If anyone in Western Europe is looking to sell, I'm on the hunt for a players condition or better Earthshaker. Thanks!
(Topic ID: 87473)
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Earthshaker
Williams, 1989
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3 weeks later
Joined the club! My pinball bride joined me Monday to go pick up an Earthshaker from a seller in central Netherlands. I had been searching for one for a few months and this was the most reasonably priced ES I'd seen in a while. The game was used in the break room of a dental laboratory and had been beat up pretty bad. There's playfield wear above the flippers, ball swirls, a cracked ramp, raised inserts, broken plastics, and the text is worn off many of the inserts. I've already begun to strip the playfield so I can clean it and really see if I'll be able to touch it up. A CPR playfield is another option. I got it pretty cheap so there's still room in the budget if I need to go that way. I almost walked away from the deal, then the seller accepted my low ball offer. Well...here we go again!
The YouTube Channel has more details and I'll post progress there.
20220221_201558 (resized).jpg20220221_215022 (resized).jpg20220221_215038 (resized).jpgsignal-2022-02-22-19-55-38-239 (resized).jpgsignal-2022-02-22-19-54-45-563 (resized).jpg20220221_222322 (resized).jpgQuoted from PinballGalore:I just purchased a cpr playfield… they just became available, I’d get one while they’re still around or it could take a few years for another round. Good luck
Yeah, the more I think about it...you're right. I just ordered a playfield. I've done plenty of paint touch-ups before, but the inserts are all screwed up as well. And I don't think I'll get much out of those ball swirls from the small amount of cleaning I tried last night. The paint was lifting pretty quickly. I think I should get a repro while they have them so I don't regret it later.
2 weeks later
Quoted from HarrieD:So, I found another one. After 3 years an Earthshaker is coming home and will be cherished. I missed it, from all my machines I have ever owned and sold I only regretted selling Earthshaker. I will pick it up next weekend and bring it home.
Next step is fixing it as it doesn't boot. Then i will judge the state of the machine, it obviously will need new decals and plastics but I will see if the playfield and ramps need replacement too.
So, I'm super stoked. Will post some restore progress in this thread.
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HarrieD Congrats on the Earthshaker pickup! I almost bought this same machine about a month ago. Strangely, two separate people on Marktplaats seemed to have the same machine for sale within one week...same photos with the worn out area around the start button. I couldn't really nail down a decent price with the second guy, and eventually I gabbed one up near Den Bosch 3 weeks ago and I'm restoring it now. Mine also needs a new rear ramp and a new playfield. I just bought the playfield from CPR and it is still in the mail on its way here. Marcos Specialties has the ramps and plastics.
Instead of decals, I've been repainting my worn cabinet. So far I think it is coming out well. We'll see.
Good luck with your restore!!
20220308_224559 (resized).jpgQuoted from roffels:My cabinet is rough and I don't have the tools or confidence to tackle fixing it up. Did you make custom stencils?
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Currently I am repainting all of the dark blue a bit at a time without any stencils. Bondo, then lightly sand where the paint has cracked, and then touch up with 2 coats. Once the blue is done, I'll move onto the off-white stripes. It won't look perfect, but from a few feet away it looks much better than it did when I started and it won't cost me much. Decals aren't really that expensive though...so that's probably a much easier solution for you. You'll still need to bondo and prep for that, so also a fair amount of work involved.
Yours is really flaking badly, but it's almost all on the blue and white areas. This is easy to repaint (just takes a lot of time). The blue paint color was tricky for me to match...I finally got a can of RAL5015 and added some violet to bring it to the correct shade and brightness. The off-white is easy, the yellow and orange is a gradient color transition and will be really tough to touch up, but from what I can see your EARTHSHAKER lettering is fairly decent.
I'll probably also clear the cabinet when I'm done so it doesn't flake more in the future.
1 week later
Playfield swap started a few days ago. Cleaning and moving all mechs over first. The CPR playfield looks great but the pre-marked holes don't really line up that well. At least CPR just laser burns a small mark where the hole "might" be, and doesnt pre-drill holes like my Mirco Nine Ball playfield had.
20220316_221531 (resized).jpg20220314_181017 (resized).jpg 1 month later
First thing to check is your GI connector and headers on the interconnect board. See the marks on the photo. Probably you have a burned connector creating resistance and dimming your bulbs in those strings.
20220418_214530 (resized).jpgQuoted from DANGERTERROR:There’s a 4 pin connector with two yellow and two yellow / white wires. Setting my MM to AC I probe each hole in the connector and ground the other probe. The yellows read 5.9Vac or close. The yellow whites read 1.5.
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Check the voltage upstream of the F2 fuse and see if it also reads 1.5 VAC. Make sure there isn't a bad fuse holder creating resistance there. Then probably unplug the machine and measure resistance across the AC terminal 2 of connector 2P6 to ground, then do the same for pin 7. Difference? Transformers rarely go bad. Usually something else.
Quoted from DANGERTERROR:Rebuilt female J7 to the back box GI and got one string lit, but white/green is still dim. Pulled the interconnect board to see replace the male end and it’s been hacked to bypass a fuse or two
[quoted image]
Great to see that's most likely the issue. If you dont want to try and fix it, those interconnect boards are easily available. Make sure you get the right version as there are some resistor differences between some of them.
Quoted from dmacy:So far the new playfield seems to be decent but the dimpling on the bottom is way out in many places. No big deal but really pay attention to everything you install. You should anyway, but this, or at least this one, is pretty bad.
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I just got mine 6 weeks ago and it was the same. I marked and predrilled every hole and some were way off.
Quoted from joetechbob:How are you guys transferring hole patterns over? Large sheet of wax paper or something?
I lined everything up manually. Biggest PIA were the trough switches (but really not that bad), the slingshot switches, and the pop bumper spoon switch brackets. Everything else just falls into place.
Quoted from DANGERTERROR:Sure enough, reversing this work, then doing some repairs to the board (that did indeed require jumpers, some leads were thrashed) got me close to 100%. The final mystery was a PF GI string that was out due to a rebuilt connector being totally mis-wired as well.
Glad you got it sorted out! A few of the system 11 machines that I own all had previous issues in that area of the backside of the interconnect board (Radical, Banzai, ES). Some of the operators were hacks and would do anything to keep people putting money into the machine.
I have seen some doozys when it comes to burned up GI strings. A few years ago I helped a friend buy his first machine (another Radical) and when we showed up to get it, the entire 6v GI string had been completely rewired to run off of a car battery charger that was living in the bottom of the cabinet. It was a horror show. Everything got removed and the game is back to factory condition now.
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Quoted from Jeffreyjonesbsme:Did you notice the Bad Cats back box wood that was cut for the cabinet stabilizer bar next to the coin box?
What!? No way...I never noticed that! I'll have to ask him for a better photo of that area and report back.
While re-populating the ES upper playfield I found that the previous owner made their own plastic with a flamingo which was mounted above the scoop. It confused me for a while because I couldn't find a new one in my Marcos plastics kit! Finally realized what is really supposed to go there. 
Does anyone recognize the flamingo and know which game that came from?
20220428_105252 (resized).jpg20220428_105319 (resized).jpg 1 week later
Well, after a playfield swap, all new plastics, and all new ramps...I feel like I've probably spent too much on this game...but it sure looks beautiful IMO. Happy to have Lawlor's #2 machine which will go right next to Banzai Run as soon as I feel like rearranging the arcade.
After the PF swap I was lucky to have basically no issues other than LEDs which needed adjusting in their sockets. I reflowed all headers on the MPU & interconnect board. I'll recap and work through the PS in the coming weeks...but for now it is working fine.
The entire restoration is documented here in case anyone would like to see what was involved:
20220506_210711 (resized).jpg20220506_210700 (resized).jpg20220506_210728 (resized).jpg20220506_210756 (resized).jpg20220506_210621 (resized).jpg20220506_210646 (resized).jpg20220506_210801 (resized).jpg20220502_104727 (resized).jpgQuoted from ClarkGriswold:I'm new to the club and foolishly thought I could take off the upper back left (skillshot) ramp without removing the playfield. I wanted to clean back there and swap out GI bulbs while awaiting a new rubber kit for the game. I quickly realized that it doesn't seem possible to do a shop out of the back of the playfield without actually pulling the playfield. Anyone out there ever do it without removing the playfield?
Also curious if anyone has any advise on what to use to place the playfield on after it is removed? I do not have a playfield "rotisserie" or much space for one, so looking for ideas.
I was successful at clamping my PF onto a table while it was sitting on its side. I have a rotisserie but I couldn't install the rear panel and some parts at the back while it was attached to it. Sitting the PF on its side and having someone hold it while you secure it with a few straps or clamps will work in a pinch...at least to do a small amount of work.
Noticed something on the PF today during gameplay, thought it was a bit of paper towel... realized it was a chunk of the artwork from between/under a post and a metal ball guide. Should I chalk this up to an over-tightened post on my part or is it a vision of things to come? This is a CPR playfield that I just finished 2 weeks ago and I was cognizant to not over-tighten anything as I re-assembled the topside. Only about 30 games on the new playfield.
20220512_200412 (resized).jpg20220512_200442 (resized).jpgQuoted from PinballGalore:Did it have a month at least to cure?
I bought the PF at the end of February so it's been at least 10 weeks since CPR mailed it out to me. It had no smell when I recieved it and seemed fairly hard when I checked to bottom edge before assembly. I'm hoping it's just a combination of stresses from the edge of the metal rail and threaded securing post combined with the round post next to it. I supposed it will be pretty easy to remove those pieces, repaint some white there and apply a bit of clear epoxy onto the area. It's about 8mm x 4mm.
1 week later
Quoted from rmillman:Can anyone provide information on when and what can be connected, turned on and tested during a rebuild? I have about 80% of the playfield done, can I plug everything in and turn it on (as long as no shorted wires) safely and test what is connected? Should I wait until everything is on the playfield?
I figure it will be easier to fix things before everything is in place.
Thoughts?
I just finished my own PF swap last month. I would recommend to visually inspect all switches, bulb sockets, GI, ect to make sure there are no shorts. Check for switch tabs bent over and touching the other side. Leave the solenoid connectors off at first if you're really concerned. I was lucky and had almost no issues...but I didnt desolder much during my swap. I only had a small issue related to wiring getting pinched in the VUK when I got it fired up. You will at a minimum need to connect the harnesses for the coin door to get the machine to fire up. You can leave the lamp, switch, and solenoid connectors disconnected if you want to. But as long as your methodical in your inspection prior, you should be fine.
Quoted from pencilneck:It is a bit ... exciting.. that first time you power it up after having it torn down.
Quoted from rmillman:Can anyone provide information on when and what can be connected, turned on and tested during a rebuild?
I'll second this. When I did a High Speed swap, I had a Special Solenoid transistor explode on the first power-on. On my Nine Ball swap, I had locked on coils and transistor magic smoke the first time I powered it on! My recent Earthshaker swap went extremely well with virtually no issues.
So look over your work carefully, but in the end don't be afraid...if you blow something up you get the experience of finding and fixing the issue. It's sure taught me a lot. Once you get comfortable replacing PCB components then you're not near as worried about what might go wrong.
Quoted from PinballGalore:Can I ask for some help figuring out the correct T-nut thread size needed for Earthshaker?
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They are all pretty much the same size except maybe 1 or 2 that have a longer barrel. I think 1 is a 6-32 thread but I cant remember where. I removed and re-used most from of them from my old PF and the vast majority of them were 8-32 thread and about 1/4" barrel length. I had to replace a few that were stripped or the teeth were broken off of...so definitely order at least 5-10 of this size. Just pop one out from the old PF with a thin flathead screwdriver to verify the size.
I would also recommend to pre-drill tiny guide holes for the teeth of the T-nuts. I placed them where they needed to go and pressed them into the wood a bit to make small marks on the wood, then drilled 3 small (1/16") holes about 1/8" deep. This helped keep the teeth straight as I tapped the T-nuts in from the PF back side. Without doing this I had some T-nuts fold their teeth over flat as I tried to install them.
Quoted from waymon:I was going through my menu today and noticed the option for attract sound. I’ve never heard my machine make a noise in attract mode. Does anyone else’s?
ES is like Twilight Zone...when you turn on attract sounds you will only hear it if a game has been played. If you turn on the machine and don't start a game the attract sounds will never play.
Quoted from dmacy:[quoted image]
Freaking love the chromed out legs, lockbar and rails. Did u buy them that way or get the old parts chromed?
Quoted from waymon:I tried a few different ways but never could get the attack sounds to work. Had the machine on for over 12 hours today and it got played a bunch. ??? I’ll have to research it some. I may have a ROM issue but seems all the sound during gameplay works as it should.
Yeah, mine definitely has sounds during attract mode. I just finished a game, and not more than 1 or 2 minutes later the music plays for 10 sec or so...every few minutes. If you are certain that its turned on in the menus, maybe check your ROM version. This is what mine displays (see photo)
20220531_225253 (resized).jpgWhen my California-Nevada diverter opens up, about 1/3rd of the time the ball doesn't roll down the open gap leading to the subway, but intead just rolls off the front of the diverter and falls onto the playfield.
Is there any adjustment I can make to improve the action of the ball and prevent this?
*side note: it is cool that Lawlor and team realized that this might happen, and programmed the game to then allow you to work on the next set of zones you need to visit...while also keeping the lock shot(s) illuminated. So you're not really penalized...but it is annoying.
Quoted from ClarkGriswold:Mine also does this on occasion. I was thinking of trying a new foam piece at the end of the wire form, where the balls hits before going on the California/Nevada diverter. I'll let you know if this helps. If you run into anything that works, please let me know. I have the sinking institute mod and before I got the game someone glued a plastic piece on the top/back of it so any balls that are not correctly diverted cannot get stuck behind the institute, this was obviously an issue before i got the game and this was their solution. It looks like crap though, so I'm going to find another way to fix the issue.
I have already tried shimming the entire diverter mechanism underneath to tilt the states more toward the right side, and perhaps it helped a bit. I feel like bending the metal tab that they attach to, but I wonder if there's a more elegant adjustment to be made.
Quoted from dmacy:Get one of these from PL. https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BK3
It works with Williams too. Just need to drill out the rivets and insert screws in their place. Have had great success on ES, TAF, Radical, etc.
Here’s an example on the ES I just wrapped up:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/shaking-up-another-old-earthshaker-for-a-refresh#post-6893925
That is EXACTLY what I need! Thanks!
I need to check out Pinball Life more often. I've actually never ordered from them. And yeah, my Funhouse has the same issue on the lower hotdog target. Definitely ordering 2 or 3 of the kits. My TAF is in the states and I haven't laid eyes on it in a while, but you're saying one of its targets is susceptible as well?
1 week later
Quoted from jdzwir123:In a 2 pin collection do you think ES and WW would be a good fit?
Both GREAT games. I recently finished rebuilding my ES after a playfield swap and really love it. Bought a WW a few weeks ago and haven't touched it at all yet..two other big projects in-work.
20220502_192221 (resized).jpg20220526_180211 (resized).jpgQuoted from slochar:La3 is latest.
I wonder what the deal is with my LU3 ROM version? I can't see any LU roms on IPDB. Game is an exported machine that seemed to live its life in Belgium & NL.
Quoted from mastercello:I saw an LU-1 version once - but i guess it is only something country/region specific at the end
Since yours is also an export, which ROM version do you have? Or have you updated it?
2 weeks later
Quoted from ClarkGriswold:It was a major PITA to get the ramps, plastics and wireforms off of the back of the playfield without removing it.
For some reason, ES seems to be one of the most difficult games in my collection to disassemble. I guess how the ramps are stacked up with the diverter on top makes for some big headaches...specifically if the PF is in the machine. I recently had the swing-gate start to become stuck when the ball rolled around and it was an absolute nightmare to fix it.
The ramp layering is worse than my Radical, CFTBL, and Road Show which all have ramps situated over other ramps.
4 weeks later
2 months later
Quoted from transprtr4u:finally got my estimate ... mine will be more expensive as they had they had to do the plans to remanufacture the part ...
any extra will be at $27.00 per piece.
anybody want one please PM me ...
this price is based on five units should more be needed the price will be lower !
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I'll take one! Mine is worn out on the end.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Looks like 5 ES owners are in need of the actuator... After the morning rush at work will confirm the order and have them made ... all those who have PMd me to get one will reach out to you once completed.
Sounds great! Are you able to ship to the US reasonably? I will send you an address there once I pay you.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Actuator... update!
Ordered 10 this morning to cover everyone's needs for this part!
The order should be ready on the 18th of October perhaps sooner .
Once completed will check to ensure it's Identical to the original part.
After that will pm all parties interested and wrap up this side project ....
Regards
Rob
I appreciate it sir! Looking forward to tearing my ES apart again
2 weeks later
Quoted from transprtr4u:Actuator update...
Picked them up yesterday!
The sizing is an exact match , the height of the shaft is a little smaller by 1/16 but had it in my machine and added a washer.
The company is willing to redo them all or I can ship them out as is and washer can be added.
Please PM me and see what's best for everyone...
Rob
When installed in my game it completely removes the sloppiness that I had when the fault would open and close
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Looks great! Thank you so much for getting this done! I am fine with using a washer. I'll PM you to send payment and my address.
1 week later
Quoted from transprtr4u:After a guy getting fired there , they found the parts ...
Been super busy at work so will reach out to all the PM's that were sent to me this weekend...
Sorry for the delay ...
Pinball is really hard ...
My apologies for the delay
[quoted image]
No problem at all sir. My diverter took 30+ years to wear out a little, I'm in no big hurry. Life comes first.
1 week later
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:Hello everyone, I'm Eric and I'm a new owner of an Earthshaker pin. It is going to be a rebuild project.
A question if I may. My Interconnect Board is burned up, and in the process of rebuilding connectors, I discovered someone had soldered wires to the rear of the board.
The are only (5) wires going to J7 on the Interconnect Board. Pins 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. However the manual shows an Orange Wire going to pin (5)
2J7-5 = ORG = +25 Vdc / Sol. Power "C"
I've included the pages out of the manual for a reference. Am I missing a wire?? Is it a misprint?
Thanks for your help
[quoted image][quoted image]
Here's a photo from my machine. I have a red wire on pin 6, but nothing on pin 5. My game works fine, not sure where the "C" side 25v comes from.
Screenshot_20221111-095730_Gallery (resized).jpg 2 weeks later
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:I have a sound question. Using L-3 Rom version, and also new ribbon cables, why does the "attract sound" not work? Yes, I have it selected to "ON" in the settings, however after 10 minutes....1 hour....nothing. Yes, it's not a big deal, however now I am interested to know if its an issue?
Quoted from slochar:Looks like it's never accessed during the attract mode in the code. Sounds like a bug.
There is definitely code to access the setting, and it looks like it might play sounds, but if nothing calls it.... never plays it.
EDIT: It is called at bootup, but never really does anything with it, and doesn't ever recall it.
ES is like Twilight Zone...when you turn on attract sounds you will only hear it if a game has been played. If you turn on the machine and don't start a game the attract sounds will never play.
Quoted from Jmckune:My attract sounds start as soon as the game
Is turned on. And play on and off for a few minutes and then quiet down
Yeah, I've posted about this issue before. I have ROM LU3. Weird behavior of this game...my attract sounds never play unless I play a game first.
3f67412861c58cda3fcad968f3645de51b3d7f76 (resized).jpg 2 months later
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:Another question for all the experienced System 11b owners out there.
Note: everything is working in the game. everything
Note: new Rottendog MPU board, new Aux Power Board, new Power Supply Board
Note: new led display system installed
Original Sound Board, however it's been reflowed and chips reseated, connectors cleaned
On Power Up of the machine, there is a loud bad buzz sound for 2-3 seconds. It's very disturbing!!
However everything works flawlessly.
No other games I've worked on do this. What gives? Is it a Sound Board issue? All the music and sound effects work, there is NO buzzing or ground issues.
Is there anything possibly related to the Jet Bumper circuit? I ask only because when a working fuse is installed, the issue is present.
Sincere appreciation in advance.
I may have had the exact same issue on my Funhouse. There was a sharp buzzing sound that would startle people when I'd turn the machine on. You can hear it here:
Fast forward to 2:30 and you'll hear it.
Your question is about a System 11 machine and Funhouse is not exactly a System 11...but it's a bit in the middle of System 11 and WPC. Others have also had similar sound buzzes and thumps and one way to completely eliminate it is to install a small mod which keeps the speakers isolated for the first few seconds of boot-up. Take a listen and see if yours is the same as I had.
Quoted from Eric_Manuel:I would be interested in the mod that you mentioned, btw.
Here you go. I found this mod after trying to solve the issue on my Funhouse, and saw that another guy had the same issue on his Bride of Pinbot. Many WPC machines exhibit a "thump" on power on/off, but the screech that had on Funhouse was consistent on every single power-on. I wasn't able to ID the cause and chose to make this mod to solve it. This was early in my pin troubleshooting "career" so perhaps I should try to find the actual problem and solve it.
More discussion here about it:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bride-of-pinbot-makes-loud-screech-on-powerup#post-4805181
Pinside_forum_5373097_0 (resized).pngI was adding a target reinforcement and noticed that I have a large gap behind my yellow standup...am I missing something here? Did I miss installing a post here or something? Game plays fine and a ball would really never hit that spot anyway...just looks odd. Thanks
20230213_194508 (resized).jpg20230213_194523 (resized).jpg 1 month later
Quoted from billsfanmd:How hard is a pf swap?
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1GlAVjt5kNN1dOXJJ-YkxUmPwASAlhFh
A lot of Earthshakers I run across are in bad shape. I did a pf swap on mine. The entire process is documented here. Took me about a month on/off.
1 month later
Quoted from jb3d:Hello from England! I’ve been reading through this thread since buying my Earthshaker a few weeks ago. Thanks for all the helpful information. My machine needed to be cleaned and re-rubbered and I’ve done the lower 2/3 of the playfield so far. Now I’m going to tackle the top 1/3 which I know from posts here can be a bit of a pain, with lots of disassembly needed. Any advice from people who’ve done this? I read mention of having spare metal posts on hand as some may snap when being taken out. What posts might I need? Thanks very much for any advice.
It's quite difficult to reassemble the playfield while it is in the machine because of how many things sit on top of each other. Easier if you remove it and mount to a rotisserie. The metal bracket that pushes California away from Nevada gets worn out. A guy here on the forum was making some replacements a while back. It's a good idea to replace (or repair) this part while the PF is out of the cabinet.
Recommend to clean the black diverter guide piece under the playfield that controls the diverter. A small drop of SuperLube when I was done and mine works like a charm.
Also, make sure your loop roll-under switch is adjusted properly when you reassemble. Mine was a bit too tight and the ball would not complete a loop and get stuck under the roll-under gate. Major PIA to get in there after the ramps & diverter are reassembled over top.
Other ppl have seen metal posts shearing off when they removed them, but I had no such issues. I reused most T-nuts when I did the playfield swap.
5 months later
Quoted from Bman:When I power it on, the top topper (VUK) activates and it also activates when I press the start button.
Is the fork switch that controls the VUK bent closed? What happens when you do a switch test?
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