(Topic ID: 300368)

Early SS Williams Games question, removing head box

By MVCO

2 years ago



Topic Stats

  • 10 posts
  • 7 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by KJL
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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    #1 2 years ago

    Hi all,
    Just a silly quick questions for the Williams early solid state people. My Pinball are is upstairs with 29" door ways. To move pins in and out, the backbox MUST be removed to make it in. I collect early Bally SS games right now, the heads easily come off. I have not added a Williams to the collection, and am wanting to pick up several. Firepower, Black Knight, and nothing newer than 1986 High Speed. Do these head boxes totally remove easily like the early Bally's? Just want to make sure before I buy one, LOL

    Thanks much!

    #2 2 years ago

    Early Williams games have interconnects in the harness and the heads come off easy.
    Make sure to match wire colors on the harness as 2 of them are the same size and not keyed. If you connect it wrong you will send high power into the switch matrix.

    #3 2 years ago
    Quoted from MVCO:

    Do these head boxes totally remove easily like the early Bally's?

    Pretty much. Disconnect the connectors from the boards (and/or the appropriate interconnects), unbolt the backbox, remove, and carry away.

    #4 2 years ago

    4 bolts.

    As said don’t mix the 2 big connectors. All the other connectors are keyed or different sizes.

    #5 2 years ago

    Depends on if it's a folding head or not. I think those started around Space Shuttle? Those are obviously much harder to remove. Every system 3-7 game that I know of has a removable head though

    #6 2 years ago

    Thanks for all the info. So, it sounds like I should avoid anything from 1984 and later as it would have the hinged head? That does not sound fun.

    #7 2 years ago
    Quoted from MVCO:

    Thanks for all the info. So, it sounds like I should avoid anything from 1984 and later as it would have the hinged head? That does not sound fun.

    Some additional bolts. Not really a huge deal.

    #8 2 years ago

    early Williams have a U shaped bracket screwed to the base of the headbox, this lines up with a plate underneath, so you need to pull the headbox forward to remove it, you can't just undo the bolts and lift off like a Bally.

    #9 2 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    Some additional bolts. Not really a huge deal.

    And no easy connectors either, you need to unplug a ton of stuff from all over the head, since it wasn't designed for easy removal

    1 week later
    #10 2 years ago
    Quoted from MVCO:

    So, it sounds like I should avoid anything from 1984 and later as it would have the hinged head?

    IMHO if you are comfortable removing a classic Bally or Stern head then I would not avoid the hinged Williams games including WPC.

    I know my EBD and Centaur are hinged similar to my Space Station and High Speed where the biggest pain is removing the connectors from the boards. Now there are more connectors and bundle clamps to mess with but the general areas are mostly the same to sweat... power (Bally has a connector) switches, lamps, solenoid drive, speaker.

    Also my Bally, Stern, and System 4-7 games have not fit through my basement door as their heads are 30 inches. My Space Station fits as its head is 28 3/4 inches. Same as MM and AFM

    YMMV

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