(Topic ID: 76377)
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Doctor Who
Bally, 1992
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Winnipeg, MB
2 weeks later
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Yes absolutely - but you will have to either find the shorter tx/emitters or grind the standard ones down
You can also get upgraded boards from Great Lakes Modular
I have found 5mm LEDS and 3mm LED emmitors. I assume the 3mm are the ones I need?
I know a person who has decal scans. But what kind of paper would I be able to print it on? The ones on the ramps almost look like they were printed on some type of mylar.
Quoted from Graves:I was wondering if anyone would tell me how to wire the two ramp switches, it's one of a few things I have to do before I put the play field in.. I know after the harness it's just three wires . The harness never came with the game..
Thanks in advance
[quoted image][quoted image]
You mean the wires that go from the harness to the micro-switch?
Quoted from Graves:I see , can you tell what color the stripes are on the white wire ? Was I right the green then runs to the lower switch on the same ramp , in a series. It's somewhat kinda making sense now..
So it looks like one white wire goes to the top switch and one white wire to the bottom switch . The green goes to the top switch as in the picture and then runs to the bottom switch. Sound right?
Thanks
Looks like white with purple stripe.
I will have to look. Probably right.
Anybody have the cliffy peice for the top of the time expander? Is there room for adjustment?
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:(edit: I'm really replying to yellowghost here) There is a little play in the mini-playfield already - you should be able to push it back by unscrewing the screws at either side of the mini-playfield (under the big metal protector), but you really have to have it all the way back. Slotting those holes probably helped a lot, but it shouldn't be strictly necessary for every game
I loosened the screws and tried to push the upper playfield rearward. I don't think it went back too far. I have the "edge protector " already and it just barely fits. The top plate goes behind that. So I know it definately will be too snug. And then theres the cliffy that goes on the main playfield as well...
I was going to shave abit off the upper playfield. That why I would need a little wiggle room with the post holes.
Quoted from pinball_faz:There's a few things about your gear box that don't seem happy.
1) The gear seems completely ground out. Notice how there's a lip on the gear... not supposed to bet there (arrow).
[quoted image]
2) The slurry of grease appears to have metal filings mixed in. I think that's the rest of that missing gear.
3) The big gear with the drive arbor does not come off the top of the box (at least I could not get mine off). It's like it's pressed into a bearing. The fact that it came off suggests that the bearing was shot, the arbor started wobbling and that angular motion trashed the softer of the two gears.
Was the gearbox sealed with brass tubular rivet or was it held together with a nut/bolt.
Here's a few pics I took of a box I keep for just such an emergency. Notice the shape of that top gear... it's solid. No lip and the slurry I have is pure grease.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I think you are needing a new gearbox. But keep all the parts... you never know.
faz
Hello. I am thinking about cleaning the gearbox and re-lubricating it. It seems loud. And sometimes it stutters going down.
What type of grease did you use?. And if its rivited together, how do you seal it afterwards?
The switch with the gate has two green wires on the middle lug..and a white wire on the lug closest to the front. Cant see the other switch right now
Quoted from pinball_faz:Not sure that will really help, but I don't think it would hurt. The box is sealed, so I really REALLY doubt swapping out the gear box grease will be any different than the day it was installed. Keep in mind if there's bits of metal in the grease you don't want to mess with the gearbox. Save the trouble and buy a new one.
It looks like axle grease. The nasty black/brown stuff you put on your car. Take it to a Pep Boys and they could confirm it. Also, judge the amount of grease in there too. I suspect if you put in too little, bad things may happen and if you put in too much it might squirt out (what a mess).
After you drill out the rivets (real easy since the brass is super soft). Open it up, take pictures to make sure you can put the gears back in the same spot. I mean they can only go on one way, but why fret about putting something in upside down for 20 min
Get a simple nut/bolt that just draws the box together snug... may need a washer depending how small the head is.
Best of luck!
faz
This is the way I reckon it..I change my oil in my car twice a year or what not to reduce wear. Same could be said for that gearbox. Mind you..I am the only one to use it..but after almost thirty years, maybe it couldnt hurt. The machine might still be working for another thirty.
And BTW..what do you use to lubricate the bearing on the sliding brackets?
Thanks guys .will try silicone spray.
Having time expander issue. Left saucer opto works in test mode..not in game. When you lock.ball in the left saucer..game does ball search and kicks it out. When you lock a ball in right saucer..then shoot left saucer..it registers. It was suggested that this could be bad diode on opto board.. which I tested and they test good.
Another thing..when the upper playfield is raised..it works fine.. i dont need to trigger another opto for it to work. I thought maybe the diode for the cam opto but its in a different circuit.
Quoted from dsuperbee:Are you testing with a ball rom your finger?
Finger. If i put ball in , it will stay there in test mode. But when in game test using ball.
1 month later
Quoted from BioBa:Is there anyway to prevent that gate scraping the inside cabinet? Most Dr Whos I have seen show that scratch.
Had planned to install mirror blades but I have zero tolerance on both sides. Is this normal?
[quoted image]
Mine has that too..on both sides. If only there was a way to route out a recess in the sides so that accessories like the blades or pinballstadium could sit flush.
Looking for ideas to make playfield little brighter. I put some spotlights on slingshot area and helped with the middle area. Planning to install a led strip under the flippers . That should light up the area where the spotlights dont reach. But not sure about the upper half.
20181031_192729 (resized).jpg 3 weeks later
Quoted from ArcadeTechNerd:Mine has always behaved the same way, think that is just the way it is...
I thought I saw a setting in menu that looked like it could cause this.
Quoted from dsuperbee:Hey guys,
Got a buddy with an extra, 99% complete mini pf assembly (only missing the motor, gearbox, cam, cam roller.)
Any idea on the value, or a good guess?
The motor, gearbox and cam are ALOT more than 1% of the assembly. But if its clean and the plastic cover on top.isn't cracked it would be worth at least a few hundred.
1 week later
Quoted from Freeplay40:I have a thread here on Pinside... Freeplay40 Ramps. That's where I have posted most of my stuff. If you go to the first page of the post, the list of ramps I do is shown there and pretty current.
On another note, I also just checked Marco for the Time Expander decal and I 'm pretty sure it was "In Stock". Just looked again and it is out of stock. Bay Area doesn't have it but Planetary Pinball shows it in stock for $27. Think it was $34.95 at Marco.
27 dollars for a decal??! Thats crazy.
2 weeks later
Quoted from neemypeemy:Thank you! I have the Cliffy protector and it was catching, so that's exactly why I was asking. So when you are talking about filing the holes, can you clarify which holes you're referring to? It's been 6 years since I've had the MP out so I'm just trying to imagine where they are. Or is this referring to the wholes on the Cliffy protector?
Will add those cliffys too. Have the "edge protector"cliffy already and it's a right fit AND the other two cliffy need to fit in there somehow too. I reckon I will just shave 1/16 " from the time expander itself.
Quoted from Fairground:No.......... I recommend you hone the bracket slots like this[quoted image]
Dont have the mchine in front of me..but how much clearance is there behind the time expandor? I know the loop ramp is pretty close.
2 weeks later
Quoted from neemypeemy:Hi all,
So in one of my Doctor's past lives, the ramp was replaced. Apparently it did not come with the ramp sticker. So what someone did was print out of the ramp sticker image onto paper, sandwiched it sloppily in between two pieces of clear packing tape, and then stuck under the metal bracket to hold it in....
Anyone have any idea of how I can find the image of this sticker so I could find somewhere to have another sticker made? I've searched this site and googled and not having much luck.
Thanks!
[quoted image]
Can't somebody just scan the one you have?
Quoted from Doctor6:Not too tough. They come with the repro ramp sets you see online. So surely they come separately somewhere!
I wish. I emailed the places that stock them and never even got a response. The only decal available anywhere is the time transponder cover decal.
Quoted from opt_prime:Hi all - I'm a relatively new owner of a Doctor Who, and had a few questions. Thanks in advance for anyone who chimes in. I want to say up front that I'm NOT very comfortable doing any in-depth work on the machine. I did successfully install a Color DMD and Cliffy for the ramp, but I'm afraid to go much further than that due to my lack of experience.
I bought the machine with a known possible issue - the prior owner had placed some tape on the black top flap of the Time Expander. Unsurprisingly, after my purchase it eventually started to stick up. It does already have the Time Expander Entrance protector installed, and I did buy the corresponding Mini Playfield Edge protector and the Cliffy top flap, but now I'm afraid I'll have to take out the entire Expander and do more work than I'm comfortable with.
Has anyone used just the Cliffy top flap and not the Edge protector? It seems like perhaps the top flap alone could be replaced readily enough with the Cliffy version. Or is it best in my situation to just use the OEM top flap? If so, is there anything special to install the OEM version, and does anyone know where I could order it? Sorry - I know there are a lot of write-ups regarding the Time Expander, but I couldn't readily find my questions out there.
Another minor issue, just cosmetic, is a scratch near one of the companions (apparently from a tool). Any thoughts on if I should try to do any repair, color it in, or just leave it as-is?
Looking at my picture, I just notice the metal on the Time Expander is oxidized. What works well on that - just some standard metal polish, like Flitz?
Thank you again for any guidance.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Cliff sells 3 protectors for that area. One on top,one wraps around the face of the time expandor and one wraps around the oposite face of the playfield. I would buy the one that protects the face. Not sure if the one on top is more durable than the stock piece but might as well buy it. It wont tarnish like the original
One thing I would like to ad. Once everything is fixed and the time expandor is installed. Raise it to the highest height before you install that steel shroud. If its not centered, the optos will get stuck and it will jam.
1 month later
1 week later
Quoted from Nihonmasa:Wow! What’s that? Replaces the time expander motor?
Not the motor..only the mechanism that
Raises and lowers
1 week later
Maybe something with the switch that detects the glass. That switch shuts down power to that motor I think
2 weeks later
Quoted from Pin-Geo:The flips on the center and left daliks stay up like they’re stuck and won’t come down.
Maybe you need to adjust the roller under the playfield. A horizontal movement is what releases them. Never try pulling them straight down
2 weeks later
2 weeks later
Quoted from pinballinreno:Thank you to the pinsiders who contributed to my decal search.
Good things are coming!
You are reproducing the decals?(
Quoted from eyeamred2u:You are most welcome.
Ken
That is good news.!!!
1 week later
Could somebody post a picture of a original set of slingshot kicker plastics while illuminated? Want to compare to a set I bought from marco, which look pale and washed out.
Thanks
Quoted from gunstarhero:I have a repop I just installed and it’s definitely lighter. Beats broken tho.
I will try a blue led underneath. Maybe that will make it pop.
Quoted from gunstarhero:Eh, looks better than an exposed switch, which I assume would really have cut the cost.
Or one of those grey rubber caps.
3 weeks later
Quoted from TheCnyPinGuy:Hi
Maybe a fellow Doctor Who owner can relate or guide me
I have an intermittent issue on my DW
Issue:
I lock 1 ball in either R L eject hole
The game will load 1 ball and Auto Launch and then the 3rd ball into shooter lane
I have already replaced all the trough switches and shooter lane switch with new plus all new diodes
Still have the issue
I’ll also me mention that sw 71 the right most opto on MPF is stuck closed right now but per the Sw Matrix have nothing in common anywhere on the grid
Any ideas what to check ?
I was told check the obvious so I did and replaced what seemed to be the most logical but that didn’t fix the issue
Thanks in advance
I enjoy the game but want it properly working
I had a simliar issue. Temporarily fixed it by scrubbing down the mpu with vinigar. There was prvious damage in the area.
Anybody needing new slingshot kicker plastics, the ones on the marco website are washed out and look terrible. However I put a blue and ice blue GI bulbs underneath and it looks sorta presentable but wish somebody sold a better product.
20190617_205252 (resized).jpg 3 months later
Quoted from pinballinreno:Pop bumper led test.
I think the lighted cover puts out just about the perfect brightness.
And the frosted bodies glow really good without being a huge distraction.
My goal was to add light to the area without going crazy.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]</blockquote
You have any transparent jet bumper caps? I am curious to know how it would look on the top jet bumper. I hate the plastic on top glows red.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Pop bumper led test.
I think the lighted cover puts out just about the perfect brightness.
And the frosted bodies glow really good without being a huge distraction.
My goal was to add light to the area without going crazy.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
You have transparent colorless jet bumper caps?. I am curious how one would look on the top jet bumper. I dislike how the yellow plastic on top glows red.
2 weeks later
Anybody have scans of the left ramp decals? The "cliffhanger" and the two on tge flashlamp pod. Is "pdf" the best one to have?
Or better yet, a set of used decals.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I'll try make you a scan tomorrow.
If it fits on my scanner.
It doesnt matter if its pdf or high quality jpg.
PM me your email address.
What is the flash lamp pod?
The decals over the rescue ttargets?
I can only scan 8.5 x 11 inches they might be too long..
If its bigger someone else will have to do it.
Cell phone images are also a good source for a scan.
Resize them in GIMP.
That said, new ramps from marco come with decals.
Problem with that is my ramp is not in bad shape . Be nice if spaceship fantasy or marco would sell only the decals.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I hope you can make the colors more vivid.
My home made decals look a bit faded.
Definitely need more work lol!
How thick is that Hammermill stuff? All the doctor who I have seen seam to have a problem. The original decals peel around the edges. I guess they are too thick or the adhesive is not strong enough to make them stick to round surface. Maybe it would look better if they were resized to only fit the flat areas? Is that possible?
Quoted from eyeamred2u:I use Papilio vinyl paper that is 3 MIL thick. Poor adhesion, lack of glue and old age did in these labels.
Does this also need to be lamanated afterwards? Could you upload a picture of something you have printed with this paper?
Quoted from eyeamred2u:yes ,I cover it with UV resistant mylar film. Here are my custom whomobile decals[quoted image][quoted image]
Looks good.Are the paper standard size? I need to reproduce the two decals over the "repair" targets. They are well over 12 inches.
Quoted from eyeamred2u:Ok, worked on a decal today, cleaned it up. Need to print to see if colors are close. If this is good I will make up a sheet with this and some others that I am working on.
[quoted image]
Awesome.
You reckon you can re-produce the two stickers over the "repair" droptargets?
Quoted from pinballinreno:I agree. One piece stickers are easier to install, and look better.
Ok . So I take a picture of the decals, then what? I have somethi g called "paint-shop". I can change it into a jpeg . I don't think it can change it to a pdf. What is the most common file to bring to a printi g store?
1 week later
Quoted from pinballinreno:Just re-decaled the force field as a finishing touch.
It was pretty beat up with torn graphics:[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
That looks great. Did you buy those? And from where?
3 weeks later
Quoted from pinballinreno:If I walk away from a game to answer a phone call it goes into ball search.
With a ball in the shooting lane?
2 weeks later
Quoted from pinballinreno:Pretty much! Its s high end restoration. Even has a new plastics set and ramps lol.
With all the hand fitting, tweaking and polishing it came out substantially better and more solid than brand new.
It plays like a dream!
Last annoying item is the MPF optos.
I think we are on the right track with this.
You still have old ramps?!
Quoted from pinballinreno:very difficult to remove without cracking and tearing, they are really baked.
best bet is to get a new ramp kit.
The only company that sell ramps is spaceship fantasy and they are not authorized to sell a kit for that game. Are there other companies selling them?
Quoted from pinballinreno:Marco had a great set.
Improved with thicker plastic.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=Doctor+who+ramp+set
It's a great price for all 3 ramps and decals.
My ramps are not perfect but too nice to replace. Just need the decals. I guess I will need to print my own.
1 week later
Quoted from topkat:I couldn’t get the new one to fit. When I put them side by side the new one was taller. Went back to messing with original
How much was it? Hopefully you sent feedback about it. Customers should not need to rework a repro piece.
1 week later
Quoted from pinballinreno:I agree.
The switch has to be installed and working.
The MPF is way strong and powerful. It will ultimately hurt someone.
It needs the safety switch.
I simply decorated mine by blacking it out and putting a black sleeve on the wire.
Its barely noticable now.
Or maybe power down the machine when working on it?
1 month later
Jeepers!!! My time expandor works like a well-oiled machine everytime. No fancy opto boards or 3D printed stuff. What Am I doing wrong?
1 month later
Quoted from Xantari:So I bought a bunch of plastics from pinball center. They are OK, but now i'm kinda wishing I could get some of the more front and center plastics in higher quality. In particular the two dalek plastics on the slings. Couldn't find anything at Marco or Pinball Life.
But did find them at Ministry of Pinball.
Any ideas on the quality of the Dr Who Slingshots set at Ministry of Pinball?
https://www.ministryofpinball.com/en/catalog/product/view/id/6760/s/dr-who-slingshot-set/category/114/
Upload a photo when you recieve them. The colors on the marco slingshot plastics are washed out.
1 week later
Quoted from Xantari:Here is a picture of the original (broken) plastics I had on my Dr Who. As well as the pinball center versions.
I'll post scans of the ministry of pinball ones when I get them.
Notice the pinball center versions are missing part number and the colors are slightly different.
Color differences could be due to age...
[quoted image]
The plastic itself will yellow with age so maybe the original blue will start to turn to a teal perhaps. They don't look to bad lying flat. The ones I bought from marco look good too. Its when they are installed and back- lit that you see the difference. I put a blue led underneath and that helps.
1 month later
Quoted from Zigzagzag:Hi,
I'm missing two of the decals on the left ramp - the "complete repair each target 1 million" one and the "force field" one beneath it, on the side of the ramp.
I can't seem to find it for sale online - only a complete ramp set with decals.
Does anyone know if these are available or could share a scanned file ?
I have some files for these. A friend produced and they look good.
I emailed spaceship fantasy and the response was that they were not authorized to sell the decals alone. I think its BS. They're way of telling you to buy the entire ramp.
Quoted from Xantari:I finally got the opto issues fixed in the mini playfield. I have to say a huge thanks to Pinball Plus in MN (John Ross) he was able to figure out the issue.
I bought a blue opto carrier from Shapeways and white mushroom targets from shapeways. In addition I created a opto carrier shield using black paper card stock.
What was happening is that I was getting misfiring opto's from switches 71-75 (the opto switches on the mini playfield) when I pressed the flipper buttons.
It turns out that if you removed the black card stock opto carrier shield, the frequency of that happening was greatly reduced.
In addition, blocking the opto switch beam with your finger always produced a positive result (switch on/off without issues).
What John did to fix the issue was to take a marker to color all of the white mushroom target stems (painted them black with permanent marker).
In addition, the black card stock opto carrier shield was removed in favor of black electrical tape.
Problem solved.
Our current running theory is that the black card stock opto shield was actually bouncing light (yeah it's black, dunno). In addition, he thinks that the new opto LED's and receivers are so powerful that it could be that some of the light is getting through the white mushroom target stem (thus blacking out the stem with a permanent marker).
Back in business!!!
But why the flipper button triggering tye optos.weird.
Quoted from Zigzagzag:Cleaning up machines bought from Italy is always interesting.
Seems the previous owner of this machine had some trouble with the optos on the mini playfield and chose this solution.
Thoughts ? Leave as is or replace with new opto boards and rewire ?
[quoted image][quoted image]
If it works, dont change it. 96% of the posts here seems to opto problem related. Looks silly but alot more reliable I am sure.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I disagree.
I have achieved 100% reliability.
30 year old games need repairs. Thats all.
Optos and mrs switches are far more reliable than click switches
Except when theres too much light, too little light, not enough electrical tape or cardboard, too much electrical tape or cardboard, or not surrounded by the presice shades of plastic. Oh and except when paired with some factory bally boards and some aftermarket boards.
5 months later
Quoted from Sk0r:By any chance, does anyone have scans of the ramps stickers? Mine are in bad shape and I cannot find them for sale anywhere.
I have good scans.
5 months later
Quoted from willowpuss:CPR are going to reproduce these you can put your name on the waiting list
How do you know this?
Quoted from pinballinreno:It was announced, get on the list if you want one.
Its not bad, but Ive bought old NOS playfields before and they need a little TLC before putting them into service.
Still as it sits, its an amazing piece of history that collectors really want.
I would re-sell it and wait for the CPR if you want to play on it.
If it were me. I dont know if I would put it in a game, unless it was a very over the top restoration like my game.
I have $5500 in parts on top of the game purchase invested. But I wanted a brand new game, and thats what they cost.
I don't need one, its just that CPR used to have a "coming soon" thing on they're web-site but its not there anymore. Just curious to know how they notify people of future products.
1 week later
Quoted from eyeamred2u:J118[quoted image]
Ok thanks.
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Ronkonkoma, NY
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