(Topic ID: 79267)
Linked Games
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Bally, 1992
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Ceres, CA
Quoted from fuseholder:Sparky, this is awesome!
This is the third different location I've seen this installed. It looks like you dropped the bracket down to raise the device. Still seems pretty stable that way? Is that position blocking your view of the Snack Bar hole?
Thanks for posting the pics and vids! 
3 months later
Quoted from paulywalnuts23:How to those compare to mylar when it time to remove them? Are they any easier????
I haven't seen these in person, but I believe they are more rigid than mylar, like a thin piece of plastic. I also believe that most of the playfield has to be disassembled in order to install. There is quite a bit of information about it on the review on Pinball News:
http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/playfieldprotector/index.html
1 month later
Quoted from matt_adams:I have always wondered (I hope this hasn't been asked on a previous page!) why Creature has 3 balls installed when it is only a 2 ball game? It's the only game I know to be over stocked with balls, any ideas?
Trudeau explained at a seminar I attended that it was originally supposed to be 3-ball, but it got too crowded and hectic on the playfield during multi-ball, and they thought it played better with two. It was easier to change the code just for multi-ball. At least that's how I remember him explaining it. 
2 weeks later
Quoted from tonedef131:I picked up a Creature yesterday and while it needs a lot of work I got it playing. The only real problem I'm having is that when multiball starts it kicks out two balls. It doesn't happen any other times and seems to know where the balls are the rest of the time. Has anyone else encountered this before?
As Billy16 implied, it's only supposed to kick out two balls for multiball. There are three balls installed, but there is no 3-ball multiball.
Welcome to the club!
1 year later
Quoted from AlexSMendes:Wow, maybe the problem is the lighting or the camera lenses, but what a bunch of ugly f***ing metals....
Quoted from Wescobar:Not feeling that purple at all.
Quoted from rubberducks:The pink wireforms look awesome. They're hot pink. The side rails, lockdown bar and legs ... they're mud pink / purple and really don't look good imo.
Whether you like the purple or not, I commend them (Pinball Side Mirrors) for the amazing job they did on this overall. It's the exact same color as the purple on the cab and head, but maybe it needs a contrasting third color instead? If anything, it could inspire someone to do something similar in a color they DO like. I wasn't at TPF in person, but the round platform this was sitting on is a turntable that slowly turned, and it was roped off with light-up posts. What a great way to display one of the best games ever produced!
At a time when GB, GoT, and all the boutiques are getting all the attention, I'm sure this opened a few eyes. Pinball Side Mirrors obviously has a passion for this game. Great job!
1 month later
Quoted from the96stang:I am about to tear down a CFTBL, does anyone have any advice or challenges they faced when they tore down there game? I tend not to deal with games this new. I plan on taking lots of pictures. Thanks!
Not really any challenges, other than figuring out the order to take things off. I just shopped mine last week, and I think this was the order for the major pieces:
1) whirlpool with habitrail
2) Big looping MB plastic ramp
3) Upper left sign
4) plastic under left sign
5) plastic in corner (just loosen for now to remove ramp harness)
6) metal ramp in upper left corner
7) slide habitrail on right
8 ) left ramp returning to right inlane
9) right ramp returning to left inlane
The rest should be easy
Quoted from the96stang:What colors would you guys use for the GI on the PF?
I don't like colors in the GI because it washes out the true colors of the plastics. I use warm white frosted in GI.
However, for CFTBL I put a green flasher under the two ramps.
10 months later
Quoted from fmofmpls:Fellow pinheads and fin heads. I've got a question regarding a topper I want to illuminate on my Creature machine.
I bought one of those Auto Zone led strips and I want to use it to illuminate my Creature promo plastic that I'm using as a topper. The question I have is, "where can I safely tap into power" without blowing something up?
Kinda of a newbie when it comes to tapping into the back box (or coins door), so any detailed info and/or suggestions is greatly appreciated!
What is the voltage?
Quoted from fiberdude120:I would think since he got them from an auto parts store they would be 12 volts.
If it's 12v, he could use a 5v/12v adapter from Mezelmods. It taps into the driver board at j116, j117, or j118.
https://mezelmods.com/products/mezel-mods-pinball-power-adapter?variant=22033580868
Another option is to use a smart switch surge protector and a 12v wall wort adapter. Plug the game into the control outlet and the 12v wall wort/topper into the switching outlet, and the topper will only power on when the game is powered on.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JPDYYSM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L.L2yb4D4PVK6
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZ2ZQE8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rbM2ybRKF63MK
2 weeks later
Quoted from allsportdvd:I have stripped down my Creature and have 2 questions of the group
#1 - is the post sleeve to the left of the snack bar hole supposed to be a tapered rubber?
#2 - the mylar on the playfield covers my clear plastic lagoon window but parts of it show a gap between the plastic window and the playfield. Should I be buying a new window and decals here?
Pics below
#1 My white spacer is on top of the tapered rubber. Maybe that's what Swinks meant, too, instead of "no spacer."
#2 There's supposed to be a gap between the playfield and window. Are you saying the mylar bridges that gap in some areas? It's hard to tell from the pics, but it shouldn't.
3 months later
Quoted from Gorgar1:Cheers all appreciate your help re flower pot rubber
One more questionbefore I purchased my game it had new side art applied but unfortunately it had those coloured leg protectors put on and they have rippled the new art question is should I get a heat gun to them and try and smooth them out? Will they stick again after doing that? Or is there another bigger protector that will cover the damage? Cheers Peter.
I would be cautious with a heat gun. I might try a hair dryer first. Heat guns get extremely hot, and the decal can brown, bubble, and shrink quickly.
8 months later
Quoted from Soulrider911:Hey there aceshye sounds like u have a lot going on in that machine. Typically these old machines have barely enough power to run just the machine. In this situation I would recommend an external power supply.
Happ makes a perfect one for the job and you get 5v and 12v power amazon.com link »
. I put one in my T2 and you can wire it into the power box. This way you have unliminited connections and keep the mod power separate and won’t risk overloading the stock power supply. Here are some photos, I made my own Molex connectors but you don’t have to do that
Your picture with the power supply in the game shows it unplugged (and no service box). You mentioned you can wire it into the power box. Is this a pic before you did that? Doesn't this give you power even when the game is turned off? The service plug is always hot. I'd be interested to know if you are wiring it in to turn off and on with the game's power switch.
I have suggested to people to use these power supplies, but running the power out the back and plug into a smart strip, so the power supply turns on with game plugged into the control outlet.
2 weeks later
1 year later
3 weeks later
Quoted from Marco1973:Hi.
I and my wife (yes, she do it really with me) are restoring our creature; it's our first time, but Vid, Bryan Kelly and Matt Merfeld are really good teachers.
To do that I bougt a second creature (I know, I'm crazy) to help us because this one was really patched.
In this pin there are two "u form" round steel pieces between two holes (rounded in red) that are not present in the other pin; exactly under the flipper.
Could someone explain us why and for what are they used ?
What are the rounded steel pieces you can see over and under the playfield (rounded in green) ?
In the second pin they are not present.[quoted image][quoted image]
I no longer have a CFTBL, but if you look through the Topic gallery for this thread, there are other pics of that area without the flippers installed, and none of them have the alignment holes or death save ball guides. I'm wondering if someone drilled holes and added those to that playfield. Seems unlikely an operator would do that for alignment holes, but you never know.
1 month later
Quoted from Soulrider911:welp, Looks like I either threw out lost, or the sock god took the tiny ball guide that sites just left of the kiss hole. Does anyone have any idea where I may be able to find one of these... I already have a feeling this is going to be something I will have to get made. Thank you for any help
[quoted image][quoted image]
I know you want to put it back in there, but I'm wondering why it was put there in the first place. It's between two rail guides, and there's a post to prevent the ball from even thinking of going that way before entering the scoop.
1 week later
Quoted from Mikespinball:Hi gac,
Good questions, here are the answers.
Yes, I did purchase the expander board with the option of 5V and 12V. This way I can choose either one by simply by where the wires are configured on the plug on the mod being plugged in.
There are 8 plug-ins on this board for mods. 8 12V or 8 5V or a combination of both, but 8 total.
Buying this board comes with it's own power supply that plugs into 120V AC. I modified (added to) the out going connection by the transformer the line for the power supply. The cable that comes with the kit has different colors than what we are use to here in the USA. That's because this company that makes this expansion board is out of our country. By some diagnostic work I was able to figure (see picture) that green was ground, blue was white (neutral) and brown was black (hot). In the long run I was just wanting a 120V power source that turns on/off with the cabinet switch.
Also you can see that I mounted this expansion board in the lower left side of the bottom cabinet. I did this mainly to eliminate more wires in the head and that most of the added mods are on the playfield.
I chose this board because it expanded the same style of plugs off the driver board j116, j117 and j118. Also because most of the mods people make plug into these plugs.
Hope this helps, ask me for any more help and I will answer the best I can. Good luck....Mike[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Thanks for this info. I sell 5v video mods, but all my harnesses, and all the other mods on Mezelmods' website are set-up with the 3-pin Molex connector that Stern used for its Aux plug (by the service box). Mezelmods sells dongles for the DE, WPC(95), and SPIKE(2) games that are pretty cheap (most under $15), so this board will still work with our SAM/Whitestar style 3-pin plug. Like you said, the expander board is a little expensive (a little over $100 US?), but having 8 options without putting any strain on the driver board is HUGE!
You said you "modified" and "...in the long run I was just wanting a 120v power source that turns on/off with the cabinet switch." This is ideal. How is the expander board normally powered on? You said it has its own 120v AC. Does it have its own switch that has to be powered on separately from the game?
Most customers wouldn't be able to modify the way you did, but a plug 'n' play cable wouldn't be that expensive to provide for WPC(95) users, correct?
When customers are leery about buying mods in fear of putting strain on their power supply, I'd like to be able to provide them with smart options.
If you're willing, I'd like more details on that outgoing connection by the transformer. It's unused, correct?
Quoted from gac:So then I'm guessing that whatever mod being plugged into it determines which pin (either 12V or 5V) is being used. In other words, a 12 volt mod would not have a wire on it's connector where the 5 volt pin would be... only one for the 12V pin and ground pin. Correct?
Yes, that's correct. I believe ColorDMD might be the only mod that uses both the 12v/5v, but I think their connector would work on this 8-way, as well.
Quoted from gac:Thanks again Mike for your explanations and information. Having a regular three pronged plug that can go into the plug that you mention as a power source for a soldering iron (how true is that!) is what I want. A while back I had added that outlet in my TAF to have power only when the game switch is turned on (my TAF is a reimport so there was no outlet there originally). Honestly don't remember how I did it as I'm not electrically inclined but it was done.
Another option to have the mods turn on with the game, without putting strain on the machine's power supply, and without tapping in to the machine's transformer, is to use a controlled power strip.
The power strip would plug into the wall, the machine would plug into the red outlet, and anything plugged into the black outlets would power on when the machine is powered on. So, the transformer that comes with the Expander board could be plugged into the black outlet. Sounds like you would still need to put the appropriate 3-prong plug on the expander board.
BTW, the other three "blank" outlets on that strip are always on, so you could still plug other things in without having them turn on with the machine.
Controlled Power Strip (resized).jpg
Quoted from gac:Can the power cord that attaches to the power transformer be detached? In other words, can the power cord provided (with the loose wires) be unplugged from the transformer? If so, couldn't a regular cord with a normal three prong plug (like a computer power cord) be inserted into the tranformer and the three pronged plug be plugged into the service outlet?
You asked if the exbander board's power cord could be unplugged from the transformer and swapped with three prong plug (like a computer power cord). I think all of the answers given said yes, but said the the cord would need to be rewired in the transformer. Is the pic below what you meant? You wanted just an easy swap of cords? I'm not sure that's how it will come. As others have mentioned, you may need to take apart the transformer to add a 3-prong plug.
20200427_074550 (resized).jpgQuoted from gac:Yes, a cord like this one is what I'm thinking. Wouldn't the "female" end plug into the board's transformer and the "male" end would be plugged into the service outlet in my machine? Unless the "female" end of the cord that comes with the transformer has some unusual plug, I don't see why a typical computer power cord like the one you pictured wouldn't work. No? Not sure where any rewiring would be necessary.
I haven't seen the product, so I could be wrong, but based on the description of rewiring to a standard US cord, I doubt the expander board's power cable can be removed by unplugging it. It's more than likely hardwired inside the transformer. You can swap it by taking the transformer apart to remove the existing cord and wiring in your new one.
2 years later
Quoted from AJC3030:It says you can fit a 7 in tablet into the back of the screen ,but I haven't quite figured out how I could play a loop yet. Would have to turn it on and off , select video everytime via a tablet , so that wouldn't be the way to go
Most video player apps have a loop feature. You probably don't want to play the video 24/7, but you COULD. It's only running on 5v.
Quoted from Gorgar1:Do you have a video of the Creature TV?
You mean the video of what plays on the TV, or installed? I no longer have the game, so I can't video it installed. I can record a sample of a few minutes of it playing on the TV. The video is about 30 mins, so I'm probably not going to film the TV for that long. After a few mins, you should get the idea. It's Creature trailers mixed in with snack bar ads.
7 months later
Quoted from Pinbarclay:I'm having an issue with my slide shot. The ball doesn't seem to feed correctly to the left side of the playfield. Instead it kind of crashes/falls off near the end of the wireform by the P.A.I.D. lanes. Can anyone look at this pic and see if I'm missing a guide piece or something back in that area?
Here's video of the ball falling out:[quoted image]
What is the ball hitting? You can adjust the wireform where it's mounted on the back panel. I circled in red where you can make the adjustment. Loosen the screw and adjust as needed.
Slide Adjustment (resized).jpgPromoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
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