My skillshot ramp was in horrible shape. One mount (eyelet) was broken and the ramp had a hole in one spot. I basically filled in the holes and rebuilt the eyelet with epoxy. Repainted the whole thing sail blue (krylon) and clear coated. Looks great now. If i had to do it again, I think bondo might have worked better.

A few pics of the before

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a few more. the finished pic is dark, but you can't tell the repair once completed and repainted.

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Yep, I was referring to that last gate between the top 5k and the topmost 25k.

Even without the gate, I still manage to hit that 5k sometimes. lol

lol. PM me- i have an extra one i'll send you.

PM sent!

Pinsiders are great. Thanks, rpageler, for sending that gate. My Cyclone is now complete!

Awesome!

I'm missing a new playfield. Anyone feel like sending me one??

I really appreciate that, but it's not in terrible shape so I'll probably reuse it. Still, if I am going to go through all the effort of a total swap, I'll just keep my eye open for a NOS if one pops up. At this point, it just seemed like the single largest playfield part that wasn't going to be shiny and new... but I'm sure I can clean it up.

Ok. So I got a few emails to post info about my swap. So first here a few pictures of it complete. Due to it being dark, it does not do it justice....

I will over the next few posts, put information and comments about my swap.

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CPR Playfield swap, a few things to note before you get started. There are plenty of posts related to swaps on Pinside, so do a little homework. I'll cover just a few key points.

1) Plan on replacing the bulb holders in the pop bumpers. Most likely these will get damaged when you pull the pop bumpers. While at it, replace the pop bumper bodies as well. After 30 years, the bumper bodies will be britle and will easily break. Mine were literally crumbling in my hands.....

2) The GI under the playfield is all connected via stapled ground braid. Buy new Ground Braid! I recycled mine, which was a pain in the ass and took forever. Its stapled to the playfield. Not any old staple or stapler will work, and its doubtful your local Hardware store will have what you need. Pinrestore has the correct staple gun along with staples that are an exact match. Best $105 you can spend. You will need this!

3) Buy a few extra t-nuts, screws, posts, diodes, and star posts. Chances are a few are gone, thrashed or just can't be saved.

4) Buy a tumbler... If you need to know why, read some more pinside.

5) Playfield rotisserie or another way to support the playfield while you work on it. In my upcoming post you will see pictures, I used a card table, and about 6 harbor freight clamps. Cheap but it works

6) Take tons of pictures!! Label everything. The good news is that the cables have memory and will literally fall into place.

7) If your going to replace or upgrade anything - might as well do it now. E.g. replace slingshot switches, bad bulb holders, or upgrade to LED.

If you haven't all ready in the past, rebuild the flipper mechs (and replace the bats).

Next post, I will list some of the gotcha's i found with my CPR playfield; and what to do about them.

So a few things to know about your CPR Playfield

- CPR has been kind enough to dimple/mark the playfield where screws should go. While this is great, don't immediately plan on saving time by pre drilling. Wait till your mounting each component, and verify that everything lines up. In quite a few cases CPR will be a few millimeters off. This is normal and not CPR's fault. Drill where you need your screw to be.

- The drill bit you utilize should be 20-40% smaller than the screw. To prevent the drill bit from going all the way thru the playfield, I took electrical tape and wrapped it around the bit about half way up. I wrapped it several times (10 times) so that it formed a block. When drilling, the large block of electrical tape on my bit would prevent me from drilling too far into the wood.

- A problem i found with CPR's playfield. The upper lane guide holes are off. I'm assuming this was a mistake in the template CPR was using. The holes were pre-drilled by CPR, so its not a shallow dimple that is simple to move.
The pictures below show the variation. It's not that major, and you can re-drill the hole. The lane plastics and post will cover this up anyway.

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Where to start on the swap? Start from the top, and do the bottom (underneath) last. I am going to assume some basics are done and won't cover every detail. If I skip something you need information on, just give me a yell and I will post.

- Disconnection of electrical connections under the playfield.

- While the playfield is in the machine, remove parts from the top of the playfield. Take lots of pictures as you go. I recommend going in sections, and then putting these parts in ziplock bag that you then mark (e.g. Right slingshot area). Remove as much as you can from the top playfield while in the machine.

- Remove playfiled and mount on your rotisserie. Continue to remove everything from the top of the playfield. By the time your done, the only things sticking up thru the top will be the pop bumpers, switches, bulbs (which you should remove), and targets.

- Unscrew the screws buried inside pop-bumper if you can. Even after removing the screws, the pop bumper won't come out. The bulb leads in the pop bumper are stapled underneath holding it in place. You will have to tackle this when you flip the playfield over. The last picture shows the pop-bumper mechs removed, and the bulb leads stapled to the playfield.

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Now for underside. Williams marked the underside of the played extremely well. This includes wire information for switches, along with maps for where the stapled wire braid belong. Remove big or obvious items first.

- Remove all green color boards (light and relay boards)

- Disassemble slingshots, flipper mech, and any other mechanism with coil. Leave the coils attached to the wiring harness (NOTE: For simplicity sake, I have you leaving everything on the wiring harness. The Pro's will cut the coils loose and re-solder them back on the wiring harness later. This is an ideal method, but only if your up to the task. You will need to make careful note where each wire went.)

- Remove switches, targets, and bulb holders that are held in by screws

- At this point the wiring harness is still connected at multiple points to bulb holders stapled on the playfield. Picture 4 shows an example. Desolder and make note of the connections.

- At this point you should be able to pull the wiring harness free. When your done it should look like picture 5 attached

So what your left with is the GI lamps that are stapled to the playfield. They are all connected via wire braid (slight different size then we typically see used as ground braid). You have got two choices, recycle what you have or buy net new wire.
I would recommend new wire and bulb holders, but its up to you. It will take a while to remove all the staples.

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Moving to the new playfield. It's almost everything in reverse, except we start with the pop bumpers. Before starting, I would wax the entire playfield. Easier now then later.

- On your old playfiled, you should have found near the pop bumpers 3 screws for each pop bumper (Pop bumper mounting screws - Fin/twist). These are flush with the top of the playfield, and typically hidden by the bumper skirt. These screws need to be put into the new playfield, they hold the pop bumper mechs in place. (I would recommending buying new ahead of time, you will need 9)

- Install pop bumper skirt body, and bulb holder (top of playfield). Remember the bulb holders leads will exit on the underside of the playfield (see earlier pics for example)

- Flip playfield and work on the underside.

- Install GI lamps and wire braid, staple to the playfield. Connect pop-bumper lamp leads.

- Install mechs without coils. Dracula, slingshot, flipper etc...

- Install Wire harness, with reconnection of wires to the GI braid (and coils if you decided to cut)

- Install green boards (relay and light boards)

- Install side boards and ball trough

- Flip playfield and work on the topside. Reverse order again.

Due to time, i skipped over many general items. Pinside has multiple other posts that highlight the process for other machines in greater detail. If you need any additional information, please let me know; and I will post here or via pinside email.

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Thanks for all the good info, BrianZ. After replacing my ramps yesterday, my Cyclone is playing great (My original Comet ramp was a disaster).

I'm so tempted to do a playfield swap, but I'm afraid I would then want to go all in and replace everything and do a full restore.

Folks, one of the beloved creators of Cyclone (Barry Oursler) & his wife needs our help. Please see the following if you haven't already.
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/please-help-barry-oursler#post-1413180

Donation sent to Barry! I hope he gets well soon! Everyone who has ever enjoyed Cyclone, please donate now!

Barry is scheduled to be a speaker at the Atlanta Southern Fried Gameroom Expo later this year. I sure hope he can make enough of a recovery so that I can get his autograph there!

Cyclone and Comet are in my home and never leaving!

Played my Cyclone tonight in Barry's honor. Somehow it worked: I got a new high score.

I did the same, but on Grand Lizard. Didn't break my high score, but managed 3 extra balls on default settings. A first!
Playing Cyclone in Barry's honor tomorrow night.

Yeah, mof, Cyclone is definitely a skills-builder, and it punishes you for missing a shot. It's amazing how often the ball bounces toward the outlane in this game.

Congrats on the high score!

Played another game on Cyclone tonight in Barry's honor. Please consider making a donation if you love your Cyclone to help him out (see above). I've already donated.

Brian Z ....... Your swap came out awesome , looks super clean from pictures nice job !!!
Would love to know what LEDs you used on the play field and how you were able to light up
Dracula 's house (purple) thanks

Can anyone tell me the width of Cyclone's backbox? Trying to see where I can put one

Thanks. All the bulbs are CT Frosted bulbs. At $.79 they are a cheaper option then the super brights.

I usually use CT frosted in the GI, and supers to light up inserts. But this time everything was frosted (even the inserts), and it looks great. I color matched inserts, GI lights are white, execpt for Dracula plastic(which i did green); and the ball launcher (under the blue ramp), which i lit Blue.

Note: Flashers were not converted to LED.....

Backbox is all CT Frosted as well. Cyclone letters in Red, color matched on the wheel, and the rest are white.

Lighting the Dracula hole. I added another socket and connected it to the insert light for the dracula hole (obviously under the playfield). I located this socket adjacent to the plastic subway. I used a CT flex super bright in purple. Its so bright, I have it adjacent and shinning through the subway ramp. It works great, and only illuminates when you hit the target (during the time the dracule hole is open and unblocked by the drop down target).
I will see if i can post a pic in the next few days.

As a Cyclone owner, the game is testament to a really balanced, fun, quirky, classic and exciting pinball game for the normal pinball player on location at that time. I was at Bally and at the show this game debuted, and they blew us out of the water. Hats off to Mr Python and Mr Oursler, Mr Kordek, Mr Granner, Phutz and Mr Joos on this amazing game that has helped to define pinball in the 90s and help us new designers get a start. Jpop

28-3/4"

Thanks for getting back to me , I appreciate the info . I would definitely like to see the pictures of the extra socket that you mounted , because I would like to do the same (hope you don't mind) thanks again.

A few pics of the added-bulb to Dracula hole. A couple of things: 1) This is hooked up in parallel to the insert light directly in from of Dracula hole.... 2) don't be stupid like me and forget the diode (1N4004)...the game will flip out (I knew better and wasn't thinking)

Pic 1771 (2nd picture) shows the lamp i connected to. Sorry the pic is fuzzy. The Red and Green wires are the new ones running to extra lamp holder.

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How about adding some light up flipper buttons? (Vid gets credit for this one)...
It looks and works great.

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I've been thinking about lighting my flipper buttons also. What did you connect the new wires to that gets power to the new lamp socket?

Thanks!

Power for the LED (for the flipper buttons) comes from a tap on the bulb for the coin door reject buttons.

Vid has an excellent post with instructions for the LED lighted flipper mod here on pinside.

Brian z thanks again just wondering what size socket that was ( for the Dracula hole ) . Sorry so many questions this is my first pin .

Np. Simple type 44/47 Bayonet bulb holder/3 connection. Like this one:
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/077-5006-00

Make sure you grab a diode as well.

Excellent when I get my new ramp set I'm going to install the light as well . Thanks for help.

I don't think you can get a better endorsement than that. Jpop, I can't wait to see what's next from you. I am a huge fan of TOM, and it was one of the games that got me into playing again.

It says a lot that I have held onto my Cyclone despite the need to sell pins to make room. I just can't see letting it go.

i bought mine for 700 really nice shape it just stopped booting up, i cant figure it out.

I wish i had paid 700.. . So what is it doing? Need a little more info, and I am certain the forum can assist in walking through it. You getting GI Lighting? Is the CPU board getting good power?

we just wont boot, player 1 and 2 displays come one but all segments lit up. the let on cpu flashes 5 times so says problem with u41 chip.i check all traces and checked the chip and they read . 5 to .6 so seem normal. also it does have the 5 volt led lit up on cpu. so who knows. yeah all GI is working

Take a gander here...
http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Williams_System_9_-_11

If anyone needs a spare Comet ramp, I have a functional one listed in the market. Make an offer if interested.

http://pinside.com/pinball/market/ad/10881

Thanks!

I threw some LED bumper caps in the game. They really liven it up.

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That looks pretty sharp. Where did you pick up the LED caps?

Pinball Life has them.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3336

Just got a big order from Pinballife dammit. And, I just put on new bumper caps recently, but those are pretty sharp.

6,697,130 on Cyclone yesterday... 3 ball, default settings... without using the 4 million jackpot.
When you're dialed in on the Comet ramp, & can hit it during double score, it's a beautiful thing.