6 months, (or some such other adverse weather storage abuse), why would you do this to your Electronic Pinball Computer Machine?

One interesting thing about that material is they don't really seem to be on board with the Sys80 "add ground wires to all the boards" mod. They focus in detail about the poor design and assembly of the boards and meticulously fixing all the little things. But I did the ground wire adds if for nothing else than to add insurance against coils getting stuck on and cooked and have never had a coil lock on since nor any other grounding issue. Would be different if a bad ground connection ONLY resulted in the game not working correctly and didn't fry coils. The ground wires mod maybe isn't the most by-the-book fix of various issues that could cause the problem but it bypasses a lot of those causes without needing to fix them.

Never seen this... what is it?

Can someone tell me what the function of this bracket is? Looks like there is this one on the cabinet and another matching one on the main playfield. I’ve been doing a restoration on my machine and the one for the playfield has gone missing somehow. Do I need to buy a replacement? Looks like some sort of lockdown mech for the main playfield?

B3C96122-1082-4EB4-A75F-CADBE648F88E (resized).jpeg

On mine it's the one on the cabinet that's missing. I never even noticed that nor the bracket on the playfield until now. Probably for shipping purposes -- securing the upper pf with a bolt and nut thru it. And perhaps to help keep the lower pf from flopping forward/out, but they don't look like they would help with that much and it already has its own shipping bolt holes anyway. Nothing in the manual about these brackets as far as setting the game up. I'm guessing somebody removed the one in my cabinet to get it out of the way for raising the lower playfield, or it was jamming up with the pf bracket when lowering the upper pf. But they don't look like they are necessary once the game is set up.

For the heck of it I moved the bracket to the cabinet position to check things out, and it's actually a potential pain in the butt. If I slide the lower pf all the way up against it, the bracket's mounting screws jamb the pf so I can't lift it. Now I know why someone yanked that sucker.

have a black Hole that will not boot. plug it in and the backglass GI and spinner work . The 4th display the only one that is lit.
No GI lights on playfield except the drain hole light. Can not go into test mode . No sound.
Any ideas.?

Check slam tilt switch on the coin door. It should be closed. Then check the ball tilt switch, the upper playfield tilt switch and the plumb bob tilt switch, they should all be open. If that is all correct check your tilt relay and game over relay and clean those contacts. See if that helps any. I’m trying to troubleshoot my Black Hole restoration as well and these are some of the things I’ve read.

Can anyone tell me what specific things are required for the MPU to enter test mode? My Black Hole will boot and enter attract mode but I can’t get it to go into test mode, coin up or start a game. I’m trying to see whether I can just connect the minimum to get it to enter test mode and then start slowly adding systems. Any ideas?

Hi,
Did you check the menu/up/down buttons integrity? Either, connectors and wires between the button panel and the MPU continuity?

I only have one red test button. Where are the menu buttons?

No menu buttons, you just use the test button in conjunction with the credit button.

All those coin door switches and the credit switch are tied to return 7 so since they all are dead you might try reseating the two connectors that come off it, laying under the tilt mech in the cabinet. Return 7 may have a broken connection in the wire bundle where it's attached to the door too, takes a lot of flexing. Check for continuity with meter of return 7 from the connector(s) to any of those switches. Just another thing to check first since you are stuck there. Try reseating A1J5 at the MPU board too for same issue.

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