Congrats, looks great! You will absolutely want to clearcoat that playfield. See this thread for why: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/defender-williams-1982-nos-playfield-

Yesterday we finally played our first games on a really nice F2K project I picked up NINE years ago

Once we got the boards fixed, I’ll be selling the other (not pictured) F2K in my collection.

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Mine also does not have one. Thought it was strange, so I checked my other F2K and yep, not there.

Post your thoughts, please. I didn't droop mine and I kinda think it plays like shit. Been meaning to adjust them for a while now.

I had a similar (but not exact) issue with the switch matrix. Turned out to be a bad diode on one of the 3-bank drop switches. I ended up just starting to replace all those little original blue diodes with new 1n4007 diodes (I’m not smart enough to know the blue one’s value or why they’re used on this game, I thought they were added by an op later but they’re the same ones in your photos).

HoakyPoaky may be interested

Marco has the correct faceted posts, both short and tall:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/C-11561-20
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/C-11562-20

I have no clue on how EB works in this game

Not sure where to post this, but I modded my lamp driver board following @gdonovan’s guide here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/seawitch-from-scratch-allentown-edition/page/18#post-6676387

Some exposition: The board in question was fully working with Siegecraft adapters prior to my messing with it.

Now, everything is working great, except for the bonus multiplier lamps. They are all 5 flaky now. The function of the lamps per the drivers is correct (i.e. 2x lights, then 3x, then 4x, and so on like it’s supposed to). However, whatever is lit (even up to the max when they’re all lit) will flake out. Coil action makes them flake out and back on (i.e. flipping the flippers or a drop bank reset will make whatever you have lit turn off. Then flipping again, sometimes takes a few flips, they will turn back on).

I have NOT repinned my connectors but I’m not sure that’s the issue since some lamps are on J1 and some are on J3. How would they all 5 be acting strange in unison like this?

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I finally got a chance to crack her open and look around. It seems likely there was a MASSIVE coincidence with the extra ball lamp socket buss wire that connects that group of lights. It was working without fail until I did the LDB swap. Then I guess right after I started my first game, the screw holding the Extra Ball lamp socket to the playfield jarred loose and broke the solder connection between the socket and buss wire. Secured back and it seems to be working. Freak timing. Board seems to be doing pretty well. Some very light flickering but that occurred with the Seigecraft adapters too. Haven't tried swapping in a Weebly or Alltek to compare. Probably won't, I'm happy with the results!

Now I need to take apart my right flipper as it decided to gum up last night in play test. Definitely under 1000 plays since I rebuilt them, but more than a few hundred too. Not sure if it's the bushing, the spring, or the coil sleeve causing the hangups.

Flippers will continue to work if the 1.25a slow blow is blown. The one you’re looking for is physically attached to the underside of the playfield, roughly between the flippers. It does not effect the flipper solenoids but all others on the playfield.

Just don't put a cap on both sling switches. Since they're wired together, you only need one cap and one diode for the two switches.

I've never heard of putting a cap on the actual cabinet flipper switch though I guess Williams did that at some point. gdonovan added these to his EOS switches, similar to later Bally/Williams mechs, to eliminate phantom triggers. https://www.pinballlife.com/22uf-250v-axial-capacitor.html

disclaimer: I know nothing about electronics. I'm sure Quench could help.

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I had to get a new sheet made a few years ago. I kept the sticker that came printed on it with the info. I can grab that info off it tomorrow.

Took me longer to remember to do this. Busy week, but here’s the receipt I had on my repro glass.

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The coil yellow wire bus always goes to the banded side of the diode (in my experience).

I have a good number of classic sterns over the last 20 years and so far my only burping one is Split Second, which I just got this year. Scared the hell out of me the first couple times!

Speech is controlled by the VSU-100 board (mounted below the SB-300 in the head). I can't say what specifically could be going wrong because I'm a dumdum with electronic theory. A few years ago I had one where the NLA speech chip went bad. Took a $75 sourced chip to fix it but now these are available - https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1297-glodstone/04572-vsu-2-speech-board-replacement-for-vsu-100.

I do have an extra original VSU-100 that I need to pop in a game to test. Came out of a trashed F2K I'm converting to a Cheetah.

Did you see my post above? The SB-300 doesn’t control the speech. It could be that you reseated J4 on the LDB that connects to the VSU-100. While repinning the SB-300 is probably beneficial overall I would be surprised to learn that is what resolved your issue.

VSU100 Schematic.pdf

I was hoping you or Quench would help clarify things!

This one? I posted in the classic stern a few days back wondering who it was looking for it…

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There's always this...

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1297-glodstone/04572-vsu-2-speech-board-replacement-for-vsu-100

It’s upside down in my pic but if it’s not that one then do you need the clear guide underneath it? Or the one up in the corner? Got a pic?

I have been outside all day working on transforming the cabinet that plastic came out of into a Cheetah cab. Will text you later this evening.

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I said this previously and I am not an expert in how the boards operate but I had one fail before. It’s possible your S14001A speech chip has started dying. These are long since NLA but there is a new board replacement available. https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1297-glodstone/04572-vsu-2-speech-board-replacement-for-vsu-100

To use nvram in an MPU-200, you have to replace the chips at U-8 and U-13. Note that the one Lovef2k shared is bigger. They’re NLA. I think I have a couple extras around that I’d sell at my original cost. $21 plus shipping*

*pending me being able to find them easily.

You can also just replace U-13 with a second 5101 nvram if you have one. Or replace the battery with a super cap.

Your speech chip probably aged out. It happens. Nothing you’ll be able to do without finding a replacement which are NLA. I had to do that on a board a few years back, before the new boards were available. The chip alone was $75. The new board works, so why chase your tail on a dead one?

Well I'd bow to @slochar's knowledge and experience anyday, so shut me up! Speech chip was the fix on mine.

That's a Bally spinner. It's a fair bit of work to repair the wire and you'll need a good wire bending tool to do so. I took a broken one like that and made a new Nine Ball spinner with it, so don't just toss in the garbage. But really, these are a good replacement: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-7861

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Just for , Bally and Stern spinners are not the same. They occupy the same physical space but Bally spinners are much heavier and don't spin quite as much.

https://www.pinballlife.com/nylon-spinner-washer.html

Those look correct but your bracket is bent pretty badly. That’s going to be a big enemy in getting your spinner to sit correctly.

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