Could you see the wire for the magnet in those pics? Am I wrong in thinking there should be a gray and red wire flopping around lose in that area? I did dig out the old playfield, and I was wrong about the screw holes for the magnet bracket. They are there, so....

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-magnet-retrofit-question-where-s-waldo#post-6968724

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I had trouble attaching pics on the previous reply.

Here are some pics of mine.

Edit: Just had another look at your pf. Yes I can see the magnet wiring - you have the magnet wiring in place as it should be.

The two wires coming from the magnet are black & connect to the two playfield mounted terminals with a diode across that already have the wires from the loom connected as seen in my pic.

To verify wiring, check continuity from SDB J5 pin 3 to the terminal with the Gray/red wire & the other terminal with the yellow wires to any solenoid power terminal lug with yellow wires.

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I am right there with you on both counts. If I can find the red gray wire, I can follow the instructions for putting in a replacement.

What is a suitable replacement for the magnet?

I’m pretty sure mine was(is) toast when I bought the game. When I went to do the playfield swap shortly after I picked it up I noticed one side of the magnet was disconnected and the pf was discoloured.

After completing the swap I had a few issues on first start up and I disconnected it again to rule it out. Haven’t tried it since.

I can’t imagine it makes it breaks the gameplay but I also have a voice telling me it should be working lol

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-20-9247-magnet-retrofit

But if you don't want yours, I'll take it! I need to figure out why I do NOT have a lose wire that should be there for the magnet.

Oh, I didn't see that! Thank you, and thanks Joydivision! I had skipped right over that. More coffee! Pinside at it's best!

Looking for a wiring harness for the Centaur backbox. I have all the other wiring, just missing the stuff in the backbox, to the displays.

Hmmm . . . was never quite that sure about this. (Guess I could just lift up the pf to take a look.) So, that's been some magnet action happening all this time, out near the trapdoor and MB target on Ball 5 ?

Yeah, but good luck finding an original with an unworn pf. And if you did the price would be through the roof.

I'd like to hear reports on how closely and how well the Fathom remake replicates the original. I was a bit surprised at how well the remakes of AFM and Monster Bash turned out. Quality differences in playing them were not really discernible to me. I just had a chance to play the TBL remake, which still carries the name of Dutch Pinball, but I'd heard that they were being manufactured in China. (?) The original TBL was known to be relatively fragile and prone to breakdowns -- too much so for a regular public deployment. This continuation or redo seems far more reliable, but doesn't quite seem to play the same, at least to me, and I have some reservations about the quality of construction.

Frankly, I would not have bet on Fathom getting remade, and I'm glad to have been wrong on that one. What are the chances for remakes of TAF, White Water, TOTAN, TZ ? The odds on the first and last of those are probably low, in part due to the licensing requirements. (But then, I didn't see *Why* we really needed another version of JP or Godzilla . . . .)

So, what's trending these days in the remake sweepstakes ?

The only three instances where the magnet is energised is when:

1) Hitting the release target when the orb release lamp is lit from dropping 1-4 targets down in sequence (with or without any orbs in storage)

2) Queens's chamber release target when targets down (with or without orbs in storage)

2) Hitting the release target after dropping 1-4 targets out of sequence lighting the alternating 2x-5X collect bonus lamps.

One very cool thing thing that occurs on the rare occasion (at least on my game) depending on the timing, is when the magnet is holding a ball & another ball is released from the orb tunnel & kisses the magnet held ball & gets knocked backed to the shooter lane - very nice, gotta have the magnet functional!

I was wondering why so many of these magnets are burned? as the power line to the magnet is fused with the playfield 1 amp s/b it should be protected if a driver transistor locks on. Maybe incorrect value playfield fuses were installed in games where this happens? or should ideally the other gray/red wire from the driver board be fused also?

I've ordered all the parts to do the retrofit. What gauge wire should I be using for the harness wires?

I also ended the ad I had here for my Centaur. I'll repost it once I have the missing magnet installed.

Think I've seen your last scenario a handful of times.

One thing that's baffling and annoying is that almost half of the *definite clean hits* to the orb release target on my Centaur, when a MB condition has been earned (or on Ball 5, where it is automatically engaged), do NOT trigger that release. It's a "What Happened Here ?!" My tech has gone over this a couple times, and the cause remains elusive.

Bad or no cap.

I have five classic Ballys (1978-1981), and standup targets on all of them each have a capacitor.

Can you feel the excitement?

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https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-20-9247-magnet-retrofit

I'm using this approach.

Ooh thanks for that link! I imagine this retro magnet is a fair bit stronger than original?

I think the big benefit of doing it this way is, it makes it simple to replace the magnet in the future. Since the original is unavailable, and not everyone wants to rewind a magnet (no disrespect meant).

Well, it can't be "no cap", as this is clearly working for me intermittently, just not in the case of all or most of the appropriate hits on the release target. So, how does one go about testing this (existing caps) for some deficiency ?

1) It will work without a cap just fine, just won't pickup fast hits.

2) You just replace. The failure rate on caps this old is so high its not even funny and they are dirt cheap. I keep a few hundred on hand.

And....it WORKS! The magnet has a good, strong hold on the ball, and it only took me three games to energize and hit that target. (yeah, I know, but I wanted to see it without the hand of the restorer). Very pleased with the results.

Putting my Centaur back up for sale. Obviously new and improved!

Machine - For Trade

Centaur Archived

Partially restored (almost original) - “CENTAUR!!! This game is a blast, and a holy grail for many wish lists. New backglass, New playfield, new led digital displays, new say-it-again daughter board, new drop targets,...”

2022-06-16

Pasadena, CA

MtnFrost

Trade

Archived after: 12 days

Viewed: 988 times

Status: Didn't sell to Pinsider

i put some parts left over from my recent pf swap on Ebay, in case that interest someone-

ebay.com link: king_ger

Good stuff I got in the mail - new pinball clings, printed to be used underneath the glass. My first run, 40 count.

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These are way cool. I didn't know how much light they would pick up. Turns out, an awesome amount.

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https://www.facebook.com/PinballClings For those interested.

Can you guys confirm the slingshot coils? Mine are mismatched, and the better (more powerful) coil is AN 26-1200.

Manual says AO-26-1200

The wrappings on my machine are kind of washed out, but it looks like they are the same as the manual. They are a brownish-yellow wrap.

Thanks, that’s the one that feels a little weak. I may grab another AN to even them out. There’s definitely more ‘oomph’ with the stronger coil. Both slings have fresh coil sleeves and are lined up well, so I don’t think there’s any binding or other mechanical issue.
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Weird. I wonder why the difference, then? Same tensile strength on the rubber, new coil sleeves, no binding.

26 is the gauge, 1200 is the number of turns of wire on the spool.

Other markings indicate specs for spool, diode or no diode, etc.

Check your EOS switch condition and gap, these are you two biggest contributors to weak flippers. If the contacts are shot to hell, you will not get full power to the coil (this also applies to the flipper button switch!) and if the EOS opens to soon, you will also have weak actuation.

Mudflaps is asking about the slingshot coils.

AN-26-1200 = mounted vertically.
AO-26-1200 = mounted horizontally.
AO-**-**** coils are mounted for eject units and sling shots.
However Bally used the AO for drop targets and other uses...

Thanks everyone! I’ll take a closer look at everything this week.

It’s been awhile since I had to work on this beast. No bonus lights. Everything else seems to be in order. This game is all original and I think those wire insertion connectors are the most likely culprit. I’ll start with light board connectors and aux board. Could be a fuse. Any suggestions? I just didn’t feel like getting under the hood to explore.

If the other insert lights are working, doubt its a fuse.

The connectors on the main board are the largest offender. When testing something I start with grounding the pin at the connector to see if the lamp illuminates and go from there. If the lamp comes on you have eliminated the bulb, bulb power, socket and pf wiring.

Possibly a broken buss wire.

Ah, sorry about that!

Having a bizzaro issue. The balls in the trough are not falling when a ball is released for multiball. So, the game thinks it’s the end of the ball when the first ball drains because the trap doesn’t engage. I have to nudge to get the balls in the trough to fall.

I’ve removed and polished the upper metal pieces. I’ve also replaced the balls in case they were magnetized. I also checked the switches… the balls will remain in place even when I manually engage the switch, so it’s not tension from the switch. Pitch is around 5 or 6 degrees.

My plan is to disassemble the lower mech and see what’s going on. Has anyone else had this issue?

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The first ball switch on the right is must likely the problem.
The game should read:
1) 1st ball switch.
2) 4th ball switch.
3) Top outhole switch.

I may be misunderstanding, but the switches read normally in the switch test. The tension of the switch wire is not holding the ball.

The ball (circled in the photo) just sits there after the ball before it is launched for multiball. Because the ball doesn’t move, the gate doesn’t engage. If I physically nudge the cabinet, the ball falls normally. So, something is holding the ball there… I’m just not sure what that ‘something’ is.

And to be clear, the game was working fine until this issue popped up. All switches reading normal, no other faults. I’m hopeful there’s a notch or some gunk holding the ball. I’ll dig into it tomorrow.