I joined the club today! Wife played it at SFGE and wanted one, who am I to disagree? Just spent a couple hours catching up on the club news! Lots of great tips in this thread!

Paul, WAY back on page 7 ( https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/data-east-star-wars-clubmembers-fans-welcome/page/7#post-1626856 ) you mention reinforcing the corners where the legs attach. Where did you get these parts or did you use the Williams leg bracket like these? http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=144

Thanks Paul! I didn't catch that the pic was from HS, I thought you had some magical DE part! I will have a couple Williams machines here, I will just measure the corners them and compare to the DE corners. I will post back results...

On a separate note, when a ball is ejected from the Jabba scoop, it usually goes SDTM. Whats the best way to adjust how the ball comes out of this scoop?

Before doing that, I would compare the 5V on the DMD board CN2 (between pins 1 and 3) to the voltage on the power supply board (between TP1 5V and TP2 Logic ground) to see if you have excessive voltage drop in your wiring/connectors.

Also measure the voltage between power supply TP2 (ground) and DMD board CN2 pin 3 (ground) to see how solid the ground connection is. This should measure something very close to zero.

About the only thing I found to be up/down sensitive on the gun handle is you must have the handle down and push the trigger when you want to attempt the timed multball start mode (Death Star target drops, you get 5M bonus and you have like 20 seconds to hit the Death Star and start multiball). Of course, you only have this option after getting several of the moons. You will know when this ability is enabled as the red light above the shooter lane will start blinking.

I don't think there are warming resistors in Star Wars. I was able to replace several flashers with LEDs without issues....

Death Star has two 89 socket flashers and two 44/47 sized controlled lamps.

I used regular 8 LED flex head flashers from Comet and they don't light up my Death Star at all. Neither did the 89 incandesents so I suspect my Death Star isn't very transparent...

Welcome to the club! There is supposed to be a clear plastic behind Jabba to stop balls from hanging up. Check out this picture to see what it looks like.... https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/star-wars-data-east-restoration-project#post-1074673

I didn't have any crackling in the sound but I did have a annoying hum/buzz in the speakers. The hum went away when I installed a Pinsound board to improve the audio track. I would check the volume control pot and associated wiring. Simply turning the volume all the way up and all the way down 20 times (with the machine off is fine) will sometimes be enough to clean a dirty pot.

SpaceWar - Solve on the switch matrix problem first. Since the drop target switches are in the column having issues, the CPU may think the targets are always up, eliminating the need to fire the coil to reset them.

Bad news for me, my machine died last night. Sitting there in attract mode and everything except the GI went dark.

No indication of what happened, no flash, no smoke, just died. I'll dig into it in a few days and post the results...

My DESW is back up and running! Cracked it open last night and discovered that the PIA light on the CPU board was staying lit which indicates a problem with one of the PIAs on the main board. The longer I left the machine on, the the diagnostic LEDs would get dimmer and dimmer so I tested for 5V at the test points on the board and found around 2V. So no PIA problem at all, I didn't have enough voltage to the board.

Tested the 5V test point on the power supply board (to rule out the wiring and connectors between boards) and it was low too. Checked the unregulated 12V test point and it was good at around 13V so that proved the transformer and wiring to the power supply board was good. The problem had to be on the power supply board itself.

I took a look at the PinWiki page for Data East and found this section on missing 5V http://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Data_East/Sega#Missing_5VDC First item in that section is a leaking C100 eating through a trace so I looked at my C100 and it was indeed leaking. I could see disoloration on the board around the cap. Checked my parts box and I had a radial 100uf 25v cap to replace it!

Pulled the board and checked continuity from the cap to the next component and it was indeed broken. Pulled the bad cap, washed the electrolyte off the board, replaced the cap and used one of the cap leads to repair the broken trace. Reinstalled the board and I am back up and running!

FYI - Whenever you pull a Data East board, give a light push on each and every ear of the fuse holder clips to make sure they still have their spring. Data east boards have really bad fuse holder clips and many of them are very lose and need to be replaced. Might as well replace them while the board is out. I found 1 that needed to be replaced...

No problem! I'm just happy it wasn't more serious!

Check all GI fuses with a meter (not just visually). Also check all the fuse holder clips. The Data East fuse holder clips break easily.

Hit up Johnwartjr for any ROMs you need. Hasn't been a ROM he couldn't burn for me yet.

Great tip! Thanks for posting!

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/ad/26879

I have one in mine, absolutely LOVE it! I am using music and sound effects from the movies which are available with much better fidelity. If you want to stick with the stock Data East sounds, the benefit isn't that great, IMO. With the CD quality audio clips and the Pinsound board with its better, more powerful stereo amplifiers, even the stock speakers sound incredible. The sound quality is as good or better than late model Stern games.

The pinsound board is not cheap by any means, also it a bit tricky to get configured but well worth it in my case.

Its a theme that resonates with non-pinheads
Add a Pinsound board to it to get actual Star Wars, CD quality sounds
For pinheads, its fun to see how many times in a game you can get tri-ball or how many orbit shots you can hit in a row

Overall, a fun, inexpensive game with great visual appeal.

Did you replace the pre-driver transistor, Q22? Often when the driver transistor blows, so does the pre-driver.

Also, did you confirm power is getting to the coil? Did you measure the resistance of the coil to ensure it is good?

Nope, Q22 is the pre-driver only for Q30.

You do need to be careful as there is power applied to all coils. The transistor that switches it on and off completes the circuit by grounding the other side of the coil. If the other coils are working and the wiring looks solid and secure, I would try replacing Q22 first.

I don't have specific experience with this deflector but on other games, slightly bending the metal further down, will help reflect the ball lower which should help keep it in the Death Star. You can use an adjustable wrench, closed to the thickness of the metal to get a solid grip on it for bending.

Looks like mylar protector to me. Search Pinside, there are many threads on various procedures to remove it. No telling if the paint will come up with it until you get into it and vary based on the process you decide to use. Later model playfields (like DESW) usually have better luck with the paint not coming up with the mylar.

You checked BR1, correct? Next thing up the path is the large filter capacitor (25 or 30,000 uf) that could be shorted. With the power off, measure the resistance across the capacitor terminals. If it reads ANYTHING, its probably not bad. If it reads 0, its probably failed shorted (rare). You can TEMPORARILY try removing the cap from the circuit to see if you can get the lamp matrix to start. I WOULD NOT run it for long without the filter cap in place.

You can also remove CN4 from the CPU board (near lower right corner) where the power enters the board for the lamp matrix and see if the fuse blows with the connector removed. If it still blows with the connector removed, you have a bad bridge, bad filter cap or wiring short somewhere between the fuse and the board's connector.

If it does not blow with CN4 disconnected, try disconnecting CN6 and CN7 from the CPU board (also, lower right corner). If the fuse blows with these disconnected, you have a board problem. If it does not blow, you have a problem in the wiring from there, to or on the playfield.

Hey guys, a while back I asked about the brackets that the leg bolts screw into. Well, I ordered a couple types from pinball life and we have a perfect match! The new brackets have more threads and should outlast the machine!

This is the part I ordered. It came with the 3 small holes as in my picture, not with a single hole as in Pinball Life's picture. http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=858

image_(resized).jpeg

Just to be sure, you are checking the bridge rectifier screwed to the backbox, just above the fuses and big capacitor, right? The squares near the top of this picture.

If this is indeed the bridge you are testing, to check for a wiring short, no need to go under the playfield. You just need to follow the wires from the fuse, to the bridge, then across the back box to CN4.

image_(resized).jpeg

yikes, I think you need to check that whoever hacked that thing in, hacked it in properly. Whats with the electrical tape?

There are specific leads that need to be correctly connected to ground, +, and the 2 AC input connections.

Take a look at the data sheet here for the correct pin assignments for the bridge: http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/427/gbpc12-100953.pdf

The corner that is notched is DC + voltage that should be connected to the positive terminal of the capacitor and head over to CN4
The corner that is opposite the notched corner is DC - (negative) voltage and should be connected to the - (negative) terminal of the capacitor and to the chassis ground and on to CN4
The other 2 terminals on the bridge are the AC input. These are not polarity sensitive (unlike the DC side, it makes no difference which of the AC wires are on which bridge terminal). One of these wires will head to the fuse and then down into the cabinet to the transformer. The other lead will head directly into the cabinet to the transformer.

Welcome to the club jaydee! I used a flat brush about 1/2" wide that tapered to a point that my wife has for art projects. Looks like this http://www.michaels.com/winsor-newton-artists-acrylic-brush-short-handle-one-stroke/MCA5086106.html#q=brush&prefn1=size&prefv1=1%2F2+in&start=1

Wow, what a great looking machine! Was your playfield clearcoated? It looks much smoother and shinier than mine...

Cool, it looks great!

You mean the meaningless speeder through the woods sequence that gives you 10M? If so, its still there...

well that looks more like it should be... the one in the Chad rom is meaningless.

Thanks Chad, so your Youtube video is what you were able to enable with the hack?

Thanks for the updated ROM. I didn't play the opriginal ROM, the game I got had your ROM in it and it is quite fun and has good balance.

WOW

I think what Chad was asking, is test that each drop target switch is registering in test mode. With all the targets up, make sure switches 30, 31 and 32 (the 3 drop targets) are all open. Then drop each target, one at at a time and make sure each switch closes.

What may be happening is one (or more) of these 3 switches is not registering correctly and the software thinks the drop bank needs to be reset.

Also check the X-wing targets to see that they register. They are all in the same column as the drop targets. If they don't work, you have a column problem.

Dupe dang it!

I just received one from PBL, it is indeed 3D printed. I have not installed it yet so cannot comment on the fit. I will post and update when installed.

I just finished installing mine and it seems to fit and operate perfectly. It doesn't come close to to hitting the top when raised.

Thanks Chad!

+1

Are you talking about launching the ball from the shooter lane? If so, I would look at where the ball sits when ejected from the trough vs when it rolls back for the second attempt. If the switch at the end of the shooter lane offers too much resistance to the ball, it may not be rolling all the way against the launch mechanism when ejected from the shooter lane. When it rolls back from the failed attempt, it overcomes the resistance of the switch and rests tightly against the launch mechanism providing a stronger launch.

The bracket gets installed from under the playfield. You need to remove the scoop mechanism to install it.

Keep your eye out for someone parting out a game on fleabay?

If you decide to make a new one (an insane thought!), check Bay Area Amusements for wire. They have a great selection of various colors with various colored tracers.

I would just take the best harness of the two you have, get some heat-shrink tubing and solder repair the wires and put new crimp on molex connectors on the IDC connectors that are melted or look loose.

Thanks for the heads up. Makes me wish I had a trashed playfield!

There isn't a set time-frame to move from pre-order to shipped. They need a certain number of pre-orders to make it worth while to move to production then they need to collect all the parts, etc. Worst case, it can take years from pre-order to shipping.

Congrats on joining the club!

I added the Pinsound board to mine. Massive improvement in sound quality, even with stock sound files. With a custom mix file using the movie soundtrack, the sound is particularly impressive!

My ramp is also broken. I looked for replacements but couldn't find one. The broken ramp works fine on mine, just sounds a little odd every now and then so I basically forgot about it.

My backglass is also a translight.

There are 3 motors on DESW and none of them are interchangeable. They are all 24V AC motors.

Death Star Target Drop motor http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/14-7941
Death Star Rotation Motor http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/041-5022-00
R2D2 Motor http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/041-5019-00

All these part numbers can be found in the manual.

Check the diodes on any switches in the matrix that are normally closed. Trough switches, etc.

The switches in the trough are closed, as long as there are balls in the game. These closed switches could cause phantom switch hits if they have bad diodes. That being said, after thinking about it, I suspect it to be a long shot.

It is more likely a switch adjusted too tight. Put the game in switch test (a pain for sure) and hit the flippers or rap the side of the cabinet to see what registers.

Not positive but I suspect you can use the fast version, 74F08 https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=74F08

The 74LSXX series is the low power version and can't source as much current as the standard 74XX series. All I can say is they might work, it really depends on how the circuit in which they are used is designed. If they are cheap enough, it would be worth giving them a try.

Just look in the Marco bayonet socket area and pick one that looks like the one you are replacing. Finding a part number for sockets is not likely going to happen. Make sure you do NOT get one for a #89 (flasher) size bulb.

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/PFLD-LSOCKET

Thanks for sharing these!

When you push the shifter button, you get a 5M bonus (or maybe 10M?) and only have several seconds to shoot the Deathstar to start multiball. If you don't make the shot in time, the deathstar closes and you need to start over with Deathstar shots to enable multiball again (moon progress).

If you keep shooting the Deathstar until it opens without using the shifter (another 2 or 3 hits), it will stay open until you start multiball, even through to the next ball.

If you have progressed to the point that you can use the shifter to open the Deathstar, a point scoring opportunity is to quickly press the shifter once you drain your last ball. If you can get it before the drain registers, you earn the bonus 5M (or is it 10M?).

Not likely a transistor on the driver board. If a lamp matrix transistor was at fault, you would have several lights stuck on.

Likely cause is incorrect wiring at the socket (wires swapped) or most likely a bad diode at that socket. My money is on a bad diode.

The actual lamps and diodes up stream don't typically cause problems downstream. However, rows and columns are wired from one lamp to the next and so-on. So a break in this string upstream will certainly cause the downstream lamps to stop working. If you have some lamps working in a column or row but not others, that points to a break in this wiring chain. If ALL the lamps in a row or column are not working, that points to the driver board or connectors on the driver board.

Carefully check the operation of all the inserts in that column to verify if its wiring or board. If its wiring, its a simply matter of looking at the sockets of all the lamps in that column to find the break in the wire. The break is almost always at the connection on lamp sockets.

My DESW had buzzing with the stock board. Replaced with a Pinsound board and it works perfectly and zero buzzing.

Those are still readily available. .1uf 500V ceramic disk capacitor https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=CCD-0.1uF-500V-P5

I doubt that alone is causing your power supply to stop working. Have you checked all the fuses and associated fuse holder clips? Data East clips are notorious for losing their spring and not clamping the fuse very tightly. https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=1A1907-03