Centaur
Bally, 1981
Centaur II
Bally, 1983You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider FatPanda.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Quoted from mr2xbass:..still a ways to go on this legacy Centaur II project. But at least I now have the entire bottom and top sides rebuilt (save for the pops). The metal posts are powder coated black with red rings for contrast against red plastic posts with black rings.
Drop targets cleared by Neo
[quoted image][quoted image]
Looks interesting. I'd like to see some wide shots of the playfield when it's ready.
Joined the club today with a CII! The game is going to need a good once over. Going to put in LEDs. On my EBDLE I needed to leave an incandescent bulb for the solenoid expander bulb. Is there such a lamp for CII?
Also, what's up with the awkward way to flip up the playfield? Seems unnecessarily complicated. What am I missing?
Quoted from mr2xbass:It’s near the “O” side of the ORBS drop assembly.
Yeah those hinges are poorly designed.
To remove pf, lift up about 1in and pull forward (should be able to just set on edge of lockdown receiver). It is now out of the inside of the hinge. Then lift pf to about 15 deg, enough to get your hand behind it , and lift straight up.
Not the best technical description, but you’ll get the hang of it. Had it not been for the orb release subway track, I was considering trying to retrofit some stern style rails. Probably wouldn’t work.
Thanks for the pointers. I'll have to work under quite a bit, so hopefully I get the hang of it before I break anything!
Stupid question, How do you remove the red score display panel on the LE cabinet? On my EBDLE, I can just lift up the panel and remove it. On CII, i can't quite lift it up to clear the bottom lip. Is there a latch or something that I need unlock? Is something missing on my EBDLE?
Quoted from mr2xbass:Hm, odd. I have no issue removing it on this CII, same as an EBDLE.
Definitely feels like theres something blocking it on the left side. I can lift the right side up to clear the bottom panel but not the left side 
Quoted from vec-tor:Center panel has two slide angle brackets that must be pushed to the back of the cabinet...
The angle brackets are located to the left and right sides of the opening from the top back box.
Got it! That square tab is the latch that holds the display panel in place. One on each side. Can be slid forward and back just like you said. Thanks! My EBDLE must have both brackets slid back always.
Another dumb question. When the ball goes into the inlanes, the transition to the flippers is pretty clunky. Is that due to the gate or the little plastic that is there, or is it supposed to be much more smooth?
Quoted from mr2xbass:New plastics made all difference on mine. Was clunky before, smooth after. One of the two original pieces definitely had a lil chunk of the corner missing.
I was considering getting plastic protectors because of this.
Quoted from Tallon:Just order the cliffies for it. Once adjusted, plays awsome
Sweet! I didnt know they existed.
Quoted from Tallon:Make sure you use a bingo ball in the chamber. That’s what shipped originally and it does make a difference In completing the chamber
I had no idea. Quick google shows that its a 1 1/8" ball. Absolutely necessary?
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:You could always install a Twilight Zone power ball. That would make the chamber much easier to complete.
I might try this since mine needs a perfect shot from an already fast ball to hit the target in the back, plus I have a spare one I can toss in.
I think the Queen's chamber and bingo ball thing is just so strange. I bet whoever was cutting plastics for the game unknowingly put a bingo ball into the queen's chamber to get final measurements, and here we are today. Strange indeed.
I'll have to get a bingo ball or two in my next PBR order, whenever that is. I'll try a Powerball in the meantime. Just got to get around to it 
I put a Powerball in and I can hit the target in the back with a trapped ball through the star rollovers. I could never do that unless the ball was already screaming fast, double or single scoring. Works well if you have one.
I'm using linear mechs.
Quoted from Quench:CPRs done a small batch of oldskool silkscreened Centaur playfields:
https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-playfields/centaur-2/
Thanks for the post! I just put in an order for one and a new set of plastics!
Quoted from Kevster219:Okay well thats a start thanks for that info. But I’m not sure what you mean by “re-terminated”?
new crimp connector on that wire
Almost there! I know Bally drop target bricks are real, but my ORBS targets really brick, like not normal brick. Anything that is relatively fast will brick. I thought they were adjusted pretty well, but I guess not. Should I move the bank forward a little? Back a little?
20220103_193721 (resized).jpg20220103_201929 (resized).jpg20220103_201940 (resized).jpg20220103_201943 (resized).jpg20220103_201949 (resized).jpg20220103_201953 (resized).jpg
Quoted from KJL:As a test first remove the rubbers behind and and see if that helps at all. It did for me so I moved a little forward.
If just one target try a second spring first and see if that helps. That has worked for me too.
Good luck
I remounted the mech onto the old playfield and saw that the front of the targets when down, were forward as much as possible, so that's what I ended up doing. I still get occasional bricks but it seems a lot better.
Lastly I need to adjust the auto-launcher rails, but I'm not sure how much (or what) adjustment I can make. Underneath, there are 2 nylock nuts that secure the 2 rails to the bracket and a curved piece that sits in between the 2 rails. The only adjustment I can makes is loosening the nylock nuts, but I don't see how that would works as it makes the rails more loose. Any tips would be appreciated!
Also running into an issue where all the displays are missing the "ones" digit.
I've tried to look at the schematics and past threads, but i can't make sense of which pin goes to where and what pin is daisy chained etc.
I've reflowed solder to J1 on the MPU (again). I don't know which pin to check continuity to the display (assuming player 1).
I've reflowed soldered to the P1 display, then swapped P1 and P4 displays and the issue persists.
Any help would be appreciated! (It worked before the swap, so must have happened when I moved the display panel to route the wires to the head. This is on CII)
Quoted from Quench:MPU board J1 pin 1 is the 'ones' digit enable signal that goes to pin 4 on all the displays. Schematics say it's a black wire.
Thanks Quench !
I will check continuity to see if there an issue.
It works! There was no continuity between pin 1 on J1 and pin 4 on display 2. There is a molex block in between. Oddly enough, Pin1 on J1 had continuity on the display side of the molex block, but not to pin 4. There also continuity on the same side of the block to pin 4.
I replaced the molex pin on both sides which resolved the problem.
My "freeplay" mod is setting 1 coin/15 credits on all the coin slot switches, then just load it up to 40 credits max. When it gets low, just actuate the coin switch arms a few times to get it back up to 40. As much as I like hearing a knocker, I'd rather hear it for when I've actually earned a credit, as opposed to the first switch hit in a given game.
Quoted from sbmania:What's everybody's latest thinking on Centaur Leds? I started to replace the GI with Cointaker bright white LED's and it is almost too bright. It's a bit distracting it seems. Same with the backbox gi. It's so white it almost doesn't look right. However, I like the extra pop of LEDs in the controlled under playfield lighting. Especially the blues, greens and reds. What have the rest of you done? Leave it old school with incandescent throughout? Warm white LEDs? Bright white LEDs? A mixture of incandescent and LEDs?
As a second issue, anybody got a secret to squeezing the darned 555 LED bulbs into the sockets? I can't force them in to save my life! Sometimes they will go in with a sufficient amount of forcing and cursing and sometimes they won't go in at all! I have actually ground down the base on my grinding wheel to thin them out, but that is really a pain.
I've got a CII, but same applies. I use Comet 2SMD frosted tops in Sunlight white. It's a good blend of yellow and white, IMO.
As far as the backglass, just don't put in as many bulbs. Put them in select areas to light up the majority of the BG and you should be good.
As far as squeezing the LEDs into the 555 sockets, (power off) I take my flathead screwdriver and gently pry open the socket just to widen it enough to fit the thicker plastic base of the LED in. It's not 100% foolproof, but it definitely helps get the bulbs in.
Quoted from Dakine747:Might be the camera work. It’s really not that dark in person.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Mine has the same lighting and though a little dark (I play in a dark room) it's not as bad as in the pics. The camera usually overexposes the lights.
Quoted from Heretic_9:Thanks for that tip. Exact part # ? Where to order it ?
[And I have to note once more that the "very softly gliding / almost floating" ball travel on this game is quite unlike that of most other pins, from most eras. It takes some getting used to. If the ball just bounces off a flipper -- as when you may have been attempting to trap and cradle it -- there is an excellent chance that it will drain.]
Two thoughts. One, in regards to your flipper sticking upwards, it might be a magnetized coil stop. If your flipper plunger and sleeve are clean (if not, clean your mech and replace your sleeve) and you can freely move the plunger in and out, then take 2 pieces of clear scotch tape and tape the coil stop. This will break any magnetic attraction between the stop and the flipper plunger.
Second thought is, I'm Team Linear Flipper mech. I don't have the same issues that other people do, probably because I always rebuild them unless they've been rebuilt prior to me getting the game. IMO, the flippers are an integral part of the game and if anything should get money, it's that.
I guess thoughts 3 and 4 , in regards to your floatiness, clean and wax your playfield. That'll go a long ways. If you rear leg levelers are the 2" ones, put 3" ones back there and put them up higher. It'll take care of any floatiness.
Quoted from vec-tor:FWIW: I'm having to rebuild a Centaur from a CPR playfield.
1st pix, is how off the trap-flap registration holes are.
I like to test fit every component to make sure that each piece has the
best outcome from being fitted into a new surface.
[quoted image]
2nd pix are of the holes that are dowel filled in.
[quoted image]
Finally, the 3rd pix of the under playfield bottom shot.
[quoted image]
Cheers.
Definitely lots of fine tuning for things like this with the CPR playfields I've worked on too. You can certainly sink in a ton of time lining up mechs, rails, etc when doing a swap. Never take the dimples as they are!
dirty contacts, bad capacitors, broken wires, bad diodes, cold solder joints, bad crimp contacts, there's more I'm sure.
Quoted from pacman11:Switch 8 outhole is the white/red wire. I found it on the MPU which is the top right connector and repined it and it still doesn't work. If I disconnect the switch and touch the wires will that activate the switch. Just trying to figure out if its the switch or something else..
Does your switch have a random solder blob on it? Is it normally open? Did you check the contacts to make sure they're clean and are making contact when manually pressed together?
Quoted from pacman11:See the picture of it above? It's normally open, yes I cleaned the contacts too and manually pressed them together and nothing. I was looking for a new one and everyone is out of stock for it.
Yes, I see it, but you can physically inspect it. I can't tell if there's any random solder on it or if it's clean. Use DMM and test continuity on the switch.
Quoted from pacman11:Okay just tested it and yes there is continuity on the switch..
ok, next I would check the diode. Clip one leg, use your DMM in diode mode and see what the readings are.
Quoted from pacman11:Out hole switch 8 has continuity from switch to the MPU - Connector J2 white/red wire
Check continuity between the 2 contacts (leaves) on the switch IE hold the probes to either tab, and manually squeeze the the switch together.
Quoted from pacman11:Yes, it works for the continuity test.. What's the point of the diode on the switch? If it's bad what happens? shorted switch?
I don't know why it works, I just know that I've had to replace diodes before when a switch isn't working I'm sure someone like Quench or
vec-tor would know.
That would be my next step. You can sub a 1N4004 if you have it on-hand. But you can test it by clipping a leg and checking with a DMM on diode mode.
Should read 0L one way and some kind of voltage the other way.
From Fluke's website:
A bad (opened) diode does not allow current to flow in either direction. A multimeter will display OL in both directions when the diode is opened.
A shorted diode has the same voltage drop reading (approximately 0.4 V) in both directions.
Quoted from gdonovan:Fellow Centaur owners a question you can perhaps answer for me.
About one time out of ten the ball loader solenoid will fail to get a ball into the underground launcher. You will hear the mech fire but the ball doesn't make it into position. Its just random enough I can't quite witness it but the one time I did the ball seemed to be launched hard out of the trough and actually bounced back in place before the next ball in line could move forward.
Anyone else run into this? I tried tweaking the pawl position, weaker spring, stronger spring and even a piece of foam on the "stop tab" across from the trough opening which seemed to help.
Of course when the ball doesn't load proper, it will try and launch the ball (which isn't there) 3 or 4 times before giving up. You would think the switch in the center not being tripped by a ball launch would let the MPU know nothing is happening and try again to load a ball.
[quoted image][quoted image]
That looks like a flipper mech with the EOS tab broken off, not an outhole kicker. I thought I had a picture of it, but I don't. I don't have access to my game, but it should be the same or similar to other Bally games of the same era. Do you have another game that you can look at? Otherwise, I can get a picture when I get home.
Quoted from gdonovan:It's not an outhole kicker, it's the mech that feeds balls from the trough to the launcher under the playfield.
oh gotcha. Totally misunderstood.
If I recall correctly, that solenoid is just a stop. It doesn't actively kick a ball into the underground launcher. It basically pulls open and allows a ball to roll into the launch. Again, I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure this is that function of that solenoid.
Here it is when I was putting my swap back together. I didnt have the second part of the track installed here, but you can see the little tip that stops the balls from rolling. I would check to see if there are any burrs or anything that might hamper the ball from rolling down. I assume you've checked/cleaned the mech as well.
20211231_183527 (resized).jpgQuoted from Sheev_Palpatine:On my machine it seems like the spring tension is not that strong. My theory was, the drops when hit hard straight on we’re bouncing back and resetting on the ledge before the spring had enough force to pull the drop down. So when I saw your post in the bond thread I was thinking this may be the same situation. But yeah I should get some replacement springs if this doesn’t help. Good thinking.
You can always clip the springs a few loops smaller to increase the pull. I've done this many times on "spent" springs. Just clip to where the spring coils tightly again and you should be good. Just don't go ham on it and clip it in half. 
Quoted from Kolk1:Final in the club.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
In good company with Skateball and Viking on either side. Congrats!
Quoted from dung:Supply Vs Demand
The Supply is increasing. The demand more than likely has not.
Your look at the other remakes is off. AFM, MMR, Monster Bash, Cactus Canyon were worth close to or more than the remakes were at the time they came out. AFM did not jump in price due to the remake. In some cases the originals became worth a little less, especially in the short term. Buyers in the market said why pay for a blown out original when they could go buy a brand new game with a warranty for similar money.
Some will always want the original. Some will want a new game which unless its from a named restorer won't happen with an original. The entry level game is US$10,024, not 15k as that was in australian dollars. Its not half price. Its 2500 dollars difference, for a 40 year old game with no warranty, and that isn't going to be in brand new condition.
Do I think Haggis is overpriced? Sure, do I think it suddenly makes my game worth 1500 dollar more? No. Once the Haggis games are out of production and the game disappear into people's collection the price will stabilize/start creeping up. In the mean time I expect Centaur to have a softer market, because you have fewer buyers competing for the originals.
I say this as someone who just did a 16 hour roadtrip to get a centaur project I plan on flipping. Sucks, but oh well.
There are very few Haggis Fathoms on the market and that certainly did not affect OG Fathom values. The supply really isn't there. Haggis isn't going to be pumping out games anytime soon. People will be waiting 1-2 years before they will start seeing the first Centuar games ship.
If you wanted to sell a Centuar, the time is fine today as it was before the release. If I were to sell mine (which I'm not going to) I would have no hesitation listing it for what I would have originally asked for it. I wouldn't feel so dismayed if I were you. Fix it up and sell it!
I don't think someone will pass on a 6k Centuar for a 10k Centuar. 4k difference is a lot of money, especially for a plastic playfield and clown puke lighting and colored PF. (All things that I think hurt the game). Regardless, I think all OG Centuar owners will be fine. They won't lose money at any rate.
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider FatPanda.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-clubmembers-only?tu=FatPanda and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Jupiter, FL
Zemst