Looking for a Twister in the Madison/Chicago area if anyone is thinking of leaving the club.

Yeah, the fan is pretty loud. Not totally distracting, but loud nonetheless.

As for the sticker, the game is a re-import from England. Apparently there's some sort of alarm on it somewhere (haven't found it yet). The sticker was informing people that the game was alarmed. I was a little bummed that they put it directly on the translite, not the glass! I was able to get it off no problem, but still unnecessary to put it where they did.

Joined the club yesterday. Plays great, but needs a new spinner disc decal, an LED job, some cabinet touchups. spinner magnet works, back magnet does not. Already on the list for a board from applejuice.

twister (resized).jpg

Where did you pick it up from?

Michigan, popped up on a pinball facebook group

so hooked up my fan, it is indeed loud (at least on multiball). cleaned up the commutator, noticed there was slop (shaft can move in and out). added an extra washer to fill in the gap, sprayed silicone in the bushings, still noisy. So decided to do process of elimination. I took the fan prop blade off, mounted it up and let it run without the prop. No noise at all.. Ok so that means it's not the motor, but the fan itself. Now one thing I noticed, the blade thickness is just a tad over 3/4", but the actual boss that supports it is like half that. Pushing that much air (I've owned a whirlwind and this runs much higher RPM) any imbalance or lack of support is going to create a harmonic.

So, I am 3d modeling a new fan blade with better support. Going to 3d print it overnight, slide it on and see what I get.

twister fan blade 3d print (resized).png

I’m sure you covered the obvious but my fan has so much slop that it was hitting the fan motor which was causing most of the noise.

no there's enough gap, and yes the slop is as tight as it can be without causing friction.

Explain to me like I'm five:

When you say "slop", what exactly are you talking about? Crud built up inside the fan? Old grease?

Thanks!

I think he means slack, loose , just enough looseness to keep it from binding up

That makes much more sense. I can see how that would create the amount of noise I get from my fan.

Thanks!

The motor is basically a coil winding mounted to a shaft which rides between 2 pillow blocks. As it is stock, you can push the shaft back and forth (meaning as it's spinning, that winding is probably bouncing back and forth). However, this seems the least of the issue. Just spinning the stock fan blade by hand, I can see the imbalance it has. As with most things pinball, they chose the cheapest off the shelf fan assembly they could find.

I printed a new fan blade last night but have not had time to install and test yet. I copied the same press fit design, but may create one that has a loose fit with a screw mount.

Let us know how it works! If it's solid, would you sell me one?

of course, everything is for sale

"Everybody's got a price!"

09da6930c37404a896610da2cbb2c710 (resized).jpg

So installed fan blade, definitely better balance. Not "as" loud, but still too loud for my taste. My guess is the 4 fan blades is causing choppy air. Most 3d printer fans that are quiet have more smaller blades so that's my next step.

fan_blade1 (resized).jpgfan_blade2 (resized).jpg

8 blades (resized).png

Not much improvement with 8 blades. Only thing left I can think of is the pressure of the fan blades pushing air is forcing the shaft against the fiber washers and bushing in the block in back, and the whine you hear is that friction of fiberglass against brass. As some have suggested, maybe the solution is to replace the washers in back with a bearing. I ordered some on Amazon prime, should get them by Friday to try out.

I haven't looked at the schematic or used a multimeter, but perhaps they are overdriving the fan higher than it's rating for (IE more than 24VAC) to get more airflow out of it.

Which Facebook group? I've been actively looking for a Twister for months, and I didn't see this one.

(Pinball for sale)

Sorry Brian, wanna come over and play mine?

facebook group (resized).png

I belong to that group. Must have slipped by me. Congrats on the purchase! It's a fun game.

Have a couple backup ideas if this bearing doesn't work to fix the fan noise..

Meanwhile, thinking about dumping in some money since this is probably a keeper. Considering a pinsound board. I obviously want to put the real van halen "humans being" song on it, but also want to swap out some of the orchestra midi to the real soundtrack:

Also here's a list of the wav filenames corresponding to the VH song and voices in case anyone else is along the same path:
music
2411055306 - generic humans being

voices:
40840615 - there's not much time
144845169 - tornado indicated by radar
369869747 - the twisters shifting southwest
404523944 - shoot the lock
573184770 - it's nobody's fault it just happens
583449210 - can you tell which way it's headed
626626287 - he just destroyed that house
650198906 - come on
772751159 - are you ok?
840163326 - lightning
875107967 - southwest
902418294 - think we're going in
976922476 - engine noises
1124446993 - triple jackpot
1189730874 - it's comin, it's headed right for us
1236372326 - extra ball
1275301390 - double jackpot
1297195942 - the twister's headed southeast
1321262230 - the twister's headed northeast
1332894149 - touchdown touchdown tornado is on the ground
1346272314 - we got one baby
1408164919 - we have debris
1539873236 - everybody underground now
1567519805 - multiball
1686526917 - this is not good
1690599861 - super
1856017384 - woooowooh!
1932560237 - the twister's shifting southeast
2059062097 - southeast
2100133328 - let's do it
2104312813 - west
2154656312 - awe man, you lost your
2180883430 - she's a beauty, wa hoo!
2206582290 - we got cowws
2323569442 - F3
2500068706 - extra ball is lit
2601730286 - get out of the way
2601753768 - northwest
2652402411 - north
2710914071 - the twister's headed southwest
2895430452 - billy!
2932981940 - jackpot
2937739875 - shoot again
2961076395 - south
2975258091 - the twister's headed northwest
3021702212 - shoot the ramp
3031285873 - billion!
3165880383 - you just demolished that mall
3210397802 - nothing we can do
3373708709 - northeast
3416645691 - [cow moo sound]
3480900310 - F4
3498019320 - the twister's shifting northeast
3513701725 - dorothy's flying!
3640221817 - it turned over that car
3854703856 - F1
3879823406 - look out! ahhhh!
3909403082 - F5
4026122013 - it's headed toward that nuclear power plant
4121240039 - the twister's shifting northwest
4135192366 - it blew away that cow
4155974318 - EAST
4171434356 - F2
4196960356 - ya ready?
4210822466 - we've got
4216530646 - ooooh! check it out!
4286384632 - look it's turning!

I'd like to squeeze in at least one seymour hoffman quote. maybe replace "there's nothing we can do" when you don't get a ball match to "LOSERS! move on losers!"

Yes, please! Pinsound is amazing, and a custom soundtrack for Twister would be sweet. Could you randomize what file is played when you hit the drop target? "Everybody underground NOW!" gets a little old after you've heard it six hundred times!

So tried the 5mm I.D. bearing on the back of the commutator. The shaft is an odd size, I measured 5.2mm (.205"). If I went american: 3/16" (.1875") is way too tight, and 1/4" is way too loose. So needless to say, I had to stick the commutator in my drill, and run a file on the back shaft until the bearing fit. Ran another test with the 3d printed blades for best case scenario, still sounds like a motor running with rocks in it.
bearing_on_shaft (resized).jpg

So 2 other solutions:
Replace the fan with another modern AC fan. Not a whole lot of choices, this one comes up a lot:
https://www.amazon.com/EBM-PAPST-4624N-AXIAL-105-9CFM/dp/B00DJY3N30

It's quiet (50db), but it's only 105cfm.

My preferred option is to convert the 24vac to 12vdc:
https://www.amazon.com/SMAKN%C2%AE-Converter-Voltage-Supply-Waterproof/dp/B00QJNKVMY/ref=sr_1_6

Then run this 12vdc 1.4a (200cfm), 59 decibel fan:
https://www.amazon.com/EZDIY-FAB-4000RPM-Cooling-FFC1212DE-Computer/dp/B079NXYC7H/ref=sr_1_1

And still have 600mah to run some LED strips (like many do the mod on whirlwind).

Most desktop AC fans are somewhere around 800cfm so there probably won't be quite as much airflow, but it'll sound better for sure. I'm thinking a kit that includes a mount for the new fan, the AC to DC conversion, LED strips, maybe even a potentiometer in case you'd like to sacrifice some airflow for quiet. Here's an example of a 200cfm fan on youtube:

Looking for a single lift bracket (part 535-7706-00) for the drop target. I have looked and searched all over the Google sphere with no results. As you can see, the side of the bracket has been rubbing against the support bracket; I didn't come to this conclusion until it was too late after noticing hitting the target took a couple of times to drop and I lifted the playfield - damage done. Any thoughts on what I could do to fix this? I'm not an engineer so my solution would be to JB Weld it. Thanks for any ideas on a solution.

IMG_1754[1] (resized).JPG

Well, that's a first!

IMG_20190128_170511 (resized).jpg

WOW!!!! I've managed 5.9b....I got some catching up to do

I hit every mode possible on the game. Every multiball as well (5 ball Twister MB twice!). Still haven't hit the F5 jackpot during Chase MB. Someday, someday....

Bill Paxton's voice must have just been beat after that.

So got my parts today, wired up the AC->DC conversion to my 200cfm fan (160mm), it pushes a ton of air (still a touch loud during multiball, but clean loud). Might add a potentiometer to adjust speed down. Printing a mounting bracket for the fan right now. Basically anyone that wants this, I will offer it completely plug and play. It will be mounted to a 3d printed bracket just like the original (same 4 holes), and will have the same 3-pin plug that plugs into the existing plug coming out of the top of the backbox. I will also add a blue LED strip inside to light up the topper. Pricing as soon as I run some numbers.
twister_dc_fan (resized).jpg
3d_print_fan_mount (resized).jpg

Awesome! could you snap some pictures of it once it's completely installed? And let us know if it gets any quieter. Definitely interested in buying it once you have a price. Thanks!

Ok so the 10k pot I have clearly wasn't designed for 18 watts (burned up), so had to rely on my trusty 12v to 5v adjustable pcb I had lying around. So here it is:
fan_back (resized).jpg
fan_front (resized).jpg
Keep in mind this bracket was printed with low infill to get something quick (it'll look nicer). I'll also clean up the wires so it's nice and neat.
Video starts at a speed I'd compare to whirlwind airflow, then I crank it up to full power. Buyer has the option if they want quiet, or massive airflow.

I'm going to tap some LED strips and mount it and post another video later. I'm figuring $60 for this assembly.

Pretty cool. I miss my Twister. May try pick up another one some day.

Amazing work! It's people like you who make this hobby awesome. Put me down for one as soon as it's available!

Got it mounted with LED strips on top and bottom of fan. I don't think I like how the LED's are seen from the player's perspective so I'm going to probably print some sort of arch to mount the strip to so it glows without seeing them:
fan_front_mount (resized).jpgfan_in_grill (resized).jpgfan_mount_back (resized).jpg

Wondering if anybody has a source for the clear round standups. Can't find them anywhere, only colored. Might need a few. & a source for the drop target sticker!

I'm in the same boat @robx46...on both.

I looked everywhere for clear standups and couldn't find any. I ended up buying a purple one.

I ended up redrawing the drop target sticker based on some blurry pictures. It's not great, but close enough with what I had to go with. Here's a pdf of it.

drop-target-twister.pdf

I wish someone would scan or reproduce the target stickers...mine are badly worn, and they seem to be sold out everywhere.

Thanks! That might working considering the target sits in the back anyways & isn't too visible

Did you guys check with Steve at PBR? He usually has every target under the sun in stock.

Alright I made some tweaks to the fan mounting bracket. Also rather than attaching LED strips to the fan I made a separate halo bracket that spreads light out evenly. I'll probably remove the fan sticker to make it look more stock.

@dirtbag66: send me a PM, let me know if you want me to ship or you want to meetup since you're close by.

I'll probably eventually get this up on my website, but if anyone is interested send me a PM.
twister_fan_mounted_front (resized).jpg
twister_fan_LED (resized).jpg

I'm sorry if I'm posting this incorrectly; I'm new to the whole forum stuff. I have acquired a Sega Twister game that really needs new plastics but I can't seem to find any anywhere. Anyone have some for sale or can you point me in the right direction? Again, I apologize if I'm doing this wrong by posting on this thread.

normally this place sells them, but it seems to be out of stock: http://www.pinball.center/en/shop/pinball-parts-by-game/twister/8416/plastic-set-for-twister

I thought Pinball Center stopped shipping to the US?

I heard someone say that, but why? Are they avoiding copywright? (IE someone tied to the copywright orders a set and goes "Aha! caught you!")