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

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

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

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.

of course, everything is for sale

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.

(Pinball for sale)

Sorry Brian, wanna come over and play mine?

facebook group (resized).png

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!"

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:

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

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.

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

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

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

True, but it's still out of stock. Just to make sure they weren't tracking my location (and saying out of stock for USA) I used a web VPN and it still says out of stock
https://nl.hideproxy.me/go.php?u=JbWuTmIdrsPknw3En9ZCrmnB16OguYxEQT8sM68d1rouZAT5o2BBqCydPUD8jJ%2BClkuSnhUZNI%2BW3V2DsVcf5cXr1d45iz2qbk3uMQuB0AilNuohqm%2FFnQ%3D%3D&b=5&f=norefer

lookie what i got in the mail today. gotta find time to install this with the service mods. thanks applejuice!

20190325_171625 (resized).jpg

Mine is fine, but are you vacuum forming ramps for various machine now too?

Selling a spare 12VDC fan with blue LED mod. voltage adjusts for fan speed. It's completely plug and play, take old one out, screw in new one, plug in connector.. first $40 takes it

twister fan mod (resized).png

It's more than just a fan.. it's an AC to DC conversion module, then it's an adjustable DC voltage board. I'm willing to make another if there's interest.

I'm just not a fan of alternate translites in general, but I especially really like most of SEGA's translites. They capture the movies well.

Read this thread.. says it was out of position and by moving it fixed it:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/membrane-switch-problem-twister

Otherwise new membrane switch is $109 at pinball life:
https://www.pinballlife.com/segastern-4-position-membrane-sensor.html

78.5" from floor to top of backbox with modest incline, topper adds an extra 8 inches.

So I left the club about a month ago...
I have 2 spare plastics. These are lasercut new. I don't have the artwork printed or applied for these, but I will provide the artwork. The small one is easy to print on photopaper (you will need 3M super77 spray to adhere it).
https://pinballmakers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Construction#Plastics

The large plastic is tricky to fit on an 8.5x11 and even now I'm struggling to recreate it (don't have access to photoshop). Don't want money for the plastics, just pay shipping. Since mine were broken, I'm guessing other owners are as well.
20200107_173011 (resized).jpg20200107_195457 (resized).jpg

**already spoken for**

With that said, if anyone in the future is reading this and wants to recreate the plastics, DXF files plus art is here:
https://gofile.io/?c=hdCgxC

Send the DXF files to Scott at pinball life. Should be about $3 each plus shipping. He can only lasercut, not print artwork.
https://www.pinballlife.com/in-house-manufacturing.html

Secondly, I'm going to try an experiment. I've been contacted by at least one person wanting to make their own fan mod. I'm curious if someone will actually follow through. I'm uploading everything you need to build your own. Links to amazon items, the STL files to 3d print yourself, photos of it installed.
https://gofile.io/?c=JtxVsk

I'm also uploading the STL file and artwork to create a pepsi fin replacement for the dorothy ball (it prints flat, then you can bend each blade after)
https://gofile.io/?c=WvFl1U
pepsi_fins (resized).jpeg

Note to anyone downloading these... this is for personal use only. I don't want to start seeing these in the pinside marketplace or ebay. I didn't work on these for someone else to profit off of them. If anyone wants one built that doesn't have the means to make them themselves happy to make it.. Just PM me for price.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/everybody-underground-now-twister-club/page/6#post-5279330

https://www.frogpants.com/blog/film-sack-469-twister

Try some simple green

stock fan is 24VAC.. stock fan is also really noisy (ask any owner), which is probably why yours is missing. Before I left the club I made a mod to convert 24vac to 12vdc, and ran a common computer fan (200cfm) as well as an LED halo to light up the topper. It was also adjustable (so you could have quiet and some wind, or go full force)

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/everybody-underground-now-twister-club/page/4#post-4843199

No, you need an AC to DC converter, not DC to DC.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QJNKVMY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

Then since the DC will likely be very high, you need to be able to reduce the DC voltage:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQGMOKI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

Here's the fan I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079NXYC7H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

You obviously need the standard SEGA / Stern 3 pin connector (I don't remember if it's male or female coming out of the backbox)
That's just power, you'll still need the bracket to mount the new DC fan. Here's the STL files to 3d print one:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4638811

I have a DXF and art file of that plastic if you needed to recreate it.

Don't have my game anymore, but pretty sure those are ground wires for the high voltage display

I wouldn't run without a ground, it's there for a reason..

guessing a bad switch in the trough that isn't detecting the 2nd to last ball is draining (but when the last one does that switch detects a ball)

I assume it's this gear?
gear (resized).png

I don't have my game anymore, but all gears have a standard pitch (those look like 48 pitch). If you can take the mech apart and take some measurements (thickness and diameter of gear, tooth length, number of teeth, if there's a boss that extends beyond the gear I'll need that measured too) I'd be happy to model a replacement. A 3d printed version may hold up, but so long as you have a model you could always get a metal one 3d printed on either shapeways or xometry.

But also the gottlieb spinner looks like the same gears. Wonder if you could contact Marco and just buy that brown gear so you're not having to buy the whole assembly?
gottlieb spinner (resized).png

Joe K moved from data east to Sega and remained with them until they closed, so it's possible he did sign it.

pretty sure every single fan is noisy, which is why nobody hooks it up. i tried 3d printing an alternate fan blade, tried sanding the commutator and it didnt help. i created an aftermarket dc fan that pushes just as much air without the noise.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/everybody-underground-now-twister-club/page/4#post-4817515

https://gizmodo.com/twister-2-sequel-twisters-helen-hunt-bill-paxton-tornad-1849669130

I can build one up, just send me a DM. When I had the game I tried polishing the armature and it didn't help. I think it's just a very industrial fan that always made noise, but it was cheap and available at the time.