Fathom
Bally, 1981
Fireball II
Bally, 1981I can sum this project up in one sentence:
"The task is bigger than you think, do not underestimate and do not rush".
I built a third edition EBD from a partially wired playfield, and that was quite a pain in itself.
No cabinet, no boards, no backglass, partial wire harness, speaker, transformer, etc, etc.
Good winter project though, at least 1000+ hours if you are meticulous, and do it all yourself.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Plus, just use an altek boardset for the MPU, lamp, aux lamp, and solenoid driver boards, pick one of the producers of LED displays, a Rottendog rectifier board, and there's pretty much no software/hardware game development costs. Then it would just come down to BOM and labor costs.
That Altek MPU board costs like $50 to make, so I'm sure Stern would just make their own board rather than buy an existing one.
Same with all the other boards, way cheaper to make them, especially at quantity 500 (or 5000 if they are doing a bunch of different titles).
Quoted from vid1900:That Altek MPU board costs like $50 to make, so I'm sure Stern would just make their own board rather than buy an existing one.
Same with all the other boards, way cheaper to make them, especially at quantity 500 (or 5000 if they are doing a bunch of different titles).
Yeah, you're probably right about that.
I wonder if they would bother with licensing existing designs just for manufacturing or just redesign from scratch. Or, completely ditch the whole idea about compatibility with the original boardset and do something like WNBJM and drop their existing boardset into the game. It's not like recreating the rules and sounds would be too complicated for an early solid state game. The only thing would how the current boardest would handle LED displays, rather than a DMD/LCD.
Quoted from ForceFlow:I wonder if they would bother with licensing existing designs just for manufacturing or just redesign from scratch.
Redesign from scratch.
Existing designs waste circuit board area because they need to fit a certain wiring harness footprint. A new wiring harness that could be 2" longer could save 8 square inches in valuable circuit board real estate.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Or, completely ditch the whole idea about compatibility with the original boardset and do something like WNBJM and drop their existing boardset into the game.
Stern's current boardset is crazy overkill for Fathom. If it costs less than $50 to produce, then I guess it's a possibility.
Quoted from ForceFlow:The only thing would how the current boardest would handle LED displays, rather than a DMD/LCD.
The SDB, the Rectifier Board and the Transformer could all skip the high voltage circuits, for further $$$$ savings.
Quoted from vid1900:The SDB, the Rectifier Board and the Transformer could all skip the high voltage circuits, for further $$$$ savings.
For that one, I was mainly thinking about lighting display segments vs displaying dots/graphics. Someone did some work to come up with a custom add-on board for the P3-ROC boardset to drive an alphanumeric display, rather than a graphical display.
http://www.pinballcontrollers.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=sr0dqafe8h4m8l7kejmrsdmms2&topic=745.0
Quoted from thierryv:I,m actually doing this project, have already find most of the parts except for the backbox wiring harness.
Playfield swap almost done .
That looks sharp!
Interesting setup inside the cabinet. What was your donor game originally?
Quoted from Drano:That looks sharp!
Interesting setup inside the cabinet. What was your donor game originally?
Donor game was a silverball cabinet and power play head both slightly modified.
I found the populated pf some years ago in France but it was missing the complete left droptargetbank wich I found amazingly well on ebay Germany.
Cabinet wiring harness comes from a Flash Gordon .
I've spent the last few days harvesting and cleaning up parts from the Fireball2 cab that I know I will need for Fathom.
I've spent a lot of time dumping stuff into the ultrasonic cleaner and tumbler... not to mention quite a few rust baths for a few really bad pieces. I've got the coin door apart and in the process of getting cleaned up too.
Quoted from Drano:I've spent the last few days harvesting and cleaning up parts from the Fireball2 cab that I know I will need for Fathom.
I've spent a lot of time dumping stuff into the ultrasonic cleaner and tumbler... not to mention quite a few rust baths for a few really bad pieces. I've got the coin door apart and in the process of getting cleaned up too.
"Shiny".
Keep up the hard work.
Do not rush.
Quoted from Drano:Also, last night I received a trace of a Fathom light panel from a friend so I've just drawn it and will be cutting it on the CNC at work.
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I have a few specific fathom hardware parts you maybe can use ( two inline drop target banks and two metal cabinet playfield brackets )
If interested I, ll send you pictures.
Awesome project bro. I would think that the wiring harness would be the hardest part to duplicate. Following with excitement for you.
Quoted from thierryv:I have a few specific fathom hardware parts you maybe can use ( two inline drop target banks and two metal cabinet playfield brackets )
If interested I, ll send you pictures.
Wow! Thanks Thierry.
That sounds awesome.
I finally got the door back together (minus the harness which needs some attention) and it's looking much better than before.
As they say, a journey of 1000 miles starts with just one step 
Tonight I will be visiting with a friend who owns a fathom just to take some critical measurements and to get details so I can mimic the harness for the back box lighting panel I'm making.
Here's a few before/after pics of the door.
Quoted from Drano:Wow! Thanks Thierry.
That sounds awesome.
I finally got the door back together (minus the harness which needs some attention) and it's looking much better than before.
As they say, a journey of 1000 miles starts with just one step
Tonight I will be visiting with a friend who owns a fathom just to take some critical measurements and to get details so I can mimic the harness for the back box lighting panel I'm making.
Here's a few before/after pics of the door.
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Hi Drano,
Here the inline drop target banks unfortunately missing all 8 coils.
plus some other small miscellaneous stuff .
IMG_2864_(resized).JPG
IMG_2865_(resized).JPG
IMG_2866_(resized).JPG
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Quoted from thierryv:Hi Drano,
Here the inline drop target banks unfortunately missing all 8 coils.
plus some other small miscellaneous stuff .
IMG_2864_(resized).JPG
IMG_2865_(resized).JPG
IMG_2866_(resized).JPG
IMG_2867_(resized).JPG
IMG_2868_(resized).JPG
No problem Thierry. I already have a complete set of drop target banks... But I'm sure somebody would love those.
I'm more excited about those brackets in the last photo. I'll gladly buy those from you. Fathom uses two left and two right so I am definitely hunting those... as well as the hangers that attach to the bottom of the playfield and lock into them.
I'll shoot you a PM
Thanks
It's been a few days since I posted an update.
I've had several irons in the fire this week... despite being hit with a nasty cold.
About a week ago I managed to visit a friend with a Fathom project of his own (coincidentally also my source for the partially populated original playfield) and he was kind enough to let me photograph and measure up his backbox lighting panel as well as other parts I'll need to make or source. I took down some info on the wiring as well to see how many modifications I'll need to make to the Fireball II harnesses.
The rest of the time was spent continuing to strip and clean up the cabinet and all the bits and parts I'll be needing for Fathom.
At the end of the week I had a pair of brand new Fathom lamp boards for my backbox. One for me and another for another local collector who is embarking on a similar project.
Beautiful work so far! Don't forget to put mylar over your drop targets if you replace or touch them up, the artwork will never wear off again.
I have a real good bud of mine that just went through making a game out of thin air as well, he did it with a head to head game ..... Joust. It too, came out beautiful. I keep waiting for him to post pics of his project but he hasn't done so.
Steve
Been working hard on getting this sad sad cabinet sorted out.
I've decided to resuscitate the old lady. It'll make the final product that much sweeter.
I've ripped out the bottom of the main cab and will be cutting some new pieces to refresh it... and then some bondo to clean it up before I paint.
The light panels are all primed and ready to go and last night I spent some time comparing the schematics of Fireball II and Fathom to see what modifications I'll need to be making to the wiring. Luckily a lot of it is identical. Just a few extra wires here and there.
Quoted from blownfuse:I thought they called it high density MDF.
Steve
HDF = High Density Fiberboard
MDF = Medium Density Fiberboard
No such thing as high density MDF
It's possible they used high density for the original.. But not sure why? MDF is way more common and a bit lighter. Comparing my MDF to the original, I don't see much of a difference in composition or weight
Drano, you have inspired me
rather than wait for an EBD, I have decided to build one up
(should be easier to source the parts)
thank you
I can see the bottom of the back of your cabinet has the typical chewed up look. I've had great success slicing the bottom couple inches off and "cutting in" a piece of 3/4" plywood. I did a post on it here on Pinside....
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cabinet-wood-repair#post-2471357
Quoted from Freeplay40:I can see the bottom of the back of your cabinet has the typical chewed up look. I've had great success slicing the bottom couple inches off and "cutting in" a piece of 3/4" plywood. I did a post on it here on Pinside....
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cabinet-wood-repair#post-2471357
Thank you sir! Great tip.
I've been trying to keep busy while I wait for my buddy to cut me a new bottom and a few other pieces on the CNC at work.
The weather was a bit warmer this weekend so I started a bit of bondo work to fill some gaps and chips on the cab. I also took Freeplay40's advice and cut away the damaged section of wood from the bottom rear of my cab and replaced it with some milled MDF. The results are pretty good so far.
I also got a few parts in the mail as well as a stencil set from Pinball Pimp!
Can't wait to get to the painting!
Quoted from Drano:It's just 1/2" MDF like the original
Thank you.
Is anyone making reproduction aprons for Fathom? My original Fathom Apron has been bent and re-bent so often that there is significant arching in the metal sides.
This thread is fantastic. I'm really excited about getting a new playfield from CPR. I joined the list on day 1, so I'm pretty confident that I am getting one.
I have secured a Big Time Cabinet, Reproduction Backglass, NOS plastic set, NOS Drop Target set, and the CPR Playfield.
Having a restored Fathom is going to awesome.
Thanks for documenting your project. I'm sure it's going to be very helpful to the rest of us.
Marcus
Quoted from Xerico:Is anyone making reproduction aprons for Fathom? My original Fathom Apron has been bent and re-bent so often that there is significant arching in the metal sides.
This thread is fantastic. I'm really excited about getting a new playfield from CPR. I joined the list on day 1, so I'm pretty confident that I am getting one.
I have secured a Big Time Cabinet, Reproduction Backglass, NOS plastic set, NOS Drop Target set, and the CPR Playfield.
Having a restored Fathom is going to awesome.
Thanks for documenting your project. I'm sure it's going to be very helpful to the rest of us.
Marcus
Sounds awesome!
I really should have gone for a new cabinet... especially since I have a 70,000 sq.ft. wood and metal shop just steps from my office door, but I refuse to throw away this donor cab. I think there has to be something 'right' about letting it live again, even if it's a pain in the butt to restore it.
These game are often great in their original condition, but there is nothing like playing one that's in the same or better condition than the day it was first unboxed.
I've had the pleasure of updating or purchasing updated examples of a few of my classics games. All of them with either brand new CPR or restored original playfields. Games like High Speed, Joker Poker, Centigrade 37 and Centaur just play so much better...faster...smoother than they ever did. It's a thing of beauty and really re-invigorates your interest in them.
I will eventually get through several more after Fathom.
Star Gazer, El Dorado and Cyclone are in the queue. I only wish I could do this full time
I also sent in my request to Kevin minutes after they announced this last run of Fathom playfields so, hopefully I should be good as well.
Good luck with your project!
How do you get the crappy coin door parts so nice? I have a door to do but honestly not sure how to start!
Quoted from Drano:Wow! Thanks Thierry.
That sounds awesome.
I finally got the door back together (minus the harness which needs some attention) and it's looking much better than before.
As they say, a journey of 1000 miles starts with just one step
Tonight I will be visiting with a friend who owns a fathom just to take some critical measurements and to get details so I can mimic the harness for the back box lighting panel I'm making.
Here's a few before/after pics of the door.
20160110_222601_(resized).jpg
20160115_000335_(resized).jpg
20160110_222824_(resized).jpg
20160115_001026_(resized).jpg
20160115_001606_(resized).jpg
20160115_000802_(resized).jpg
Quoted from indy5mike:How do you get the crappy coin door parts so nice? I have a door to do but honestly not sure how to start!
Just a combination of soaking them in EvapoRust, tumbling/polishing and, if necessary, a quick shiot of metallic paint on anything that's truly not gonna shine up.
The project has been in limbo for a couple of weeks. Lots of business travel this month 
I hope to get back at it in a week or so.
Throw some $$$ costs up Drano so I can understand what building a machine from scratch is costing. I need to justify to my wife that my hobby isn't stupid expensive, it's only crazy expensive.
I then did a second round of filler and sanding and even applied a blue interior base-coat before closing up the bottom of the machine.
I also filled in the 2nd flipper button from Fireball II and started getting the head cabinet back together with a new back panel.
Quoted from Fifty:Throw some $$$ costs up Drano so I can understand what building a machine from scratch is costing. I need to justify to my wife that my hobby isn't stupid expensive, it's only crazy expensive.
This would be hard to do.
The donor game only cost me $400 and I'm repairing the cab vs. starting from scratch.
Also, a complete playfield with all the parts could cost you a little or a lot. I saw one on eBay a few days ago for $2K. It was a fully populated playfield with harness and all the parts. New plastics already installed and the playfield had been restored and cleared... but there was no cabinet. In any case, it was gone in a few minutes.
My friend's playfield cost a lot less but it will also be a lot more work. The playfield itself isn't great so a CPR is required... as are parts like new plastics, targets, posts and a bunch of other things that were missing. Not to mention the harness has already been removed from the playfield my friend has, so it;ll be a nightmare to get all the wires back where they need to go.
That being said, I have $2800 (CAD) invested so far and still need the playfield and backglass, new legs, new glass and more odds and ends. It will be a $4500 (CAD) Fathom easy, but it will also be fully restored and minty.
Yikes,
Haven't posted an update in a while.
I've primed and filled the cabinet exterior and also got my 47 bayonet sockets and started putting together the lamp board.
I should be applying the basecoat blue and then working with the stencils very shortly.
Got the first coat on today...
Also installed the metal plate under the cab and glued in the last strip of thin plywood to capture it.
I'll need to fill in the gaps with some bondo and I'll probably paint the bottom edge with a wood-like tone just to even out the look of the old and new plywood edges and bondo.
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Sana'a
Zemst
Mississauga, ON
Cypress, TX