Plastics store, if you have one nearby. If not...

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_sheets_rolls/mylar_rolls_clear/255

.005 for best protection (around flipper buttons, ball drops), .002 for light duty.

If you haven't already, run the *magnet test* and watch the display for errors. Especially between ball movements, when the flashers go off. The magnet test is the last test under the test menu. Also, in *switch test*, roll a ball over your trough switches to make sure they are all working properly.

That's the only revision for BSD. It has some minor bugs, but not what you are seeing. Last resort, try a hard factory reset by pulling the batteries and unplugging the game for 5 minutes.

A friend let me borrow a couple for my game and the holes weren't close on either side. No idea if they are repros or not. I used the bottom sling post, but the upper hole didn't align on either side. Not nearly close enough. I used shorter standoffs there resting on the top of the factory sling plastic (with a small patch of mylar on each side to prevent damage).

Short story: Depending on if your holes line up or not, you may have to get creative.

Have you played mine at Pizza Depot in Sunnyvale? It's about as nice as they come. Not currently for sale, but I don't mind offers. (and quarters in the coin box d

The holes are there. They don't line up. You can hold them over the existing slings and see that they don't line up.

I probably didn't word it right, but yes, I'm aware of that. Did you buy yours from the link above? My friend wasn't sure where he got his.

Neither did I. Just held them in place and looked down through the holes. I could quickly tell they weren't close.

That looks correct. Very nice. Mine aren't. The top standoffs on mine just rest on top of the factory sling plastics. No one can tell though, so I can live with it. I'd take pics to show folks, but it's out on location.

Worth repeating considering how far mine are off.

You need two bolts in the head to attach the head to the lower cabinet. Remove the translite, then lift and remove the speaker panel and you'll see the two holes in the bottom of the head for the bolts. The threads are the same size as leg bolts. The latch that fell off isn't meant to securely attach the head to the rest of the game. You need the bolts.

You didn't mention that in the other thread and that is a huge clue. See the other thread (since it's more on topic) for a possible solution.

Only one spring should be connected to the wire gate. Having the correct spring installed and having it positioned properly is key. Wrong spring will never work. The correct spring installed incorrectly won't work either.

http://ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=3072&picno=35880&zoom=1

Bending the bracket (actuator) or the wire gate shouldn't be needed. If you've bent either, I would suggest replacing them. The movement of that gate is very small. You can get a small amount of play from the two mounting screws for the assembly on the side rail. Use that play to adjust the height of the gate.

That type of mechanism has been used in pinball for over 80 years now. If you have a better idea, I'm sure they'd be happy to hear it. It's simple, and it works (assuming you don't bend anything). Neither of my gates have ever had issues.

Are you suggesting some sort of torsion spring (wire)? I'm having a hard time picturing what you're suggesting.

If you bent the part that moves the spring, you should get a new one. If you have the correct springs and haven't bent the wire gate, that should fix it.

If you look at the pic full size, touchup has definitely been done on the red.

On the plus side, the purple looks nice, which it rarely does in pics. Often you can barely see it. Also, how red the reds are doesn't affect gameplay in the least.

There are microswitches under the playfield on each side. When the magnet assembly gets to either side, it pushes those switches closed. They are shown in the switch matrix as Magnet Left and Magnet Right. I believe those switches open the gates, shut off magnet power and the power to the motor that moves the magnet.

You may be right. Don't have my game nearby to check. Technically, they don't trigger magnet left/right. They are the magnet left/right switches. The long range and pocket optos likely tell the CPU to move the magnet left or right. The magnet left/right switches are shown in the switch matrix, but don't show in the display during magnet test.

Inspect that Mystery switch closely. It's the last switch on that column and it's the only non-opto switch on that column. One lug should have two green and black wires attached. One to the CPU, one to the opto board. (going by the manual, my game is on location)

I think you guys would do better posting problems in the tech section. It's hard to help folks in this thread when 2 or 3 problems are being posted about at the same time. Plus, there's some awesome techs out there that don't own a BSD, but are very familiar with WPC problems.

That's exactly what I was suggesting. Checking the connections to that switch.

The column can be seen in the switch matrix diagram in the manual on page 3-4. Columns listed on top (with wire colors), rows listed down the left side. If you don't have a manual, you can download one at the link below.

http://ipdb.org/search.pl

Mine is on location and is extremely reliable. Yours may turn out the same.

Also make sure the ramp (wireform) that holds the locks up is tightly secured to the lower playfield below. If that screw is loose, it was cause two balls to release.

Remove it and clean it thoroughly. Make sure the metal where the balls sits before it's ejected isn't bent down or not square in any way. Look for cracks or breaks in welds.

Put it into switch test and test the shooter lane switch with a ball or your finger. You may need to adjust the actuator or replace the switch if it's intermittent. That switch opening (when the ball is launched) is what triggers the sound clip.

Likely your trough switch that is causing the issue. Check for grooves in the trough, magnetized balls and adjust/ replace switch 41. Remove the apron and roll a ball slowly over each trough switch while in switch test for starters.

That play is at least part of your problem. Can't have any play. With the power off, and the playfield raised, reach around and knock down the drop target to determine the best position for the switch when tightened into place. Repeat if needed. You likely don't need to adjust (bend) the actuator. Just tighten the switch in the proper position. If either hole is stripped, you may need to replace the bracket or add nuts to the back of the screws. Either way, switch should have zero play.

Part number for switches are listed on the switch location page of the manual. And no, any old microswitch won't work. Needs the long actuator.

Does it bounce, or is it all spin? Inspect the up kicker and make sure the plunger tip hits the ball squarely. If you loosen the coil mounting screws, you should get a little play to adjust with.

I know I've posted it here before, but it looks like I haven't in this thread...

I'm not a mod guy. In fact, you could say I'm an anti-mod guy. I just don't care for most of them and I believe my friends and customers should be able to play a game as close as possible to what the designer intended. However, my Drac came with upgraded flipper coils. 11629's. And they are spectacular. I would never dream of removing them. With those coils, the steeper I make it, the more fun it is. Seriously.

The game has factory nicked up ramps and they haven't suffered any more damage in the 5 or so years that I've had it. And most of the time it's been out on location. It's also been used in the tourney at CAX multiple times. By far, I get more compliments for Drac than any of my other games. The kicker is that most folks don't even realize they're playing a game with upgraded flipper coils. They just know the game is really fun to play. It has white rubbers and lightning bats, but I never wax the SP playfield. Don't need to. The 11629's are like permanent wax.

If you're considering modding your BSD, I highly recommend this mod.

Sweet. That's also the fix for balls that moonwalk up the inlane (into the outlane) after being kicked out by the VUK, which is what I initially thought your problem was. Glad you got it fixed.

Forgot to mention...

The other 'mod' I have on this game is conventional blue flipper rubbers. I've found that they are generally a little softer than factory black rubbers, which allows for better ball control. They're also fairly consistent in hardness too, unlike much softer conventional red or yellow rubbers. With these rubbers (and the upgraded coils), I can jack it up past 7 degrees and still make either ramp no problem.

I know I'm biased, but this setup is the best example of Fliptronic flippers I ever played. The flippers are snappy as hell, the control is outstanding, and despite the short lightning bats, the overall feel is perfect. If you want to learn how to do post passes using lightning bats, this is the setup to do it.

Opto should stay open. Look for loose connections above and below the playfield or just replace the opto pair. A cracked lead on either opto (which can't be seen unless you remove it) will give you the symptoms you're seeing. Vibration when the ball arrives causes intermittent connection.

Is the magnet working while playing? May be an intermittent break in the wiring harness to the magnet. It's constantly moving back and forth, so not uncommon. Two wires. Test ohms reading at the start of the harness. Should be 3 ohms of more. If open, you have a break.

Mist motor and gearbox are typically noisy. Not easily serviced though, so if new motor and gearbox are available, not a bad idea to have a spare.

That plate the ball rests in is the likely suspect. Mine did the same. I want to say the plate was bent too low, blocking optos, but it's been forever. Just run switch test and put a ball in there to see what'd going on.

Not normal. Run the Mist test in diagnostics. If you get the same error, but no errors detected by test, I would suspect an intermittent break in the magnet wiring harness. If Mist test does register an error when the problem occurs, I would suspect the long optos.