(Topic ID: 48888)

Centaur Club.....Members Only!

By vster23

10 years ago


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  • 2,312 posts
  • 294 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 15 hours ago by monkfe
  • Topic is favorited by 112 Pinsiders

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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider mad_dog_coin_op.
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#938 5 years ago

Hello Everyone,

I did something dumb and snapped my upper left plastic on my fully restored Centaur. Everything is new on this so I was pretty upset. I'm hoping someone has an extra Classic Playfield Reproduction plastic they can part with. Seems like a waste to buy a new set just to get the one. Please let me know price.

CentaurPlastic (resized).jpgCentaurPlastic (resized).jpg
#940 5 years ago

I found this also. They won't ship to the United States. You have to use a mail forwarding service. I also think it isn't CPR part. I wrote them and asked if it was and they ignored my question and sent me a link to the mail forwarding service.

#943 5 years ago
Quoted from Fortytwo:

If you find incomplete set I am in need of one of the little ones right next to the flipper. Don’t want to buy a complete set for one tiny plastic.

Which one do you need (right of left side)? I might have that.

#945 5 years ago
Quoted from Fortytwo:

Thanks for checking. My left one is broken. It appears these have the metal attached to them. When plastic protectors are used. Do people put them on top. I am considering a set.

Is this what you're looking for? These are CPR non mirrored with the film still attached. How does $10 with free shipping sound? Send me a PM.

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8 months later
#1059 4 years ago
Quoted from Joe-Ker:

We tried running it at 6.5 degrees but had issues with the ball popping up hitting the glass a lot and jumping over the flippers.
We had to put a 3/4" board under the back legs to get it to 6.5 degrees, because without the board we could only get to 5.5-5.8 degrees.
we were wondering if it had the wrong legs or if were meant to be run at lower pitch

What are you using to determine pitch? Are you taking the reading from the glass or playfield surface? The correct pitch should be around 6 degrees and done from the surface of the playfield. That era of Bally uses the standard size legs (28 1/2"). To achieve proper pitch the front legs are usually flush with the leg levelers while the backs are showing about an inch of thread.

5 months later
#1094 3 years ago
Quoted from Methos:

Has anybody tried to swap a Centaur PF into a Centaur I PF and vice versa?

No issues. Same board and connectors. The only difference between the two build wise is a different style of plastic playfield posts and some of the drops were different colors.

4 months later
#1166 3 years ago

I hate the Rapid Fire cabinet for many reasons and this is one of them. I'm guessing that press board swells and sags over time. Mine is tough to get out also. Can't remember if there is a release. If so, it would be accessible from behind the backglass. Just reach down the hole and feel around for it.

2 months later
#1195 3 years ago

Is this lock bar release lever missing a spring? If so, can somebody show me a photo of what it should look like? It is a Centaur 2 cabinet. Thanks in advance.

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#1197 3 years ago
Quoted from mjalexan:

Nope, you’re good. No spring on that design.
I think that ground wire going to the lock ramp should be attached to the shooter rod plate.

Thanks for the verification. My release handle has a lot of play in it making it hard to close the coin door (the handle keeps falling down which obstructs the coin door from closing). I see the handle does have a hole so I thought it might be missing a spring and the anchor point. Anything is possible since it was originally a Rapid Fire cabinet. Heck, my game has 2 serial numbers on it (the Centaur 2 serial number and the Rapid Fire number). When I repainted the cabinet it had the Rapid Fire art under the Centaur paint job. I think I'll just add a nylon shim to the handle mechanism to increase the tension. That should keep it from falling down.

4 months later
#1252 2 years ago
Quoted from TomKatt:

Being a II owner myself I am probably biased, but I like the Rapid Fire cabinet design as well... It's certainly unique, which is definitely an attribute in spades of the original artwork. IMO, what you lose in backglass art due to the smaller dimensions is more than made up by the different cabinet design which makes the machine stand out further from other machines. The primary artwork is the PF anyway, which is the same on both.
Also, even though my plasma displays are still nice and bright, if it comes down to replacing them the red lens in the cabinet makes it less noticeable if you need to swap in leds.
On the flip side, if you need a new backglass (like me), they are a lot harder to come by... I've got a want-ad out, so if you've got one let me know!

I had Steve at BGresto make mine. Turned out pretty good. A huge improvement over my failing original.

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#1260 2 years ago

You could always install a Twilight Zone power ball. That would make the chamber much easier to complete.

#1264 2 years ago
Quoted from semicolin:

Yep! That was actually one of the first things I did when I acquired it: Drop a bingo ball in the queen's chamber. I've never done a flipper rebuild on this game though, and I was definitely having binding issues that should be resolved with this overhaul.
The other thing I do with my Sterns and Ballys is to install 15/16" balls in the roll tilt channel. They're always missing or wrong and it's not okay for me to just know that.

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

So bingo balls are lighter because they are made of stainless steel but I see no mention of it in the manual. Am I overlooking it?

#1283 2 years ago
Quoted from semicolin:

Oof. I’m dying here.
I’m swapping in a CPR playfield into my Centaur II and it’s killing me.
The routing for the pop bumpers is off centre and the holes are too small for standard Bally bases. I had to mill them out with a dremel tool and buy a router to fix them.
[quoted image]
I tried to install the magnet, and it was also routed too small and in the wrong place.
[quoted image]
And then I went to transfer the playfield brackets, and wouldn’t you know it but a whole line of lamps is also off by a quarter of an inch.
[quoted image]
Alright… nothing else can possibly be wrong, unless… the holes for lamps are drilled too small for the lamp sockets.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]

I swapped in a CPR playfield in my Centaur II with none of the issues you're having. In fact, It was pretty easy. The dimples were off and one hole was missing but that was about it. Mine came from a boutique run before they started grading them. Maybe 8 years ago. It was silkscreened and the first run they did with the color corrected blue inserts. What batch did this problem child come from?

3 weeks later
#1300 2 years ago

So I’m trying to get my magnet sorted out. The wiring and supporting boards all check out. The coil itself tests at 51 ohms as it should. No matter what I do I can’t get the magnet to work. The magnet was punctured by a screw but I figured it was ok because of the 51 ohms. I was thinking about removing the coil and connecting it to a DC power supply I have just to make sure the coil is truly ok. What voltage should it operate at? What should be amperage?

#1303 2 years ago
Quoted from Timmo:

If you end up having to replace your magnet you will quickly find out that a direct replacement is no longer available. I did a write up a couple of years ago on what I needed to do to use the commonly available Williams magnet instead.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-20-9247-magnet-retrofit

Thanks for the tip. To be honest, if I find out my OEM magnet is dead I'll probably just rewrap it. It is easy to do just very time consuming.

#1305 2 years ago
Quoted from Quench:

At the magnet, the yellow wire should have 43V. The black-red wire connects to the solenoid driver board at J5 pin 3 which switches ground to the magnet.
So if you manually ground the black-red wire at the magnet, this applies in-game power to it. Does it work?

Thanks - The game is at my vacation house. I'll check it out next week when I return but I believe the correct voltage is present but nothing is happening. Both the MPU and driver boards are new replacement aftermarket boards. I'll try manually grounding the circuit but I'm leaning towards a dead coil at this point.

#1307 2 years ago

For your viewing pleasure. I have a photo of the rear of my OEM playfield. As you can see the area where the magnet sits has been penatrated with a screw. It almost seems like the feature was purposely disabled. So many Centaur's have the same problem. It makes me kinda wonder if this was intentional.

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1 week later
#1332 2 years ago

My Centaur magnet has been sorted out. It took me a couple hours but my repair worked so I'm happy. As you can see my coil had a screw take it out. I removed the coil from the game and started to remove the magnetic wire. At about 300' I found the first break. At 400' I found the second. I ditched the 100' broken section and re-attached the 300' foot lenght to the coil. It tested at 57 ohms after the repair.

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#1337 2 years ago
Quoted from Quench:

Great!
Do you by chance have a micro gauge to measure/confirm the original coil wire gauge?

I don't but would be happy to send you a sample if you do. Hit me up with a PM if you want some to measure.

4 months later
#1387 2 years ago
Quoted from MtnFrost:

How many of the Centaurs out there came with a factory magnet? I've never seen numbers on that.

I think all of them. Never seen one without. I know I have seen a ton of Centaurs with bad / broken or missing magnets “including mine”. I had to repair the coil to get mine to work. I think a lot of them were thrown away when they failed. Really not needed but a nice touch.

2 weeks later
#1416 2 years ago
Quoted from kds70:Congratulations ... i´ve got my Centaur2 6 weeks ago and i´m totally happy with it. Some things to do but in a really good shape.
So a big "hello" from me to this centaur community
//<![CDATA[
window.__mirage2 = {petok:"47349c559600b1370df3ee9ddbe21a696dc0ed10-1636347148-1800"};
//]]>

thanks to be a part of it.
This "bingo ball". Seems that they didn´t exist in germany. Where could i buy one and which subwoofer u´ve hooked up please?
I´ve read many of those bingo balls existing in centaur pinballs. But nothing appears in manual.
This is my normal "pinball" waiting in chamber. Do you have a detailed picture from you bingo ball in there?
greetings Kai[quoted image]

Bingo balls were never factor installed in any Centaur. They are a little larger and lighter than a standard pinball which made it easier to complete the Queen's Chamber. That is why they were installed.

#1419 2 years ago
Quoted from mr2xbass:

They are larger, but HEAVIER than a standard pinball, making the QC a little harder to complete.

Not true. Bingo balls are several grams lighter. You are probably going by the weight of the Marco ball. That isn’t a bingo ball. It is the correct size but the weight is wrong. I believe true bingo balls are a different alloy and should be slightly lighter.

#1421 2 years ago
Quoted from kds70:

Thank you very much ...
As i read here it´s not so easy to get a "real" and lightweighted bingo ball. So i will stay with my original ball. Finishing chamber feature is good possible too.

If you are trying to make the Queen’s chamber easier your best bet is adding a ceramic ball like the Twilight Zone power ball.

2 months later
#1548 2 years ago
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?

Have you checked the diode like FatPanda asked? From the results you have reported back it seems it could only be a bad diode. They do fail.

3 months later
#1653 1 year ago

It is in the style of Centaur art so kudos for pulling that off (not easy). She kinda looks like she is bowling to me. Would this be on the top or bottom side of the glass? Topside would interfere with cleaning the glass while the underside doesn’t seem practical.

1 month later
#1704 1 year ago

The magnet is so anticlimactic in Centaur. Mine was broken for years before I noticed it. Now that it works, I barely notice it. It really doesn’t do anything for the game. That being said, the pinball tech in me says it needs to be 100% functional. Knowing it is missing would bug the hell out of me.

#1708 1 year ago
Quoted from MtnFrost:

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.

You have both the wires. Joydivison circled where they connect in his last photo. Now you just need a magnet.

#1718 1 year ago
Quoted from Heretic_9:

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.

That release target should have a capacitor on it. It has either failed or been removed. The capacitor extends the time that the switch is closed on impact allowing the slow MPU to detect the event. The target still works with the capacitor removed but misses a lot of the impacts. Finger pokes will always work but ball strikes are often missed with a removed or failed capacitor. The same can be said for all stand up targets in Centaur.

#1721 1 year ago
Quoted from Dakine747:

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

As they should. A lot of the time one would fail and the owner / operator would just cut them all off instead of fixing the bad one. They had to keep the games making money and didn't care much about the end results.

#1723 1 year ago
Quoted from MtnFrost:

Can you feel the excitement?
[quoted image]

Curious how you're going to integrate that magnet coil into a Centaur since the ohms are 1/10th what they should be. If it were me, I would re-wind it with the correct gauge magnetic wire but I know there are other work arounds.

1 week later
#1738 1 year ago
Quoted from Mudflaps:

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.
[quoted image]

AN-26-1200 and AO-26-1200 are the same coil strength wise.

2 months later
#1844 1 year ago
Quoted from Heretic_9:

Regarding the MB target, for MB release at the appropriate times: I've had the capacitors replaced with new ones, as discussed earlier in the thread, but am still not seeing much in the way of the desired improvement. There still seem to be what look to me like very legitimate target hits in that situation which fail to trigger the Multiball. Some good hits do, some don't -- but it's kinda haphazard. Also, if the scoring multiplier happened to be lit in that lane at the same time as an available MB, a solid shot up the lane may trigger ONE of those TWO (or sometimes neither !), but NEVER both of them. Is it supposed to be that way ?

Fresh capacitors should greatly improve the MPU’s ability to register hits. Maybe the cap is installed wrong or maybe the gap on the target is set too wide. Post a picture. The group might see something wrong.

1 week later
#1853 1 year ago
Quoted from rushisrighton:

I’m looking to purchase a translite for my centaur 2. Pinball center has them available but when I add it to cart it says unavailable shipping adress and adds 900 dollars shipping. Ive tried 3 different addresses with the same results. I have tried contacting their customer supportcont twice but they haven’t responded to me. Are there any other options out there?

Contact Pinsider Zitt. He does a group buy from Pinball Center a few times a year. The other option is to buy a reproduction backglass from BGresto.com.

2 months later
#1928 1 year ago
Quoted from Zee:

Re-capping the squawk-and-talk board is a good idea if it has never been done. On a game this old, pretty much every capacitor on all boards will be going or gone.

And the pots too. The OEM ones aren’t very good.

10 months later
#2259 5 months ago
Quoted from FLASHBALL:

So whats the general consensus on magnet repair? I found this old thread on how to change it over to the more readily available WPC magnet.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/centaur-20-9247-magnet-retrofit
Is that what everyone does? Or is there an easier way? Thanks for the advice.

Are you missing the OEM coil? It isn't very hard to redo one if you have a bad original.

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