The one I have looks the same. The end optos and the back side are still exposed though

A hammer, a 1/4 socket, a Phillips drive and some cardboard boxes

Its internal parts are the basis for my Doctor Who #3 build. Just got a CPR to put them on. Here are the parts awaiting to be installed (sitting on an old PF).

Rebuild3A (resized).JPG

Rebuild3B (resized).JPG

Looking good!

Holy crap you've been through the ringer on Doctor Who

Found the template. Appreciate it.

I did a whole write up on the swinks carrier.

search this thread for pinballinreno to find all my posts.

My game is so "over the top" right now, its just amazing!

@pinballgoddeess will NEVER sell it lol.

You should read my Stargate thread, the journey was MUCH more difficult.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stargate-woes

Prepping the new CPR MPF that was cleared by HEP. Remove clear from T-Nut holes. Straighten teeth of 8/32 T-Nuts. Hammer them home with a socket and hammer. Bang

382224327_7094541117236776_8238658832246790231_n (resized).jpg

I used my drill press with a hex bolt chucked in to press them all in.

an allen screw with some fender washers works very well as a t-nut installation tool.

We use what we have, don't we. All installed now. Getting matching bolts and lock washers set up. Considering making up a new wiring harness for the MPF with new flexible wire.

The stack of washers and allen bolts are "key" to installing t-nuts on the playfield.
I put stick on felt under the fender washer to protect the playfield surface.

Its what I always use.

Smacking the playfield with a hammer can sometimes crack the playfield clercoat if the playfield flexes too much.

LOL. I smacked each of the T-nuts 3 or 4 times as hard as I could to drive them home! No Cracks, no runs, no errors. Damn, I must be good or that HEP clear coat is that good...

I have installed the ULF smooth lifter kit, motor, gear box, coils, Dalek targets, Opto mushroom targets with new Opto boards and all the metal walls ontop of the MPF. However, I have 3 broken plexi tops, 3 used MPFs, 4 used gear box motors, and all the left over lifting sliders. 6 sets of new 5 opto boards. 2 sets of used ramps. 2 extra Tardis. An extra 6 bank of targets. I am going to need a bigger box for all the left over parts. Anybody need any parts?

So I'm putting the mini playfield back after replacing the opto boards, adding Cliffy's, cleaning things up etc. I have a couple questions before I tear anything up.

My mini playfield screwed down to the playfield. I reinstalled the roller gadget and plugged everything back up. The surround piece isn't back on yet. I'm getting about a 1/8" of rocking movement (whem pushing on top half of mini playfield) on the mini playfield that I don't recall having upon removal. Is this normal?

As most experience when installing Cliffy's, the clearance on the front of the mini playfield is going to be tight. I have it pushed rearward as far as the stock brackets allow(not modified). With the glass on, I know the mini-playfield will drop down when powered on.

With glass off and coin door open is this still the case?

Hoping to be able to move the playfield in test mode slowly to verify clearance first.

Thanks for any insight you can share

There is only 3 ways that you can have that rocking motion and it must be addressed before applying power.
1. The 4 screws that attach the MPF to the PF are not tightened to the T-Nuts.
2. The 4 screws that attach the lifter mech to the MPF are not tight to the T-Nuts.
3. Your original rollers or track are worn and allowing the rocking.

I have a 12-volt Dc power source that Use directly to the motor to slowly raise or lower the MPF for the appropriate front to back adjustment. You can also use a 9-volt battery. The fear is that you turn on the pinball. The PF will lower and catch the front lip. Then the motor gear box will jam up and break.
So, lower the PF first before you install. Mine usually raises and lowers a couple times automatically after an install.

The coin door has to be closed and it engages the white switch button on the left side. Otherwise, the MPF will not operate, except in test mode.
I keep the glass off and wedge a piece of cardboard in the glass safety switch in the upper left corner of the PF.

To operate in test mode with Glass switch closed with cardboard, you have to depress both flippers, but it will not be slowly.

Now if you had an ULF smooth lifter kit, you would not have slop or leaning left and right with the 30-year-old roller set up. There is also front to back adjustment in the lifting bars attachment to the MPF. Which is needed for Cliffys and CPR MPF repops.

The adjustable motor board that ULF also sells, has a raise and lower button for the MPF motor that also helps with install. Plus it detects over current when the ball jams the MPF and reverses direction automatically. But all that is an increase in money, that only makes sense if you are keeping the game and not flipping it.

I hope any of this helps.
Chris

Thanks soo much! Incredibly helpful

To follow up. I pulled the mini playfield back out and sure enough the bolts securing the lift mechanism to the mini playfield were loose.

Now I do apparently have some wear in the mechanism but it's not to a point where I'm included to go farther yet.

Thanks again for the help

Follow up #2

So tightening the mech mount to the playfield cut back on the back and forth but there's definite slop in the mechanism. With mech down I'm also seeing some left/right slop.

After powering up I forgot to hold the glass switch so I didn't get movement. I went into the test mode and activated the mech to test. The front clearance I was worried about wasn't a problem. It is close but doesn't seem to touch.

What I am seeing is after bring playfield down and starting to go back up the right side seems to grab for a second and then it pops up. Like it's catching something. I can't see anything it could be catching on.

Could this behavior be from the wear on the mech?

Gears are missing some teeth could be the problem. The side to side wobble is normal, as that is how the wheel pushes on one side and pulls on the other side. That is also why the metal surround on the MPF is always scarred on both sides. Compare that to the ULF video where it smoothly goes up and down.

DSCF2648 (resized).JPG

ULF looks like a solid solution but a steep buy in.

Marco's has a roller kit. Wonder if that would alleviate some of the front to back slop?

Still tracking the ground short in row 1 of the switch matrix. White/brown wire. I noticed that the slam tilt on the coin door has been replaced because it's installed upside down. The switch is on this line. According to the manual there is a diode on each switch. This does not have one. Is there supposed to be one? There is one on the tilt switch on the bottom of the cabinet. Could this be the issue?

Add the diode and see if it helps, or disconnect the switch temporarily. But the slam switch has its own message if its stick closedl

All switches in the matrix must have a working diode or CHAOS will ensue.

Other than that unplug J208 or remove the white/brown wire from the IDC connector at pin 1, and see if the error clears.

Trace the white/brown wire to each switch and check for bad connections and check their diodes, if the error clears by unplugging the connector. You can remporaitly disconnect each switch as you go and test the matrix each time.

Diconnecting them all, is the same as unpugging the J208 connector

The left jet and mini playfield opto would be suspects.

If the errors clear by unplugging the connector or wire, but come right back after inspecting all the switches and wires, thats a different problem than a simple switch error.

Check that LED 1 (12v switches, optos etc) and 6 (18v) is lit on the driver board. If 1 or both are not lit not you have a driver board problem.

Check for battery leakage damage on the CPU board, U20 is suspect etc.

As I was tracking wires I found that there are two of the connections going into the Opto Switch 10 PCB board that are suspect. The manual shows J4 and J6 are both wired improperly. The J4 shows keyed like J6 and J6 like J4. So J4 is plugged into J6 and J4 into J6.
When running diagnostic tests, I get all sorts weird stuff. When I block opto switch 33 the right pop bumper fires as well as lighting the second chance flasher. When switch 31 is not blocked I get a short in row 1 error. But when I block the opto the short goes away.
I'm hopefully assuming that I need to rewire the connectors.
Has NVRAM so no visable battery damage.

IMG_0877 (resized).JPG

I would follow EXACTLY the manual and schematic first as far as matrix wires.

Then look for problems.

Remove J3 from the 10-opto board and re-execute the switch edge test. Ignore the missing opto switches. Report your findings.

rwarren28806 - on page 3-12 of Doctor Who manual (as shown on your post) I previously found that both my machines were wired differently on J4 (Opto Popper) and J-6 (Back Ramp Opto)

Here is how mine is wired and works:

J-4 Opto Popper (2' long wires)

J4-1 Gray
J4-2 Black
J4-3 White
J4-4 Key - Note how the picture even show this is the key!
J4-5 Green

J6 Back Ramp Opto (3' long wires)

J6-1 Gray
J6-2 Key - Note how the picture even show this is the key!
J6-3 Black
J6-4 White
J6-5 Green

I discovered this error in the manual when building and rewiring my game, as I was putting Molex connectors on everything.

Remove and reseat the short ribbon cable between the CPU board and the Power board making sure they are on all the pins and not off by one pin.

This is good to know!

Ok so here's something new.

I've got the playfield back in, it will need some more work as it's clunky. But I'll get back to that later. Playfield works in test mode as well as on start up.

New issue is the game doesn't want to allow a second locked ball. Glass off manually trying to get it to lock and raise mini playfield I can't get game to accept second locked ball. Doesn't matter which lock I use first.

First ball locks. Second lock flashing but game keeps kicking out ball. If it hit light lock target i get more red squares light up but no change. After game end it kicks locked ball out as usual.

Any ideas?

On other curiosity. On my power switch box I have a ground wire attached to a short ring terminated wire. Where's this gut supposedly to be hooked up?

20231002_170150 (resized).jpg

This is the easier answer. The ground wire goes to the lift holding handle screwed into the right side. Probably has a yellow rubber tip on the end. Closer to the bottom where it is attached will be a threaded hole. That is where you attach the green ground wire.

This one is harder. I have had this problem 2 years ago. Trying to remember the solution. Both poppers in the MPF have a set of Optos to sense that a ball is locked, by blocking the Opto. My first thought was that either the Optos were dirty or broken. But you can lock 1 ball in either. And the coil will kick it out as well. The Opto wires go to the 10 Opto board in the middle of the underside of the PF. See the above picture of the manual page 3-12. Are your wired plugs going to the correct spot on the the 10 Opto board. They should be keyed so they only go on the right spot, but you never know if some one rewired them without keys. Also see my above comment about how the manual is wrong on the wire colors.

Thanks. I never would have figured that out.

I'll take a look at that connection.

It's odd since it acknowledges the ball entering the lock audibly and then instantly kicks it back out

Agree it is odd. There are multiple instances where if a part is broken, the game will compensate to keep the. Money for an operator coming in. Such as. If one of your 5 Optos mushrooms is out. The first time you tag a working mushroom Opto, the broken one will automatically light up all 3 lites in front of it.

Could be just a wire broken off the lock opto.

Being close to the edge, they are notorious for being knocked off.

The wires get VERY crispy. I had wires break off a LOT before I got smart and put all new silicone wires throughout the MPF.

Perhaps. Having pulled the mini playfield out twice recently lends some credence to that possibility. Will update with my findings when I get back to the machine.

I picked up a Doctor Who a while ago that replaced the Tardis assembly with a more detailed toy. I'm at least impressed by how closely it matches the size of the original plastics, but I like the factory look more and have been trying to restore it to its original condition. Would anybody happen to know how to fashion a replacement for the 24-8821 lamp socket in the Tardis assembly? I haven't seen one for sale anywhere and haven't even been able to find a decent picture of one. I've tried running a 1N4004 diode across similarly shaped sockets based on the blurry pictures I've seen, but I haven't had any luck getting the lamp to function properly, so I'm assuming it's something else.

So I pulled the mpf again. One wire on one side of one lock opto was partly broken but still contacting. Those opto's looked grimey so I went ahead and changed them out.

Now after reinstall my bank of optos is all showing up in test. MPF Opto board was just replaced with a new Dumbass board. I double checked the connector, it's firmly seated making good connection.

I know there's an opto board of some sort, somewhere. Is this it(see pic)?

What should I be checking next?

20231004_173655 (resized).jpg

Couple things to consider. Alignment of the optos could be an issue. Usually this is the probem.
Is the carrier warped? (Holder of the opto and boards)
Did you wire the opto boards correctly? Hey it happens. We have to ask.

Good questions I should have added info for.

Carrier is new, 3d printed from shapeways, designed by a member here at Pinside from Australia.

Opto boards are wired to a molex connector matching the diagram printed on Dumbass' boards.

Yes. That is it. Becoming very familiar with that board. See posts above starting 6172.

Test those LM339 chips on the 10 opto board.

Plugs J1 and J2 are what you need to focus on , and the related resistors and chips if you have the manual.

Maybe Victor will chime in and give some advice here. I try to point to obvious items versus just blind componenet replacement.

Ken

Check the electrolytic cap on the board. I’ve had to repair boards where they have leaked and etched through a trace on the board,

If the opto pairs are registering correctly I don't understand what the problem is. Is the problem with the 5x mushroom switches or the ball locks? They are separate entities.

After reinstling the mpf, two balls wouldn't lock. Didn't matter which lock hit first.

Another member recommended checking the ball lock optos. They looked rough but were connected. I had spare optos on hand so I went ahead and swapped them.

Upon reinstall the 5 optos come up on machine test results.

Mushroom buttons don't appear to have any mechanical issues I can see. Moving in and returning smoothly.

What does "come up" mean?

The optical beam should not be interrupted in the normal state. The switch should be closed. When you push the mushroom button it should block (interrupt) the optical beam. The switch should change state to open.

This should happen for all 5x mushroom button switches. These are switches 71 through 75. The other two switches in the column are 76 and 77. These are the ball locks switches. They should exhibit identical behavior except the mushroom button does not interrupt the optical beam. The ball does.

Please report state and behavior in the switch edge (T.1) test.

Sorry. Come up refers to the initial boot test results when powering the machine up.

Will get some more info this afternoon.

In the picture on post 6178, at the bottom there is a connector for the slam tilt. I have a short in one of the wires and need to remove the pins from the male side of the connector. Can that be done or do I need to replace it?

I like when Victor asks questions.

You can also post images of what you have in front of you. That way people can see it rather than read your descriptions of it.

Have you tried the suggestion in https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/doctor-who-owners-clubtime-lords-welcome/page/124#post-7788161 as a differential diagnosis?

Nowadays, I generally only post a recommendation once. If a reader chooses to ignore it then that's all the advice they'll get from me. I'm kind of done with posting on deaf ears. You're lucky I am feeling charitable this morning.

However, If asked or directed to a post then I will generally post. The same caveat applies, though. If asking for results or findings I will not follow up until I receive the requested information. There are a few instances where I have asked for results and then ... crickets.

The machine doesn't work. It's not my problem. It's not my responsibility to follow up. That might seem harsh or "tough love". It's reality. This forum is great for those that want to listen and take advice. It's free. The flipside of the fact that it's free is that means you (the poster or reader) are not entitled to anything. Including advice, and for some that includes prompt advice (which often seems to be the expectation from some forum members).

Solid Victor.