(Topic ID: 65903)

Flash Gordon: Saviors of the Universe Club

By TheShameGovernor

10 years ago


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  • 269 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 days ago by Quench
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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider zahner.
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#574 5 years ago

I would love to see another run. Maybe just a small hand grenade. I wonder if they would be interested if enough of us sent in requests?
BTW, I also asked the person selling the playfield what he wanted for it. Just to be fair, it included shipping and - I think - a set of plastics. Ultimately a bit too rich for my blood, so I too politely declined. He did immediately reply to me.

4 months later
#630 5 years ago

Nice. Looking forward to printing up a set.

2 weeks later
#640 5 years ago

Like them a lot, really nice, but are they for show only, or can we order/buy/get them from you?

Thanks

#643 5 years ago
Quoted from Mikonos:

Hi zahner!
Let me order to print the Free Play card and show result, and I will order copies for you, if you like results.
Best regards

Great. Thanks. I tough you did great work on both FG cards.

4 months later
#685 5 years ago
Quoted from epeabs:

Making some headway. Playfield is installed in the cabinet with new CPR plastics and Reese Rails and 2pac cleared shooter lane. Initially fired it up with the new NVRAM.WEEBLY mpu. My GI is currently not working, 90% of my inserts are, and backbox lights probably 40%. I did install all LEDs, but have not installed Comet's "Bally/Stern LED adapters" which may be a possible problem. It seems to want to credit a game, but doesn't kick ball to shooter lane, and flippers don't work. I haven't had time to delve into troubleshooting it yet. A CPR repro backglass "non mirrored" is on order. I will have to re-stencil and paint the cabinet come spring when it is warmer because it looks horrible compared to the playfield.
[quoted image]

That looks great. I did a standard cabinet repaint on mine, and it made a world of difference.
Want to see a ridiculously amazing cabinet paint job someone did, go to
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-flash-gordon-restoration-and-customization/page/4?gallery#g

1 month later
#855 4 years ago
Quoted from Spraynard:

I think I’ll try putting in a stronger compression spring and see if that helps
The ball holders within the saucer are a bit worn, nothing too dramatic though. [quoted image]

Okay - nobody will like my solution, but I had the same frustrating issue [it was just the opposite direction - a mighty fling into the pop bumper] and the spring thing didn't work, the tab thing didn't work, none of the quick fixes worked - except one. I was going to put in a weaker coil, but as a stop-gap until I got around to that, I rummaged around and found a coil stop that had a much deeper reach than the stock one on the mechanism. I could not tell you what machine the replacement stop was from, it was just in a bag of old nasty goodies, but it worked, and it worked three years ago when I was rebuilding my then newly purchased FG, and I have long since abandoned the thought of messing with replacing the coil. It has for three years been very nicely popping out exactly as it should. it was a very mechanical,low tech way to restrict the throw of the plunger that has had no side effects as far as I know.

#859 4 years ago
Quoted from BJM-Maxx:

Any idea how much deeper that coil stop was? That is an ideal method if you have such a thing. I was contemplating stuffing something down the core of the sleeve to sit against my stop.

It was about twice as deep as the original. I actually tested my theory before I went on a scrounge for the part and put a headless, slotted bolt in the sleeve to see if my logic worked. I had that bolt in there for longer than I should probably admit, but it worked fine. Had I not found my deeper coil stop, I probably would have just left it there. It's not like the mechanism is a finely adjusted bit of technology, it's pretty much just hammers and anvils with a bit of remote electricity. But that's just me...

2 months later
#909 4 years ago
Quoted from MrSanRamon:

I've been playing my newly acquired FG for awhile and have a few questions, I'd appreciate it if someone could enlighten me.
Sound Option (setting 18): do you use 00, 01, 02 or 03...chimes, chimes & background, noise w/o background or noise w/ background?
The voice callouts "Flash", "Emperor Ming Awaits" sound somewhat garbled/scratchy, is that common or normal?
When either of the 15 second clock timer lights are lit, does that mean that scoring is just multiplied, or are you supposed to hit something? Is there a difference between the two 15 second timers?
Thanks.
Robert

If the sound is not clear, check with Big Daddy or another vendor for a soundboard rebuild kit. Caps and the like get old and I suspect that is what is causing your issue. Also, make sure all plugs and connections are clean and solders solid - but I bet it's a dried up cap or some other component on the soundboard.

#919 4 years ago
Quoted from MrSanRamon:

What do people have the slope of their game set too? I have mine at 5.5 deg, and thinking of going to 6.
The manual doesn't say, so any comments?
Robert

I keep mine at 6.5, and it seems perfect to me. 5.5 sounds pokey to me.

1 month later
#932 4 years ago
Quoted from wolffcub:

Got my Flash on the weekend. Has a few gremlins i need to address but its a nice future restore project.[quoted image]

Nice. Looks like it will clean up quite nicely - really good find!

#939 4 years ago
Quoted from wolffcub:

Is there a better replacement board to get of the few that are offered ?

I had luck with: http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/

The board I bought is midway down the page. Been great.

#940 4 years ago
Quoted from zahner:

I had luck with: http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/
The board I bought is midway down the page. Been great.

Actually, you have to click on the "new boards" link to the left, then go midway down that page. The site is sort of old school awkward, but I've always had luck with the vendor. Call to make sure it's in stock.

BTW: Love the remote bridge rectifier.

1 week later
#957 4 years ago
Quoted from kuchiyaji:

I can't find this game anywhere at all...isn't there anybody selling one?

Hard to find. Most keep once they own. There are two in the market section, but one is $4k, the other more. But the $4k one has a new PF and plastics and so you will never find a nicer example.
Regardless, one will eventually pop up. I found mine with blind luck

2 weeks later
#979 4 years ago
Quoted from UNCgump:

My single drop target in front of the bonus collect lane won't reset once it drops. Can I assume that's a solenoid issue?

So, it never goes up? Not at game start? Did you check the leaf switches and solder joints, linkage. You can test the solenoid by entering the diagnostic/test functions. You cycle through the test modes using the the little button on the inside top of the coin door.

#981 4 years ago
Quoted from UNCgump:

Yeah, never. It stays until the plunge if I set it up manually but never returns as it should. The leafs switch and solder joints all look normal. Thanks for the info. Will check it out.

Sounds like the solenoid is not firing ( which should be apparent when in test mode and cycling through tall the solenoids). It’s easy to replace ... and if that’s it, simple repair.

My MPU decided to go spuds up today after years of reliable performance. Guess my machine had sympathy pains....

2 weeks later
#988 4 years ago

I have a question regarding an issue with my FG's Pinpoint Bally Flash Gordon AS-2518-62 Strobe Board. I have had issues with it with various MPU boards since I installed the strobe a couple of years ago. Initially, I had it set up with the original MPU, and it worked, but did some weird stuff. The game sometimes wouldn't immediately boot, and the voicing and some sound effects from the sound board would not always work properly [half finished phrasing, starting in the middle of phrasing, sounds dropping off or starting in odd spots]. I replaced that MPU with an older Alltek MPU, and it was dodgy too, but other than the sound being kind of wacked out, it seemed to work. With both MPUs, if the strobe was unplugged, the game functioned perfectly.
Well, the Alltek MPU went spuds up and the good folks at Alltek did me a solid and replaced the board with a brand new one for a very reasonable fee. When I installed it - it would not boot at all. The LED on the board just kept flashing over and over, but no boot/start. Double checked voltage, and it was all good [all boards except the sound board are Alltek]. I unplugged the Pinpoint Strobe Board, and everything worked flawlessly. I kind of went over this before with the Alltek people and the Pinpoint folks, but they could not figure it out. Given the fact that the strobe messed with both the Bally and Alltek MPUs, it seems the issue is with the strobe or the machine [switch or something?]

Thoughts?

#996 4 years ago
Quoted from BJM-Maxx:

A couple of of power supply things you could try is to make sure there are no funny shorts between the strobe's dedicated little transformer and the main rectifier board. They should be isolated from each other. You could also physically lift it off the big metal plate and see if something changes.
With that new Altek, you can boot with the strobe unplugged? What happens if you plug it back in after you boot?
When you disconnect the strobe, where are you doing it? Are you unplugging the transformer at the rectifier board or up at the strobe board? You could try pulling the trigger wire (I cannot recall if it is triggered from the solenoid board or from the lighting board). But interrupting that one trigger wire would leave it powered but not firing. If that fixes something then it would seem to be the strobe board firing an unwanted signal back into the MPU.

Thanks to all. A lot of good suggestions.
I am indeed unplugging the strobe at the strobe board. I’ll look at the suggested junctures and report back. Glad to hear I’m not the only one chasing this down.
Thanks again for the posts folks.

1 month later
#1057 4 years ago
Quoted from zacaj:

Definitely doesn't sound like that. Hence I'm looking for a video to compare

LOL - “empor-roo the great?“ sounds like you got the Scooby Doo version. I shot a 5 second video of what you want, but I cannot get it to post here or to a pm to you. PM me your email or let me know how to post.

1 month later
#1068 4 years ago
Quoted from bluebomber:

I just picked up a Flash Gordon two days ago, and I'm looking to order new rubbers. What's everyones opinion on flipper color? It looks like they came from the factory with yellow rubbers on the flippers, but I'm seeing a lot of kits with red rubbers instead. I hear the yellow ones can feel pretty soft and bouncy.

I did mine with Titan’s yellow silicone rings and it plays great - looks great too IMHO.

A19FB93B-ECC1-4794-8548-662619CA9866 (resized).jpegA19FB93B-ECC1-4794-8548-662619CA9866 (resized).jpeg26607C4C-32AD-4FE2-9F0B-6CC3CEB5DC9A (resized).jpeg26607C4C-32AD-4FE2-9F0B-6CC3CEB5DC9A (resized).jpegA71EE5A1-25A4-4BE7-9DB5-0B7A14170B84 (resized).jpegA71EE5A1-25A4-4BE7-9DB5-0B7A14170B84 (resized).jpeg
#1075 4 years ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

Been a busy time since Thanksgiving.....

Looks great. Is that a hardtop or ?

#1079 4 years ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

Correct....hardtop!

That’s pretty cool and doesn’t look completely impossible. I’ve always been on the fence. Mine is original with Mylar on about 90% of the PF. But I definitely have issues between the pops and saucer and the typical path worn in the top of the upper. Hmmmmm.
Do you have to tear off everything under the PF?

#1084 4 years ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

No, you can do it with just clearing off everything off the top of the playfield and removing all the mechanicals to avoid dust/debris. I went all out clearing above and below as with the insert replacement the existing sockets were in the way, and since they were original Bally I went all in and will be replacing those as well. At that point the only thing left was the wiring harness, and everytime I touched it my fingers were black. Off to the dishwasher it went......

That’s encouraging. Now I just have to find a hardtop and the nerve to do it.
Yours is looking great.

#1088 4 years ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

Check with skypilot, he may be able to source a FG hardtop for you....

Thanks for the tip.

#1090 4 years ago
Quoted from slghokie:

Just joined the club. Got some work to do. But Emperor Ming awaits![quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Looks like the important stuff is in decent shape!

#1105 4 years ago
Quoted from Enochsmoken:

I did replace all the worn parts with new ones. What advice do you have someone who took them apart before doing all the things you mentioned?

You’ll like playing the game a lot more if you do a complete flipper rebuild and the reliability will also increase dramatically. Flash Gordon is an awesome pinball and all the better with solid flippers. I now always replace the baseplates and just start from scratch with all new parts on all of the older SS games. Play it the way you have it now. Order all the parts and spend an evening rebuilding. Ultimately not even that hard and in some ways, easier if you’re rebuilding from the ground up.

#1107 4 years ago
Quoted from Enochsmoken:

I agree with you. My problem is I don't have the old switches, and I can't remember how to stack the new ones.

You can download a Bally parts manual on planetary pinball which will have breakdowns of all the parts with diagrams and part numbers. If you can’t find it let me know and I’ll post the link when I get home.

#1109 4 years ago
Quoted from Enochsmoken:

Thanks. I went to PP, but I can't look at the part manuals. Is there something I am missing?

It's not intuitive - try the link below. It's a PDF and is awkward.

Only click on the MOBILE VERSION.

It's meant to be printed and folded in half into a booklet. When just viewing the PDF, the pages seem all out of wack. That aside, it is pretty easy to find the flipper mechanism diagrams.

Go to page 72 for the diagram. It also has the original part numbers.

Go to: http://www.planetarypinball.com/reference/partsmanuals/BLY_Parts_1980-1/index.html#/36/zoomed

Have fun!

#1112 4 years ago
Quoted from chad:

Anyone have a spare metal bracket for Flash Gordon strobe assembly? Not sure if it was ever reproduced. Thanks!

Speaking of the strobe.... I have the new [now about one or two years old] aftermarket version and I have replaced all of my other boards, except sound, with Alltek. When I plug in the strobe, it strobes fine and dandy while the game works, but eventually, things start to go a bit nuts and the game gets all funky. Stuff like the sound not finishing or starting phrases, the game resetting, locking up or not starting a new game. Completely random stuff. It seems very counterintutuve that plugging in the strobe would do this, but I have just given up and unplugged the strobe - and when I do this, the game works perfectly without it. The folks at Alter and the fellow that made the aftermarket strobe [can't remember the company name] are at a loss. Any ideas?

#1116 4 years ago
Quoted from Fytr:

Does the issue happen at exactly the same event/time, or sort of randomly?
Maybe a grounding issue? Are the strobe board and the strobe assembly robustly grounded to the game's ground braid, as well as the rest of the boards?

I will check to make sure it travels completely to a solid ground. Thanks. Had not thought to confirm that. It is sort of random.

2 months later
#1156 3 years ago
Quoted from Boise_D:

Can you point me to the correct baseplate for the upper right flipper?

The original part number is ASE-1587-112. That can be cross referenced at either Pinball Resource or Marco.

Helpful item if you own an FG or some of the other Bally games from then. Go to:

http://www.planetarypinball.com/reference/partsmanuals/BLY_Parts_1980-1/files/mobile/index.html#1

That's a parts catalog. Super helpful, although you are best to print it. the way it is copied can be a challenge if you are just reading a PDF - pay attention to the page numbers...

Best of luck and have fun.

2 months later
#1223 3 years ago
Quoted from Sciddleybop1980:

Anyone know if and when playfield hard tops will be available or if they are where from. My google searches haven’t turned anything up.
Or even better, a CPR playfield.
Thanks guys

A couple of weeks ago someone was selling an FG hardtop on pinside. See post 1166 in this thread

1 month later
#1278 3 years ago
Quoted from Sciddleybop1980:

Just thought I’d post a little pic and say, I’m absolutely loving this game.
Just fully rebuilt all three flippers and it’s playing superbly. Can’t believe how much it cost (over a £100) but worth it for the way it’s playing now.
And how gorgeous is this game!! It must have blown minds back in 1980. Stunning game. [quoted image]

Your game looks sweet. Totally agree. Had one years ago, kept it for a few years, sold it to a Pixar animator with a big lizard, immediately regretted it.
Four years ago bought a cheap fixer-upper with a nice playfield and mint backglass and this one is staying put. Repainted the cabinet, titan rubber, rebuilt flippers, drop targets, and pop bumpers, splurged for all new boards, new apron signed by Sam Jones, new door skin, some LEDs and legs - in other words: over the top, but worth it.
Love the game play. Love the looks. Great from head to toe.

4 weeks later
#1351 3 years ago
Quoted from mjalexan:

Not sure where I saw it here but I repurposed the old plastics for coin windows:[quoted image]

That’s pretty cool. Very nice. I went with a set done by a guy I found on Pinside (can’t recall who), and I put multi-color flashers behind, which makes it hard to photograph. But these are mine. They are brighter and more colorful in person.

DFDAB81C-D8D6-45AC-A9BF-7F5E832AA928 (resized).jpegDFDAB81C-D8D6-45AC-A9BF-7F5E832AA928 (resized).jpeg
#1354 3 years ago

Any chance that they will offer up the upper PF as a separate purchase, or is that not feasible?

#1369 3 years ago
Quoted from FatPanda:

Got my PF today!
[quoted image][quoted image]

So awesome.

2 months later
#1466 3 years ago

Looking for help with my after market strobe module. It is the Pinpoint Bally Flash Gordon AS-2518-62 Strobe Board. I've had it a number of years, and it has always caused issues so severe I have left it unplugged. I have Alteck boards throughout the pin, the only original being the sound board. The game either immediately goes into an alarm mode [lots of alert beeping, sounding like a European emergency vehicle, and no bootup] or it sort of starts, but then quickly goes into the the alarm mode and stops working. I tried to trouble shoot with the folks at Altek and Pinpoint, but that didn't yield any positive results. But since then, I did discover something.

So, I was chatting with some pinheads and we get on the subject of the FG strobe and someone suggested I check some connectors to the Squawk and Talk board. I recalled I had two boards for sound, and they said I was old and failing to recall correctly.
So, I check it out and I do have two boards and looking into it discovered that I have a very low production number [apparently #34, AKA: old] and that the first 100 FGs or so produced used the leftover boards from Xenon. I also discovered that the schematic is different for games with the old soundboard set. When you look at the plug diagram on the two schematics, it's different. I'm beginning to think I've stumbled onto something - However, the plug in my game is consistent with the schematic for the Squawk and Talk rather than the schematic for the two board sound set.
So, I'm completely confused.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I've attached chunks of the two schematics. The one with the A13 Strobe Module with the key in position 5 is for the Squawk and Talk, and is how my plug is wired and keyed. [the aftermarket strobe is also set for a key in position 5]. The schematic with the key in position 6 is for the two board set. I have the manual with the Squawk and Talk and that manual also has a schematic for the strobe module. I was working from a download from the Pinball database for FG that was the one supplied with the two board set like I have. Other than the difference I have included in the photos, the only other thing I could see is that there is no diagram/schematic for the strobe module.

I'm suspecting that the strobe may not work with my set up, but thought I'd ask folks who get the engineering aspect of this stuff, because this can be daunting for me. Thanks

FG 1 (resized).jpgFG 1 (resized).jpgFG 2 (resized).jpgFG 2 (resized).jpg
#1474 3 years ago
Quoted from Quench:

The early schematic calls it a "flash module" not "strobe module". Without the 115VAC connections, the "4 strobe lights" and 43 volt connections I suspect it originally had a circuit that just flashed four 12V incandescent lights connected in series and switched across the 43 volt circuit - somewhat like the four 12V flashing lights in Fireball II doodle bug area.
Do you have the extra 115VAC transformer in the lower cabinet that's wired to the strobe connector?
Has the strobe ever flashed on the Pinpoint strobe board?

Yes, it has the 115VAC transformer and it does fire the strobe. So, it appears to be wired for the strobe module and I suspect that my “discovery” ultimately brings me no closer to understanding why plugging in the strobe causes so much chaos.

#1480 3 years ago
Quoted from Quench:

I presume the Pinpoint strobe board is a replica of the original? Is there a schematic for it?
Any chance you can post some clear pictures of the board front and back and also the wires at the connector plus the 115VAC transformer?

Thanks so much for the interest. Attached are a couple of photos of the plug. I do not have and couldn’t find a schematic for the pinpoint. For yucks and grins, I included the schematic of the original strobe.

E3B64813-85A0-4BCB-8A89-EEA1D77CECCF (resized).jpegE3B64813-85A0-4BCB-8A89-EEA1D77CECCF (resized).jpegF2B67B31-611B-43DE-A11D-A3CD4E9EB93D (resized).jpegF2B67B31-611B-43DE-A11D-A3CD4E9EB93D (resized).jpeg779E22E1-4944-4DF0-ABD9-A41D90A209EB (resized).jpeg779E22E1-4944-4DF0-ABD9-A41D90A209EB (resized).jpeg
#1482 3 years ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

All I have, sorry.
[quoted image]

Thanks. I tried to contact the folks at Pinpoint, but couldn’t find an email. I appears they no longer offer the strobe module.

#1484 3 years ago
Quoted from Quench: zahner, do you have a factory Bally MPU board to try?

Pretty sure I do. I will dig it out and give it a shot. Wonder if it could be the aux lamp driver board? That is directly wired into the strobe ...
While I’m pretty good with all the mechanical stuff, the logic of computer boards can baffle me.

#1486 3 years ago
Quoted from Quench:

With Flash Gordon ROMs?
Otherwise try changing the solenoid driver board first for a Bally board if you have a spare.
The strobe board generates high voltages to ignite the xenon tube - this is being picked up in the game as noise and upsetting something in the Alltek setup.

I do have a board with the game ROMs. I should have the original solenoid board also. I’ll start with the old MPU.

#1488 3 years ago
Quoted from ss-pinball:

Do you think that they would make a special run of the strobe assembly and board if there were several of us willing to order them now?
Is there enough interest to ask?

If I can’t figure this out, I might be selling mine

1 week later
#1513 3 years ago
Quoted from 1979wade:

Hi Guys. I’ve just bought a Flash Gordon project and have it booting and playing but the strobe is so dim. Any ideas on how to fix this? Thanks!
[quoted image]

Looks good - I've seen way worse. Please don't get me going on the strobe again! Mine is cursed....

1 week later
#1522 3 years ago
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:

I’m in the club!
The ball eject switch is loose. Does anyone have a good pic of the ball eject switch that can be posted for reference?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image]

Wow. Really nice. I have a similar lower playfield re the Mylar, but someone ripped off the Mylar from a point between the pops up to the saucer, so I have more wear and raggedy edged Mylar there. Yours is really nice. The upper is great. Excellent purchase.

#1529 3 years ago
Quoted from n1teowl:

Just finished up a playfield swap (my first) and cabinet repaint. I think it came out nice!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

That’s really beautiful. Outstanding job! My playfield is about 90% factory mylared, so I can’t justify spending the bucks on a new one (damn). I did redo the cabinet, added a new apron, and rebuilt all the mechs and I am really pleased with all that. Plays great and is my go-to first game when I start a night of pinball.

1 week later
#1546 3 years ago
Quoted from isJ:

Just joined the club, point me in the right direction?
Should there be any noises besides the constant tick of scoring and the catch in the middle saucer?
I don't seem to light extra ball from completing the drops on the right, pick up a different ROM? Alltek board with settings? Grow up and realize extra balls and ball saves are for little kids?
Middle saucer shoots straight into glass every other time, should it shoot up to the upper playfield?

yes, saucer should shoot to upper playfield every other time.

3 weeks later
#1589 3 years ago
Quoted from ArgosySK:

I pick up a Flash Gordon last year. I have done the usual to get everything working. My kickout is pretty banged up.
One question is the Cliffy's™ kickout protector worth purchasing?
https://www.passionforpinball.com/flash_gordon.htm[quoted image]

I think so. It neatened up the game and, for me, covered an area of great wear. Cliffy builds these things to protect high wear areas, so for me this one is a must have. It’s also one of the easiest cliffy installations I have done.

1 month later
#1628 3 years ago
Quoted from Jkaping:I am in need of just the top left corner plastic. Does anyone have a spare I can buy?

You’ll have to google it, but I was on the hunt a few years back and found a shop in England (I think - definitely Europe) that was selling that plastic. Very common to be busted from lifting the PF. I ended up just buying a new set from CPR since I needed a couple of other plastics.

1 month later
#1666 2 years ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

Well, ok.....if someone were to offer me $24,999 for my Flash Gordon I'd probably sell it....
ebay.com link: itm

I followed that rebuild, and it is as magnificent as a Flash Gordon can get. He did an amazing job. Someone with a bunch of disposable income is going to end up with a really cool pinball.

1 week later
#1687 2 years ago
Quoted from arzoo:

This is my first CPR pf and overall I'm really impressed. Unfortunately there's a noticeable black streak on the upper pf. Hopefully they can supply a replacement.
[quoted image]

You ever hear back from them?

1 week later
#1721 2 years ago

I can't seem to locate a source for the upper right flipper for FG. The manual says the part number is ASE 2214-29, anyone have a different part number or know of a source?

#1723 2 years ago
Quoted from Captive_Ball:

I purchased a set of them from PBR years ago....helped that I needed the other side for Paragon
#C609-SETX Black is the part number for the set
http://www.pbresource.com/flippers.html

Perfect. Thanks. Couldn’t find the short ones. PBR it is.

1 month later
#1750 2 years ago
Quoted from NeilMcRae:

folks,
got the chance to buy this the playfield is a hard top and looks to be have been done well but they then hired Steve Wonder to do the metal bits - how hard to remove/replace the yellow?
[quoted image]

You should consider swapping with someone who might like the effect.

1 month later
#1783 2 years ago
Quoted from WorthWhilePanda:

Alright, I think it's finally time to say that I'm officially part of the Saviors of the Universe Club!
I picked up this pin about a month ago, it's the first pin I've ever owned and may I say it's incredible have a pin of any kind. I hadn't played Flash Gordon before purchasing and I didn't know much about the machine but I've fully fallen in love with how incredibly BRUTAL this machine can be.
It's so much fun working on these machines as well. This was the first time I've been inside of a pin. I ended up replacing about 35 bulbs, I added green to the Wood Beast lane and red for the Ming lights and needed to swap out the smaller flipper.
The last of the 'basic' questions I had was cleaning and waxing. I'm planning to get some blitz for the wax as suggested by Vid, and I did pick up some Novus 1 and 2, however now I'm reading that Novus 1 can cause issues with older playfields that are not sealed. This is (as far as I can tell) the original playfield that came with this game and it does have some wear all the way to the wood. I was reading (again suggested by Vid and some others) that using Naphtha could be the answer however I'm seeing that is lighter fuel and a paint thinner.
I don't want to ruin the game by either cleaning to much or to little, so I just wanted to ask with the playfield in this condition, what would you use for a basic cleaner?
"Emperor Ming Awaits!"
[quoted image]

It a great machine. I like the black backbox and it looks like the game is in pretty good shape. Welcome to the club.

3 weeks later
#1795 2 years ago
Quoted from FatPanda:

Congrats! I would definitely consider a Cliffy around the saucer. No need for mylar around the pops. keep it clean and waxed and you should be good to go!

Agree, especially since there was a bit of minimal touch up done. Why redo the nice work already done? Great find! Great game that I’ve owned twice. Not going to be a third since I plan on keeping this one.

1 month later
#1810 2 years ago
Quoted from radium:

Any suggestions for colored pop bumper bodies and skirts for this game? I’ll be using brand new original caps.
How about rubbers?
Any other suggestions for custom stuff that looks good?

Yellow rubber. Stick with the bright white pop bumper bases - nice and clean. I bought a reproduction apron that used gold rather than yellow striping and I used gold rather than yellow paint when I did the cabinet repaint. Not too gold. The only other thing was brass leg bolts and footers. The green in the wood beast drops looks good. Otherwise, this game looks good when stock and all brought back to new.
Some folks did awesome work with custom pain and adding chrome, but that’s way beyond what I could do.
Check out this game that’s for sale. Some nice work. Cabinet looks like the same color scheme I went with.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/121709

1 week later
#1822 2 years ago
Quoted from arzoo:

Recently installed an Alltek and the pin is not awarding an Extra Ball when the inlines are completed? I've been going over the manual and for the life of me can't figure out which dip or setting controls the extra ball on/off feature?

#30 dip controls conservative vs liberal. Self test 16 should be set to “02” or “03” for extra ball. If 16 is set to “01” you’ll only get 25K award. See page 4A of manual.

1 month later
#1868 2 years ago
Quoted from arzoo:

Still can't figure out what's going on with my strobe unit (Pinpoint Electronics)? The pin was working fine and then about three months ago the mpu started rebooting. Disconnecting the stobe helped, but I was also having connector issues. Since then I've replaced the mpu (Alltek), driver, and power supply boards, and also re-pinned every connector in the backbox. But the game still won't boot with the strobe connected? It just seems to cycle the boot sequence. Any suggestions?

I have the same issues with the same aftermarket strobe. I am getting some help from a person with a similar FG. We both have early production FGs. They use a two board sound system. Apparently the first 100 FGs off the line used the two board sound system from Xenon. He is testing my aftermarket board in his game. Curious to see what he finds. He is also a tech wizard with these games. If you learn anything, please post it here.

#1871 2 years ago
Quoted from arzoo:

It's hard to tell because the mpu keeps resetting. The start-up sound comes on (bee-boo-bee-boo...) and then when the strobe does a test flash, the sound freezes (beeeeee), then the mpu resets and the cycle starts over.
I have a friend with two FGs, I'll see if I can test my strobe unit on one of his pins.

Just curious, do you have a squawk and talk sound board or the two board set?

#1873 2 years ago
Quoted from arzoo:

Squawk and Talk.

Oh well, there went that theory....

4 months later
#1929 1 year ago
Quoted from FantasticPinball:

Quite a colour difference between a hard top and a reprint.
[quoted image]

Yeah, I just picked up a hardtop and think the same thing. It really surprised me given all the fantastic reviews. However, I have an original playfield from a very early run of the game and while it is off, it’s not off as much as between the hardtop and the CPR reproduction. The actual color is somewhere in the middle. Although, I do love the red on the CPR.

2 weeks later
#1948 1 year ago
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

Changes the xenon bulb... nothing. Put in new capacitors on the board.. nothing. Reconnected the connectors on the auxiliary lamp board... my flasher works!

That’s interesting. I’ve had a perennial problem with my flasher. It just goofs up the CPU when it’s hooked in. I’m going to take a look at my Aux lamp board when I next break into the game.

#1956 1 year ago
Quoted from arzoo:

Same with me, flasher use to work fine but then one day the pin would not boot with the flasher connected. Since then the original MPU board has been replaced. The PS board has been replaced. I've re-pinned every connector in the head. About to do a pf swap and replace the displays. But still no lick with the flasher, must be something bad (cap?) on the strobe board.

I actually tested my strobe in another FG and it worked fine. I have the new replacement board/strobe. Ultimately, quite frustrating.

1 week later
#1963 1 year ago
Quoted from -Gramps:

Help, plz:
I scanned the comments, but couldn’t find: Does this feature the original score by Queen, as well as any call-outs by Max Von Sydow? (“Gordon’s Alive!!” etc?)
I spent 100+ hours watching this movie with my (now adult) sons at the theater, on the original c.d. Video discs, Laser Disc, & now with grandkids on blu-ray. Love everything about it, tongue in cheek or not! Yes, I’m that old…
If so, the audio + the great gameplay reviews are going to put this on my bucket list.
If only there was a Highlander pin with Queen’s Soundtrack & the highlights from the first 2 movies!
Thank you!

Actually, there is a way to achieve this. I bought an aftermarket board that had the Queen music land movie callouts. It’s very cool. I’m going to modify it to add an additional callout, which you can do with this board. Look at your FG and determine if you have a squawk and talk or the older two board set - like I did. He offers different boards depending on what you have. Same electronics, just a different shape.
Look at:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/squawk-and-talk-replacement-sound-board-for-bally-flash-gordon#post-6198282

#1966 1 year ago
Quoted from FantasticPinball:

Does anyone have a FG playfield parts list? I'll be doing a playfield swap and would like to order some new parts.
Yes, I could count them up, but I'm sure someone here has a list prepared...
Fantastic

Look here:

https://online.fliphtml5.com/vrtyz/tzut/#p=2

That’s the original parts catalog. Should have it all.
Is your original playfield set thrashed? I’m sort of loosely looking for a good candidate (cheap and thrashed) for a hardtop project.

Good luck with the swap. Share pictures.

1 month later
#2021 1 year ago
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

How do you build up the saucer value in the game?
[quoted image]

Curious, is your playfield is a CPR, Hardtop or original? It looks great. Getting ready to do a Hardtop, so I was, as I said, curious.

Looks like you got your answer to increasing saucer value. Good luck with that. Such a great pin.

#2024 1 year ago
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

That is a clearcoates... overlay someone put lots of love into years ago. Note the lack of insert numbers on the upper playfield and poorly sized inserts on the right. Classic arcade overlays was all that was available for some time... but someone did an amazing job with what they had to work with. Hardtop are great![quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Thanks - That's wild! They did a great job. I am way to nervous to try to clear-coat anything! I have no skills in that department. I bet it plays great.

3 months later
#2045 1 year ago

Finished my Flash Gordon hardtop install and playfield swap. Love it!
I’ve included photos below of some before and after. Plays great! Looks great!
The PF in my game was actually not that bad, so I decided to salvage that rather than destroying it when adding the hardtop. So, that meant I had to do a playfield swap. My first. I picked up a very worn playfield set I bought from someone who purchased a CPR Set. As you would expect, that PF only had the sockets and bare wire - everything else was gone - thus the PF swap.
With a hardtop install, people tend to worry about the Star rollovers. You have to Dremel out the holes on the hardtop to match the holes in the playfield below. Sounded scary to me. Took my time installing the Star rollovers and that turned out to be more daunting than difficult. Really was much simpler than I had anticipated. They came out great.
I chose to clear my playfield sans the inserts. You should seal your PF if you add a hardtop. It keeps the gunk away from the hardtop adhesive. I added them afterwards since I know not what I do when it comes to clear coating things. I ordered all new inserts and sanded them in place on the PF with 80 grit and the I removed them and went through a couple of finer grits, ending with 1200 wet and a buffing with my Dremel and some compound. I glued them in so they were a hair below flush and added the Hardtop.
I rehabilitate the arrows since I couldn’t find new ones. Just used a chisel to scrape off the junk and sanded them back to almost like new. Helped that they were opaque.
I also worried about the ramps because of the now 1/16 inch increase to the height of the PF with hardtop but followed the lead of others, adding a shim from the strip of plastic with the adhesive supplied with the Hardtop, and it worked brilliantly. Super easy.
When I did the PF swap I put in yopsicles under all of the inserts and rollovers. Love 'em.
Between the Hardtop, the upgraded and awesome sound board [check out https://geeteoh.com/geeteoh/squawktalk.shtml] and the cabinet repaint, I think I am good to go.
I bought stickers for the spinners, but left in my old battered ones. I kind of like the look. I’d consider installing remakes, but the stickers just didn’t move me.
I might be interested in selling my old, now spare playfield, which has factory (it think) Mylar over about 90% of the painted surface. Still up in the air on that.
It was a long job due to the swap. If you are just putting it over your existing PF, it wouldn’t be bad. The biggest time suck with adding a Hardtop is waiting for the clear coat to dry and cure. Anyway, kudos to the folks at Hardtop. The game plays great and looks fantastic! I tossed on photos of the worn PF I bought before and after sanding, before and after of the arrow plastics, and some shots of the Hardtop after initial install and then when the game was put back together.

IMG_2817 (resized).jpegIMG_2817 (resized).jpegIMG_2820 (resized).jpegIMG_2820 (resized).jpegIMG_2821 (resized).jpegIMG_2821 (resized).jpegIMG_3028 (resized).jpegIMG_3028 (resized).jpegA4757231-2712-470C-8894-FF80F8B63E5F (resized).jpegA4757231-2712-470C-8894-FF80F8B63E5F (resized).jpegF9310DEE-81A3-4451-96D8-73753BFB82D8 (resized).jpegF9310DEE-81A3-4451-96D8-73753BFB82D8 (resized).jpeg
2 weeks later
2 weeks later
#2096 1 year ago
Quoted from digitaldocc:

Can somebody let me know if these insert lights at the switches on the top left are supposed to be always on with the GI? Or are they supposed to be logic controlled like the ones on the top right side? Under the playfield has some interesting GI modifications.
[quoted image]

That side is always on. The other is controlled.

2 weeks later
#2123 1 year ago
Quoted from koji:

Figured I'd update this issue with resolved
I brought home a Vector, and was thinking of testing the transformer in my FG, but noticed it was configured for 115v. Since it seemed ok, I figured WTH, and set my Flash Gordon to 115 as well.
FG is playing like I thought it should be playing now. Flipper power both sides feel consistent and good power to make it up the ramps after a few games in a row... in fact, had a blast playing tonight!
Not really sure what is up.. or maybe I've been spoiled playing everything with higher power. Some issues that I thought were something else seem to have gone as well (some phantom switch hits), etc... all seem to be gone.

I recently reset both transformers to 115v and the game plays great. I don’t know why the voltages were jacked up, but I did it in an effort to figure out why my strobe causes my game to reboot. That didn’t fix it, but at least my voltages are all dialed in.

#2126 1 year ago
Quoted from digitaldocc:

Thinking about replacing my plastics as well. Has anyone found quality reproductions for FG?

I had good luck with the CPR. Also curious about your mod idea.

#2129 1 year ago
Quoted from digitaldocc:

Thanks for the CPR recommendation. Just placed my order as many of my current plastics are not desirable. As for my mod ideas, most of them is to enhance lighting. Still working out the details on that but I'll be happy to share when I figure it out.
The more interesting idea I have is to change out the static ming plastic from inside the video screen with real video. 1st phase is just a video loop of ming. After that is working I'm hoping to trigger different clips in code. Either with the FG 2021 add on RoyGBev makes and/or the Geeteoh replacement S&T board sending a 3.3v or 5v to inputs on a video looper.

Oh, I do like the Ming video idea. That would be very cool. I have a Geeteoh board and have enjoyed that. Pretty nice and was easy to add a Vultan sound file: “Oh well, who wants to live forever…”
Good luck with that and let me know if you need a test dummy. Hope the CPRs work out - I was happy with my order, and I’m pretty picky.

#2131 1 year ago
Quoted from digitaldocc:

Glad you like the idea. Today I managed to give it test. Not too shabby.
Yeah, I agree the Geeteoh sound board is pretty awesome by the way. His support is top notch and a really cool dude.

That’s pretty wicked. Now I want to try that. If you go into production, let me know!

1 month later
#2158 1 year ago
Quoted from Nokoro:

Love it! I did that maximum x25 bonus thing to the shooter lane once. It was amazing!
I agree with your sentiment. I have older and newer games, but there’s nothing like the simple scoring rules of these old Ballys that gives you that extra thrill when you cash out on points. The newer games — which I still love — don’t have the same feeling of constantly building towards some big payout.

Ditto ditto ditto. FG is my favorite game. Sold TZ. Got rid of AFM. Many others have come and gone, but FG stays. However, I don’t know how to activate the x25 bonus shooter lane - at least on purpose. I’ve collected bonuses in the lane, but not that. How does one activate that? I’m gonna be at out my manual to check it out, but curious to get your take.

#2160 1 year ago
Quoted from Nokoro:

You need to get bonus up to x5 and then be lucky enough for both 15 second playfield multipliers to be lit at the saucer for x2 and x3 scoring. Hit the saucer and then hit the shooter lane before time runs out. (x2 + x3) x (x5) = x25. If your lower playfield bonus is up to max, you will get the bonus x25. Again, really difficult to do. I’ve only done it once and am not sure I’ll do it again.

Ah. That makes perfect sense. Thanks! That’s awesome.

3 weeks later
#2177 1 year ago
Quoted from koji:

Worst part of those can be that they actually cause plunger wear... might be worth checking...
Here's a plunger from a Flash I was working on that had a metal sleeve.
[quoted image]

I don’t think that’s an original linear plunger. Looks like someone did a flipper rebuild and substituted an older style flipper mechanism. This is pretty common since the original linear flippers were not popular with everyone.

2 weeks later
#2223 11 months ago
Quoted from badbilly27:

I just joined the club recently and bought a very nice restored one. I saw a video of a fellow pinsider who sold his game earlier this year that had custom music from Queen on it. Love FG and Queen!! Didn't use geetoh board, but hot damn was it cool.
Bought geetoh's board which is being delivered. I know there are settings to unlock some music built in.
Has anyone "customized" their sound beyond what comes with? Please message me if you have. Very pumped to get this installed and would love Queen music tied in. Thank you.

I used some of these:

https://movie-sounds.org/superhero-movie-sound-clips/quotes-with-sound-clips-from-flash-gordon-1980/

"Oh, well, who wants to live forever?"

#2225 11 months ago
Quoted from badbilly27:

Thanks for the source. Is it easy to add these to the board? Board should be here in a week or less.

Pretty easy if you don’t get fancy. I just dropped in files where files already were. The fellow who developed the board can help. I’m pretty basic with computer stuff (thus calling it “stuff”) and I got it to work.
Really cool addition to my favorite pinball.

2 weeks later
#2238 11 months ago
Quoted from Jmxdc:

They are riveted in, There screws to release the wood are under the playfield, mine were in decent shape I just pulled them out with the wood masked them and painted the wood black. Then polished and put back, in my case I was swapping playfields. [quoted image]

Ditto. They came out perfectly fine.
Super nice restoration!

#2239 11 months ago
Quoted from Jmxdc:

Thanks, I am still finishing up but here it is with it almost complete. It was pretty ugly when I got it. [quoted image][quoted image]

By the way, I like the pop bumper skirts. Nice touch going with the red.

1 month later
#2328 9 months ago
Quoted from Jmxdc:

yup, all those sounds ship with the geeteoh board. great board!

Awesome product. Love this board and the music and callouts. Easy to add additional callouts too.

2 weeks later
#2337 9 months ago
Quoted from pacman11:

What do you guys think a HUO Flash Gordon will go for? This thing is super nice just finished cleaning it up. It's got original mylar on it with very minimal bubbling.

Man, that’s a beautiful pin! If I had not just finished a restoration on mine, I’d jump at it. But I digress. The link below was for a full restoration FG. He said absent having a TARDIS and going back in time that you wouldn’t find one as nice as his. Well, looks like you have a TARDIS. His is pending at $7,500. Not sure where you live (that can influence pricing), but north of $6k is not unreasonable in my opinion. Start high and see where it lands. Here is the link: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/155468

#2360 9 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

frunch Thanks! I popped in a .75 amp fuse just to see if it would start a game. It did. The outhole switch needs to be adjusted some. The ball doesn't always sit centered in the outhole, so the kicker sometimes misses it.
Got the game to start and the speech and most sounds seemed to be working. However, now both right flippers are no longer working. The left flipper works fine.
Can someone post a photo of inside their coin door. My coin door wires seem hacked up. There are three of those diagnostic test switches there. One is mounted on a metal plate and is broken. The other two test switches are hanging there and are seized up and don't press down. So I'm not able to get into the test diagnostic menu.
I'm also pretty sure I need to hook up a battery pack to the MPU. The battery is not on the board and there appears to be a wire lead coming off, but it's not connected to a battery pack. The MPU says Lost World written on it in sharpie.
[quoted image]

There’s no reason to have two buttons inside of the door. It is probably that at least one of them is for adding credits. Hard to tell without pictures. They may have replaced the menu button, and added a credit button, thus two buttons. Off of the MPU board, it looks like there is a remote battery mounted. That would be the two wires soldered into the bottom of the board. Even if that’s not what’s going on, the lack of a battery really has nothing to do with the game functioning. Batteries are they’re for memory when the game is turned off. It’s stores things like high score, audits, and things like that. The game functions are pretty much set up with the dip switches on the board. It’s not unusual, and a good thing If the battery is mounted remotely. On these old boards, when the battery decides to give up the ghost, they would ooze battery acid all over the board and ruin it. Remote batteries are a way to mitigate that sort of damage. It’s troubling that the game Chip seems to be wrong. You can’t have that. Even though my boards were all working, I eventually went to Alteck boards , since you can have a free play function on that. However, before I did anything like that, I’d make sure everything is working properly if possible.
There are a lot of things that could lead to one flipper not working. I had started with the physicality of the flipper itself. Make sure all wires are soldered, the linkage is all hooked up , and if you have a way to test the solenoid, I would do that.

#2361 9 months ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

Check to see if a wire fell off the fuse holder you just installed a fuse in. The flippers get power from the 'cold side" of the fuse holder. Which is why the flippers still work when the fuse is blown, they are effectively fused down at the rectifier board (5 or 7 amp I think) and then the playfield device coils are "down fused" at that playfield location aside from the flippers of course. You might have knocked a wire off or a bad solder joint at fuse and also check the wire at the lower right flipper coil.

Oh, and another thing to check on the flipper is that the switch at the flip or button is hooked up and the wires are still soldered on and that the gap and the switch is closing when the flipper button is depressed. Basically start by checking for physical problems with the flipper system.

#2364 9 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

Thanks guys for all the great help. I'll dig around some tonight on the flipper issue. Looks like I need to put together an order for some fuses and the menu/diagnostic button at the coin door. I'll post more photos later tonight. I'll also eventually check out those dip switches to see what they do with the game features.

If you don’t have a manual, go to the pinball database and look up the Bally Flash Gordon, not the Bell FG. On that page there is a PDF of the manual. Look there for the setting options. There may also be a card mounted in the back box with the info - I can’t remember. Anyway, to properly fix your game, you’ll need the manual.

#2367 9 months ago
Quoted from rack-em-up:

Here's a picture of my coin door.
[quoted image]

I’m only seeing what I would expect. The small red button is for the menu and the taller dial is the top of the potentiometer (for sound). Are there other buttons somewhere that I am just not seeing. If not, you look okay.

#2369 9 months ago
Quoted from zahner:

I’m only seeing what I would expect. The small red button is for the menu and the taller dial is the top of the potentiometer (for sound). Are there other buttons somewhere that I am just not seeing. If not, you look okay.

Ah! Not the suspect coin door. My bad

#2374 9 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

Just played a couple of quick games with my son.

Great news! How’s it working? Impressive that it’s chugging along. Looks like someone rather aggressively did a lot of work on the game.
It is an awesome game. My favorite for many years. Have new games and old games, but keep coming back to FG.
BTW, I ended up doing a hardtop on mine a few months back. Love it. Plays better than ever!

#2376 9 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

zahner the game seems pretty good. Lights and scoring seemed to work. Flippers and solenoids seemed fine. The credit/ball in play is pretty messed up. So it’s hard to know what ball is in play. Also seems like the background droning noise is off. I’ll investigate the dip switch settings on the mpu tomorrow.

Best of luck. Pretty good thread to run problems with. Way more knowledgeable people than me who seem happy to offer help.
All of the problems you are outlining seem pretty easy though, but can be time consuming.
Couple of things to check out: I bought a new soundboard that plays the Queen FG music and has callouts from the film. Pretty easy to add additional callouts. I also went to full LED lighting in the playfield and installed Yopsicles and that’s been very nice. No more unreliable sockets to deal with. You’d need to get the Alteck light boards for the LEDs, but hey, it’s only money. I should add that I think you need to get the new boards if you go LED. I suspect someone can confirm or correct me on that.

#2381 8 months ago

I have a similar problem that I’m piddling around wit. My Player 1 display is flickering. It’s not the display or pins on the display. It does it when I swap out the displays. I suspect something down stream. Any thoughts or similar experiences before I dig into it?

#2383 8 months ago
Quoted from BJM-Maxx:

The pins at the MPU end can cause that issue.

Yeah, I was wondering about. It’s getting to be an older Alltek board, so maybe that’s it.
Thanks for the tip!

#2387 8 months ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

Very, Very common.

Quoted from frunch:

Are the female MPU connectors original? If so, I'd replace them before replacing the Alltek board.

I’m tending toward this. Makes sense. I will start here. Thanks!

1 month later
#2450 7 months ago
Quoted from BigAl56:

Whole doors are hard to come by but if all you need is the outer skin see above.

I replaced just the skin and it looks like a million dollars. Very easy to do.

2 weeks later
2 months later
#2593 4 months ago
Quoted from rack-em-up:

Flash Gordon Hardtop
Happy to report that I just finished sticking a FG Hardtop to my FG upper and lower playfields. Absolutely no problems. Good alignment and, best of all, no adhesion problems. I was concerned about the possibility of poor adhesion because I purchased the Hardtop about 5 years ago. I guess I worried needlessly. It looks great![quoted image]

Plays great too! I love my Flash Gordon Hardtop.

2 weeks later
#2603 3 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

I am happy to report my Flash Gordon survived 5-6 hours of playing with no new problems. An 11 year old boy became addicted to pinball playing my Flash Gordon, High Speed, and El Dorado.

Two of my favorite all time games. Nothing better than FG and El Dorado is great. High Speed is no slouch either.
Good move indoctrinating them young.

#2610 3 months ago
Quoted from Squeakman:

Can someone please explain to me what makes these yopsicles so great? Purpose? Is there an advantage? Do they burn out? Just new to seeing this and curious.

The original sockets oft fail and or lend themselves to flickering or fading from bad contact. New sockets are better, but still a weak point. The Yopsicles avoid all that. They are very easy to install (just remember to put a blob of solder on each one before attaching them to the playfield).
If you are going to go led and have a bunch of ratty sockets to replace, consider the Yopsicle alternative. The should not burn out for a very very long time. The Yopsicle site should have info on that, but I suspect you are looking at the Yopsicles outlasting the rest of the pin. I did my entire Flash Gordon playfield swap with Yopsicles. Very slick.

#2614 3 months ago
Quoted from Squeakman:

I need to research these. I wonder now if they still suffer the same effects as regular LEDs. Ghosting and the typical problems LEDs bring.

No ghosting with my game, but I have Alteck boards throughout. Check the Yopsicle site.

Agree with slochar re having more access to mechs.

2 weeks later
#2634 3 months ago
Quoted from DanMarino:

LEDs and translucent silicon rubber bands installed.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Looking good. I like the translucent rubber. I have yellow, but the translucent may be my next choice at a future re-rubber.

1 week later
#2637 85 days ago
Quoted from arzoo:

I've got yet another question about yoppsicles on FG; I know they're not good for GI lighting but I'm wondering about under the roll-over stars on the upper pf? Are these lit the same as the rest of the GI, they seem to each have their own return wire?

Each of the lights under the inserts are controlled and each has a designated wire. If you are going to replace the sockets under any inserts, including the Star rollovers, which I did and highly recommend, you need to either remove a socket and install a Yopsicle one at a time (ugh) or tag each wire with identifying information and do them all at once (easy and gives you the real estate you need). The schematic also identifies each wire if a tag falls off. Once replaced, the Yopsicles are great. No flickering loose sockets.
You also need to make sure you are set up to run LEDs.

#2639 84 days ago
Quoted from arzoo:

This is a pf swap I'm doing, so I've already replaced all the inserts with yoppsicles and new sockets for the GI. I was just unsure about the roll-overs. So just to confirm, you're using yoppsicles under the star roll-overs?

Yes. Yes, I did have to position them a little differently than the other Yoppsicles. you will have to extend the positive unshielded wire some with a small piece of wire and create a new mounting hole to get it situated properly I used two Yoppsicles under each rollover, one on each side of the switch.

#2649 82 days ago
Quoted from arzoo:

I gave up on the rotisserie and used some 2x3s to build a simple jig to support the pf on my bench.

Did something similar except used a big hunk of firm foam from an old pelican case. Worked great.

1 week later
#2661 75 days ago
Quoted from rack-em-up:

Flash Gordon Playfield Project
Somewhere around 5 years ago I bought a nice FG with a little planking and a little missing paint. FG hardtops had just been released so I bought one. The game was so much fun to play I could not see tearing it up to install the hardtop so it lay in the original packaging under my bed for about 4 years. I then started to worry that the hardtop adhesive might begin to deteriorate. To hedge my bets, I bought a playfield from a fellow Pinsider figuring it might be best to try sticking the hardtop to that playfield. At most (if the adhesive had gone bad) I'd be out the cost of the hardtop and the second playfield. So I stuck the playfield aside and started planning the hardtop install. I toyed with the idea of completely populating the playfield and ending up with something that could just be plugged into any FG.
Realizing that it wasn't very practical to do that, I went ahead anyway buying some parts, rebuilding flippers, pop bumpers, etc. and generally having a lot of fun and learning a little about pinball machines.
A couple months ago I worked up the nerve to stick the hardtop on the playfield. With my wife's help, all went well and there was nothing wrong with the hardtop adhesive. Attached are some pictures showing where I'm at with the project. Still need 3 more drop target assemblies and that may take some time. At 75 years old I'm in no hurry about anything. Finding some before I turn 80 would be nice though!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Looks totally familiar. I did a hardtop with Yopsicles. I too used a lot of baggies and wire tags. The worst part was sanding the new inserts.
Turned out great. Extremely happy with my result.
Good luck with the rest of the job.

2 weeks later
#2702 58 days ago
Quoted from slochar:

Who changed it to Williams? I put the earlier bally pawls in which is what the original question was as well.

I did the same years ago. Think I like the flipper play maybe a bit more, but probably all in my head. Didn’t notice a major difference, maybe just a bit looser??? In the end it was just easier to work with, fewer parts that wear out and cheaper. Hated those plastic guides and it seemed like I was replacing some flipper part every month.
On the Hardtop, I went that route and also went full Yopsicle. Love it. Play is better than ever. Still like FG more than any other pin - even more than my Pro Godzilla, which is yet another great game! Once done with your hardtop conversion, I predict you’ll be a happy camper.

1 week later
#2742 51 days ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

If anyone is interested there are some detailed notes in my build thread about making a harness for Flash Gordon and how some things work.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/seawitch-from-scratch-allentown-edition/page/35#post-7996377

Very well done and helpful. Thanks

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