Just joined the Dr Who club and really like the machine so far. After rebuilding a battery damaged CPU the machine is up and running well. It needs a thorough cleaning (was in a smoking enviroment) and a full shop job with fresh balls and rubber rings. I'm trying to gather up all the parts before I start and noticed a broken post/fastener by the upper jet bumper as shown in the picture. Can someone post a good picture of what that post is supposed to be like? If you can reference the Bally part # that would help!

The machine was also missing the two apron screws in the front that hold it on. Would like to get the correct ones installed but don't know which ones were used since they are long gone.

This machine seems like a keeper. Any common parts that wear on these that I should think about buying a spare? I've read about a few gear boxes going out and it may be worth getting one to have on hand.

BrokenPost (resized).jpg

On the Time Expander there are a couple stickers on the inside edge near the front of the sides. Are there supposed to be stickers here and if so are they available? The ones on it are worn. I wasn't sure if those are supposed to be there or someone just added them and they should be removed.

TimeExpander (resized).jpg

That looks like a tantalum capacitor and those usually fail shorted. As it was going it probably pulled a lot of current and caused the issues were seeing until it blew and opened up. With it open it may come up again but you'll have to replace that soon before you start using the machine.

Can someone get a picture of the correct apron screws that go in the front of the apron and hold it to the playfield? Those two screws are missing and I want to get the right ones. Either that or a part # for them would be great.

Not yet but you may want to message the places that sell the reproductions with stickers to see if they have a spare set of stickers to sell. Doesn't hurt to ask.

If anyone has the glass off the playfield can you take a picture of the front of the apron? Still trying to determine the correct two screws to get. Are the philips heads or 1/4 hex heads? Sheet metal style or machine screw? Also size 6, 8 or something else and how long? If it is in the manual I missed it.

Awesome. Thank you! I took a chance and had ordered a couple different styles and I think one of them is an exact match for the one pictured. Now I can get the correct one installed.

Can someone get a picture of the DMD display showing the default switch settings after the machine is powered on with all three balls loaded in the tough? I'd like to compare that with my machine and it would also help others that are troubleshooting their machines.

Thank You.

I ran into an odd issue with Dr Who after cleaning and servicing a pop bumper and shopping the machine. Everything seems to work perfectly but after locking the second ball in the TE the third ball seems to automatically launch on its own. If I recall correctly it didn't do that before and I always had to press the launch button. I'm wondering if I may need to adjust a switch or two or if I knocked something loose. I'd like to start by comparing the normal switch states with someone else's machine and will go through all the diagnostics tonight.

The attached image is the one from my machine with three balls loaded. Does that match up with the other Dr Who machines out there? I'd like to confirm this is correct. If not let me know what is different and I can check that section out.

DR_Who_Switches (resized).jpg

Can anyone confirm if you see the same behavior on your Doctor Who after locking the second ball in the Time Expander? I'd like to know if it is normal for the machine to launch the third ball automatically or wait to select a doctor then hit the launch button. Don't want to troubleshoot a problem that may not exist.

Thanks for posting that picture! It looks like the default switches are all ok since I had the door open at the time. The pictures will be a good reference and may help someone troubleshooting.

I still get that ball launch most of the time on the third ball so I will double check all the wiring to see if I can see anything out of place. Other than that the machine is playing well. Just trying to work out any remaining bugs to make it 100%

Has anyone found a matching red paint for the graphics on the sides of Dr who that is commonly faded? One side of mine is faded to just yellow and I have a friend that should be able to airbrush the red on that faded side to restore the original look.

If you've already done it what paint did you use, what equipment, and how did it turn out?

I get what you're saying but I'd still like to know if someone has already found a particular brand of paint that worked well and was a close match. There isn't any fade I can see on the left side or front of my cabinet. Even if the red is a hair off I'm sure it would better than only yellow on the right side. That whole side needs the red done but I wouldn't touch the front or left side.

I just picked up one of these as a spare and it is extremely well made. Definitely a great item to get if you need a replacement or want one for when it eventually does break. My new decal should be here tomorrow.

Are there any other parts known to go bad besides some of the plastics like this and the MP motor?

Can someone check to see how the weight is attached to the tilt rod? The weight on mine was sitting in the cabinet and just has the bare rod hanging down. I'm not sure if they used a regular nut or a nylock nut and if there were more than one used. The next time you have your coin door open can you take a quick look to see what is used on your machine?

Thank You!

Anyone know who stocks the cliffy protectors that go on the mini playfield and also the edge of the opening on the main play field? Those are still on my wish list of parts to get. I haven't found any in stock yet.

I think the rod is threaded but I will double check tonight. If it ends up being 4-40 threads then I think I may have one.

Is this the clip that you have on your machine?

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/20-10289

I wonder if all the Dr Who machines used this or if some have a wing nut to hold it in place.

A friend of mine just pointed out that the posts on the outlanes are adjustable. How are they set on your machine (up or down) and does anyone know how they were set from the factory?

It looks like mine are up at the top and I agree they can be brutal. Seems that after the fresh rubber rings and parts were installed it got worse. I may try to bring them down a bit to see if that helps.

I'm still really enjoying this game but need a lot more practice on it.

I saw someone selling a topper on eBay that looked like one of the prototype movable ones. A bit steep but may be worth messaging him with an offer.

I think you're right on that. My Dr Who has the Diamond Plate coating too. I read that they started doing that from the last of the BOP machines on.

There is an old thread on different strategies here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/doctor-who-strategies

Found a cool poster of the Tardis and framed it to hang on the wall by the Dr Who machine.

dr_who (resized).jpg

Your mixes are awesome! Makes me want to buy a Pinsound board for my machine. That and the led version of the ColorDMD.

Robert

It seems that some of the newer bands are thicker than the originals. I've never had a ball stuck where you show but have had it hang up on the rubber at the post because of the thicker ring. Going to install some yellow superbands instead the next time I shop the machine.

I just started using the Energizer Lithium AA batteries in the holder on the board. Friends that use them say they last a long time and haven't heard of them leaking although I think just about any battery can leak. On the one older game which doesn't use the date/time I just went NVRAM.

From everything I have read the LED version is the same size as the original DMD so it just bolts in place. None of the hacks that the LCD version requires are needed so it is easily reversible. At some point I will upgrade my machine and will get the LED version.

I was having an issue with the ball getting stuck as it tried to enter the Tardis from the entrance from the Jet bumpers. It turns out that the rings in the ring kit that I originally installed were a bit too thick causing the ball to catch. Last night I pulled it back apart and installed a fresh set of yellow superbands for all the rings except for the slingshots which got blue ones. It plays much better now and I like the look of the yellow bands much better! I also got some blue and couple orange post bumpers. Would definitely recommend it! The flippers still have the regular red rubber bands and those work fine.

The only issue I have to track down is that sometimes it doesn't always register the balls in the tough properly. I've replace those switches but may need to double check the adjustment and then all the wiring and connectors but I should be able to fix it.

At some point I need to pull apart the Mini playfield and check the opto's. I have a feeling that I get multiple hits and I plan to install that 3D printed light shield to help with that. I printed a couple in black ABS and they turned out great.

Robert

DRWHO_SB (resized).jpg

I could use some help! My game was complaining about the switch in the shooter lane and I'm not sure it had the correct switch in it when I bought the game. I thought the problem was originally just the trough switches and I've replaced all those and they register properly. The last time I bought parts I also ordered extra switches in case I need to replace one down the road.

Now here is my issue. The manual calls for a 5647-12683-04 switch in the shooter lane which is one that I have on hand. The switch I pulled out looks exactly like a 5647-12693-19 with a slightly different wireform. That one is meant for the hang on switch and the select doctor. So, I don't know what one is really correct for the game. Someone may have worked on that part before and just installed a spare switch they had on hand. It was working but it may not be correct. Just trying to see if the manual is wrong or the wrong switch was in the game.

If someone could help confirm the proper switch or even get a picture of that switch on your machine I can figure out which one is right and get the game back together.

Are the STL files available for these?

Sounds like an interesting project! It would be interesting to see what it looks like now. There are a lot of pictures in this thread but I'm sure people will dig out pictures as needed to help.

I have the alternate translight from that second link and it works out well with the original lighting. No complaints here. It looks so much better than the original that was on the game.

It is quite a job to replace them. Last time I was in that area I installed a fresh set of yellow superbands in place of the white rubber. Also some small blue post rings for the time expander.

Spotted a Time Expander decal on ebay if you still need one. Item # is 273248077990

According to the manual they should be in the backbox. Four fuses on the fliptronics board fuses F901, 902, 903, and 904. Also two on the power driver board F101 and 102 but I think those aren't used when the fliptronics board is used so those may be empty.

Did you ever make versions of this in color? I thought I read you may make some in red or blue.

Posts look great! May try printing some in PETG material.

In the pictures it appears that contact is on the wrong side of the rubber ring. May want to check that.

That is awesome. Might have to try that next time it snows...

Do you have any examples of the protectors damaging the cabinets? I've never heard of that coming up before.

I've gpt the same alternate translite and it looks awesome on the game. The doctors light up on the playfield and they also light up on the speaker panel. You never even notice them not being on the translite. I've heard people ask about the way the lights line up and complain that they aren't in the right spot. I don't think I've read that from those that purchased and installed this alternate translite, It isn't a problem for me. If anything it looks like the Tardis and Daleks are battling back and forth in the Translite. It's a cool effect and it works for me. I kept the original and will keep it with the game but this replacement was a very nice upgrade.

Since the pinsound was mentioned are you using the original pinsound or the pinsound+ ?

With the pinsound installed can you keep the original soundtrack for Dr Who in addition to the new mixes? How to switch between?

Unfortunately I've had to repair/rebuild too many boards like that. Start by stripping off all the prior work, cleaning up the board, repair all the board damage and rebuild traces, and then repopulate and repair.

So many boards have had the through hole plating ripped out, pads pulled off, and traces ruined.

Any battery damage on the MPU? Have you checked the connectors at the bottom edge of the MPU? Are there any wiring hacks on the machine?

I'd like to buy them if they are still available.

The decals look good but it is odd they are too small. That is the first time I've read about smaller decals.

I'm not normally a fan of powder coating but that looks awesome.

Are you using the pinsound or newer pinsound+ ? Just wondering if either will work.

At the moment I have regular red rubber on the flipper bats. The slingshots have dark blue urethane and the rest of the rings are yellow urethane. Used a mix of black, yellow sleeves on the playfield and red blue sleeves on the time expander. Game looks great. Now I was only good at playing this one. Love the way the game looks but it crushes me all the time....

At least it isn't the DCS board or the combo DMD driver. Those can be a pain. The sound boards for Dr Who shouldn't be too bad. I've done a bunch of them. The most trouble is prior work if someone ripped out the through hole plating when trying to replace the larger caps. Otherwise it is usually blown tantalum caps, those awful small blue axial caps, or bad SRAM.

As far as I can tell my Dr Who has the original flipper bats on it. They are all yellow. Upper left is a standard size and the two lower are lightning flippers. It was a regular production game. Not one of the early prototypes with the animated moving Dalek.

There is a 3D printed part you can install to block the light. I printed one and made an extra. I haven't installed it yet but it should help. I could send you the extra if you can use it.

I had the same issues with mine. Ended up putting new switches in. Glad you found it.

I need to pull mine out to check over the unit and I'm sure I could find IR LEDs that would work. Does any have the dimensions of the originals?

I'll do some digging. I know I've used smaller/shorter ones on my robot projects and a variety for different encoders.

In case anyone wants to add the motorized topper it looks like the reproductions of the original by the basement arcade is available on eBay. Not sure for how long or how many are available.

Thanks for posting all your updates! Looks great!

You are absolutely correct. I've designed and 3D printed new encoder wheels for use with IR LEDs for closed loop servo motors on personal robots. Ones I printed in black ABS work perfectly. I thought I would get creative and try other colors like red and blue. While they looked good and fit good they ultimately failed since the IR light ends up passing through and the weren't opaque enough. Stick with black if you want to block the IR light.

Dr Who was my first repair of the year. My son and his friends were playing last night but the switch in the trough was messed up. Somehow it was bent up higher than it should have. Tried to bend it back down but the wire snapped. Luckily I had one spare and swapped it out right after midnight. Running well again.

For the new year I need to pull out the mini playfield to clean it, check all the optos, and install the light baffle on them that I printed off thingiverse.

I have a Pinbot and locking the two balls is similar. Still totally different games.

I guess I was lucky snagging one of the reproduction kits of the original style motor. That was the only way I was going to add it as well. It’s overkill in the design but shouldn’t ever fail. I doubt the servo version would hold up.

There is a ton of pictures on the basement arcade site. They made the reproduction kit of the proto topper. Maybe he has left over parts.

https://www.basementarcade.com/arcade/drwho/MakingOf/index.html

Making a reproduction of the PCB portion would be easy.

2nd the comment on the interior. If you make more I'd be interested in buying one. Looks awesome.

When I first replaced all the rubber rings I had issues with the ball return because some of the replacement rubber pieces were thicker. Also had one on the slingshot break shortly afterwards. Ended up putting yellow supper bands all the way around (blue on the sling shots) and no more issues.

I've got the same one on my game. One of the best updates and I think the light show still works with it. Kept my original rolled up that stays with the game. Just need to get the LED ColorDMD at some point

My preference is toward the LED version. While the LCD does look nice too I’m not a fan of what it takes to install the larger LCD screen. The LED looks like a direct replacement and easily undone if desired. Great to hear it looks good in the game.

The diode check on many meters should help determine if that bridge is ok. While those large caps can definitely age I don’t usually see any of those bridges fail unless overfused. I think it was mentioned that it was slightly overfused. Even so if the higher value fuse was less than the current rating of the bridge then there is a good chance it’s ok.

If you replace the caps be careful not to damage the board or through hole plating. Safest method I’ve found is add extra fresh solder on each lead so there is plenty for heat transfer. Then use TWO irons and heat up both leads. Have a helper pull the cap. You can use the desolder station and solder wick to clean up afterwards. Same goes for the Large two caps on the sound board. So far I’ve never had any issues this way.

I’ve fixed a few driver boards and a lot of the sound boards. On those with prior work almost all were damaged when someone had tried to recap or install bridges. The leads on the caps are often press fit and even trying to desolder first the plating gets ripped out. Doesn’t seem to happen using the two irons method.

I've used my hot air station to remove some other components but two irons and a helper to pull out the caps has worked the best so far. It helps adding a bit of additional fresh solder first to help with heat transfer.

As long as the emitter and receiver are the same wavelength they should work as a matched pair. The IR LED's should also specify the deflection angle. I would expect that a narrow beam would work better here.

Have you messaged them? Months ago he was able to get at least a couple of those kits together and posted on ebay. I snagged one and had posted the link earlier in this thread since he had another. Maybe he can get some more kits together. If not at least supply some of the parts.

It is really well done and supposed to match the original.

It will be good to hear your results after the paint dries.

If you are dealing with IR then having the inside pained black and completely opaque should help. I learned that lesson on an unrelated IR project. For an old robot I had to model up and 3D print new optical encoder discs. Initially printed in black and they worked great. Tried out colors like red and blue and while on the bench it seemed they may work they failed and caused all sorts of issues when installed. I think they allowed some IR light through. Going back to the black ones fixed it.

I doubt the bridges are bad. A lot of people change them because they read it was the fix. I’m sure some do go bad but I have yet to run across one on a WPC driver.

Does it look like the board has had any prior work? If so does it look like the bridges or caps were messed with. They may have damaged the board.

Is there a small silverish blue 10v 100uf cap on the MPU? If so it is probably bad. Those are awful. The gray and black are usually fine. Those blue ones also go bad on the sound boards.

On the WPC drivers I have had to replace the large caps. Just need to use quality replacements. If you do replace them add solder first and use the two irons method to heat both leads at once and then pull out the part. Clean up remaining solder later. That helps save the plating in the holes.

I’d also double check all the connections. Any that are heavily oxidized? How about brown spots on the plastic or burned up pins?

I think it is awesome that you're doing this. I can handle any type of board repairs (even designing new boards from scratch) and mechanical issues but have something close to zero in regards to audio skills so appreciate what you're doing for all Doctor Who owners. I pick and choose my battles and Audio, landscaping, and plumbing are ones I avoid.

I can do plumbing if I have to but it is not my Forte. I appreciate what you guys do and know just a bit what it entails. Luckily I have a good friend that is awesome at plumbing so he helps out whit that. I take care of any computer issues he has and also this winter fixed two furnace control boards for him so people could have heat,

Fewer cabinet decals available??

Can that mix be downloaded without it being approved? I’d like to see if any of that may run on a TiltAudio card. If so that board will go in Dr Who instead of a future project.

Even if it isn't approved is there a way we can get it directly?

Now you just need the moving Dalek topper to complete it....

I have one of the kits so I don't need one myself but I could layout the circuit board if it will help.

What size PVC tube did you use 3", 4", etc and how much evaporust did you need to get to fill it?

Did you do all legs at once or one at a time?

I need to try this on some legs and other parts.

I'm having issues with those shots too.

In my case it is probably a faulty player. Me. I think I just need to play better. Although it does seen easier NOT to hit the three holes with the Daleks and have it bounce right back down....

Does anyone have a spare old set of original Dr Who opto boards for the mini playfield? I don't care about condition. Can be non-working, beat up, missing some optio's, etc. Just looking for something cheap.

I've never had my mini playfield out. Definitely on my list. Plan on adding the 3D printed baffle. Have one of those ready to go.

After all the posts about issues with opto's and boards I'm just going to use an old set of boards as a pattern and just make my own set. I've got a ton of IR LED's and IR sensors and want to experiment a bit.

After a long pause I've just started making up boards for my robot projects and while I'm at it can try to make a set for my Dr Who.

Let me know what you have. I guess one of the alternate sets would be good too but I really would like at least one original pair. I know I could pull mine but I'd rather leave my game intact and just pull it all apart and test something new all at once.

I know I can use perf boards as I have hand built a ton of circuits. Here is one that I made of the Propeller based game console:

https://www.robotworkshop.com/robotweb/wp-content/uploads/hydra6.jpg

https://www.robotworkshop.com/robotweb/wp-content/uploads/hydra9.jpg

The only reason I want original boards is mainly to get accurate measurements of the overall PCB and also the exact location of each IR LED and wiring connection points. Just prefer to do so while keeping my game intact and when tearing apart just do everything in one session. Figured someone may have old boards laying around!

While the original LED's may not be available I have sources for lots of different variations (different peak emission wavelength, diffusion angle, etc) so I am sure I can find something that will work. This is just going to be a fun side project for me. It isn't something that I have to do. Just one that seems interesting.

If it all works then perhaps there will be another option and I could always make spares so that people in the US can get them quick if needed.

Robert

You'll want to put at least a piece of electrical tape or similar to cover that open EPROM window. That will help prevent UV exposure that will start to erase bits in that chip.

The coin cells are definitely a better option and less likely to leak than the AA batteries. My preference is to go with NVRAM first but I have used coin cells on some games.

What is the verdict on the ColorDMD? Do you notice that much of a difference? Worth it?

I think this is what some people used:

http://www.reviewgraveyard.com/2008_reviews/toys/08-05-30_dalek-voice.htm

I think he meant the "motorized" version of the topper that was only on the very early games.

My time expander is getting sluggish when it moves. Looks like it it time to finally take it out, clean it, and lubricate the slides.

I haven't noticed any wobbling of the expander. Just been getting slower. I'm sure it is the grease turning solid. I'm going to make a point to dig into it more this weekend.

Unfortunately there are quite a few people that prefer to avoid the Pinsound boards because of the way they handled the no more reset boards......

The Tilit Audio can do alternate sound sets as well. Just doesn't yet have the support and I don't know how many mixes are done for that. Since you developed one of the sound sets if you still kept all the raw assets then a similar sound set could be put together that gives the same experience on the Tilt Audio board.

If you would like to read the History it is documented on this thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinsound-no-more-reset-and-rob-kahr-s-board

I have a feeling they may have lost more Pinsound sales than they make off their copy of the other board but the whole thing doesn't seem right.

Assuming the whole deal went down the way it is covered in the thread about the issue I would hope that the PinSound folks would be the ones to get over it and really work something out to put it to rest. Not an issue for the general pinside public to get over.

If you are near the Detroit, MI area I could fix you right up. Besides the soldering on the header pins I’ve seen bad sockets for the bulbs and also run across bad diodes. That is a simple board so should be easy to fix.

If the connector plugging into that board uses IDC connectors then check the wires that are pressed into the connector as those can be open there.

Check the battery holder. I’ve seen some with the metal contact for the battery is broken or missing. Sometimes it is hard to tell. May want to look at NVRAM instead.

Could swap the MPU boards between games and see if the behavior switch too? If not then something in the game itself.

If the behavior follows the MPU are they both running the same ROM version? If you swap ROM chips between games does the behavior switch too? Are both using batteries or is one using NVRAM?

I’ve never heard my machine knock during video mode. Are all the settings exactly the same? You could try restoring factory settings on each then compare.

If you can swap them between games that would tell for sure. Which version knocks now?

Maybe a bad socket or bulb. Sockets go bad and sometimes the LED's do too. I'd try swapping the bulb out first.

That doesn't always matter if the bulb works in other sockets. Have you tried other bulbs in THIS socket? I've had some LED bulbs that just didn't make a good connection in specific sockets but others would. Worth swapping some around as a quick test.

That is an odd NVRAM module if it also covers the 6116 chip too. From the picture it looks like you need to solder bridge pads on that module to configure it. Should be set to emulate a 6264 chip.

There shouldn’t be any issues with NVRAM. I just removed two RAM chips and put in sockets on two more WPC MPU boards this morning and popped in NVRAM. Used a RAMTRON DIP but I’ve used plenty of the hybrid modules as well.

You said you checked continuity. Did you also check for solder bridges?

Please post pictures of the board top and bottom of that area if you can.

Don’t worry. If something is wrong it can be fixed!

What about the NVRAM module itself? It looked like it could be configured a couple different ways? Are the jumpers on that correct?

Whenever I work on these boards I look at the small 100uf axial cap. If it is the silverish blue ones those are almost always bad and I replace every one of those. Probably not the issue here but since it is where the power comes in worth keeping an eye out for. They gray ones are usually ok.

From your pictures it looked like you did a good job soldering. Did you put in a socket? If so you could try another module or a regular 6264 SRAM.

You shouldn’t have that much of a voltage drop between the driver and MPU. Are the header pins for the connector corroded at all? It may be time for a new ribbon cable between them. I was having similar issues on a STTNG and it was a bad cable.

Also, while rare it is possible that you just may have received a defective NVRAM module. If you still have a spare 6264 chip you could see if it boots with that. I have run into a couple bad NVRAM chips but not often.

I definitely let Dr Who sit for too long. Been tied up with other projects and haven't played it for a while. On the plus side it feels fresh getting back to it but now have some maintenance to do. The lever that moves the ball at the outhole is sticking so it doesn't active the switch for end of ball. Just need to pull that apart and clean that to make sure it isn't binding or sticking.

The other is that I really need to pull out the mini playfield to check the optos and lubricate the slides. It doesn't look like it has ever been out. Been putting that off for too long and should try to tackle that over the weekend.

At least I should never have to worry about the boards. Went through those years ago and they are rock solid.

If you want to part with a set let me know. Would be interested in taking a look at one of those.

Also looking for a donor set of original boards even if they are burned up. If you are going to trash a set I'd gladly cover shipping to get them.