Fish Tales
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Joining the club Friday! I have a restored Fish Tales being delivered to the door to bring some new excitement to our gameroom. 1 question. It has lightning flippers installed, and I'm willing to give those a try, however.....
I've read the stories and debates about those type flippers, and I'd like to have the game set up to play as it was designed, not as it shipped. So, was Fish Tales actually designed for standard flippers, or lightning??
Quoted from Neal_W:Those who were at Williams in '92 all claim they designed it with standard flippers and ended up shipping it with lightning flippers to satisfy the European customers who demanded shorter ball times for their pins on route. FT is fun and playable with lightning flippers. (Doctor Who, Braham Stokers Dracula, and Popeye also shipped with them.)
Thank you sir! That's exactly what I was curious of. Not so much what the game shipped with, but, what was the playfield designed for. Sounds like it was engineered to use standard flippers then. I'll give the lightning flips a fair chance and see how they play. I know I like the way it plays with standard flips since I play a friends machine pretty often. His has standard style on it.
Getting my new Fish Tales set up. Question.... Is it.just me, or is the bubble level waaaaay off on this game? Yes, it's on Williams legs and all is correct with the playfield brackets. To even get close to centering the bubble, I gotta jack the rear legs way too high. I ended up using a leveling app and set it at about 6.5 or 7 degrees. Seems to play great at this angle. What does everyone else think?
BTW.... I love the lightning flippers on this game.
Quoted from Inkochnito:The explanation is in the manual.....[quoted image]
Lol, how about that... mine didnt come with a manual, but, 6.5 to 7 degrees on the level app is.......
15871883870185415371963257244020 (resized).jpgHi Everyone, I just wanted to give a big thumbs up recommendation to Pinwoofer.com and their powered Super kit. I've always been the guy that leaves the stock speakers in the back box, and puts a powered 10" sub in the floor under the game. That works, but I always hated having to move the sub around if I pulled a game out to work on it or whatever. Anyway, when i recently got my Fish Tales machine, the family agreed we all love the music and the callouts, but the sound quality was less than impressive. I took advice from some other threads and decided to give the Pinwoofer super kit a try. Holy hell man!! This kit is awesome. If anyone is looking to upgrade their Fish Tales sound system this is the way to do it. I couldn't be happier.
Quick question. I'm having some slight reel alignment issues. Upon inspection, I noticed the reel was able to spin freely by hand about 3/16 of an inch. The belt felt tight, so I dug deeper. What I see is the lower pulley that slides over the motor shaft has a "D" shaped hole in the center that is a bit loose. The lower pulley is free to wiggle on the motor shaft. So, should the lower pulley be nice and snug? Or have a bit of wiggle? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I replaced the lower pulley and belt with new ones from Marco. The new pulley also had play in it. The belt did need replacing as the old one was hard and had lost its elasticity. Replacing these 2 parts seemed to help a little at first, but after playing for a half hour or so, I had multiple malfunctions. I guess its optic replacement time tomorrow.
Quoted from yzfguy:Have you done any mods lately? I installed a mod and shortly after had reel issues. Turned out, it was a wire not seated properly in a board connector so the optos weren't getting power. Maybe a loose connection?
Come to think of it, yes.... I installed a full set of Titan rubbers, and I DID have to remove part of the casters club and the wire form that feeds the reel. Sheeeesh.... if that's all it is. Wow, just wow. Perhaps it's a simple matter of adjusting the wire form that feeds the reel, not the reel itself. I'll keep everyone posted.
Looks like the wireform adjustment may just fix my issue! I've only played a few games, but so far so good. We shall see. I now have new optics, new belt, and new pulley. All the boards look clean and original to the game. I'll know for sure in a few days
OMG..... My reel alignment issues. So, after playing a friends machine tonight, I notice his reel is spinning "away" from the player and works flawlessly. Mine spins "towards" the player and works mediocre at best. What direction does everyone else's spin, and how can I reverse it?
Got it swapped. That was 100% the problem. What the hell man. This machine supposedly played perfect according to the seller. But anyone who played more than a game or 2 should have experienced the problem. All it took was switching the red and black motor wires at the plug, and boom, perfect alignment. On the bright side, I now have new belt, pulley, and optics. So I should be set for a while.
Quoted from tominator:What is the consensus on side blades/side art... i have seen the tilt graphics one, but they are out of stock... any other options? Is it a worthwhile mod?
I have the Tilt Graphics blades. Love them. Worth the wait in my opinion. Or, perhaps you could find a set from a distributor. I ordered mine here on pinside, cant remember who though.
Quoted from mrboboto:Any leads on playfields? I have a real beat up player's condition machine- I was going to slap down a decal and a playfield protector, but I kind of feel like with the work to get the protector on it's not *that* far away from just totally stripping it and replacing the playfield.
Mirco. $999 with free shipping to USA and Canada. In stock.
Need a little advice fellow fishers. I recently heard a rumor that theres a way to quiet down the noise from the fish topper flapping by adding some sort of rubber to the plunger that moves his tail?? If anyone here has knowledge about it, please do share it with me. I dont want to totally disable the topper, but it is quite noisy. Thanks!!
Quoted from JonCrox:Adding rubbers here limits the travel and therefore noise... [quoted image]
Sounds good, thanks! And the fish still moves pretty good? I dug a little deeper in this thread and saw where someone mentioned adding a shooter tip to the part that touches the fish?
Quoted from hayrebear:Picked up a Fish Tales a while ago, played it a bit, and have been meaning to do some work on it. Lifted the playfield to look at why I’m getting inconsistencies with the orbit gate...and I think I found the issue.
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Yeah, LOL, that would probably be the culprit. Sheeesh man, what are some people thinking? The good news is that 5 minutes and a bit of solder should fix you right up.
Quoted from nwpinball:Second Fish Tales rubber question, I did these exactly like the ones I pulled and it creates a spot where the ball has gotten stuck multiple times by the pop bumper, how should these be? Longer ones across all the posts? Thanks!
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Here ya go. Straight from my manual.
20200715_225606 (resized).jpgQuoted from dirkdiggler:Went to play a game and the fish wasn't kicking. After a while of trying to figure out the issue I decided to look a little closer and turns out one of the wires broke off. Good thing I have some security bits to get the dome off. The game just doesn't have the appeal and charm to me without the fish kicking.
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Mine stopped about a week ago. Havnt had a chance to check it out yet, but I bet it's the same problem. I'll do the mod to help quiet the fish while I'm up there.
Quoted from daveyvandy:How do you do the "quiet mod"?
Well, I read a few different things about adding rubbers here and there. Once I took the topper apart and figured out how the mechanism worked, I did a few things that I thought would help. I cut down a shooter rod tip and put it on the shaft that hits the fishes tail, added a rubber ring where the plunger slams into the coil body, and added a thicker bump stop to the back of the mechanism where the coil hits. These three mods have made my fish TOTALLY SILENT!! You still get the shaker effect. Heres a pic of my assembly before and after I reinstalled it on the backboard.
Quoted from cleanandlevel:looking to join the club, really excited about FT being my next pin! it's the only theme my dad has expressed interest in, so I'm hoping we can get some quality father son time in over a cold one.
any common issues I should look out for? thanks
-Matt
No issues I'm aware of. Just general overall condition vs. Price paid.
Quoted from LTG:Yours is perfect.
I used your picture, and photo shopped in a picture of his connector next to yours, to make it easier for him to compare and see the difference. I put a red arrow on his where it's an empty spot.
LTG : )
After looking closer, I think there's more going on there than just a missing wire. Look closely at wire positions. Something is definitely wired incorrectly. But, then again, my eyes aren't what they used to be. Lol
Quoted from cleanandlevel:yall are too nice. Owners threads are where it's at.
Its really an amazingly fun game. Your dad should like it. For me personally, what keeps me coming back again and again is this:
The game is hard enough to keep you on your toes, yet the rules/modes are easy enough to figure out. I know what I need to do at any given time, its just a matter of accomplishing it. Don't get me wrong, I do own some newer games, but half the time, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing on them. The ruleset is just way to deep. Fish Tales hits that sweet spot for me of complexity/difficulty vs. Being too simple or boring. If that makes sense.
Quoted from guitarded:Absolutely. Huge difference and completely worth the price of admission.
And I will add that the LCD version is just as good. Set it on DotXL and you'll never know it's not an led version
Quoted from DJH79:Whats Up Caster's Club? New Fish tales owner here. Just got mine in a trade. Fully shopped, LED's, Side Blades and Nice Color DMD. Love this machine! There is a bit of planking on the right side top of the backbox and there is some fading on the decals. Any tips on fixing the Back Box Planking. Its about 3 inches in the middle of the backbox that has pealed away. There is some material missing as well where some chipped off. Thankfully it doesn't get too far into the Mermaid Side Art. Is it possible to Mask, Sand, Fill, Paint and Repair? Thanks in advance. Always wanted a FT as I love to Fish![quoted image][quoted image]
I know new decals are available, so I dont see why one couldn't peel away the old, repair, and apply new decals. Congratulations on the purchase!
Quoted from Roamin:Top , translite. Bottom CPR's mirrored backglass. The colors are amazing.
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Thats pretty darnn sweet!!!
Quoted from Nihonmasa:Hi guys,
Have been having an issue with my FT that I am finally willing to tackle.
It works flawlessly, except for one issue at a very specfic moment.
When in MB, and the caster's club has been hit, we aim for the jackpot. When I do, right when hitting the monster fish spinner, about 50% of the time the game will just instantly Tilt.
Tilt bob has been removed, behaviour stays the same.
There is something strange there that I really don't get.
Was thinking of a software bug, ordered a new Rom from the latest version, same behaviour.
Any idea?
Someone with more experience I'm sure will chime in here, but I'd start by figuring out which connections in the backbox are relevant to the tilt bob, and the spinner. Maybe try re-seating those connectors first. Long shot, I know, but it's free and easy to try.
Quoted from fiberdude120:Check and make sure nothing on the monster fish spinner is grounding out anywhere. I had a problem on mine where when in one of the modes when I would hit the boat it would tilt. I had just replaced the boat and it was a grounding issue with the switch diode.
Ahhhhhh, excellent point! That's all the tilt bob does is create a short to ground.
Quoted from Neal_W:Spooky Podcast gifted me a new Pinball Life left/right shooter rod handle. It's sweet!
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Awesome! Show me some pics of that orange powder coat please 
Quoted from Neal_W:Wrapped the legs with orange vinyl like an import car.
vinyl from ebay for ~$10:
5ft x 1ft (5 Sq/ft) Avery SW900 Supreme Gloss Orange Vinyl Car Wrap Film
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fish-tales-powdercoat-or-not#post-4094128
Thanks!
Quoted from FelixTCat:What is this hole for ?
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I asked my wife the same thing last night 
But seriously, mine has the same thing.
It sure is, but alas I don't have an extra. You should be able to locate one without too much trouble.
Quoted from Liakos:Hoping someone can PLEASE help me...
Optos on real are working...
The first 2 balls lock in sweet..
In the 3rdball lock it doesnt line up right and that's when shit hits the fan with respect to me nudging the machine to try and get ball in , while the balls dont spit out properly...
It takes a while to spit out balls especially 3rd one sometimes never....
I really appreciate if someone can help as I had a tech guy over many times...?
Also the lm 339 opto board is working...
Mine had a similar issue. When the reel spins, does it spin towards you, or away from you? Someone wired my reel motor backwards, and it worked ok, but had alignment issues. I tried every fix in the book and nothing helped. Then I played a friends machine and noticed his reel spun the opposite direction of mine. I reversed the motor wires, and bingo, perfect alignment. I had tried new belt, new optics, new pulleys, removed and reinstalled the wheel, etc... nothing helped. All along it was just spinning the wrong way.
Quoted from Liakos:That's hilarious..lol
Mine spins away from me..?
So I will tell my tech guy to reverse it..
I sincerely thank all of u for taking the time to give me your advice...
Thnx
It should spin as if it would roll up the playfield if it could. Sounds like yours is probably o.k.
Quoted from Liakos:My tech guy checked it and said no one messed with it cuz its clean, no excess solder etc...
So he didnt want to reverse it ...he left it alone..
I'm ordering the new belt..
I sincerely appreciate your help guys
It should spin like it would roll UP the playfield if it could.
I agree, the belt should absolutely be replaced if it hasn't been already. This is a known issue. However, turn the game on, look at the reel when the game boots, verify its spinning the correct way. Takes 5 seconds, costs nothing. If its spinning the wrong way, no amount of parts will fix the issue.
Quoted from fiberdude120:wire colors and plugs/
3-2 1-4?
Also looks like 4 cant physically reach 3 at all....
Quoted from Shenanigander:Ceiling height sadly
I considered wiring it up with super long wires and having it sit on a shelf nearby which would be cool but the clacking would likely ultimately drive the wife crazy. So it just goes from one FT to another!
Or take it off and hang on to it. In case you ever sell the machine, or move the pins somewhere with a higher ceiling. 
Quoted from Cmjb13:Question about flippers.
The fish tales I bought has the standard flippers which is what came from the factory. Some say the standard flippers make the game too easy.
From what I’ve read, a European distributor convinced Williams to use shorter flippers which some say makes the game harder.
I try to keep everything as original as possible, so I guess leave the standard flippers alone?
My understanding was that lightning flippers were original on Fish Tales, not standard size.
Quoted from Buellxb12r:Anyone know where I can get some nice custom apron instruction cards for Fish Tales? I know I can print them out from different sites... I'm looking for somewhere that I can purchase them from that are already the correct size and printed on quality paper. I like the look of custom apron instruction cards.
I'm right there with ya. I dont have a decent printer or the computer savvy to mess with printing them myself. Heres what I did. Go to the custom apron cards thread here on your smart phone, find some you like, click on them, and save the image. Then go in person to a local FedEx office/print store and tell them you need these images printed out to specific dimensions (measure your old cards). Tell them you want the cards to be nice and thick and glossy. They'll take if from there. And in about 10 minutes, you'll walk out with your new apron cards for around $7.
I like to bring an original apron card with me to compare sizes when they're done.
Quoted from Roamin:I'm really hoping someone has a solution , because obviously I can't come up with one myself. I can't get the ball to stop getting stucked in the longcast switch! As we can see on the picture , the ball gets stuck in the slot for the long cast switch. My first idea was to simply bend the actuator a bit more so that it pushed the ball out.. Every adjustment I made to the actuator never gave any good result.. and I ended up brake the actuator. I temporarily fixed it by using a safety pin that I reshaped, because safety pins are usually pretty sturdy. Yet, I had the same issue again and again, so I tried adjusting it over and over , and then broke the lever on which the actuator is mounted.. I hacked repaired that , and ordered 2 new actuators from Marco. I went ahead and shaped the actuator with trial and error (the location is a total pain to work in). But then I noticed the new actuator was also moving side to side because the lever came loose a bit inside it's plastic case. Since I had the shape , I decided to use my 2nd actuator and be very careful on how I handle it , not to loosen it up too. Well, these actuators are total crap! Even being extra careful the 2nd one ended up loosening itself just as bad.. I opened one of them and added some tension on the lever so that it stops moving as much. Now the actuator really doesn't shift as much, but it probably requires more than the 30g I think was advertised to close the switch.
But no matter how I shape that goddamn actuator, it can never push the ball out of the slot. If i try to lower the actuator so that the ball starts rolling back down the lane, I never managed to make it so that the ball would roll back down, but activate the switch too. My last idea would be to add Kwik wood inside the slot itself, to try and make it narrower so the ball can't hold in the slot, or completely block the first portion of the slot , like 1/8".
Ideas ? It's ruining all my fun.. Every time I play and it gets stuck there I want to do something about it! Trying to shake the ball out often causes tilts ..
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What's your pitch set at? I've never heard of this being a trouble spot before. I also second the cliffy idea. It's worth a shot.
And, you may as well put a protector on that side. It's super easy to break. I learned the hard way.
Quoted from Scott8806:Okay I was just curious if I was reading it wrong lol
Yes, you're reading it incorrectly. The machine isn't instructing you to put 5 balls in the machine. It's asking if you want to "install" (in other words "set") the machine to 5 balls per player per game.
Quoted from jcar302:So update as far as progress goes.
Received the reel from a fellow pinsider.
Seems this one i think was broken like the missing one from my machine.
No biggy, it's sure as hell better than none.
I think the nubs were broken off the side that key the pulley in place.
So i turn the pulley a little so the holes would line up where there was no webbing inside the reel.
Drilled 6-32 sized holes in the reel.
Then i opened up a washer that i pushed on the back, tapped it for 6-32s, then screwed in the screws and cut the excess off.
I was going to get some black or fancier screws when i do the tear down, but i now realize you can't see anything that i just did (i never had the machine with a reel on it, so i didn't know unit install).
Also, swapped out the fork switch which was broken on the up kick, soldered a broken wire on the vertical coil to which was broken off.
No idea how these machines get so broken, how the hell do you play them when 50% of the most important parts don't work?
Only issue is the reel doesn't seem to line up right every time, it's right about 75%, but sometimes it has to move to look for a ball to drop it in the catapult. Bad news is that i'm not smart of to clean the optos, while it was apart.
One of thing that happened, just like on my attack from mars that sat for years, the second it got some play, the pop bumper skirts started falling apart.
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When your reel spins, does it spin towards the player or away? In other words, would it roll up the playfield or down if it weren't attatched? It should spin "away" or "up" the playfield. If it's spinning towards or down, the reel will sometimes line up, sometimes not. Been there myself.
Quoted from jcar302:So i reversed the wires on the motor.
All works well now and the reel spins the right direction.
Also drops the balls properly in the catapult.
Before it was obviously dropping them at the wrong time based on when the wheels spins the wrong way, it drops them through the hole in the plate at the wrong interval.
Still the question remains, how the hell did it get this way? The IDC plug on the board end was in so well that i gave up on pulling them out and just resoldered the wires to the motor, which was also done very well.
Guess i may never know.
Thanks for the help, i may not have solved this on my own. Never gave a single thought to the reel spinning the wrong direction. I probably would have started bending up the wire form to make the ball drop in correctly.
Same here buddy. I tried everything on my machine, nothing worked. Thank the lord, my friend had a fish tales, and I noticed his reel spinning the opposite way. And, sorry for the late reply, but yes, just reverse the red and black wires on the motor and it spins the other way. Glad it fixed your issue !! :
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:Hey all, just bought my first Fish Tales! I've had the same four pins for over a year now, so it's great to get another! Fishy will sit among Black Rose, Road Show, De jurassic park and Pinball Magic!
I'm slowly reading through this thread to get insight into owning a Fishy, one question I have right away is what is the latest ROM?
I played my Fishy before buying and noticed the weird extra balle text. Is it meant to have an e on the end of ball?
It seemed to fit odd on the screen also.
I am aware a rom alters this but not sure which and the difference. Anyone have a picture to compare?
Thanks!
The extra ball text error is normal. I could be mistaken, but I believe someone has released a new rom that fixes the issue. However, it doesn't affect game play so I don't worry about it on mine. Looks like IPDB lists the most current game rom as L5.
Quoted from Don44:I had tried calling them a half hour ago but have not heard back yet. I think they had the 2 boards and the wrong picture with each and wrong description on one of them.
Yeah that board definitely won't work. It's missing multiple components, plus, the plug on the right had side only has 2 pins installed in the connector vs. 3 on the original.
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:Trust me to break the plastic with rivets..
Top right, next to slings with the old fisherman on.
How would I replace this?
When I change out plastics that are riveted, I always drill out the old rivets. Then when it comes time to reassemble, I use 6-32 bolts and nylock nuts. Looks great, works great.
Quoted from Peruman:Thanks! To eBay we go
It breaks super easy which is why it's missing in the first place I'd bet. Go ahead and get a plastic protector set unless you want it to keep breaking. That piece and the front corners of the boat ramp cover are particularly susceptible to breakage. I bought a whole protector set and only installed those 2 plus the slings.
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:Is it common for the ball to get stuck the switch slot on the top right orbit, below the saucer and above LIE
If memory serves me, I believe there was some discussion of this exact problem not too long ago in this thread. I believe there was some speculation about playfield pitch being the possible culprit. The poster had also tried different switches. Mine doesn't have this issue, but pitch is a logical suspect.
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:This might seem really ocd but when the balls are ejected from the reel, where are they supposed to hit? Mine hit the left ball guide and bounce over the flipper, often stdm 3 balls in a row unless I flip wildly!
And sometimes thet jump over the flipper even if you held it up.
Just wondering if they're intended to hit the metal guide or the flippers?
It doesn't appear like I can move the wire form much, the screw is at its furthest and there's no way of moving it any where else as the metal ball guide is in the way.
Mine also would send balls sdtm way too often. It's been a while since I messed with it, but I do remember it was very tight to adjust like you described. I also remember I loosened the ball guide to adjust it, and I also drilled a new screw hole in the playfield for the wireform leg. Through trial and error, mine now feeds the left flipper most of the time. I still get an occasional sdtm though.
So, I bent the wireform leg a little straighter, and I'm still using the new hole I tapped. And now every ball is hitting the left flipper. I guess it's just a matter of tinkering with it until you get it right on your particular machine. Here's new pics. Hope they help.
20211126_101357 (resized).jpg20211126_101409 (resized).jpg20211126_101428 (resized).jpgQuoted from Stebel:Z
Great score, but I gotta know - Lightning or regular flippers?
Did you get the super jackpot at all or just grind that score out?
Lightning flippers all the way! Got to super jackpots 2 times. Only hit it once for 100,000,000. Second go around, I hit it 5 or 6 times for 200,000,000.
Quoted from bakerhillpins:Did you bend it based upon my write up? If you took a different approach do tell!
F'n awesome score BTW. Nice!
Thanks everyone!
And yes, I used your write up as a guide, and just kept messing with it until it reliably did not go sdtm. It's crazy how widely it can vary though depending on speed and ball spin when it exits the wireform.
Quoted from Pinkitten:It’s a fair amount of work to install them carefully. You don’t need as much cabinet prep as you do with decals, but you still need a smooth, clean surface. Any cuts or chips in the cab should be filled and sanded, and the cab should be cleaned with alcohol. Then you must remove all the bolts from the head, sides and front of cabinet and remove the coin door, flipper buttons, etc. The playfield must either be removed or (the method I prefer) suspended from the ceiling, so you can remove the bolts supporting the playfield. You have to cut most of the holes for the bolts, flipper buttons, etc., yourself. I use a dremel for that, which works well. The entire process takes me about 6 or so hours to do. The results look great and I get better each time I do it. New cab decals look fantastic too, they both have pros and cons.
Sounds like I need to hire PinKitten to come to Knoxville and help with my BSD Radcals.
Quoted from Drac:My fish topper isn't working and hoping for some help to troubleshoot and fix. In solenoid test nothing fires. What should I do next?
Thanks for any assistance.
I second what LTG said. Have a look at the coil inside the topper. Mine had a wire break loose. Easy fix
Quoted from Paseb:Colored wire forms? Whats your take on them?
Blue? Green? Orange?
Id like to see some recent restoration pictures if possible.
Im planning on powdercoating ext part gloss black.
Cabinet is under prep right now by my restoration friend.
I've seen some that I like, some not so much. My recommendation would be do NOT match them to the armor color, it's overkill. I think it would be hard to go wrong with any of the colors you mentioned in a nice metallic or candy finish.
Quoted from Paseb:Mine are very rusted, this is why i was thinking of getting them powdercoated.
what are my other options? Paying couple hundred to get them chrome ? Buy new ones?
Pinballplating.com currently has a freshly chromed set ready for exchange. There's that if you're in a hurry and like the chrome.
https://pinballplating.com/quick-exchange-parts/williams-fish-tales-wireform-exchange-chrome
Quoted from jawjaw:I would look into getting them rechromed. If that is just too expensive, I would paint them silver to look stockish. Fish Tales has gone up in value quite a bit so think it would be worth doing right. I can't speak for others but I have no interest in buying a game that is all painted up unless it was cheap. Paint colors are very subjective and difficult/expensive to fix. If the paint starts chipping away it looks even worse. Buy hey, it's your game do what you want.
I totally get what you're saying and respect your opinion, but I have to clarify something. We're talking about powder coat, not paint. Huge difference in quality of finish and durability. Color is still subjective of course, and I agree that the stock chrome looks great.
Quoted from Pinkitten:I agree that the blue powder does look nice, especially in a complete package with the rails. It’s all about personal taste. Chrome looks great, and if the entire game is chrome plated by Chris Royalty or someone, it’s amazing! I just finished my CV in chrome by Chris, and I love it, despite fingerprints. I might powder coat my fish tales. Is blue the color most people like? I’ve seen green and black, and even orange or yellow. Heck, maybe just go with that color-changing hue that looks different at different angles!
Mine is still original, but I've considered it more than once.
Quoted from Sinistarrett:What should someone expect to pay these days for a nice original FT with very little wear, slightly faded cab, shopped out and working 100%? Is 5 grand out of line?
In today's market, yeah, I'd say you're right on the mark for a nice clean FT at 5k. A few Yeats back, that would be a stretch.
Quoted from Paseb:doing a full resto on my FT
i have a playfield protector going over the mirco new playfield.
is it necessary to order Cliffy's if this will be a HUO pin? i'm not a big player. i play from time to time with my wife and some friends/family.
If it's HUO and you only play from time to time, I'd ditch the playfield protector altogether.
Quoted from Pinkitten:A couple suppliers do offer the boat ramp plastic. Google it and it should come up. The colors are slightly different from the original (the original is more tan and the repro is more reddish, or vice versa) but they look nice. Ebay might have one also. I think about $20 or so.
And get a plastic protector to go with it, or you'll be needing another boat plastic before you know it.
Quoted from Neal_W:Owners usually remove the topper when it hits the ceiling. I guess they felt the topper was too cool to remove or they couldn't find a security torx.
Haaaa!! I didn't notice that! That's some funny shit right there 
Quoted from Pinkitten:I finished adding my newly powder coated rails. Holy crap the originals were murder getting off. That thick, black 2-sided tape wasn’t letting go even with a sharp paint scraper and a rubber mallet. But I finally got them off. I’ve never removed rails before. Turned out great! Thanks, Steve at Pinball Refinery.
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Looks great! And, if you ever have to remove taped on rails again, a heat gun is your BEST friend!
Quoted from Pinkitten:Thanks for the tip! I actually did read about the heat gun trick, my only concern was the Radcals I already had installed. I was worried the heat could damage them. But I’m guessing heat applied only to the rail from above might be ok. Anything would be better than my nightmare with these. Here are my old rails, they are available.
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Haaaa!! Awesome! How much, I need a spare set!! Also another tip I do. Some may not like it but...
When I put the new rails on, I don't use any double sided tape. The rails are already secured front and back from the factory. Then I just tap 1 extra screw in the center to help out. That way if the rails ever need to come back off, it's simple and no damage is done.
Quoted from onemilemore:Played FT last weekend at the Pinball Hall of Fame (standard flippers, but still) and I'm hooked (pun intended). I'm crushing it on Pinball FX3 now and have a wanted ad in the marketplace. Such a fun pin - I think I really like the tension of the hurry-ups, and the overall vibe is just perfectly silly. How's it fare in a smaller collection? I'm realizing now I really love the feel and personality of the 90s pins, even if they aren't as deep, so I'm not too worried. But I'm interested in feedback. Hoping to join the club sometime soon!
I love games like FT! It fits perfectly into the category of "Easy to understand, hard to master". Mine is bolted to the floor. It's also a favorite for non pinhead guests. If you do get one, you gotta go original and use lighting flippers though. It's adds to the speed! 
Never dull is pretty cool stuff. I use it to hand polish tarnished posts, rails, bolts heads, etc...
Quoted from JLay:Had a trace blow out on my audio board. Pin 7 on J501, one of the 18vac lines. Was getting a very loud hum from the sub after not playing for a while. Was probing the sub connectors and at some point the humming stopped. I’m assuming that’s when the trace blew up. Or maybe the trace was already damaged and that’s what was causing the humming. Any insight? I have the board pulled out, will try to repair the trace and boot it up again.
I checked the 18v AC at the harness connector and was getting 12v pin1+2, 21v pin4+5 and 6.5v pin6+7… 5v dc we’re all correct too. Game plays normal otherwise, no issues I can see.
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The backside of that audio board is in pretty rough shape man. I'd seriously consider professional help or replacement on that one.
Quoted from mcalon:Hello casters.
I've joined! My cabinet is faded and missing the Topper, but I got it to play real nice and lost the credit dot.
I read the whole thread and didn't find a printable version, or any other version, for the cabinet decals.
Anyone knows how to find it and could direct me please? or is my only option is to purchase something online?
I could print it locally and save myself the hassle..[quoted image]
RadCal that bad boy
Quoted from Neal_W:Was playing Fish Tales in a tourney yesterday and I was surprised to see a good player do poorly in the video mode and get ~15million. I mentioned if they had hit 20 of 20, it would have been ~42million. They mentioned that they had owned several Fish Tales, and with color DMD it displays things a bit faster and that was the reason their timing was off on this tournament pin with a plasma display. Was not aware of that aspect of color DMD.
That, or more likely he was embarrassed by his poor performance.....lol
I put a Pinwoofer speaker kit in my FT. I don't regret the purchase 1 bit. It's worth every penny. Really makes the game come alive! I highly recommend it if you have speakers that need replacing.
Quoted from screaminr:It's my first pin and such fond memories of playing it at the pub , in between the strippers
Yup, if I ever visit Melbourne, we gotta hang out. Strippers, beer, and pinball!!
My understanding is CPR no longer silkscreens any playfields. It's all digital. In addition, there is no more silver, gold, etc... It's just a playfield. I could be mistaken, but that's my understanding. And I agree with others, that lettering is unacceptable for around $1000.
I'll also add this. I've done swaps with both CPR and Mirco. The Mirco is a superior product. Finish was like glass, and dimples on the back were almost dead on. The CPR clear had some small imperfections in it and a slight wavy texture in some areas, and the dimples were way out of line.
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:Hey all, on your Fish Tales can you often live catch from plunge/orbit? I try over and over and the ball just bounces. I wonder if I need to adjust the ball guide to get the ball to feed to later in the flipper.
Any thoughts?
Never tried to live catch it from the plunge, but I can knock it straight into the casters club from the plunge about 20% of the time.
Quoted from rwredmon:For the eject at the back right...is there supposed to be a rubber pad of some sort on the metal ball stop? Mine doesn't have anything, and solid left loop shots are constantly bouncing out of the eject hole rather than staying put. Pic or info appreciated!
Thanks,
Randy
Mine just has the metal deflector and works every time.
16573333849186103331012091814312 (resized).jpgQuoted from Paseb:honestly, i suck at fishtales lol
my top is like 50 000 00
the game is just brutal and the ball goes so often in inlane... i dont know if im doing something wrong
The game is definitely a speed demon. You just have to really make your shots accurate so the game doesn't punish you. And be ready to rapidly nudge the machine to keep balls out of the outlanes.
Quoted from Pinkitten:Amazing score! You cracked the top 10!!! That’s bonkers on a 30-year old pin. My best is 528m, and that included a 200m super jackpot shot. I love me some Tales. I’m a Titan guy tho. Maybe that’s my prob? Nah, I’m just not very good!
I'm a Titan guy also. I am however discovering the merits of Superbands on the flippers. It seems to improve my ball control. I first used them on Guns n Roses because that game was shredding my Titans pretty quickly. I beat my GC on that game as well. I'm currently #1 on Pinside scores with that title. The superbands just suit me well on flippers. Titans everywhere else.
Quoted from Lostcause:Once my game is back together I need to try and get a decent score, my best is just under 800mil and I have owned it for over 10 years.
My excuse is the warped playfield that causes sdtm although I recently levelled it so it wasn’t so bad.
2 bill is an amazing score!
Going to try and move over all the wiring etc in one lump as nothing needs doing as all clean and good, anyone done that on this game?
Is it even doable?
I have made 2 rotisseries so will be side by side.
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Moving everything with the mechs still soldered to the wiring is damn near impossible. I always cut the wires to the mechs, and add molex connectors. Once that is done, the harness and smaller switches can be moved without too much trouble. The mechs will have to be hand fit one by one on the new playfield anyway. I haven't done a Fish Tales swap, but I have done 3 others.
Quoted from Lostcause:Yes was wondering about the mechs and how they will get fitted, I’m in no hurry but if there is a shortcut that works I’m in lol
I will have a look and decide when they are side by side.
Thanks will take that advice on board as this is my first and want to enjoy it.
Here's a couple pics of my Elvira playfield underside as I'm installing the cleaned up mechs. You can see where I've added the plugs on all the wiring. Plus it makes it easy to remove a single assembly if needed later on.
20210914_231022 (resized).jpg20210915_233312 (resized).jpgQuoted from Blenderhead:Does anyone here know of a source for inlane decals that cover the spot where the ball drops from the ramps?
Get a couple sets of these. They install from the top, and look amazing.
PassionForPinball.com
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Screenshot_20220713-192938_Brave (resized).jpgQuoted from TheOnlyest:Hey gang, please let me know if you can help a brother out!
Not cheap, but freshly chromed.
Screenshot_20220714-161029_Brave (resized).jpgQuoted from TheOnlyest:Thanks, I have one ramp with broken welds, trying to avoid blowing a grand on a full set.
I hear ya, but... it's $380, not a grand. And it's an entire wireform set freshly chromed. With as many FT as were produced, youll probably find a replacement. If not, maybe contact a weld shop locally? That's what I'd do. Have them spot weld the wireform in question. Shouldn't be an issue for a welder who knows his/her business.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:Was looking to get a Fish Tales and while it appears to be in decent shape, it is missing a couple things.
Namely the clear plastic dome cover for the topper. I see them for sale now, which is good, just wondered what else is needed with it?
The dome itself. Attachment screws (do these screw into the base of the fish board or into the top of the cabinet?). And the sea shells decals. I also see mention of a reflectors set. Two of them, vinyl, one big and one small. What are these? There’s no photo with the part on Marco’s website.
I also noticed it does not have a kickstand bar underneath to prop the playfield up on. I see photos of other games here in this thread and don’t see one in most pics. Was it not included because they went with the pivoting hinge brackets instead?
Most all newer games (dmd era and newer) don't use a kickstand. They have playfield "rails" that you can pull forward and rest on front of cabinet. Or swing playfield all the way up and rest on backbox. Newest game I have that still has a kickstand is Elvira from 89' (I think).
Just got back from a friend's house playing his Fish Tales. Did anyone know that Fish Tales score rolls over to zero at 10 billion? I didn't until I just freaking did it!!! To be 100% transparent, he has standard flippers, 5 balls per game, and outlane posts all the way down. My fish tales has lightning flippers, 3 balls, posts at medium. I completely WRECKED his high score!!!!! Ended up with 12 Billion and change. The shitty thing is the game awarded me high score #2 since it couldn't recognize the rollover. 
Quoted from yzfguy:I wouldn't recognize the rollover either with those flippers 5 balls and settings! Just needs rubber bands over the outlanes
We always give him a hard time over those issues, lol. He's an old school guy that worked in a bowling alley for many many years. He always says, "when I was a kid, you got 5 balls per game". We still give him shit. Anyway, it's still a very difficult score to achieve, and the old high score was around 2.5 billion. It was about an hour long game. Maybe now, he'll clear out the scores, change the settings, and start anew. That'll learn him... 
Quoted from Roamin:There are more than one position for outlane posts?
Yes, they can slide up to make it harder, or down for easier.
Quoted from daveyvandy:Okay, I had to do a little bit of disassembling to put in a cliffy protector and I ended up taking this switch and the little lure bracket off of the habitrail. Did I put it back on correctly? I saw multiple pictures online that had different orientations of the lure thing up top.
I stacked the lure on top of the switch, which just feels weird.
What do you guys think?[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Mine looks like this, not 100% sure which is correct
16612194377928195591969661171829 (resized).jpg16612194607243904090474797055899 (resized).jpgI do like those cliffy lane protectors, but I've found on many games, they don't actually cover the portion where the ball drops. A version where one end of the protector wasn't "open" would be nice.
Quoted from mtopol01:Would anyone be able to help me find a Fish Tales color display? Thanks!
https://shop.colordmd.com/led-replacement-display-for-fish-tales-pinball-machine/
There ya go
Quoted from Neal_W:Those lamps are all in the same column in the lamp matrix so they have the "yellow with black dots" wire in common which goes to a few other lamps as well. Somewhere that wire is loose before it gets to those 3 lamps. Also, if they share a lamp board, make sure the connector for the board has no cold solder joints where it attaches to the board.
This
Quoted from data_eastside:Question- when you hit the drop target for Caster's Club is there supposed to be a callout? I checked the switch for the drop target and it's working fine but I just got the game and I'm surprised there's no callout when you hit the target. How are you supposed to know you hit it when you can't see it?
Also- when set to easy drop target difficulty, is it supposed to pop up during at the start of multiball so you need to hit it once to open the lock and light the jackpot? MB on this game is already pretty hard I was hoping there was a way to disable the extra shot required to open the lock to light the jackpot
I could be wrong, anyone feel free to correct me. But, on default settings, the drop target will be down at the start of a fresh game. Next, start multiball. Once multiball ends (if and only if you collected at least one jackpot), the drop target will pop up. Then, when you hit it, the game says something like " join the fishing tournament" or "the tournament is open". I forget exactly. But it stays down until you start another multiball and collect another jackpot. That's on default settings. Could be totally different on easy or hard.
Quoted from screaminr:I went to have a game and the casters lock wouldn't spin .
I turned it manually and it started to spin again but then it wouldn't recognise when a ball is locked .
I had a look and the switch at the entrance was missing its arm , I looked everywhere but couldn't find it .
I've got a mate coming over tomorrow who loves fish tales , so I thought id try to see if I could get it to work .
I got some wire and after some fiddling , got it to work great , not the prettiest but it will get the job done .
Question - if I find the arm , is that something you can reattach or just get a new switch , which looks like a pain in the ass to change .
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You can definitely reattach the arm. They just snap on. Assuming the little plastic nub isn't broke off of the switch. It's actually an easy switch to remove. If you find the arm, I bet you can fix it in about 15 minutes.
Quoted from screaminr:it sucks when the machine eats bits
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Sure does. It will probably fall out from somewhere in a year or so when you raise the playfield for an unrelated problem 
Quoted from JohnSteed:Funny little story: I had some friends over to play pinball and drink beer. They never knew I had a massive collection of pinball machines and they were fascinated. One of them asked me if I would sell him one of the machines. He offered me $300 for the Fish Tales pin because he likes fishing! I politely told him no and let him know I put in over $300 in replacement boards and parts a few months ago.
I would have politely told him to add another "0" to that number, then double the amount and that might buy it. 
Quoted from CoolCatPinball:Just got back from a friend's house playing his Fish Tales. Did anyone know that Fish Tales score rolls over to zero at 10 billion? I didn't until I just freaking did it!!! To be 100% transparent, he has standard flippers, 5 balls per game, and outlane posts all the way down. My fish tales has lightning flippers, 3 balls, posts at medium. I completely WRECKED his high score!!!!! Ended up with 12 Billion and change. The shitty thing is the game awarded me high score #2 since it couldn't recognize the rollover.
Not too long ago I posted about how I played a friend's machine which has standard flippers and I managed to "roll" the score over. I didn't even know that was possible. Point being, to each their own, but standard flippers just make it a bit too easy. Kind of like throwing a stick of dynamite in the pond if you will. 
Quoted from screaminr:And why are there so many cats in this thread ....
Cats love fish!! Meow!
20180517_164628.gifQuoted from cyberfez:Has anyone put a secret switch into their topper to turn off the coil? or is there a sneaky way to do this that does not involve butchery?
Cheers
If memory serves me, it simply unplugs. Either in the backbox or in the dome.
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:Having a very intermittent reel issue. I’ve played many games on it, but every once in a while it loses track of the reel position, and the ball gets stuck in the wireform as the wheel isn’t aligned. Then it spins and spins and spins for 5 minutes till it finds the ball. And when the ball is in the reel, sometimes it keeps spinning past the hole over and over.
The belt (Marco) was replaced 11 months ago. Any idea? Reel works fine in test mode, and the switches register just fine. Not sure what is causing it to go out of alignment like that
Optic issues perhaps? There is a pair of optics that reads "tabs" on the reel as it spins. This is how it know where the reel is positioned. Stands to reason that flaky optos could cause the issue you're describing.
Quoted from zerbam:can anyone post a picture of where all of the t-nuts are and the size of each please
I just went to the hardware store and bought a 100 count box of #6, #8, and #10 thread. They're not terribly expensive, and you'll be set for a while.
Quoted from Aflacjack:Joined the club
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Fish Tales is going to be a nice change of pace from the other pins I see lined up there. Super fast (with lightning flippers), and a rule set you can learn pretty easily. But putting up a whale of a score is tough!! Enjoy!!
Quoted from tomdotcom:My first ColorDMD (LED version), price/shipping/customs charge was ridic, but it does looks nice.
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It's the mutts nuts for Fish Tales. Wait for the fish on the drumset! Congrats, and enjoy!!
Quoted from DiabloRush:Unfortunatley, it doesn't have the stickers for the damaged inserts that will complete my restoration (specifically, the Feed Frenzy, Long Cast, and Green Fish target inserts).
Planetary pinball lists a "decal set" for $58. Unfortunately there's no pics or description of which decals are included. Might be worth a phone call or email.
Screenshot_20230719_082830_Brave (resized).jpgQuoted from BadgeringBadger:Just joined the club a few weeks ago, and I noticed a few things with my game that I can't seem to find the answer to. I haven't had to do any work on my machines yet, so I'm hoping these are common problems that someone knows how to fix.
1: Half my plunges go around the left orbit entrance and go straight down the middle. What do I need to adjust so it ends up on the flipper?
2: The topper's tail doesn't seem to move as much as I thought I've seen it move at other locations. Is there an adjustment I can make to make the tail move more?
1: should be able to slightly adjust the lane guide. I'm not in front of my machine to look, but that's usually adjustable.
2: it's possible someone modified the tail to make it quieter. I did it on mine. The result makes it move less, but it's much less noisy. You'll have to take the dome off and inspect.
Quoted from BadgeringBadger:Ah, I didn't know it was called the lane guide, maybe that'll make my searches more helpful
If they made it quiet, I'd hate to see what normal is. Right now it sounds like I'm getting a replay every time the tail flaps. But I'll look to see how that's done, that should teach me more about how the tail works.
The tail is moved by a basic every day pinball coil and plunger firing against a striker plate if memory serves me. It's pretty simple to figure out and/or work on.
Quoted from BadgeringBadger:I seem to have fixed it so far. I disassembled enough of the left side to get to the bolt holding down the lane guide, and while there wasn't really much room to move it, the amount I was able to move it was enough to fix the problem. I still get the occasional bounce off the rubber that sends it to the tip of the flipper, but nothing's gone down the middle in about 10 plays.
Is there an adjustment for the captive ball shot to make it easier to hit the ball and not the post? I unscrewed the screws holding the rubber posts to see if they could be moved, but the posts were pretty well stuck in their place. It seems like half of the shots that contact the ball don't give it enough power to hit the target on the other end. I think I'm one notch steeper on the bubble level than the manual recommends, maybe that's why it's more difficult than I remember on other FTs.
Otherwise, great game so far. I've moved it to its proper home this weekend, nearby a lake in the middle of nowhere in northern MN.
Put a thinner post rubber on, thus exposing more of the ball for contact. Those posts do take a beating though. I'd recommend superbands post sleeves there. They're tough as nails.
Quoted from Scroat:Can anyone help me out here?
I'll look at mine this evening when I'm home if no one else chimes in first
Quoted from Scroat:Can anyone help me out here?
My dmd displays L1, and the chip says L1
Quoted from nighttaco:so the spinner that registers the stretch the truth meter stopped working, I've never replaced/worked on a spinner. Any ideas where to start? thanks!
If the single switch stopped working, and there are no other issues, it's almost certainly a bad cherry switch, switch needing adjustment, or a wire came loose from the switch. Should be an easy fix
Quoted from chad:Thanks. Another thing that popped up is the reel test in solenoid test doesn't work, but it works in the other test area when both flipper buttons are pushed in.
Which way is the reel spinning? Is it spinning as if it would roll up the playfield, or down the playfield? It should spin as if it would roll UP the playfield. If the motor is wired backwards, the reel will spin in the wrong direction causing sporadic behavior. Ask me how I know
Quoted from chad:Been a bit since getting to the game.
The plastic reel is solid not broken or cracked. The belt is new and grips well.
Motor is now working very good in Reel test, although at times it drops off and errors accrue.
Solenoid test itself works good.
Optos work fine in switch test.
Motor filter board J1 has solid 12vdc.
Ramp Opto Board pins 1 and 2 have 14 vdc and it drops a little over a volt when optos are closed/open.
What I'm seeing is the 1st ball locked, then reel won't advance and the second ball lands against it.
So, which way does the reel spin? It should spin as if it would roll UP the playfield. Is that how yours operates?
Quoted from chad:Yes, spins forward .
Then it almost has to be a slipping belt or pulley, or a flaky optic.
Lightning flippers are 1/8" shorter than a standard flipper. That makes the center drain gap a total of 1/4" wider. Lightning flippers also make the game faster, and shots snappier. I don't know what the game was originally designed for and have read several arguments for both cases. But, what is certain is that the game was built and shipped with Lightning flippers. So for me, the Lightning flippers are the only way to go. Personally, I think the game plays too easy with standard flippers.
Quoted from gjm7777:I do have titans on there now, I can try some rubber - too bad they don't seem to come in green.
Try some Super Bands. I love em. Less bouncy than Titan and natural rubber. They also come in a nice translucent green.
Quoted from parsonsaj:Interesting that you mention that... when I got the game it had a 1" white rubber ring there, which definitely seemed too large (though ironically I did NOT have this problem with that larger rubber). I ended up putting a 1/2" one when I replaced everything with Titan translucent rubbers. However, now that I check the manual, it shows a 7/16" rubber at that location. Perhaps that small difference would be enough to get the rubber back behind the ball guide... thanks for the suggestion!
I'm not in front of my game right now, but I think I have two individual 7/16" rubbers on the two star posts, so that makes sense.
Quoted from parsonsaj:Thanks for being willing to check! I did manage to find a single 7/16" rubber in my box (not the right color) and with herculean effort got it to stretch between the 2 posts. I was stubborn about doing this because the manual specifically says only a single 7/16" rubber at that location, even though they fit perfectly on the posts... maybe that was a misprint.
I did verify that having the smaller rubber there 100% solves my hop problem, but I bet the lifespan of that rubber as it is right now will not be long because it is stretched REALLY tight!
Sorry for the delay. I completely forgot. So, here's a pic of mine. Looks like there's a slim post in the upper position instead of a star post. I'm not sure if that's original or not, since I'm last in a long line of owners. But, my machine feeds the left flipper every single time on launch.
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Knoxville, TN