Open the coin door.
remove the lockdown bar.
remove the playfield glass (careful here. make sure it is not going to get thermal shock and shatter)
take out the balls
pick up the apron at the drain.
pull up the playfield and get the crutch (probably on the right hand side of the cabinet)
Put the end of the crutch in one of the circle divots on the side of the playfield

Congratulations on your first pin! Just lift the front of the playfield and tilt it back till it rests against the head. If you are changing the bulbs under inserts you will have to access them from under the playfield and unscrew the socket holding the bulb you want to replace.
Good luck

Not a fan of this at all. It puts to much stress on the playfield by not being equally supported.
Pull the playfield towards you and you will see as you lift it up the back will rest on a wood platform and the front will rest on the top of backbox. No twisting or stress.

-Mike

Welcome!! It’s an exciting time for you. Might check out some you tube videos too. Careful.... the machines multiply. Have fun.

What do you do?
What would you suggest the new guy does?

Change them with the game off!

Pull the playfield by the apron up and towards you. You will see the playfield sliding on the wood platform, on the inside of cab, sliding it will come to a stop, now as playfield has come up you can rest the apron against the top front of backbox. Also know as the servicing position.

-Mike

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Just make sure that the plastics on the upper right side doesn't break when you lift the playfield. It tends to rest bad on those plastics when you rest the playfield on the backbox.

curious what the crutch is for? I am!

As mentioned above, be careful with the ramp and shuttle toy when you lift the front end up -- they can bind with the cabinet and could crack/break -- be sure to slide it out toward the front a little before you lift it.

I'm not a fan of the prop in this game; the PF is heavy so it tends to twist a lot. As such, I either lift it all the way up to service position (also described above) or sometimes use a more stable piece of wood (e.g., a 1x2 that's a few feet long) to prop it up more centered & more securely.

Congrats on your first machine. You're likely to get many more....it just happens

If you want to twist up the playfield then by all means use the crutch, I have found that this playfield is just too heavy and do not recommend using it. Just my opinion.
-Mike

The crutch seems fine on mine but I do find I need to shift the playfield around to get it to balance correctly so its stable. That said if you are changing lights it probably wont give you enough access and space to do what you need anyway.

OP, welcome to the forum and congrats on learning how to lift a playfield in a pinball machine! but more importantly also, how to make grown men have a pissing contest and a temper tantrum over absolutely nothing, on the internet. that’s where real experience is gained!

Perhaps it's tough to ask a question without seeming to be a jerk...I was sincerely asking.
I wasn't disputing the twist...I think it is reasonable to ask what the crutch is for if not for propping up the playfield.
Clearly, the guy who talked about the "servicing position" knows more about it than I do...I have two pins and have been doing this for almost 2 years...that dude has something like 40...you're not getting any pissing or tantrums from me. Only trying to help and ask questions.

ss-pinball Some playfields are light and can handle being propped up on one side without cracking the wood or causing rips or tears in the paint.
Example is some wide body machines like Genie have a double bar crutch to support the weight.
I have seen a few playfields with a brace going across the bottom to make them more rigid and add support.

-Mike

Beyond having the game turned off when working under the playfield, I would unplug the game all together. It is still possible to create a short at the transformer with the game merely turned off.

Before anything else, replace the batteries on your rather rare and hard to replace System 9 MPU.

You may want to consider sending the boards out to be serviced.
NVRAM may cost you another $10-15 but in the long run it is cheaper and better for the machine and the hobby in general.
I'm doing it to every pin I rebuild.

in addition to rebuilding the power supply and boards, neutralizing any old acid damage, etc you want to put in the bridge rectifier fuses on every Williams pin until, I think, System 11B--I think that system fixed the problem.
System 9 boards are tough...replacements are not currently available and previously manufactured ones have been "buggy" as I understand it.
(System 9 games are Space Shuttle, Comet and Sorcerer). Some replacement boards are "on the way" but it is anyone's guess as to when they will be available...months? Years? Nobody knows.

Rottendog MPU #9211 is already in production and available.

https://ksarcade.net/rottendog-mpu9211.html

-Mike

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